Amazon now lets you pay with American Express Membership Rewards points

UPDATE – JUNE 2025:  This is an old article, and the credit card information given is likely to be out of date.

To learn about current credit card bonuses, benefits and interest rate information, take a look at our directory of the top UK travel credit card offers – please click HERE or use the ‘Credit Cards’ menu above.  Thank you.

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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.

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Want to earn more points from credit cards? – June 2025 update

If you are looking to apply for a new credit card, here are our top recommendations based on the current sign-up bonuses.

In 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard

Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

Get 5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review

You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the best of the other deals currently available.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 15th July 2025, the sign-up bonus on the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card is TRIPLED to 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. This would convert into 25,000 Avios or into 40 other airline schemes. It would also get you at least £300 of Marriott hotel stays based on our 0.5p per point low-end valuation. Other T&C apply and remain unchanged. Click here for our full card review and click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th August 2025, the sign-up bonus on the Hilton Honors Plus debit card is TRIPLED to 30,000 Hilton Honors points. You will also receive Gold Elite status in Hilton Honors for as long as you hold the card. Click here for our full card review and click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card

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

British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card

30,000 Avios and the famous annual Companion Voucher voucher Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

50,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

18,000 bonus points and 1.5 points for every £1 you spend 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:

The American Express Business Platinum Card

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

The American Express Business Gold Card

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

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

Capital on Tap Visa

NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 0.8 Avios per £1 Read our full review

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business Card

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