With 20 different transfer partners at your disposal, American Express Membership Rewards® points are incredibly valuable. If you have a card like the *amex platinum* or the *amex gold* that earns Amex points, a world of travel opportunities opens up for you.
While the best way to earn a big stash of points is through a new card welcome offer, it’s not always the quickest.
You’ll first have to apply (and get approved), wait for your card to show up in the mail – though, Amex is usually pretty good about offering a virtual card number to get you started – and then meet the often lofty spending requirement. In many cases, Amex gives travelers a six-month spending window, meaning it could be a while before your points actually arrive.
That could work just fine for those playing the long game, but sometimes you need points fast. Maybe a hard-to-find business class award just opened up – the flights you can actually book using points and miles – or you have to travel on short notice for a family emergency. In those times, waiting six months or more simply isn’t an option.
Thankfully, there are a handful of ways you can earn Amex points in a pinch. From referring friends to shopping through Rakuten and taking advantage of Amex Offers, it can be quite easy to amass a meaningful stash of points in a hurry.
Here are some of the absolute fastest ways to rack up Amex points.
1. Refer a Friend
Not only can you often score the best offers by applying through referral links from family and friends, but you can also earn bonus points when you recommend your card to someone else.
Best of all, Amex referral bonuses post fast – generally within a day or two of your friend getting approved. This makes it the absolute best way to earn points in a hurry.
The most lucrative referral offers are often found on the Amex Platinum and Gold cards, but beyond Membership Rewards points, you could earn bonus SkyMiles with a Delta co-branded card or even extra Hilton Honors points with one of the hotel’s cards.
The best part? The link you shared doesn’t require friends or family to apply for that specific card. Rather, they can select the perfect card for themselves from Amex’s vast portfolio of personal and business card options. That flexibility makes it much easier for you to earn bonus points through referrals.
2. Amex Offers
With Amex Offers, American Express opens an easy way for cardholders to get cash back (or extra points) back on everyday purchases with select retailers for travel, dining, shopping, entertainment, and more. Add one to your Amex card, make an eligible purchase, and get something back – it’s that easy.
If you’re unfamiliar with Amex Offers, think of them as digital coupons or rebates you get when using your American Express card for purchases. Although most of these offers give you cash back, you may be targeted to earn bonus points or miles instead of a cash statement credit.
Fortunately, you won’t have to wait long for your bonus points or statement credit to be issued. As an example, I recently took advantage of an offer to earn 5,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $250 or more. Just two days after making a qualifying purchase, I already had the bonus in my account.
No matter which type of offer your American Express cards are targeted for, they can be a great way to save money or earn additional points. It’s a good idea to add them to your card if you think there’s even a slight chance that you’ll be able to put them to use – especially since many will disappear as soon as a certain amount of cardholders have done so.
Read more: The Key to Saving Money with Your American Express Cards
3. Ask for a Retention Offer
Retention offers are a great way to earn bonus points and miles for keeping your card open … long after you’ve earned that big welcome bonus. They’re the banks’ way of convincing you to stay on as a customer (and pay another year of annual fees) if you’re thinking of canceling your card.
A lot of times, these retention offers will come with some sort of spending requirement … but not always. If you do have to spend a certain amount of money in order to get a retention bonus, you might not be able to earn the points quite as quickly as you’d like. But if you’ve already got a stash of Amex points sitting around, you could use those now and rest easy knowing they’ll soon be replenished.
Simply call up the customer service line on the back of your card – or chat online (when logged into your account) – and let them know you’re thinking about canceling your card unless there’s a discount or other incentive to keep it open.
Here’s an example from a recent Amex chat:
Oh, and a little tip: You can get one of these retention offers even if you aren’t actually thinking about letting your card go. Critically, you have to ask for a retention offer – or at the very least, threaten to close your card. Don’t expect the bank to come to you offering a bonus.
Just because you ask doesn’t mean you’ll get a retention offer – it varies from person to person. Still, it’s worth asking, even if you’re not seriously thinking of canceling your card. The worst they can say is no.
Who knows? You might just be able to get an offer you can’t refuse.
4. Shopping Online Through Rakuten
Want a quick and easy way to earn more valuable Amex Membership Rewards points?
For anyone unfamiliar, Rakuten is one of the absolute best shopping portals out there – an easy way to earn extra cash back on your online shopping. But if cashback isn’t your cup of tea, being able to earn Amex points is a game-changer.
And if you’re new to Rakuten, it gets even better: Right now, you can earn 5,000 Amex points just for signing up and making a $25 purchase. These are some of the easiest points you’ll ever earn!
If you’ve been using Rakuten for years and would like to start earning Amex points instead of cashback, simply click “Account Settings” under your name. By default, payments will be set to be sent as a “Big Fat Check.” Instead, click on American Express to link your account.
Read our guide to linking your Amex account to Rakuten
For travelers looking to add to their stash of points, linking Amex and Rakuten is a no-brainer. Best of all, there’s no need to actually pay with an Amex card when using Rakuten in order to earn points. So long as your accounts are linked, you can earn Amex points no matter which card you use to pay.
Last year, I earned 42,000 points in a single quarter by taking advantage of some lucrative offers available through Rakuten!
One key detail: You won’t be able to use those points immediately. They’re deposited into your Amex account on the same quarterly schedule as cash payouts: Feb. 15, May 15, Aug. 15, and Nov. 15 each year.
Since the next payout is in May, you’ve got just a few days left in the month to earn points through Rakuten … or risk waiting until August.
Bottom Line
Let’s be honest, what traveler wouldn’t benefit from padding their balance of Amex points? If you want to add to your stash of Membership Rewards – whether you’re on a time crunch or not – these are some of the best ways to earn Amex points in a hurry.
