You’ve saved up your American Express Membership Rewards points and tracked your favorite flight, and now you’re ready to book it—until you hit a wall. You’re short by 3,000 points. Close enough to taste the reward, but not close enough to click “redeem.”
So, what now?
This is when most people start wondering: how to buy Amex points to bridge the gap.
While it’s not a widely advertised feature, you can buy Amex points. But it comes with a few rules, some limitations, and in many cases, better alternatives—like selling unused Amex points for real cash if you don’t plan to redeem them.
In this guide, we will explain exactly how you can buy Amex points, price in dollars when this makes sense, and where you can look at alternatives that allow you to get more value for your points.
Can You Buy Amex Points?
Purchasing Membership Rewards points through American Express is possible, with certain conditions. First, it will not be possible to log in and buy thousands of points whenever you feel like it. This will instead be a “top up” option which is designed to help when you need to cover a shortfall in your balance- like when you are almost there but not quite.
While Amex allows you to purchase points in blocks of 1,000, the maximum amount that can be purchased in a year is 10,000 points. Thus, ₹400, or AU$25, is usually charged for every 1,000 points, whichever is applicable in your region. Therefore, acquiring 10,000 points will generally cost around ₹4,000 or AU$ 250. Not a small change; thus, it makes sense to analyze the value you obtain in return.
You’ll also need to contact Amex customer support or use the online chat function to make the purchase. It’s not something you can click and buy from your account dashboard—yet. Once the points are purchased, they’re usually credited quickly, and in some cases, Amex may ask how you plan to use them. They often require that the points be redeemed immediately, especially for travel transfers.
Step-by-Step: How to Buy Amex Points
If you’re wondering how to buy Amex points, here’s a breakdown of the simple process:
Step 1: Know How Many Points You Need
Before you contact Amex, figure out the exact number of points you’re short. Remember, purchases must be in 1,000-point increments, up to a total of 10,000 points per year.
Step 2: Contact American Express
There’s no public “Buy Points” button in your account. Instead, you need to either:
- Call the Membership Rewards customer service team, or
- Use the live chat feature on the Amex website or app.
Mention that you’d like to purchase points to top up your balance.
Step 3: Confirm the Use
In most cases, Amex will ask how you plan to use the purchase points. They may even require you to redeem them immediately, especially when transferring to travel partners.
Step 4: Complete the Payment
Once approved, the charge will be applied to your Amex card. You’ll usually see the points added to your account promptly.
What Can You Use Purchased Amex Points For?
Now that you know how to buy Amex points, what can you do with them?
Amex points can be used in several ways—transferred to airline or hotel partners, redeemed for gift cards, or used for purchases at certain merchants. However, the catch with purchased points is that they cannot be used for statement credits, “Pay with Points” at checkout or to cover charges on your card. In other words, the most flexible redemptions are off-limits for topped-up points.
The best use of your purchase points is usually transferring them to airline or hotel partners, where you can unlock more value—especially if you’re redeeming for premium cabin flights or hotel stays during peak seasons.
Is Buying Amex Points Worth It?
Let’s talk about value. On the surface, 1,000 points for ₹400 or AU$25 sounds reasonable. But when you break it down, you’re paying 2.5 cents per point. And when you consider that most airline and hotel transfers happen at a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio, that cost rises to 5 to 7.5 cents per partner point.
That’s not cheap.
For context, using Amex points to book travel through the Amex portal usually gives you 1 cent per point in value. Transferring to airline partners can yield 2 cents or more per point, depending on the redemption. But if you’re buying points at 2.5 cents and only getting 1 cent in value from your redemption, you’re essentially losing money.
So, is it worth it? Sometimes—yes. If you’re just a few thousand points away from a high-value redemption like a business class flight or luxury hotel stay, buying points can help you avoid using cash for the whole thing. But it should be treated as a backup strategy, not your go-to method for collecting points.
Smarter Ways to Earn Amex Points
Before buying, it’s worth exploring a few smarter ways to earn Membership Rewards points without paying full price:
- Sign-up bonuses: Many Amex cards offer generous welcome bonuses—sometimes up to 225,000 points—just for meeting a minimum spend in the first few months.
- Qantas Wine offers: Spend on premium wine and earn thousands of Qantas points, which can often be transferred to other programs for better value.
- Grocery store promotions: Supermarket loyalty programs often run promotions where you earn bonus points for buying gift cards. This can be a cost-effective way to boost your balance.
- Referral bonuses: Referring friends to Amex can earn you bonus points with no spending required.
These alternatives often provide a better cost-per-point ratio than buying directly.
When Does Buying Make Sense?
There are specific situations where buying Amex points is the right move:
- You’re just shy of a major travel redemption (think first-class flight or five-star hotel).
- There’s a limited-time transfer bonus with one of Amex’s airline or hotel partners.
- You need the points urgently and other earning methods would take too long.
If any of the above apply, topping up your balance could make sense—just be sure to do the math first.
What About Selling Amex Points Instead?
While this blog is about how to buy Amex points, let’s flip the script for a moment. If you have many Membership Rewards points sitting unused—and you’re not planning any big redemptions soon—selling them might be the smarter play.
Instead of navigating complex transfer ratios or restrictive redemption rules, you can convert your points into real cash, instantly. This is especially helpful if you:
- Don’t travel often
- Prefer cash over miles
- I want to monetize a card bonus quickly
Not Using Your Points? Here’s a Smarter Way to Cash In
At Cash for My Miles, we help people just like you sell Amex points safely and securely. We offer competitive rates, fast payouts, and a smooth, transparent process. Whether you’ve got 80,000 points or 200,000, we’ll help you turn them into value you can use—without jumping through hoops.
So—how to buy Amex points? You can do it easily by contacting American Express customer service. But just because you can, doesn’t always mean you should.
Buying Amex points is best used as a last resort handy option when you’re a few points away from a valuable redemption. But for most people, earning through everyday spending, bonus offers, or even selling Amex points for cash may offer far better value.
If you’ve got extra points and want to convert them into something more tangible, visit Cash for airline miles and explore how to turn unused Amex points into instant cash. It’s fast, secure, and often more rewarding than trying to spend points on another blender or blanket you didn’t need in the first place.
