How to cash out your Amex Membership Rewards points or Emirates Skywards miles for 1p each

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• VK says:

  24 Jul24 July 04:10

  link not working – for that ‘main article’ 250 points = £5. can’t find this on the heathrow rewards website so need your article to work to understand how the 250 to £5 works (presuming its not parking)

  If this works I may consider buying 1000 emirates miles because I have 11000. maybe worth spending $20 for 1000 to get an overall additional benefit given the conversion offer

• Andrew M says:

  24 Jul24 July 04:55

  Two typos. “As long as you order your vouchers by 30th July, you will receive 2p per point instead of the usual 1p” and “and if it all goes goes wrong, don’t blame us”.

• s879 says:

  24 Jul24 July 06:00

  OT as no bits: I am the main card holder on Amex Platinum and a supplementary on the Gold Amex Credit Card and I know the latter gives 2 lounge passes. Can a supplementary card holder (Gold Amex) utilise the two passes? In the case of Platinum they can but that’s unlimited access and in the Gold Amex there are only two passes.

  Also, is The Grain Store at Gatwick still included as one that would accept? We are a group of 1 adult and 2 kids (12y and 9y) so I could take two of us using my Platinum but I will need the Gold Amex supplementary to get the third in. However, I’m thinking if they’d allow the same person to use two cards to let myself and two guests in since one of them has to be the card holder. Hence I was thinking of Grain Store as when I used it a few years ago, they had a generous money allowance and all 3 could just eat in the allowance for two.

  • John says:

    24 Jul24 July 06:40

    I can’t see them allowing you to use a PP card in one name and a Lounge Club card in another name, unless you get someone who needs reading glasses. But if your total bill is less than £30 it doesn’t really matter how many people you have (well you can’t go on your own)

    • the real harry1 says:

      24 Jul24 July 07:19

      Gold Supp can’t use a pass in the absence of main cardholder also using a LC pass.

      No LC entry/ credit at Grain Store – PP only.

      • Andrew M says:

        24 Jul24 July 07:32

        Sorry Harry. Think you’re wrong re Grain Store. Listed on the lounge club website with the same £15 credit as PP.

      • the real harry1 says:

        24 Jul24 July 07:56

        I stand corrected then 🙂 Is that new?

        Anyway, Gold Supp can’t get independent entry. But asking nicely is different, just agree with the gate agent that principal will swipe for self twice (Gold + LC) and that guest 1 can go in on the LC, or the other way around. Plus guest 2 on the Plat.

      • Matt says:

        24 Jul24 July 10:19

        I thought the Grain Store was just a bar/restaurant – anyone can go in, sit down and eat/drink. The LC and PP cards get £15/card off the bill (so £30 for 2 people with a PP from Platinum)

      • John says:

        24 Jul24 July 12:59

        Anybody can use the lounge club card if the name is not checked, was my point, and I think Grain Store doesn’t look at your BP?

    • JohnT says:

      24 Jul24 July 12:46

      We used £30 at Grain store LGW recently – went through Ok once the server selected correct type of card on their machine! – (PS we didn’t have card with us, just number and expiry date) Goes through as one person Plus one Guest to use up the 2 free passes from one PP account. In fact as bill just under 30 we quickly added a bottle of water to bill!

  • pauldb says:

    24 Jul24 July 11:44

    I don’t see why you couldn’t go up to the till once with PP + one kid for £30, then go back with an LC pass for another £15 (i.e. for yourself – why would they care) or 2 LC passes and the other kid for £30.

• KBuffett says:

  24 Jul24 July 06:40

  OT – is it possible to transfer Amex MR points from my wife’s account to my account?

  • the real harry1 says:

    24 Jul24 July 07:21

    No. But people have managed to transfer (say) wife’s Amex MR points to husband’s BAEC a/c if enough details match.

    • Genghis says:

      24 Jul24 July 07:25

      Does this still work?
      https://headforpoints.com/2017/03/05/transfer-american-express-membership-rewards-when-close-card/

      • the real harry1 says:

        24 Jul24 July 07:52

        No datapoints as people probably avoid this scenario, no doubt correctly anticipating a degree of hassle, when there are much easier alternatives (such as simply parking the points at BAEC, any couple will normally have a BAEC a/c each so why make your life difficult?)

