Amex Points - what to do with them?

Kamran

Hi All, hope you're well :T

In August last year I took the forum advice and got myself an Amex Gold charge card and have been using it all year, for pretty much all my spending. To date I have accumulated around 35,000 points - not sure whether that's considered a lot or a little.

Am I right in thinking that the best thing I can do with the points is transfer them to airmiles, such as Avios? Does that allow for their value to be maximised?

Also, I hear that from time to time there are transfer "bonuses" such that the transfer rate is boosted from 1pt - 1 avios to something like 1pt - 1.4avios, or similar. Do these happen regularly enough to wait for them?

I'm looking to get married in August and was wondering whether these points might come in handy with regard to booking flights/upgrades etc.

Thanks again :T

InsideInsurance

Transferring them to frequently flyer schemes like Avios tends to get the best return.

Bonus windows tend to be 1-2 times a year and what the bonus is will vary by card level. The last BA one I remember for 1 MR point gave Gold 1.25, Platinum 1.333 and Centurion 1.5 avios points.

If you collect points in general then waiting for the windows can be useful but you risk there being no reward flights/ upgrades available if you want to use it for a specific date/ flight.

Caz3121

it is also worth, if you are considering using for upgrade on BA, looking at the changes that are coming in for bookings made after the end of April. Some upgrades will end up costing a fair bit more
Flyertalk have a thread related to Amex Rewards that may help with uses http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/american-express-membership-rewards-410/

jjadee

I too am trying to decide the best action for my reward points, I really want to save them up for a trip to America, Ideally Disney with the kids. I notice they don't expire so this is great at being able to save them.

If any one has any suggestions on how best to put them to use for Disney I would be very grateful.

michaels

I don't fly much at all so have converted mine to Nectar, if you shop in Sains/eBay they are worth 0.5p each. You can also get M&S and other vouchers at the same rate.

[Deleted User]

If you're set on flights then BA is the way to go - 35,000 Avios is enough for a couple of return flights to Italy or somewhere like that. If you act before the end of April, you'll get any domestic connections you need for free.

If not flights then I consider Club Carlson conversions to be one of the best values for Amex points. You get a 1:3 rate so 35,000 would get you 105,000 carlson points - enough for two nights in one of their better hotels (or a couple more at their cheaper properties). Used wisely this could be worth up to £400-500. Combined with a cheap return flight somewhere, it's an inexpensive weekend city break.

Kamran

Thank you all for your helpful suggestions!

1. It makes perfect sense for me to use the amex points for avios - but is there anywhere I can keep an eye out for the conversion bonus? At present it says that 1 point = 1 avios, but as I understand it, there are periods of a bonus where it might be 1:1.4 for example?

2. I haven't quite understood whether the changes from 28th April will be good or bad for avios collectors? the link here suggests that more seats will be available and it'll be "fairer" but I'm cynical :money:

3. Is it better use of avios to purchase a new flight from scratch, or use it for an upgrade? I'm guessing you would need to use less points for an upgrade to business than purchasing a new economy, but which represents the better use of the points?

Thanks again! :T

barry_the_bear

pretty much all your questions can be answered by reading headforpoints.com. I could copy the content here but that would be claiming credit for someone else's work.

msallen

As barry_the_bear suggests, headforpoints.com is worth reading. For more advanced discussions try the BAEC board on flyertalk.com.

The bottom line is that economy long haul redemptions are staggeringly bad value. European RFS redemptions are good value, but if your nearest airport is not Heathrow (or Gatwick), then you need to book before the end of April to get a free domestic connection with them. For long haul, the best value is considered to be upgrading from (bought) premium economy class to club (business) class, but your premium economy tickets could be pricey unless you can get them in a sale. In all cases you also need to find flights which have redemption seats available, and if you're travelling to a popular holiday destination at peak times that will likely be your biggest issue.

Think carefully before transferring your points to Avios/BAEC, and research whether they are likely to be of value to you. Too many beginners just blindly collect/transfer Avios and then are disappointed when they can't use them for anything worthwhile.

Edited to add: Upgrades are only possible via BAEC not Avios.com. However both schemes use Avios as the 'currency', and you can transfer Avios between them, so for maximumflexibility you should have accounts in each. If you and you finacee are both collecting then you can open a "household account" to pool Avios together.

barry_the_bear

There are complex restrictions around household accounts and transferring avios between BA and Avios (and Iberia) accounts to be aware of: see here