How to Easily Redeem Amex Points (for MAX Value)

In this video, we’re going over how to redeem Amex points for max value! American Express gives customers many options for how to use Amex Points, but unfortunately many of these options can be bad. That’s why I’m going to walk through which of these redemption options you should avoid and which ones you should use to get the most out of your hard-earned credit card points.
The best way to redeem Amex Points is for travel through the many transfer partners that American Express works with. By using Amex Points for travel, you can find many ways to get at least double or triple the value of your credit card points compared to other options! I’ll go over a few examples of how to use Amex Points for travel in this video to explain how to do that.
LINKS:
💻 Seats.Aero: danielbraun.me/SeatsAero
✈️ FREE Transfer Partner Guide: danielbraun.me/TransferGuide
💳 Learn More About The Amex Gold Card: danielbraun.me/Amex-Gold
💳 Learn More About The Amex Platinum Card: danielbraun.me/AmexPlatinum
OTHER USEFUL LINKS:
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🛒 Get a $30 Bonus With Rakuten: danielbraun.me/Rakuten
📈 Up To 15 Free Stocks With Moomoo: danielbraun.me/moomoo
FOLLOW ME on Instagram: / _danbraun
CHECK OUT SOME OF MY OTHER VIDEOS:
▶️ I Ranked Every Credit Card (Here’s What’s ACTUALLY Good): • I Ranked Every Credit ...
▶️ The Only 5 Credit Cards You Need in 2024: • The Only 5 Credit Card...
▶️ My HONEST Amex Gold Card Review (After 3 Years): • My HONEST Amex Gold Ca...
▶️ How to Redeem Credit Card Points (US Domestic Flights): • How to Redeem Credit C...
▶️ How To Redeem Amex Points Like A Pro (Part 2): • How To Redeem Amex Poi...
CHAPTERS:
0:00 - Intro
0:44 - Statement Credit
2:03 - Cover Charges
3:17 - Shopping
4:42 - Points at Checkout
5:47 - Gift Cards
6:38 - Special Options
7:24 - Redeem For Travel
9:24 - Hotel Example
12:55 - Flight Example 1
16:46 - Flight Example 2
DISCLAIMER: Some of the card links and other products that appear on this website are from companies which Daniel Braun will earn an affiliate commission or referral bonus. Daniel Braun is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers.
The content in this video is accurate as of the posting date. Some of the offers mentioned may no longer be available.

[@Jason-vi8ny]

Just got my first amex last week. These videos have definitely helped me explain to my relatives why I agreed to a $695 annual fee lol

[@Daniel_Braun]

Nice, enjoy the new card! Glad to hear that these videos are helpful at explaining that haha

[@SkyboundMar]

I just got my first one last week too. I went for Gold first, and then I'll get Platinum after hitting my Gold bonus. Never thought I'd be this invested in the credit card youtube space lol

[@NigeloWalker]

You dont have to explain anything to anybody

[@tigerrx7]

@@NigeloWalkerhe’s close with his family and they care deeply about each other.

[@LK_EBM]

Congratulations on the Amex platinum card! You should have gotten the green or gold card first, now you're ineligible for those bonuses

[@JakeVanderPloeg]

Your editing is so smooth and seamless. Such quality content per usual. Thanks Daniel

[@Daniel_Braun]

Thanks Jake, much appreciated as always man!

[@Buncobabe]

Excellent video with well laid out detailed descriptions. Great job.

[@xXSN4K3E4T3R5Xx]

Great video! I was planning a trip to Alaska and Hawaii and back home to Boston and your airline alliance excel is going to be super helpful. Thank you!

[@Daniel_Braun]

Thank you! And always happy to help - enjoy that Transfer Partner Guide!

[@its.christina.rose_]

THANK YOU for the spreadsheet! super helpful! :)

[@Yaw_Jr]

Great content - just feels like it takes too much effort to - 1. Find 2. Figure out if it's a good deal 3. Execute Feels like a hassle ...

[@mikefoy2834]

you are the truth. thanks for the breakdown brotha

[@acecrxss]

Thanks for the detailed explanation!

[@FTFinest06]

Love it! Subscribed. Need this for chase and cap 1!!

[@Daniel_Braun]

Thanks so much for watching and subscribing! I’ve got the same type of video coming out for both Chase and Capital One next! Working on those right now 👍

[@cottagekeeper]

@@Daniel_Braun Yes!

[@CarlosJosueHernandez22]

Great content man, keep it up!

[@queenasmr9236]

wow! This is hard to get my head around. But thank you for explaining so perfectly 😁

[@mdmcfp]

Good stuff! Will you post when AMEX runs the transfer promos?

