Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
Let’s say you recently applied for one of the most legendary cards on the market—the Platinum Card by American Express—and scored a hefty, six-figure welcome bonus.
As a well-informed credit card aficionado, you know that those American Express Membership Rewards Points are worth a measly 0.6 cents per point if you opt for a cash-back redemption, but can be worth a lot more if saved toward your next vacation. But where should you go?
Amex has so many transfer partners that it can be genuinely tricky to a) consider which partners will maximize the value of your points and b) plan out your next adventure from there. That’s why Fortune Recommends decided to do the hard work for you. From petting wombats outside Sydney to neon-soaked tours of Tokyo, here are three dream trips you can take with 100,000 Membership Rewards Points.
1. Order life-changing ramen in Tokyo
If you’ve read our guide on the best redemption options for Membership Rewards, you’ll know that your best option—by far—is to transfer your points to an airline or hotel loyalty program.
Amex has 21 transfer partners as of this writing, including 18 airlines and three hotel chains (complete list below). Unless otherwise stated, you can transfer 1,000 Membership Rewards Points (MRP) in exchange for 1,000 partner points, meaning a 1:1 transfer rate.
Airline partners
- Aer Lingus
- AeroMexico (1,000 MRP to 1,600 AeroMexico Rewards Points)
- Aeroplan
- AIR FRANCE KLM
- ANA Mileage Club
- Avianca LifeMiles
- British Airways Executive Club
- Cathay Pacific
- Delta Air Lines
- Emirates Skywards
- Etihad Guest
- HawaiianMiles
- Iberia Plus
- JetBlue TrueBlue (250 MRP to 200 TrueBlue points)
- Qantas Frequent Flyer (500 MRP to 500 Qantas Points)
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Hotel partners
- Choice Privileges
- Hilton Honors (1,000 MRP to 2,000 Hilton Honors Points)
- Marriott Bonvoy
Now, how does this chart help you order comfortingly hot, gloriously authentic ramen in Tokyo?
Well, the trick to redeeming Membership Rewards Points is to know which partner has the most valuable points. Japan’s largest airline ANA, for example, has points that can sometimes be worth well over 2 cents per point (CPP) each. That means a flight from JFK to Tokyo—which would normally cost you well over $800—may cost you as little as 40,000 ANA Mileage Club Miles round trip. See the example from my own research below:
That means if you have 100,000 Membership Rewards points at your disposal–and you’re flexible on dates–you and a companion could fly all the way around the world with 20,000 Membership Rewards points to spare.
From there, you can take a Mt. Fuji tour by day…
… and explore the world’s largest city by night, sipping tonkotsu broth before you embark on your Winter Illumination Tour.
Of course, 100,000 Membership Rewards Points won’t cover 100% of your expenses the entire time you’re in Tokyo—but speaking from firsthand experience, getting to Tokyo is by far the most expensive part. Once you’re there, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find that an authentic bowl of ramen costs around ¥1200 or roughly $7.60.
Oh, and if you're looking to earn a generous rate of 4X Membership Rewards Points per dollar spent as you satisfy your inner foodie, remember to bring your American Express® Gold Card for its dining rewards.
All that being said, if you’d prefer to explore a sprawling, adventure-rich metropolis closer to home, why not spend your hard-earned MRP in the Big Apple? Here's how.
2. Explore NYC, starting five blocks from Central Park
With New York being as expensive as it is, you might already be wondering: how far can 100,000 MRP really take you once you’re there?
Turns out, it can get you within shouting distance of Central Park—and you won’t have to live like the cast of Rent, either.
Thanks to a 1,000-to-2,000 transfer ratio, your 100,000 Membership Rewards Points can instantly become 200,000 Hilton Honors points. If you can save a mere 500 more Membership Rewards Points/1,000 Hilton Honors points, you’ll have exactly enough in the bank to book a three-night stay at the New York Hilton Midtown based on what my research turned up.
Among the seemingly billions of hotel options in New York, what makes the New York Hilton Midtown special?
Well, not only is it insanely good value for New York lodging—it’s also within a roughly 10-minute walk of Times Square, Rockefeller Center and Central Park.
That means you and your companion can follow in the footsteps of Carrie Bradshaw, Joey Tribbiani and Buddy the Elf without ever having to hail a cab. And while a three-nighter in a New York Hilton will quickly wipe out the stash of Membership Rewards you’re working with in this example, you don’t have to pay another penny to enjoy the natural splendor of Central Park in autumn.
Now, maybe you’re thinking Tokyo and New York are fine—but you want to spend your 100,000 Membership Rewards Points on something you feel is truly unique and special. Something you’ve never done before. Something you can tell your friends about and they’ll go you did WHAT?
If so, allow me to introduce you to the mighty Australian wombat.
3. See the opera in Sydney and maybe pet a wombat
Beyond ANA and Hilton, another Amex partner with favorable transfer ratios is Australia’s own Qantas Airways Limited.
After a quick search, I found a flight option from San Francisco to Sydney for $1,152 or 41,900 Miles plus $99 cash. That means 41,900 Miles covered $1,053 of the fare, or provided over 2.5 CPP each.
Now, to set expectations, that’s 41,900 Miles one-way—so you’ll likely have to pay something out of pocket to fly both you and a companion “down under,” as well as cover lodging.
But 100,000 Membership Rewards points (transferred 1:1 to Qantas) will still foot a massive chunk of the bill, and for further consideration, look who will be waiting for you:
Yes, in addition to ‘roos and snakes, Australia is home to the adorable, friendly wombat. You can take a day tour from Sydney to meet both kangaroos and wombats up close before enjoying a lunch that I'd guess must involve some degree of vegemite.
Then, in the evening, why not a twilight cruise through Sydney harbor?
Yes, I confess again that 100,000 Membership Rewards Points won’t get you and your plus-one all the way to Australia and back, nor will it fully cover lodging while you’re there. But I wanted to highlight this option nonetheless to show just how much value Qantas is willing to give you for your Membership Rewards Points—and point out that a wombat-filled Aussie adventure could be well within your financial reach.
The takeaway
Amex’s long list of transfer partners is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it gives you tons of options. But on the other hand, it gives you tons of options, which can make choosing and planning the perfect trip rather tricky.
Hopefully one day AI will help us spend our credit card rewards like a robot travel agent, running endless calculations to find the ideal redemption path. But until then, it’s a more manual process.
At least it’s a massively rewarding one, with wombats, cherry blossoms and $1 New York slices awaiting our arrival.
