Quick Answer
As of September 14, 2026. Partners, ratios, minimum transfer amounts and transfer times come from American Express Germany’s official points-transfer page; fees and voucher values come from Amex’s Membership Rewards articles (sources below).
Membership Rewards in 60 seconds
Membership Rewards (MR) is the points program for German American Express cards. You earn points on every card purchase and redeem them for vouchers, statement credit, travel, or miles and hotel points with partner programs.
Which card earns how many points?
| Card | Card fee | Membership Rewards | Points per euro | Welcome bonus in points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platinum Card | €720 a year | included | 1 | up to 85,000 via referral |
| Gold Card | €240 a year | included | 1 | up to 50,000 via referral |
| American Express Card | €60 a year, €0 the following year at €9,000 in spend | included | 1 | no referral offer |
| Blue Card | €0 | €30 a year | 1 | no referral offer |
| PAYBACK American Express | €0 | not available | earns PAYBACK points | 4,000 points until 09/27/2026 |
Membership Rewards Turbo is an add-on for €15 a year. You get an extra point per €2 spent, so 3 points per €2, up to 20,000 extra points a year. At 0.5 cents a point, Turbo pays off from €6,000 in annual spend.
What is a Membership Rewards point worth?
The value depends entirely on how you redeem. The range runs from 0.33 cents (PAYBACK) to over 1 cent (good airline redemptions).
| Redemption | Example | Value per point | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vouchers (e.g. REWE, Zalando, IKEA) | 5,000 points = €25 | 0.5 cents | Amex AMEXcited |
| Vouchers (e.g. Apple, Airbnb) | 50,000 points = €250 | 0.5 cents | Amex AMEXcited |
| Pay off card spend with points | 50,000 points = €200 | around 0.4 cents | Amex points calculator |
| PAYBACK transfer (3:1) | 3,000 points = 1,000 PAYBACK points = €10 | 0.33 cents | Amex partner page |
| Airline transfer 5:4 | 10,000 points = 8,000 miles | depends on the redemption | Amex partner page |
How to work out a transfer: value per MR point = value of a mile x ratio. If an Avios mile is worth 1 cent to you, the 5:4 transfer to British Airways gives you 0.8 cents per MR point. If the result is under 0.5 cents, take vouchers instead.
All 14 transfer partners with a calculator
Enter your points and the “you get” column does the math. The table is the complete official list, sorted by ratio.
Transfer calculator
What your points become at each partner
| Partner | MR : partner | You get | Min. transfer | Takes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flying Blue (Air France, KLM) | 5 : 4 | 8,000 miles | 625 | up to 1 working day |
| British Airways Club | 5 : 4 | 8,000 Avios | 1,000 | up to 1 working day |
| Iberia Club | 5 : 4 | 8,000 Avios | 1,000 | up to 1 working day |
| SAS EuroBonus | 5 : 4 | 8,000 points | 1,000 | up to 5 working days |
| Qatar Privilege Club | 3 : 2 | 6,666 Avios | 900 | up to 7 working days |
| Cathay | 3 : 2 | 6,666 Asia Miles | 900 | up to 3 working days |
| Delta SkyMiles | 3 : 2 | 6,666 SkyMiles | 3,000 | up to 5 working days |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 3 : 2 | 6,666 miles | 1,500 | up to 15 working days |
| Emirates Skywards | 2 : 1 | 5,000 miles | 1,000 | up to 1 working day |
| Radisson Rewards | 1 : 2 | 20,000 points | 1,000 | up to 7 working days |
| Hilton Honors | 1 : 1 | 10,000 points | 2,500 | up to 1 working day |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 3 : 2 | 6,666 points | 900 | up to 1 working day |
| ALL Accor | 3 : 1 | 3,333 reward points | 900 | up to 1 working day |
| PAYBACK | 3 : 1 | 3,333 °Punkte | 900 | up to 2 working days |
Ratios, minimums and transfer times as listed by American Express Germany on September 14, 2026. Transfers are final and cannot be reversed; link your partner account once before the first transfer.
Three rules from Amex’s partner page everyone should know:
- Link once: you have to be enrolled in the partner program and connect your Membership Rewards account to it once.
- Transfers are final: points that have been transferred cannot be reversed.
- Watch the minimum transfer: from 625 points (Flying Blue) to 3,000 points (Delta SkyMiles).
The best transfers for travelers from Germany
Not every partner suits every departure airport. This ranking is based on the ratios above and on which airlines fly out of Germany.
Flying Blue (Air France, KLM): 5:4
The best ratio and the lowest minimum transfer (625 points). Air France and KLM fly from many German airports via Paris and Amsterdam to destinations worldwide, and transfers arrive within one business day, per Amex.
British Airways Club and Iberia Club: 5:4 in Avios
Both pay out in Avios, the mileage currency of the IAG airlines. Avios pay off best for short direct flights, since reward prices rise with distance. Iberia is interesting from Germany via Madrid.
Qatar Privilege Club: 3:2, also Avios
Qatar pays in Avios too. The ratio is worse than British Airways’, but the transfer is worth considering for trips via Doha to Asia and Africa. Transfers can take up to 7 business days.
