Amazon now lets you pay with Amex Membership Rewards points

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Amazon and American Express have launched ‘pay with points’ in the UK, a feature which has been available in the USA for some time.

It is a very simple arrangement:

You link your American Express account to your Amazon UK account via this page

When you come to pay for any future purchase on Amazon, Amazon will give you the option of using Membership Rewards points for payment

You will receive £4.50 for every 1,000 points redeemed

The good news is that it couldn’t be easier.

That said, some products are excluded – digital goods (i.e.: MP3s), digital gift certificates (via email and print-at-home), Kindle eBooks and downloads, Subscribe and Save items.

The bad news is that you are not getting the best value for your points.

Let’s compare this with a few other options from the UK Membership Rewards catalogue:

Gift cards for Harrods, M&S, Starbucks etc – 0.5p per point

Gift cards for East Coast Trains – 0.6p per point

Avios or other airline miles – 0.75p – 1p if you use them well

Hotel points – 0.6p – 1p on my valuations depending on scheme (I rate Carlson points the highest)

The 0.45p value you get from Amazon is the same value you get from Tripflex, which is when you use your points to pay off travel charges on your statement. It is still a better deal than using your points for general Amex statement credit which only gets you 0.4p.

So, overall, this is not a blockbuster deal. It is a quick and simple way to use your points, though, and that may be enough for some people.

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – December 2021 update

If you are looking to apply for a new credit or charge card, here are our November 2021 recommendations based on the current sign-up bonus.

You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the top current deals:

British Airways BA Amex American Express card

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up, no annual fee and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending ….. Read our full review

British Airways BA Premium Plus American Express Amex credit card

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the UK’s most valuable credit card perk – the 2-4-1 companion voucher Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Earning miles and points from small business cards

If you are a sole trader or run a small company, you may also want to check out these offers.

American Express Business Gold

20,000 points sign-up bonus and free for a year Read our full review

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points sign-up bonus and a long list of travel benefits Read our full review

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa

The most generous Avios Visa or Mastercard for a limited company Read our full review

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending: