Episode 22 - Amex Membership Rewards Changes

Join Matt Graham and Wilson McTaggart for episode 22 of Travel Pointers!

Next month, American Express will make big changes to its Membership Rewards program. The transfer rates to many overseas airline programs will get devalued, and there are also a couple of changes to transfer partners that are available. 

In this episode, we’ll discuss what’s changing and the best ways to use your Amex points, especially if you want to transfer them out before the upcoming devaluation. 

Even if you don’t have Amex points, you might find this discussion useful as we’ll talk about the ways Australians can redeem points with overseas frequent flyer programs. 

Each episode begins with a discussion of some of the recent Australian travel and frequent flyer news. In this episode:

• Qantas introducing Economy Plus
• Qantas announces Sydney International Business Lounge upgrade plans
• The price of Qantas Club membership is increasing - get a discount with Gold and Platinum AFF memberships
• Air New Zealand renaming Airpoints to Koru, introducing a new Black tier
• Qatar Airways now charges seat selection fees on reward tickets

Here's where you can also find more information about other topics discussed in this episode:

• American Express Membership Rewards changes
• Qantas vs Velocity status comparison
• AFF's membership changes