June 21, 2007 10:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time
American Express Creates Three Distinctive Membership Rewards® Levels to Meet Cardmember Lifestyle and Usage Needs
Multi-Level Program Linked to Different Card Products Offers Enhanced Customer Experience through Unique and Innovative Features, and Expanded Roster of Redemption Partners
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--American Express (NYSE:AXP) has introduced new Membership Rewards program levels aligned with specific Card products designed to better meet Cardmember lifestyle and reward program usage needs. Today, American Express® Cardmembers will participate in one of three Membership Rewards program levels based on the Credit or Charge Card they have in their wallet. For those Cardmembers with American Express Credit Cards, including Blue from American Express®, the company has created the Membership Rewards ExpressSM program. American Express Charge Cardmembers with American Express Green and Gold Cards will have the Membership Rewards program. Platinum Card® members and Centurion® Cardmembers will be enrolled in the Membership Rewards FirstSM program.
In addition, the company has announced a number of new, innovative features across all levels of the Membership Rewards program, including Points AdvanceSM, as well as an expanded list of redemption partners.
“Our goal is to continue to improve and evolve the Membership Rewards program to create a truly special experience for our Cardmembers,” said Ralph Andretta, senior vice president and general manager, Membership Rewards, American Express. “The new program levels and added redemption features are the latest examples of how we strive to give Cardmembers what they want and need from their rewards program.”
Details on New Program Levels
Membership Rewards Express will offer a breadth of benefits for Cardmembers with Credit cards, including Blue from American Express, such as:
* Easily attainable retail, dining, entertainment and select travel rewards
* Ability to earn points faster and more easily by shopping at BonusPointsMall.com, where Cardmembers can earn double points year-round at more than 160 online retailers
* Access to the new Express RewardsSM Hotel Card that allows Cardmembers to redeem points for a prepaid card valued at $25, $50 or $100, which can be used toward everything from hotel spa services and gift shop purchases to an entire stay at participating lodging locations at Marriott® and Radisson Hotels & Resorts® properties
* Features such as the Pay with Points option, which allows Cardmembers to instantly redeem Membership Rewards points for all or part of the cost of any airline ticket, hotels, cruises and travel packages without blackout dates or restrictions when booking travel at
www.membershiprewards.com/paywithpoints
* Ability to earn double points when booking travel through the American Express Travel website
* Access to rewards from more than 140 desirable partners such as Barnes & Noble, Blockbuster, Crate and Barrel, Gap, The Home Depot, Pottery Barn, and newly added casual dining category partners
Membership Rewards will provide greater travel flexibility for American Express Green and Gold Charge Cardmembers, including:
* Ability to transfer points to more than 20 frequent flyer and frequent guest accounts to redeem for flight or hotel stays
* Ability to redeem points for travel certificates for additional airlines and hotels, as well as for cruises, car rental and adventure travel packages
* Access to Flight Finder and Room Finder, the program’s recently launched one-of-a-kind booking tools that enable Cardmembers to search, transfer points and book reward travel all in one single online transaction with participating frequent flyer and frequent guest programs. Participating partners include AirTran Airways, the Hilton HHonors® Program and Priority Club® Rewards, with more great partners to come.
* All the same reward partners and program features available through Membership Rewards Express
Membership Rewards First will provide the ultimate in exclusivity and flexibility, as well as unique access to one-of-a-kind experiences and travel rewards for Platinum and Centurion charge Cardmembers, including:
* Exclusive access to an assortment of luxury partners through First CollectionSM, a private portfolio of rewards from premium brands in jewelry and watches, high-end fashion, distinguished lifestyle, and world-class travel. Partners include EOS Airlines, Lamborghini, Monarch Billiards, Neiman Marcus, The Ritz-Carlton, Tiffany & Co., and Premier Cru vintage wines – a classification reserved for only the very best wines from the Bordeaux region of France
* Dedicated 800 customer service number
* Ability to earn triple points year-round on purchases made through BonusPointsMall.com
* All the same reward partners and program features available through Membership Rewards Express and Membership Rewards
To learn more about the new benefits and services of the new program levels, please visit
http://www.membershiprewards.com/tie...omparison.aspx.
