American Express Membership Rewards points continue to be one of the favorite currencies in the world of miles and points for many people. We love collecting points at the fastest rate and then redeeming them for outsized value. While there’s no perfect method to assign when it comes to valuing redemptions, a cents per point value can work as a good guideline. Most recently, I redeemed my Amex Membership Rewards points for some excellent value – 4 cents per point!
American Express has a diverse set of airline and hotel partners you can transfer to. For an upcoming trip, I was looking to fly Singapore Airlines during Christmas for a vacation in Asia. I transferred my points to Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer at a 1:1 ratio and they transferred instantly. I was able to snag 6 business class seats with Krisflyer, that too at pre-devaluation pricing!
When it comes to redeeming miles for premium experiences, Singapore Airlines often tops the charts. Over the last 10 years, Singapore Airlines has been one of my favorite programs. It’s very easy to earn KrisFlyer miles as they partner with many card issuers globally. .
Stretching the value of my Amex Membership Rewards points
This redemption was a bit different from the usual redemptions that I normally do.
- Firstly, since we’ll be traveling with family, we needed to find 6 seats available in premium cabins
- Secondly, we were looking to travel on Christmas eve, bound to be a busy time of the year due to the holiday season
I logged into my account on the Singapore Airlines website and was pleasantly surprised that there was indeed availability for 6 people! Here’s what I was able to book:
- Singapore Airlines operates the A3800-800 on the BOM-SIN sector. I’ve taken this flight multiple times while traveling to Singapore or while connecting in Singapore on the way to LAX or SFO. It has always been smooth and comfortable.
- Our second flight on the Singapore – Ho Chi Minh City route is also an Airbus, but a A350-900, with a short duration of just 2 hours and 10 minutes in the air
Thanks to Singapore’s award chart pre-devaluation, I only paid 43,000 KrisFlyer miles per ticket in order to make this booking. Taxes and fees on the ticket were merely $32. When I looked up the price of the ticket, it was a whopping $1,758 per person for those dates. In essence, I was able to redeem my KrisFlyer miles for outsized value, yielding 4 cents per mile!
The Pundit’s Mantra
This example once again goes to show just how much value you can extract out of transferable points if you redeem them at the right time. Over the years, I’ve booked some really memorable trips thanks to Amex Membership Rewards points. Also, you always have different options to cash out your points and have cash deposited into your bank account instead.
However, if you look at the redemptions at the higher end of the spectrum, you can enjoy amazing value if you’re able to find award availablity for that premium cabin seat or a room at that luxury hotel.
What’s your favorite use of Amex Membership Rewards points? Tell us in the comments section.
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