Now that you’ve referred a few family and friends to a shiny new American Express (see previous post on how to earn 200k points without spending any money), it’s time to spend those points wisely! You could spend those hard-earned points on gift cards or be repaying some of your outstanding balance (Depending on the membership tier you’re enrolled in…As not all membership tiers transfer to gift cards/ offer Pay With Points), but that’s against the Flight Hacks ethos!
That’s why we came up with 4 fantastic trip ideas you could be spending your 200,000 American Express Rewards points on! Before we dive in, keep in mind that redemptions are dependent on what membership tier you are enrolled in (Eg: membership rewards, Velocity or Qantas tiers). For this example, I’m showing you the points required in the frequent flyer program used to redeem which are all transferable from Amex Membership Rewards Ascent, Premium and Gateway. With the exception of gateway points which in most instances are redeemed at a 2:1.5 ratio, eg, 2MRG points = 1.5 Asia Mile.
In this post:
Cathay Pacific Business Class
- Destination: Australia to Hong Kong
- Points Required: 80,000 Asia Miles return
One of my favourite ways to get to Hong Kong is on Cathay Pacific in business class. It only costs 80,000 Amex points (converted to Asia Miles) to fly return from Perth/Adelaide/Melbourne/Sydney/Brisbane to Hong Kong, which is outstanding value. Cathay recently announced that they would be running the Perth route with the new A350. It’s a perfect way to get across in style and comfort! Check out my full Cathay Pacific Business Class review.
Singapore Airlines A380 First Class Suites
- Destination: Sydney/Melbourne to Singapore
- Points Required: Points Required: 160,000 KrisFlyer miles return
Singapore Airlines just announced their new first class suites on flight SQ232 out of Sydney, and it’s going to be one of the hottest tickets of 2017 with the reduced seating map of only 6!
You can expect a separate seat and bed, on demand dining and of course the choice of Dom or Krug champagne followed by a caviar service. Check out my full review of Singapore 777-300er first class and A380 suites.
Qantas Business Class 787-9 Business Class
- Destination: Melbourne to Los Angeles
- Points Required: 145,000 Asia Miles return
Jump on board the brand new Qantas 787-9 in business class to LA from December 15th! Fly return using Asia Miles to book the flagship business class seat. This is the power of American Express Rewards points; you can redeem them on almost every airline by using alliances! It’s not a 787 but the A330 business seat will look almost identical. You can check out my Qantas A330 Business Class review here.
Etihad Guest First + Business
- Destination: Melbourne/Sydney to Europe
- Points required: 142,500 AAdvantage miles
Using the nifty travel hack to get a Marriott hotel + AAdvantage points package you can use to redeem a one way mixed first and business class flight on board the Etihad A380. For the longest leg, you will spend some quality time in the infamous A380 apartment first class suite while on the second leg from Abu Dhabi to Europe you’ll be shacked up in the business class studio. This is all possible thanks to the Amex MR and SPG partnership. To find out how this works exactly, check out our guide here. (I’ve just booked this exact flight and will be reviewing it soon!)
These are some simple and easy to redeem travel itineraries that in my opinion show the true value of Amex Membership Reward points. The flexibility allows you to redeem on an incredible variety of airlines around the world which increases your chances of snapping up that reward seat!
All of this is made possible by the American Express ‘Refer A Friend Program’ which can see you earning a total of 200,000MR points in no time! Find out how you can earn up to 30,000 bonus points per referral here or check out our list of best Amex credit cards for referring to.