      • pauldb says:

        24 Jul24 July 11:45

        It used to be written into the MR T&Cs but I don’t see it there any more.

  • Stevie G says:

    24 Jul24 July 07:23

    Nope. She will have to cash out.

• Johnjohn says:

  24 Jul24 July 06:54

  Whoever wants to have cash back, better off with the Amex cash back card. Easy and simple.

  • the real harry1 says:

    24 Jul24 July 07:28

    Definitely worth a look, 3 to choose from. The Plat @ £25/ year looks pretty good.

    The downside as I see it is that you aren’t earning MR points & therefore can’t convert to airline points. Obvious enough – but many of us get far better value than 1p/ points when used on award flights.

    • Genghis says:

      24 Jul24 July 07:35

      Isn’t the breakeven point something like £10k pa spend?

      • Mark2 says:

        24 Jul24 July 11:02

        The fly in the ointment is that you do not get the cash until the end of the year.

      • Genghis says:

        24 Jul24 July 11:24

        Note that the free card also has a bonus of 5% max £100.

• YV says:

  24 Jul24 July 08:13

  Would the same apply for Miles & More? I around 10k M&M miles to burn to converting to HR at this rate should work?

  • Rob says:

    24 Jul24 July 09:07

    Good question. Not sure it would – I can check.

  • New Card says:

    24 Jul24 July 09:39

    The Heathrow Rewards site suggests the promo conversion rate is Skywards only, unless I am missing something?
    “Skywards members can convert their Miles into Heathrow Rewards points until 31 July 2018 and will receive 50% extra points.”

    • New Card says:

      24 Jul24 July 13:04

      I was missing something!

      M&M points convert directly into HR vouchers, i.e. without the extra step of converting into HR points first.

      From looking at my account it seems the generous rate isn’t being applied to vouchers bought in this way.

• Graeme says:

  24 Jul24 July 08:45

  OT, i got a letter saying my TSB Avios Amex would be discontinued from the end of September. The MC would continue. As far as im aware this is a legacy duo card(s) from the Lloyds TSB days and not been available for a while.

  Further OT, Are there any offers (MR points?) to take out a supplementary card on the Amex plat card? Thanks.

  • Rob says:

    24 Jul24 July 09:06

    Yes, that card is now dead. Covering tomorrow.

  • Thomas Howard says:

    24 Jul24 July 10:17

    Does the card still retain the upgrade voucher on £7k spend?

    • Jonathan says:

      24 Jul24 July 10:31

      The Duo card was pre upgrade voucher and still attracts the 3% FX fee. There is no annual fee though.

  • Bonglim says:

    24 Jul24 July 14:52

    I couldn’t find the offer for a supplementary card anywhere (some people see it on their log in page when using a computer rather than the app).
    But I applied for a supplementary card and got the 5000 points anyway.

    • pauldb says:

      24 Jul24 July 15:18

      I got emailed about it for my 1 month old Plat this morning, add the wife and got the 5k bonus already. Sounds like it isn’t targeted either.

      • Roger says:

        24 Jul24 July 21:15

        I think the key is to wait and not apply supplementary card straight away.
        Let the main card holder account setup completed.

        I have missed supplementary bonus on both BAPP and Platinum due applying supplementary card within after couple of days from main card application.

    • Louie says:

      25 Jul25 July 02:36

      @Roger: how long ago did you apply for your supplementary cards? My bonus took ages to arrive.

• Clive says:

  24 Jul24 July 08:51

  OT- apologies if this has been covered in comments I haven’t seen, but I received first statement from new VS+ credit card and the 6k miles bonus for spending £1k during the month isn’t on it. Do we know if this is normal? Are they to be added later?

  • Rob says:

    24 Jul24 July 09:05

    It is a manual adjustment done by VA directly.

    • Clive says:

      24 Jul24 July 09:28

      Thanks Rob – do we know if will be month by month or all together at the end of the 3 month bonus period?

      • New Card says:

        24 Jul24 July 09:40

        I understand this will be done in the “month 3” statement.

      • Rob says:

        24 Jul24 July 13:26

        Don’t know.

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