47. Breaking Down AMEX: Getting the Most Out of Your Membership Rewards

Points Talk with the Travel Mom Squad

Alex, Pam and Jess

Places & Travel, Education, Society & Culture, How To

4.9 • 734 Ratings

🗓️ 24 October 2023

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Welcome back! Do you have some American Express Membership Rewards points and aren't quite sure how to use them? Or have you heard about the program but aren't sure how it works? If so, this episode is for you. Keep listening as we cover all things American Express Membership Rewards.

If you are a loyal listener, you know we've previously taken a deep dive into the realms of Chase Ultimate Rewards and Capital One Venture Miles. But today, we're turning our attention to another significant player—American Express Membership Rewards!

First thing you need to understand is AMEX's lineup. With a plethora of cards under its umbrella—from personal cards like the Gold, Green, and Platinum to business ones—knowing which card to snag can be a bit tricky. Our top picks? The personal Gold, personal Platinum, and the business Platinum. These cards not only earn you some major points but also come with perks that make the annual fees worthwhile.

This isn’t even scratching the surface of how many points and miles you can rack up in the AMEX world. And as with all travel tricks, knowledge is key! Want to delve further into the American Express narrative? Tap that play button! Learning how to navigate the AMEX landscape could be the next thing you need to unlock your dream trip or vacation! As always, if you need more help with award travel and where to start, follow the links below to connect with us!

Links For All Things Travel Mom Squad: stan.store/travelmomsquad

Links For This Episode:

American Express Membership Rewards Explained: https://travelmomsquad.com/american-express-membership-rewards-explained/
Using Airline Incidental Credits: https://travelmomsquad.com/using-airline-incidental-credits/
Transfer partner cheat sheet:

https://travelmomsquad.ck.page/cheatsheet
Alex’s Rakuten link: https://www.rakuten.com/r/ALEXPA114?eeid=28187
Pam’s Rakuten link: https://www.rakuten.com/r/PAMIOR?eeid=28187
Jess’s Rakuten link: http://www.rakuten.com/r/PWRJES?eeid=28187

Episode Minute By Minute:

00:44 Getting into the different AMEX cards and how they stack up to competitors
04:43 The pros and cons of the AMEX Gold card
06:13 Here is the breakdown of the AMEX Platinum card
11:34 Jess talks about confusing new rules in regards to opening multiple AMEX cards
16:24 Pam breaks down the public offers for the AMEX cards
18:01 Alex talks about AMEX pop-up jail, what it means, and how to avoid it
24:30 Jess talks about AMEX card offers
28:31 Using retail offers with shopping portals to save even more money
31:07 The pros of using a shopping portal like Rakuten
32:29 Here’s the breakdown on combining points and points expirations
34:42 Here are some of our favorite ways to use AMEX points
41:34 Hotel options for AMEX rewards, but they are limited

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to Points Talk with the Travel Mom Squad, previously known as the Travel Hacking Mom Show.
0:05.8	Follow the links in the show notes to stay up to date with what the Travel Mom Squad has been up to.
0:10.6	Do you have some American Express membership awards points and aren't quite sure how to use them?
0:15.3	Or have you heard about the program but aren't sure how it works?
0:18.6	If so, this episode is for you.
0:20.8	Keep listening as we cover all things American Express membership rewards.
0:27.2	Welcome to the Travel Hacking Mom Show.
0:29.3	We are three moms who've discovered how to leverage credit card welcome offers to get hundreds of thousands of dollars in travel expenses for nearly free.
0:37.1	We've used credit card points and miles to take vacations to places like Hawaii, Paris, Greece,
0:42.5	the Maldives, Italy, and so much more.
0:44.6	And the best part?
0:45.9	We each still have an 800-plus credit score.
0:48.5	Imagine being able to book a vacation without having to check your bank account.
0:51.9	It's totally possible, and we're here to show you how.
0:55.2	Hey, I'm Alex. And I'm Pam, Alex's mom. And I'm Jess. We are travel hacking moms. Today is all about
1:03.7	American Express membership rewards. We've already covered Chase Ultimate Rewards in another episode.
1:10.8	Those are our favorite type of points.
1:13.5	We also have an episode all about Capital One Venture Miles, which are probably our second favorite.
1:19.7	So Amex is great as well, but a lot of Amex cards have a higher annual fee.
1:26.4	So it's a program that people tend to get into after they've
1:30.3	already been travel hacking for a while. So first, I'm just going to go over all of the cards
1:36.8	that earn membership rewards points. It's going to be kind of confusing because there's a lot of
	...

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