Keeping your Amex Membership Reward Points Active with the Amex EveryDay Card

UPDATE: This offer has expired.

Back in 2014, American Express introduced a new credit card to their portfolio – the The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express. It is the first (and only) no annual fee personal American Express credit card that earns you full Membership Reward points!

For those of you who are not aware, there are two types of Amex Membership Reward credit cards – those that earn full Membership Reward points and those that earn limited Membership Reward points. Accounts with full Membership Reward points means that you can transfer your points from your account to a partner hotel or airline program. If you have a credit card that earns limited Membership Reward points you will NOT be able to transfer your points to partner loyalty programs and can instead only redeem your points for merchandise, gift cards, etc.

Having this card can ensure that you can always keep your Membership Reward points even if canceling the card that the points were tied to. As I explained in this post: “If I Cancel My American Express Platinum Card, Can I Keep the Points?“, if you cancel your Amex card that earns Membership Reward points, you will lose your points unless you have another Amex card that also earns full Membership Reward points. So let’s say you currently have an American Express Platinum card and are thinking about canceling the card. You currently have points in your account and do not want to transfer them out to a loyalty partner just yet as you aren’t 100% sure where you want to use them. If you are an Amex EveryDay cardholder, then you will not lose your points and still be able to transfer them to a loyalty program at another time.

There is also another version of this card, but it comes with an annual fee – the American Express EveryDay Credit Card Preferred. This card will also give you full access to Membership Reward points. This card will give you a slightly higher sign on bonus, and gives you extra points for everyday spend, but there is a $95/year annual fee. Depending on your spending habits, it actually might be worth it, but it depends on how much you spend on your card!

Here is the difference between the two cards:

The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express (no annual fee version):

• Sign-up bonus: Earn 10,000 Membership Rewards® points after you use your new Card to make $1,000 in purchases in your first 3 months.
• Points earned: Earn 2x points at US Supermarkets (on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1x); Earn 1x point on other purchases.
• Additional perks: Use your Card 20 or more times on purchases in a billing period and earn 20% more points on those purchases less returns and credits.
• Application link: The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express
• *Terms Apply. See Rates & Fees.

The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card from American Express (annual fee version)

• Sign-up bonus: Earn 15,000 Membership Reward® points after you use your new Card to make $1,000 in purchases within the first 3 months.
• Points earned: Earn 3x points when you shop at US Supermarkets (up to $6,000 in purchases each year); Earn 2x points when you shop at US gas stations; Earn 1x point on all other purchases.
• Additional perks: Earn a 50% bonus when you use your card to make 30 or more purchases in any billing period.
• Application link: The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card from American Express

I personally have the no annual fee version of the card and am happy with my decision. I just did not want to pay for another annual fee that I might contemplate canceling one day, especially since one of the main purposes of getting the card was to always keep my Membership Reward account active. But, for those that spend a lot at supermarkets and on gas, this can actually be one of the best credit cards out there for those purchases. You can learn more about the two cards here).