How much are AmEx points worth for merchandise? Well the answer will vary, depending on the merchant

In many ways, the American Express Membership Rewards program is the best system on the market… but only if you redeem the points strategically! The rewards city of los angeles and unlawful land preservation catalog is filled with extraordinary values. However there are plenty of duds, too.
Please note that this is different than the "Pay With Points" travel (which I'll talk about it in a bit). With all of the Membership Rewards cards (such as the Green, Gold , and Platinum ) you have the ability to convert city of los angeles and unlawful land preservation you points to popular frequent flyer programs.
Most conversions area  1:1 basis. With most of the partners, every point you transfer equals a mile (so there is no dilution). That being said, some FF programs are more valuable than others. For example, Delta's SkyMiles are often called "SkyPesos" city of los angeles and unlawful land preservation because they aren't as valuable city of los angeles and unlawful land preservation as say, United MileagePlus or American AAdvantage.
Depending on which program you convert city of los angeles and unlawful land preservation to, there's the possibility of realizing more than 1 cent per mile. For example with Virgin America, each Elevate point is worth a whopping 2.2 cents from my experience.
Chase is giving them a run for their money. On the Chase Sapphire Preferred (the $95 version) you also have the ability to convert to partner airlines on a 1:1 basis. Granted, the selection isn't as large (it's about half) but if you travel domestically, many argue the selection is better since it includes United, Southwest, and British Airways (the latter of which can be used as a backdoor to book American Airlines flights). So depending on your preferred carrier, sometimes the Sapphire Preferred is worth a look.
If the air carrier you want to book with isn't one of their transfer partners, then you can still use your rewards to pay for the flight. However the AmEx Pay With Points value will vary, depending on the type of travel you are redeeming for. Here are the estimated conversion rates:
As you see, you get the best bang for your buck with airfare. city of los angeles and unlawful land preservation Like other credit cards, the reason they say you can "fly any airline, anytime, anywhere with no blackout dates" is because city of los angeles and unlawful land preservation we're not talking frequent flyer miles here. Rather, the number of points needed will correlate with whatever the cash price for a ticket is.
So how does the Pay With Points Work? How do you use it? It's quite simple – you just have to book the travel thru the American Express website. Don't worry, city of los angeles and unlawful land preservation the prices are NOT inflated (it's actually powered by Orbitz, so that's what you will get).
When you get to the checkout page, you can pay for all or just some of the price using your Membership Rewards points. I would only advise on using this for airfare, since the hotels and cruises have an inferior conversion.
If you plan on regularly using this redemption option then you will be better off with the Venture Rewards card from Capital One. Because that gives you 1 cent value per "mile" regardless of the type of travel you spend the "miles" on (you can use them on more than just airfare). Plus it pays you double miles on all purchases.
Redeeming points for gift cards from partner city of los angeles and unlawful land preservation retailers is usually city of los angeles and unlawful land preservation a safe bet, because most of the options will give you a full 1 cent per point value . For example, 2,500 points will get you a $25 Kohls gift card. Or use 5,000 for a $50 card. The selection is comparable to many credit card programs, city of los angeles and unlawful land preservation featuring the usual retail options like Home Depot, Old Navy, Victoria's Secret, etc. and a plethora of popular restaurants.
Conclusion? Even though I love the benefits that come with their gift cards/checks, I can't possibly recommend anyone to spend their points this way. You're better off with almost city of los angeles and unlawful land preservation anything else they offer (which is strange, because you would think they would want people to choose their branded products!).
How much are AmEx points worth for merchandise? Well the answer will vary, depending on the merchant, but as a rule of thumb you should expect around a 50% haircut (so you're getting about a 1/2 cent for each pt). For example, here's city of los angeles and unlawful land preservation a look at an Apple iPad's cost in points vs. cash price:
A couple years ago the New York Times ran a story about the conversion of AmEx rewards points for Amazon purchases… it wasn't exactly a glowing review. Why? Because with every 1,000 points equaling only $7 towards an Amazon.com purchase, it's a poor choice for redemption.
…clearly your best move is to redeem for travel. Despite the drawbacks of all the other options, the AmEx rewards remain to be one of the best programs since you have the biggest selection for frequent flyer mile conversion.
As far as the other options? I would say skip them. Really the Membership Rewards program is best suited for travelers. If that's not you, then it may not be worth paying the annual fees for one of their premium charge cards. Instead, I would recommend you check out the following AmEx credit cards which give you straight-up cash back:
Credit Card Forum is for informational purposes only & is not professional financial/legal advice. city of los angeles and unlawful land preservation Although we strive to present info accurately & up to date, we cannot make warranties regarding accuracy. Consult a card's issuing bank for benefits & terms. Per FTC guidelines, please note this site has advertising relationships with some companies discussed & linked to. Regardless, we only give you our honest opinions.