New Points Advance Feature Allows Cardmembers to “Advance” Points to Redeem Rewards
Membership Rewards program enrollees across all levels, can now enjoy Points Advance, a first-of-its-kind service that allows Cardmembers to “advance” points against future points earned at the time they choose to redeem points for a reward.1 The newly launched feature will allow Cardmembers to advance up to the number of points required for a desired redemption, or for the maximum number of points available to advance, whichever is less. The number of points Cardmembers can advance is based on their program level – 5,000 points for Membership Rewards Express, 15,000 points for Membership Rewards, and 60,000 points for Membership Rewards First.
When redeeming a reward online, American Express will provide Cardmembers with the Points Advance option at check-out on the shopping cart page near the conclusion of the redemption transaction. Points Advance can also be requested through the Membership Rewards’ customer service phone number. Cardmembers have 12 months to replace the points, without incurring any fees, through spending with the American Express Card.2
2007 Membership Rewards Program Partners
American Express has added a number of popular retail, travel, dining and entertainment Membership Rewards partners to allow customers to redeem points for more of the things they want. Among the latest offerings is a new casual dining category, which features dining rewards at The Cheesecake Factory, California Pizza Kitchen, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Red Lobster and Olive Garden. These latest choices are among the hundreds of redemption options that span the program’s Travel, Shopping and Dining & Entertainment categories.
The 2007 Membership Rewards program partners3 are as follows:
* Airlines: Aeromexico, Aeroplan, Air France/KLM, Air Jamaica, AirTran Airways, Alitalia, All Nippon Air-ways (ANA), Cathay Pacific Airways, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, EL AL Israel Airlines, Frontier Airlines, GlobalPass®, Hawaiian Airlines®, JetBlue Airways, Mexicana® Airlines, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Southwest Airlines®, SWISS, Virgin Atlantic Airways.
* Car Rentals and Rail: Amtrak®, Avis®, Enterprise Rent-A-Car®, Hertz®, Classic Car Club and Rail Europe.
* Dining & Entertainment: American Express ® Gift Cards Especially for Dining, Benihana, BLOCKBUSTER®, Broadway.com™, By Invitation Only® Events for Platinum Cardmembers, California Pizza Kitchen, The Capital Grille®, The Cheesecake Factory®, Create Your Own Reward, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar®, Lettuce Entertain You® Enterprises, Inc., LIVE NATION, McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurants, The Melting Pot, Morton’s® The Steakhouse, Olive Garden, Patina Restaurant Group, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Red Lobster, Roy’s, Regal Cinemas, Regal Entertainment Group, Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group©, Telecharge.com, Theme Parks Unlimited, Ticketmaster, Tribeca Film Festival, USGA®, USTATM, Xperience Days.
* Financial Services: American Express® Gift Cheques, American Express® Travelers Cheques, AwardPlanner and MileageManager, Link2Gov (www.pay1040.com/mr), Official Payments Corp.® (http://www.officialpayments.com/mr), SIRIUS Satellite, and Points.com, USA TODAY®. More than 1,000,000 charitable organizations are available through an online giving portal, www.americanexpress.com/give.
* First Collection: Baccarat, Bergdorf Goodman, Chopard, Davidoff Cigars and Accessories, EOS Airlines, Ermenegildo Zegna, Premier Cru Bordeaux Wines, IWC, Lamborghini, Mikimoto, Monarch Billiards, Montegrappa writing instruments, Neiman Marcus, Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, Pebble Beach Resorts, Piaget, Raffles Hotels & Resorts, Relais & Chateaux's Relais Gourmands Restaurants, The Ritz-Carlton, Steinway & Sons, and Tiffany & Co.
* Hotels: Best Western Gold Crown Club® International; Destination Hotels and Resorts, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts; Hilton Honors® (Hilton®, Conrad®, Coral by Hilton, Doubletree®, Embassy Suites Hotels®, Hampton Inn® , Hampton Inn & Suites, Hilton Garden Inn®, Hilton Grand Vacations Club®, Hilton Vacation Club, Homewood Suites by Hilton®, and Scandic); Hyatt Hotels & Resorts®; Priority Club® Rewards (InterContinental®, Crowne Plaza®, Hotel Indigo®, Holiday Inn®, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites®), Joie de Vivre Hospitality, Loews Hotels, Marriott International® (Marriott® Hotels, Resorts and Suites, Renaissance® Hotels & Resorts, Courtyard® by Marriott, Residence Inn® by Marriott, Fairfield Inn® by Marriott, TownePlace Suites® by Marriott, Spring Hill SuitesTM by Marriott); Marriott Vacation Club International, MGM Grand/The Mirage, Miraval Life in Balance Resort and Spa, Omni Hotels®; Preferred Hotel Group (Preferred Hotels & Resorts and Summit Hotels & Resorts), Sol Meliá Hotels & Resorts, Starwood Preferred Guest® (St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W Hotels®, Le Meridien®, Sheraton® Hotels & Resorts, Four Points® by Sheraton, Westin® Hotel & Resorts), and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts®. Swissotel Hotels & Resorts.