Emirates Skywards: 2:1
The worst airline ratio on the list. 10,000 points become 5,000 miles. Only worth it if these exact miles are what you’re missing for an upgrade.
Hotels: Radisson 1:2, Hilton 1:1, Marriott 3:2, ALL Accor 3:1
Hotel points are usually worth much less per point than airline miles, so the ratios say little on their own. ALL Accor is a new partner, according to Amex. For Marriott, the partner page showed a “Special Offer” on September 14, 2026; check the terms in your card account before you transfer.
Miles & More: why it doesn’t work
Miles & More, Lufthansa’s program, isn’t on American Express Germany’s partner list. A direct transfer isn’t possible.
The commonly described workaround runs through PAYBACK. Just the first step costs two-thirds: 3 Membership Rewards points become 1 PAYBACK point. For Lufthansa miles, a Miles & More credit card is the more direct route; VoyageHacks compares them in the credit card comparison for Germany.
Redeeming points without a transfer
If you don’t want to collect miles, Amex offers four simple options:
- Vouchers at merchants like REWE, Zalando, IKEA, Apple or Airbnb, 0.5 cents a point.
- Pay off card spend: settle already-booked purchases in full or in part with points, around 0.4 cents.
- Pay the card fee with points: also possible, according to Amex.
- Pay for travel booked through American Express Online Travel with points.
For comparison with a cashback card: 0.5 cents a point works out to 0.5% cashback on your spend. Pay outside the eurozone, and the 2% foreign transaction fee eats four times that value.
Expiry, cancellation and supplementary cards
- No expiry: according to Amex, points are “valid indefinitely” as long as you hold an active card and take part in the program.
- After cancellation: the terms let you keep redeeming points for another 12 months. Details in the guide Cancel your Amex.
- No transfer to others: points cannot be transferred to another Amex customer.
- Supplementary cards earn into the main cardholder’s points account.
4 mistakes that cost you points
- Redeeming points as statement credit, when vouchers for the same amount are worth 25% more.
- Transferring too early. Transfers are final. Only transfer once the reward is actually available.
- Using PAYBACK as a bridge to miles. The 3:1 step destroys the value.
- Getting the Blue Card just for points. For the €30 MR fee, you’re nearly at the American Express Card for €60, which costs nothing the following year once you spend €9,000.
Sources
All figures checked on September 14, 2026:
- American Express: Membership Rewards points transfer, all partners (ratios, minimum transfer, timing, linking)
- American Express AMEXcited: Membership Rewards (fees, Turbo, validity, supplementary cards, no transfer to others)
- American Express AMEXcited: Platinum Card (voucher values)
- American Express: Platinum Card (welcome bonus)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Membership Rewards point worth?
For vouchers it’s worth 0.5 cents: American Express lists €25 for 5,000 points and €250 for 50,000 points. Used to pay off card spend afterward, it’s around 0.4 cents. Transferred to airline programs like Flying Blue or British Airways (5 points = 4 miles or Avios each), a point can be worth more if you use the miles for a reward flight. As of September 14, 2026.
Which transfer partners does Membership Rewards have in Germany?
14: the airline programs Flying Blue, British Airways Club, Iberia Club and SAS EuroBonus (5:4 each), Qatar Privilege Club, Cathay, Delta SkyMiles and Singapore KrisFlyer (3:2 each), and Emirates Skywards (2:1), the hotel programs Radisson Rewards (1:2), Hilton Honors (1:1), Marriott Bonvoy (3:2) and ALL Accor (3:1), plus PAYBACK (3:1).
Can you transfer Amex points to Miles & More?
No, not directly. Miles & More isn’t on American Express Germany’s partner list. One workaround goes through PAYBACK, which accepts Membership Rewards points at a 3:1 ratio. But you already lose two-thirds of the points in that first step, so it’s almost never worth it.
Do Membership Rewards points expire?
No, as long as you hold an active American Express card and take part in the program. After a regular cancellation, the terms let you redeem the points for another twelve months. You cannot transfer points to another Amex customer.
What does Membership Rewards cost?
The Platinum Card, the Gold Card and the American Express Card all include the program at no extra charge. The Blue Card charges €30 a year for it. Membership Rewards Turbo costs €15 a year extra and adds 50% more points, up to 20,000 extra points a year.
Is Membership Rewards Turbo worth it?
From around €6,000 in annual spend. Turbo costs €15 a year and gives one extra point per €2 spent. At 0.5 cents a point, €6,000 in spend earns 3,000 extra points worth €15. Above that you come out ahead, up to the 20,000-extra-point cap at €40,000 in spend.
Verdict
Membership Rewards is worth exactly as much effort as you put in: 0.5 cents with no effort via vouchers, considerably more via Flying Blue or Avios. The fastest route to a lot of points is the welcome bonus: through my referral link there’s up to 85,000 points for the Platinum or 50,000 for the Gold, instead of statement credit. Which card fits you is covered in the Amex card comparison for Germany.