Can i use amex points to pay my bill

American Express has added a new feature to its mobile application that lets consumers pay with points via their mobile devices.

The Use Points for Charges feature lets card members redeem membership points to make a purchase anywhere that accepts an American Express card. Consumers simply pay with their card and then open up the app to find the payment and select use points for the specific charge.

“We want to connect our cardmembers and merchants in innovative ways along the ‘path to purchase,’ helping them decide what, where and how to buy,” said David Yoo, senior vice president of mobile products and services at American Express, New York. “We also need to engage and connect with them in those spending moments, not just when it’s time to pay their bill.

“We know that when cardmembers use their card benefits, it reinforces the value of membership and they are more likely to use their Amex again and again,” he said. “This builds loyalty, trust and makes American Express a go-to partner in our cardmembers’ daily lives.

“We want to be where our cardmembers are, and in this day and age, that’s on their smartphones. When we’re on our cardmembers phones, we can more easily help them with purchase decisions, prompt and remind them about their benefits, and really be where they are, in those spending moments.”

Pay with points
To access the new feature, consumers must first download the American Express app which is available for free for Apple, Android and BlackBerry devices.

Then consumers must make an eligible purchase of more than $1 using their using your card that is enrolled in the Membership Rewards program.

Afterwards they can open the app to search for that payment in their statement. They will then have the option to select Use Points for that charge.

The app will automatically take the appropriate amount of points out of your account to apply it towards that payment.

Consumers can also use points to add money to a gift card for more than 70 brands.

The mobile rewards feature adds additional functionality to the AmEx app which already let consumers check their account balance, make payments, browse rewards options and load offers to their card.

Mobile AmEx
American Express has continually been working to enhance its mobile experience for card holders.

For example, it partnered with TripCase, a mobile travel app, to let consumers integrate American Express corporate benefits and flight information directly into the app (see story).

American Express has also been dipping its toes in the mobile payments space. Last month, American Express, Visa and MasterCard announced that they are working together to introduce a new global standard for online and mobile payments to make them more secure and simplify the purchasing experience (see story).

While American Express has not completely offered a mobile wallet, this rewards feature is step in that direction by connecting payments to its app.

“Amex wants to be top-of-mind in mobile as more people make buying decisions on the go,” said Cezary Pietrzak, director of marketing at Appboy, New York. “The more value the company can add to its app, the more interactions people will have with the Amex brand, which will increase its brand preference at the register.”

Mr. Pietrzak is not affiliated with American Express. He commented based on his expertise on the subject.

“Amex’s new feature shows there is still a lot of room for innovation in mcommerce – specifically, internal innovation,” he said. “Rather than looking to outside technologies like NFC or mobile wallets, Amex found a creative way to use its existing assets to provide value to its mobile users.”

Final Take
Rebecca Borison is editorial assistant on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York

Learn More | Frequently Asked Questions | Terms and Conditions

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Now you can redeem Membership Rewards points towards the cost of the payment and convenience fee when making a payment through Official Payments.

Using Membership Rewards points towards the payment and convenience fee.

1) Make a payment with an American Express® Card enrolled in the Membership Rewards program.

2) On the Official Payments payment confirmation page, click the Redeem Membership Rewards points link found at the bottom of the page.

3) Enter the information requested on the Redemption page to see if you are eligible to redeem points towards the payment of the payment and convenience fee.

4) Learn how much of your payment and convenience fee you are able to cover with the available Membership Rewards point balance and determine whether you want to redeem points.

You can then initiate redemption of points.

How will the credit appear on your account statement? A charge for the payment and convenience fee will appear on your American Express Card account statement.

If you choose to redeem Membership Rewards points towards the payment and convenience fee, the redemption will appear as a credit on your Card statement.

Frequently Asked Questions      [ Back to Top ]

Q. How can I redeem Membership Rewards® points towards the cost of the payment and convenience fee when making a payment online?
A. Once you have paid your payment and convenience fee online using an American Express® Card enrolled in the Membership Rewards program as a form of payment, we will provide you with the option to get the following information:

Q. How can I learn more about the Membership Rewards program?
A. Please visit the Membership Rewards program website at www.americanexpress.com/rewards.

Q. Is there a fee for using Membership Rewards points to pay for a payment and convenience fee?
A. No. There is no fee to redeem points towards your Official Payments payment and convenience fee.

Q. Can I use Membership Rewards points to pay a portion or all of the payment I owe?
A. Yes. You can choose to use to use Membership Rewards points for all or a portion of the payment and convenience fee paid.

Q. How do I know if I can use Membership Rewards points to pay for the payment and convenience fee?
A. Once you have paid your payment and convenience fee select "Redeem Membership Rewards points" at the bottom of the confirmation page. This will bring you to the 'Step 1 of 2 Redeem Membership Rewards points' page. There, when you confirm your American Express Card information, you will be given an option to find out how much of the payment and convenience fee you are eligible to cover with the available point balance.

If you are eligible, then you can decide whether you want to redeem points toward the payment of the payment and convenience fee.

Q. How will the charges appear on my monthly American Express Card statement?
A. The charge for your payment and convenience fee will appear on your American Express Card account statement just as any other charge will appear. If you redeem points to have a credit issued towards the payment and convenience fee, the credit will likely appear on the same Card that the charge will be applied. Each will appear as a separate transaction.

Q. Can I have points returned to my account after I have redeemed Membership Rewards points for a purchase?
A. Like all other redemptions made via the Membership Rewards program, requests to redeem points are considered permanent and non-returnable.

Q. What if I don't have enough points to cover the entire payment and convenience fee?
A. If you do not have enough points to pay for the entire payment and convenience fee, you can use as little as 200 points or up to the amount of the available point balance toward a portion of the cost of the payment and convenience fee.

Q. What if I want to pay for only part of my payment and convenience fee using Membership Rewards points?
A. Provided you have the minimum of 200 or more points in your Membership Rewards account, you will be able to select the number of points to redeem toward the payment and convenience fee.

Q. Can American Express Cardmembers living abroad redeem Membership Rewards points towards their payment and convenience fee?
A. Currently, Cardmembers with foreign billing addresses are not able to redeem Membership Rewards points towards their payment and convenience fee. If you have a foreign billing address, please call 1-800-AXP-EARN or visit www.membershiprewards.com for further assistance.

Q. Who do I contact if I have questions about my point balance or about this program?
A. To obtain information about your Membership Rewards account or point balance, please contact American Express Membership Rewards Customer Service at 1-800-297-3276 or www.membershiprewards.com.

Terms and Conditions      [ Back to Top ]

To qualify, the American Express Card account you designate for this transaction must be enrolled in the Membership Rewards program and all of your Card accounts with us must be in good standing. The Card account you designate will be charged for your payment and convenience fee. American Express will debit Membership Rewards points from your program account and will issue a credit for the corresponding dollar amount to the Card account you designate. Once the Membership Rewards points have been redeemed, the points can not be converted back into your account. The credit to your Card account may not appear during the same billing period as the charge for the payment and convenience fee. If the points redeemed do not cover the entire amount of the charge for your payment and convenience fee, the balance of the purchase price will remain charged to the Card account designated in your payment transaction. If a charge for a purchase is included in a Pay Over Time feature balance on your Card account (for example, the Extended Payment Option), the statement credit associated with that charge may not be applied to that Pay Over Time feature balance. Instead the statement credit may be applied to your Pay In Full balance. If you believe this has occurred, please contact us by calling the number on the back of your card.

I understand and allow Official Payments Corp. to inform American Express of my payment and convenience fee amount to calculate the number of Membership Rewards points required towards that payment and convenience fee.

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