* Merchandise: Adidas, All-Clad, Apple iPod, AT&T, Bang & Olufsen, Baume & Mercier, Bodum®, Bose®, Boston Accoustics, Bowflex®, Bulova, Bushnell, Callaway® Golf, Camelback, Canon, Celestron, Cobra Golf, Coleman, Creative®, Cuisinart, De'Longhi, Dooney & Bourke, Dunhill, Dyson, Garmin, Hearts on Fire, Hewlett Packard, Igloo, iRobot, Jabra, JA Henckels, Hartmann, Jansport, JBL, JVC, kate spade, Kenneth Cole Reaction, KitchenAid®, Krups, KOSS, Lagos, Lalique, Le Creuset®, Lenox, Lladro, Logitech, Majorica, Maui Jim®, Microsoft, Mizuno, Monster Cable, Montblanc, Motorola, Movado, Nambe, Nike, Nikon, The North Face, Oakley, Ogio, Omas, Oreck®, Panasonic, Pentax®, Philips, Plantronics, Polar, Rayban, Riedel, Royal, Samsonite, Samsung, SanDisk, Sharp, SenrySafe, Skagen, Skil, Sky Golf, Sony®, Staub, Steiner Sports, Swarovski, TAG Heuer, Takamine, TaylorMade®, Timberland, Titleist Golf, TIVO, Toro, Toshiba, Travelpro, Trek®, Tumi, Villeroy & Boch, Waterford, Weber, Wilson®, Yamaha, and many more.
* Retail: Banana Republic, Barnes & Noble, Bath & Body Works®, Bloomingdale’s, Brooks Brothers, Cole Haan, Crate and Barrel, Dell™ Computer, ESCADA, FTD.COM®, Fortunoff, Gap, Lands' End®, Linens ‘n Things®, L’Occitane, PBteen®, Pottery Barn®, Pottery Barn Kids®, Red Door Spas, Restoration Hardware, Saks Fifth Avenue, Smith & Hawken, Smithsonian Institution, Spa Finder®, Talbots, The Home Depot®, The Sharper Image®, Tourneau, and 800wine.com.
* Sports and Adventure: Abercrombie & Kent, American Skiing Company, Aspen/Snowmass, Butterfield & Robinson, Epiculinary, ESPN Golf Schools Presented by Lexus, Golf, Academy of Hilton Head Island at Sea Pines, Intrawest Mountain Resorts, Lake Austin Spa, Mountain Travel Sobek, Mizuno Golf, Moorings, NauticBlue, O.A.R.S, Richard Petty Driving Experience™, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Adventure Parks, Skip Barber Racing School, Smithsonian Journeys, Space Adventures Ltd., Tauck World Discovery, Troon Golf, Universal Golf Ticket™, Universal Ski Ticket™, USGA, Vail Resorts, and Van Der Meer Tennis.
About The Membership Rewards Program
The Membership Rewards program from American Express has more than 140 redemption partners. The program allows Cardmembers to earn one point for virtually every dollar charged on eligible, enrolled American Express Cards4.
Membership Rewards points are redeemable in a wide selection of reward categories, including travel, retail merchandise, entertainment, shopping and recreation gift certificates, experiences, financial services and charity rewards. Enrollees may also customize their own redemption experiences through the program’s Create Your Reward and Experiences options and use points for just about anything they can imagine. Points have no expiration date, and there is no limit on the number of points a Cardmember can earn.
For more information about the Membership Rewards program, or to apply for an American Express Card, consumers can call 1-800-THE-CARD or visit 800TheCard.com.
About American Express
American Express Company (
www.americanexpress.com) (NYSE:AXP) is a leading global payments, network and travel company founded in 1850.
1
Terms, conditions and restrictions apply.
2
Cardmembers will be charged for points not earned back within that time period at the rate applicable to point purchase transactions.
3
Partners vary by program level
4
Some Cards require enrollment and the payment of an annual program fee. Terms and conditions apply.