[@luxuryFean]

The amount of work to do this is insane

[@Daniel_Braun]

There is definitely some time and research needed - but it also gets easier and easier over time. Some of those tools like Seats.Aero have helped decrease the amount of work needed as well

[@vvvarunv]

Agree but there is a kind of thrill doing all this 😅

[@zabbygee]

Super helpful. Thanks so much!

[@Daniel_Braun]

I love to hear that! Thanks for watching!

[@sjg6158]

Awesome. Hope you're well.

[@Daniel_Braun]

Thanks Scott - hope all is well with you too!

[@bigm328]

He Daniel, really love your content. Can you make a video like this for redeeming Chase Ultimate Rewards points?

[@clausellray3949]

Great video keep that content coming

[@Daniel_Braun]

Thanks so much! I've got a ton of content coming up!

[@jasonnohel0057]

Holy shit! I understand way better now thanks!

[@cameronwaterman9684]

Love the golf comment! You should do a video on how to best use points for a golf trip 😂

[@De_Guatemala]

Great visuals

[@Daniel_Braun]

Thank you! Glad you liked that 👍

[@NolbertoPardo]

I redeemed 4 nights at Hyatt regency waikiki with chase points. I also used my Amex miles to get my wife, daughter, and me round trip on Hawaiian for may 2024

[@LK_EBM]

How did you redeem your Amex points to Hawaii? I'm planning a trip for this summer

[@inlinesix6694]

Same here but for June. I couldn’t find any Turkish Airline availability with my CITI points so went with Qantas

[@Daniel_Braun]

Nice! I love to hear good stories of using points like that!

[@NolbertoPardo]

@@LK_EBM they happened to be an option when choosing the flight. I didn't transfer anything

[@Milkinporsche]

Very solid contents. To get the best value you have to willing to put time in to research.

[@Daniel_Braun]

Thanks! Yeah there’s definitely going to be some research needed to get the most value out of Amex Points

[@klaudiadang7417]

how do i get alerts for the transfer bonuses? Is that in the AMEX travel portal or is it somewhere else?

[@jschucke]

Really great info, thanks Daniel! For some of us, the goal isn’t solely maximizing point value. Personally, I try to minimize cash out of pocket while maximizing the value. The end result might be a slightly lower cent per point redemption but I save my cash for something else. ( Best redemption to date has been an $820 flight for 10k points!). Anyway, my thinking is why should I blow my entire wad of points on one expensive flight that I will probably spend most of the time sleeping or watching a movie? I will schedule my trips in economy and save the points to use on future trips. (Not 10 years but maybe a year so there is less chance of program restructuring that reduces overall point value.) This way I can take 3 trips, when you are only taking one and I use that cash towards the airbnb!

[@isaiahsmith6999]

I love the videos! My struggle is my local airport connection spoke airport and I always have to fly into a hub to fly internationally. So I have to fly into Philadelphia, Atlanta, JFK and so on. What is the best way to book a flight where I have to connect domestically before flying over seas? Or a video on that would be great!

[@Daniel_Braun]

Thanks Isaiah! So I can make a video with more examples, but I would search for award availability from that connecting hub airport. Then you can do a positioning flight from your local airport to that larger one. It all depends on the situation

[@dustyrabbit9234]

the transitions have gotten very smooth! also how do you pronounce your last name. it sounds quite german.

[@TheDiscardedFoot]

Should I swap from the Hilton amex middle tier ($200 fee) to the amex gold card? I'm losing my diamond status this month and might get more use out of the standard amex points instead.

[@LeviThomass]

Could you make a video like this for Capital One please?

[@eliseorios7278]

Thanks ! Just upgraded my Gold to Platinum for my 100,000 bonus . Downgrading after 1 year

[@huberian]

I need to get out of the analysis paralysis syndrome. This video was super helpful! 🎉

[@EthanPatrick_CreditCards]

I've had my eye on the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay for a while. 80k points per night is a bit expensive It looks amazing! You'll have to do a review if you stay there! Loved the examples in this one Daniel. Great video.

[@Daniel_Braun]

Yeah it's a bit pricey, but I think it looks like an really nice one to check out! Thanks Ethan!

[@ramseyanderson5195]

I used to work at the RC Half Moon Bay! haha.. beautiful when the sun is out ;-)

[@EthanPatrick_CreditCards]

Nice! looks like a great place to stay! Are there good places to eat nearby?@@ramseyanderson5195

[@ChaseYokoyama]

take advantage of those transfer bonuses for travel partners 🔥

[@DrummyCovers15]

Will you upload any vlogs on your trip to Europe?

[@Daniel_Braun]

I recorded a lot of video footage so I was considering making some sort of video out of it!

