American Express Credit Card Rewards
American Express has one of the largest and longest running credit card rewards programs on the Australian market. It offers a particularly lucrative awards program for its business credit cards (including the Spirit program), which we do not cover here. However, we do look at the range of rewards programs for personal credit cards and compare them against other products on the market.
Some of the better value Amex rewards programs are tied into their gold and platinum credit cards, which may not be accessible or affordable for some users. It's important to assess the overall value of the credit card when you are considering credit card rewards. That said, American Express has great value credit cards for the Australian market too, and the company also rewards loyalty with further discounts.
Check out our review of the American Express credit card rewards programs, and if you want to further compare credit card reward programs, check out our Best Credit Card Rewards section.
Details, terms and conditions are all subject to change without notice, so always double check information with the relevant financial institution. Any ratings are opinions of creditcardrewardprograms.com.au and may not take into account your individual requirements. Always perform your own research when selecting a credit card.
American Express Choices Rewards Program
$1 Spent = 1 point
Minimum Spend to Earn a Reward* - $1800
Range of Rewards - High
Swap for Airline Rewards - Yes (with exceptions)
Bonus Points - Yes
Maximum Points* - Unlimited
Value of Card -
- American Express Standard Card - Average
- American Express Standard Gold Card - Average
- American Express Gold Choices Card - High
*Not including bonus points/special offers
The American Express Choices Rewards Program allows members to redeem points for travel, vouchers and merchandise. Membership for this program costs $40 per year for the standard American Express credit card and standard gold credit card, but enrolment is complementary with the American Express Gold Choices Credit Card.
The Amex Gold Choices credit card is our pick to join this program as it combines a low annual fee, interest-free days and free access to the Choices rewards program. It's also a Cannex five-star rated card.
Each of these cards allows you to earn one point for every one dollar spent, and the range of awards you can access is the one of the largest on the market. The popular points plus pay option is also available to Choices members, and you can transfer points to the appropriate airline rewards programs at an equal rate - one of the best transfer rates on the market.
However, in the near future, people that want to swap Choices points for Qantas Frequent Flyer points will have to enrol in the Ascent program. Of course, you could also use Amex's own booking service that allows you to use points to pay for flights etc. direct with a number of providers.
Amex does offer bonus points for shopping with selected partners. However, the range of partners and the amount of bonus points you can earn is lower than a lot of competitors. However, perhaps one of the most attractive points for bigger spenders is the unlimited amount of points you can earn under Choices.
The range of rewards, great value credit card (with AMEX Gold Choices) and competitive points structure makes this one of the leading credit card rewards programs on the market at the current time.
American Express Ascent Rewards Program
$1 Spent = 1.5 points (platinum cards)
Minimum Spend To Earn A Reward* - $1200
Range Of Rewards - High
Swap For Airline Rewards - Yes
Bonus Points - Yes
Maximum Points* -
Amex Platinum Credit Card = 150,000 ($100,000 spend) reverting to one point per $1 spent thereafter
Amex Original Platinum Credit Card = 300,000 ($200,000 spend) reverting to one point per $1 spent thereafter
Value of Cards - Good (for those inclined to take advantage of features)
*Not including bonus points/special offers. Points are calculated per annum unless otherwise stated.
The Ascent credit card rewards program is similar to the Choices program, but it is better geared towards platinum cards and you can use Membership points to swap for Qantas Frequent Flyer points (you will not be able to do this with Choices after April 2009). The same great range of awards are available, but the Platinum credit cards have high fees and may not be accessible to some people.
You can access the Ascent program for an $80 per year fee with the Amex Standard and Gold credit cards, but you will only earn one point for every one dollar spent. The only real reason you would choose to access this membership rewards program with the two cheaper credit cards is to take advantage of Qantas Frequent Flyer points, and in that case, you may want to look at a dedicated airline rewards credit card instead (American Express has specific Qantas Frequent Flyer points cards, for example).
For these reasons, see the Choices program above for information on these two credit cards (they have also been left out of the table above).
However, if the American Express platinum cards do appeal to you, you can expect some first class features included in your lofty annual fee. For example, the Amex Platinum Credit Card includes a Qantas return domestic flight in its (currently) $395 annual fee. It's an individual decision to judge whether this is appropriate value to your needs.
You will need to earn over $65,000 per annum to access this credit card, and there are a host of other benefits and offers with the Amex platinum range. Likewise, the Original Platinum card offers concierge services, insurance and more for its $900p.a fee. It's also important to remember that no interest free days are offered on these credit cards, and the Original platinum must be paid off on a monthly basis.
Earning rewards points with these cards is almost unparalleled on the market at the moment, and that's without the option to utilise extensive bonus points. Leveraging the attractive points ratio means these cards can earn rewards fast, and that includes transferring points for equivalent airline rewards programs.
Most of the options available in the Choices program are included in Ascent, and that includes points plus pay alternatives and travel booking services. At top end of points spectrum, you trade rewards points for laptops, international flights, lawnmowers, espresso machines... You should not be left wanting for choice with the American Express rewards program.
American Express Blue Sky Rewards Program
$1 Spent = 1 Blue Sky point
Minimum Spend to Earn a Reward* - $1800
Range of Rewards - High
Swap for Airline Rewards - No
Bonus Points - Yes
Maximum Points* - Unlimited
Value of Card - Average
*Not including bonus points/special offers. Points are calculated per annum unless otherwise stated.
The Blue Sky credit card rewards program operates under the American Express Blue Sky credit card. It offers some of the functions of the Choices and Ascent programs with the proposed benefit of fewer points needed to claim flights and travel rewards.
Like with Choices membership, you earn 1 point for every dollar you spend and you have access to the full catalogue of prizes, vouchers and travel benefits. The only exception is that you cannot trade Blue Sky points for related airline rewards, such as Velocity points or Qantas Frequent Flyers.
The trade off is that it takes fewer points to earn flights and there is a focus on other travel-related benefits, such as the free travel insurance that comes with the card. For example, at the time of writing, it would normally cost around 130,000 points to fly to Hong Kong, but with Blue Sky it would cost only 80,000 point (However, those points are subject to fluctuate).
The downside is that Blue Sky destinations are limited - Hong Kong is about the furthest you can travel, and there is the issue of the card itself as a rewards program credit card.
The Blue Sky credit could be a valuable option for those looking for a no annual fee credit card, and the points structure still has many of the benefits of the previously listed programs. However, without any interest free days and a purchase rate hovering around 20%, you would have to be diligent in paying this card quickly to avoid negating the benefits.
Compared against Amex's other rewards program options, it's hard to view the Blue Sky as a viable option. Amex's dedicated airline rewards credit cards (such as the Qantas American Express Premium Card) and it's other top rewards cards (like the five-star-rated Gold Choices Credit Card) would surely present better value in reality for the most credit card rewards program users.
