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American Express Membership Rewards points don't expire due to inactivity. However, there are seven ways that you could lose some or all of your Membership Rewards points.
American Express is one of the oldest financial services providers in the US. Founded in 1850, the company is the largest global card networks behind China UnionPay, Visa, and Mastercard. The company and its points currency “Membership Rewards” is one of the oldest flexible points currencies around. Over the years, the program has built a long list of valuable Amex transfer partners.
Considering the value of American Express Membership Rewards points, many members may wonder whether Amex points expire. Here's the full American Express expiration policy, including how you can lose some or all of your Membership Reards points.
Do Amex Points Expire?
Generally, Amex points do not expire. This is excellent news, as it lets you earn points toward your travel goals without worrying about your Membership Rewards points expiring due to inactivity or having a limited lifespan. However, per the Amex FAQs page, you can forfeit your Amex Membership Rewards points in certain circumstances.
“Membership Rewards® points have no expiration date. However, points may be forfeited as described in the program Terms and Conditions.”
Track your points and miles expiration for 600+ loyalty programs and get email alerts before your miles expire by signing up for a free AwardWallet account.
American Express Points Don't Expire, But You Can Still Lose Them
Although American Express points don't expire, you can forfeit them in several ways:
- Closing your Membership Rewards account: If you cancel your Membership Rewards-earning card, you have 30 days to use your points before they disappear.
- Making late payments: You must make on-time payments. Late payments may result in the forfeiture of all points earned during that billing period. After making your payment, you can pay a $35 fee to reinstate the points from that billing period.
- Returning items purchased with your card: You receive a statement credit, and Amex will debit the points you earned from your Membership Rewards account.
- If you engage in or attempt to abuse, misuse, or game Membership Rewards: Abusing your account can result in account closure and forfeiture of all of your points.
- Suspension of your corporate card: If your Membership Rewards card is a corporate card and it's suspended, you will lose the ability to earn and use the points in your account.
- A negative points balance: If you have a negative points balance, any newly earned points will be applied to the existing negative balance first.
- Canceling your card account: There are several scenarios where a card account could be canceled, both voluntarily or involuntarily. The terms fully cover these scenarios, including the loss of points upon your death. Since the value of the points in the account can be significant, American Express has a procedure for one of your family members or beneficiaries to take over your account and restore the points balance.
So, although Amex points don't expire, there are still several ways you can lose your Membership Rewards points.
Related: What Happens to Bank Rewards Points When You Die?
How To Earn Amex Points
Since American Express Membership Rewards points don't expire from inactivity, you can confidently build up your rewards stash. You can earn American Express Membership Rewards points with consumer credit cards like these:
$895Rates & Fees
(Terms apply)
- Earn 5X points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® (up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year).
- Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
- Earn 5X points on Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection bookings.
$325Rates & Fees
(Terms apply)
- 4X Membership Rewards® points at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. (on up to $50,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com
- 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
- 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through amextravel.com
- 2X Membership Rewards® points on cruises booked and paid through amextravel.com
- 1X on other eligible purchases
(This card is not available through AwardWallet)
$150
- 3x Membership Rewards® on travel
- 3x Membership Rewards® at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.
- 3x Membership Rewards® on transit including trains, buses, ferries, subways, and more
- 1x Membership Rewards® on other purchases
You can also earn American Express Membership Rewards points with small business cards like these:
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
- American Express® Business Gold Card
- The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
$895Rates & Fees
(Terms apply)
- Earn 5X points on flights and prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X points on each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more.
- Earn 2X points on each eligible purchase with U.S. construction material and hardware suppliers.
- Earn 2X points on each eligible purchase with U.S. electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers.
- Earn 2X points on each eligible purchase with U.S. shipping providers.
- 2X earning rates are subject to a cap of $2 million in purchases per calendar year.
$375Rates & Fees
(Terms apply)
- U.S. purchases for advertising in select media (online, TV, radio)
- U.S. purchases made from electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers
- U.S. purchases at gas stations
- U.S. purchases at restaurants, including takeout and delivery
- Transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways
- Monthly wireless telephone service charges made directly from a wireless telephone service provider in the U.S.
No annual feeRates & Fees
(Terms Apply)
- Earn 2X points on everyday business purchases such as office supplies or client dinners. 2X applies to the first $50,000 in purchases per year, 1 point per dollar thereafter. Terms and limitations apply.
Use AwardWallet to Track Your Membership Rewards Balance
Even though Amex points do not expire, it still pays to keep track of them using AwardWallet. This way, you will have all your points and miles data in one place. Allowing you to easily plan with the relevant information at your fingertips.
To add your Amex account to AwardWallet, log into your account and link your American Express Membership Rewards account. Then, you'll get alerts about balance changes, as well as expiration notices about Amex card benefits.
Related: How to Track Your Rewards Using AwardWallet
Final Thoughts
The simple answer to “Do Amex points expire?” is no. But beware of the ways that you can forfeit Membership Rewards points, from closing accounts to breaking Amex rules.
Great Amex Membership Rewards transfer partners provide excellent options for maximizing the value of your Amex points. While you need a good credit score to be approved for a premium card from American Express, it can be worth pursuing as Membership Rewards provide exceptional value.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: American Express Platinum Card® (Rates & Fees), American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees), The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees), American Express® Business Gold Card (Rates & Fees), and The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (Rates & Fees)