[@Sakurasan2023]

Great video 📹 👍

[@Daniel_Braun]

Thank you as always!

[@Sakurasan2023]

@@Daniel_Braun you're welcome!

[@BZBees247]

Would you recommend transferring points during bonus times to take advantage of the bonus even without an immediate plan?

[@LK_EBM]

No, the airline can be value and all your points can be worth way less

[@Daniel_Braun]

I would say to usually just hold your points unless: 1) you have A LOT of Amex points saved up, or 2) there is some sort of crazy good transfer bonus deal Typically I don't recommend transferring until you find a deal that you want to book

[@megano101]

So true about not saving your points for a trip 10 years down the road. I work for a bank, and I have a client who earned all these travel miles with her husband (750k miles). Her husband passed before they decided on anything. You never know how long you have on this planet. Enjoy life!!

[@Kel.Vision]

Daniel! You beautiful pirate angel! I’ve been stressing out about how to book my flight to London in August and Cathay Pacific never once crossed my mind! Thank you! 🙏🏾

[@Daniel_Braun]

That's what I'm here for! 😁 Thanks for watching!

[@amadogarcia49]

A Chase UR version would be great

[@Daniel_Braun]

That's the next one I'll be making! I'm finishing up the writing for that now and hopefully filming and uploading within the next few weeks 👍

[@m0ttz755]

can you show redeeming flights for non business class? and tips to just get decent value without flying business?

[@Daniel_Braun]

Sure thing! I've actually got a video about that right here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q3q8Y2luht14fac

[@Daniel_Braun]

I'll make videos with more examples in the future as well 👍

[@callmeNeno]

Perfect timing; just received 90k for my Gold card.

[@Daniel_Braun]

Nice! Great to see that 90K offers are still going around for that card 👌

[@jackellerin5033]

Daniel - I'm curious, do you know anything about the Traditional Gold AMEX card? I've had mine since the early 90s and only pay $95 a year. But it's not the same Gold Card you discuss in any of your videos. I cannot find anything but realize I must be grandfathered into this card, but am wondering if it's worth holding onto for some reason I can't think of or change? I looked through some old materials I saved and I'm also signed up for 'Sign & Travel and/or Extended Payment Option'. But at this point have been using my Platinum card for travel for years now. Seems like I'm paying $95 annually for nothing, though don't often close credit/charge cards unless they have not value for me any longer. This is one I'm starting to question. Thanks

[@fenoyii]

Can you maximize travel points with your Amex platinum points and your Amex reserve points?

[@suplex57]

I just got my gold Amex in the mail 🎉🎉

[@curmudgeonextraordinaire1884]

Cash back should be 1cpp, like Chase. 0.6 is ridiculous.

[@marincusman9303]

I can’t search for flights with avios because I don’t have any avios in my account. What do I do?

[@LK_EBM]

Just sent over the minimum amount from Amex

[@Daniel_Braun]

I was able to search for award flights on BA without any Avios in my account, but not sure if something changed. On the main BA website, try going to "Book" then "Book a Flight With Avios". That should bring you to the search page - and just create a free BA account if you haven't already

[@KennethTungol]

Little confused, why do we subtract the fees in the CPP calculation?

[@Daniel_Braun]

You have to figure out the net cash out of pocket that you'll pay by paying entirely with cash vs redeeming points with fees. When booking in points, you're paying some fees most of the time - so taking the cash price minus the fees gives you the total out of pocket cost regardless of booking method. That should then be used to calculate CPP

[@KennethTungol]

@@Daniel_Braun oh I see so are you saying that the cash price usually includes the fees already in it? I was under the assumption that the cash price doesn’t have fees so I would think to add the fees instead of subtract

[@RansomXX]

I'm having a little trouble with redeeming for United, American (unavailable) and Delta (super expensive) for domestic flights. Any tips, anyone?

[@Daniel_Braun]

Check out this other video that I made: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q3q8Y2luht14fac It walks through examples for booking domestic flights with points for each of those 3 major US airlines 👍

[@CC-TimesTwo]

It's basically coupon clipping.

[@SOXGATORS]

👍🏻

[@Daniel_Braun]

First comment! 🥇 Thanks as always!!

[@BobI-jb4rk]

You get my 👍towards the 👕!

[@Daniel_Braun]

Thank you!! Hopefully I'll hit that like number and wear that shirt soon!

[@jetski335]

😊

[@Daniel_Braun]

Thanks for watching!

[@therealtarunkandaswamy]

Hey Daniel, I thought you might like to know that at 13:14 you leaked your email. Hopefully you can edit it out before you get spammed lol, great video!

