How much are American Express points worth?

Yes, Amex Platinum is worth it for travelers with good credit who spend a lot and can take advantage of the card’s benefits. Amex Platinum benefits include a TSA PreCheck or Global Entry fee credit, airport lounge access, up to $200 in Uber credits per year and up to $200 in airline fee credits annually, and more. The card’s initial bonus of 80,000 points after you spend $6,000 in the first 6 months also goes a long way toward making the card worth its $695 annual fee.... read full answer

For the first year alone, you could wind up with at least $1,600 in net value (rewards and other perks, minus the $695 annual fee). The American Express Platinum card’s second year will have the same annual fee, but the total value of your benefits in year two would only be about $800 if you spent the same amount on the card as year one, according to WalletHub's research.

To really make money with this card after the first year, you’d have to spend a lot more. That said, many of the card’s perks are ongoing. You’ll benefit more if your purchases qualify for Amex Platinum’s ongoing bonus rewards rates, and if you utilize Amex Platinum’s complimentary Gold status in the Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors hotel loyalty programs (enrollment required).

All in all, Amex Platinum is a good card for big spenders who travel all the time and can wring every drop of value out of its benefits. But it’s far too expensive for light spenders and occasional travelers.

American Express rewards do not expire as long as the account is open and in good standing. You will forfeit any rewards you have yet to redeem if you or American Express closes your account for any reason.

Once the account is closed, American Express may give you 90 days to redeem your unused rewards. After that, you’ll lose your rewards and will not be able to get them back.... read full answer

Although American Express rewards don’t expire until the account is closed, it’s still a good idea to redeem your rewards as often as possible. Just bear in mind that American Express will not allow you to earn or redeem any rewards whenever you’re late making the minimum payments.

There are 17 American Express airline partners, including U.S. companies like Delta and JetBlue. American Express cards with Membership Rewards points (excluding cards co-branded with a business) allow cardholders to transfer their points to these partner companies. Most Amex airline partners allow transfers at a 1:1 ratio. You can view what points are worth when transferred to an airline partner by accessing the ... read full answerAmex Rewards calculator, selecting a card, and clicking on the "Transfer Points" tab.

Here are the American Express Airline Partners:

• Aer Lingus
• AeroMexico
• Air Canada
• Air France KLM
• All Nippon Airways
• Avianca
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• Delta
• Emirates
• Etihad Airways
• Hawaiian Airlines
• Iberia
• JetBlue
• Qantas
• Singapore Airlines
• Virgin Atlantic