[@Daniel_Braun]

Hey thanks for letting me know! I saw that as the video was being created, but it's ok because that is my email that anyone can already access through the About page on my channel 👍

[@MK-jn9uu]

f what's the TL;DR

[@ahmedaboutalebabdelrheem7638]

👏👏

[@Daniel_Braun]

Thank you for watching 👍

[@cousinsthegamer]

I was hoping for more hotel as I do not fly a whole lot. Perhaps in the future. What would be a good way to use points for hotel or am I better off using some other credit point currency?

[@ernestomcgrew8246]

What a hassle. Honestly worth it though

[@_iErik]

I would caution that for most people, calculating the cpp value based on cpp = ( points / posted retail price ) is not a very good representation of the actual value of the points. Also: points sitting in your account do not accrue interest, therefore are effectively losing value every day due to inflation. Saving up points is not a good strategy. The most valuable redemption is the one you actually make.

[@Jack-kj1zu]

Sounds crazy but when i get my 90,000 point bonus in a couple months I might get a gift card to subway lmao. Equals out to .85 points per dollar so not too bad and I get $765 aka i can go to subway and get what I usually get 65ish times for free lmao. About 3-4 months of free lunch on my break

[@Dude-tb8ry]

i mean if it works out for you, sure. but you’re missing out on double that amount if you just book for travel. not to sound like a financial advisor or asshole but if your intentions were to use these points for cash back why didn’t you get the savor one instead?

[@Jack-kj1zu]

@@Dude-tb8ry I don’t like flying and my family does roadtrips. I’ll spend my money how I see fit.

[@CandycaneBeyond]

If it brings you happiness in the long run that's all that really matters.

[@Oliver-sd8oz]

This is so unnecessarily complicated jesus

[@jordangerrity250]

how lmao, you get points, you get more value by transferring the points out to a transfer partner. Done there’s the video

[@pizzamilf]

And this is why chase ultimate reward points are a better value in most cases. While Amex points fall behind on value in what everyday people are using them for unfortunately.

[@Menscraft]

How?

[@jewriscanela9726]

😂😂😂😭😭😭😭

[@claygoated]

First 🔥🔥

[@Daniel_Braun]

Looks like you just barely missed it haha - still a very close second place though 🥈 Thanks for watching!

[@devinwynn1299]

This video went a lot longer than it should lol

[@Daniel_Braun]

Sorry if it seemed too long, there is a lot of info to cover 👍

[@tripppierce13]

Along the lines of finance tips and this channel I have a question: I’m getting Married in a month I’m 24 and have a good paying engineering job and my soon to be wife works. We have no debt and with the budget that I’ve laid out me and my wife will be able to save 52000$ a year we both have a 3% 401k match and contribute 3% for the match I also want to contribute around 10k of the 52k a year to an IRA or a Roth IRA between the both of us but both of our parents and her think it’s a bad idea because in 2008 when the stock market crashed both of our parents had money invested in local companies and banks and lost everything so now they say I should just keep all the money in a savings account and not invest any extra from the 6% total 401k into retirement I’ve been watching your videos and other investments channels that are telling me the opposite so what should I do? Also just got the Amex gold card because of this channel and they told me that was dumb too lol Anyone can comment I’m just looking for advice

[@marincusman9303]

Idk about the other stuff but the gold card is objectively not dumb if you get a good sign up bonus and use it properly.

[@LK_EBM]

Invest in the 401k. The total stock market is way different than local companies and banks. You will be way way more diversified. You need to invest if you ever want to retire comfortably. Savings account are great, but it won't make you wealthy

[@Daniel_Braun]

You're off to a great start by saving and asking the right questions! My answer is to not try to "pick" companies to invest in with individual stocks. Invest in that 401K with the company match and look to invest mostly in a low cost total market index fund. It's diversified and has the best long term track record. You'll definitely need to invest the money - otherwise over time it's going to lose purchasing power because of inflation. Savings accounts are great for short term savings, but they are not going to build wealth over the long term like investing in a good index fund can

[@Milkinporsche]

It's sad to see green card was also added the SUB restrictions.

[@Daniel_Braun]

Yeah it’s been disappointing to see some of the changes that Amex has made to the terms for sign up bonuses like that. Now it’s no longer a card that I will consider

[@Milkinporsche]

@@Daniel_Braun green card is worthless to most people without the SUB, I wish amex would reconsider.

[@manny5848]

Amex points seem weak

[@Daniel_Braun]

For cash back, they are weak. But for travel booked with transfer partners, Amex points are some of the best

[@jonathanduran7136]

spend 945$ in fees to get 1400$ in points

[@1farlin]

Great info but please speak slower in your videos

[@june6959]

"Promo sm" 😚