Tag: Amex Membership Rewards

For travel enthusiasts, American Express Membership Rewards points have traditionally been useful for booking flights and hotels, whether through transfers to airline and hotel partners or bookings through Amex Travel.

But now, cardmembers have a new way to use them: buying sports merchandise, collectibles, and more.

On November 9, Amex added Fanatics as its first sports and lifestyle transfer partner. Effective immediately, eligible U.S. cardmembers can convert Membership Rewards points into FanCash, the rewards currency used across the Fanatics ecosystem.

How Amex Transfers to Fanatics Work

Membership Rewards points transfer to Fanatics at a rate of 1,000 points to $10 in FanCash. That’s a fixed redemption value of 1 cent per point.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

• 1,000 Membership Rewards points → $10 FanCash
• 5,000 Membership Rewards points → $50 FanCash
• 10,000 Membership Rewards points → $100 FanCash
• 25,000 Membership Rewards points → $250 FanCash
• 50,000 Membership Rewards points → $500 FanCash

Like transfers to other partners, transfers must be made in increments of 1,000 points, with a minimum of 1,000 and a maximum of 999,000 points per transaction.

Amex’s transfer partner page lists an estimated processing time of up to 48 hours.

FanCash can be used across the Fanatics platform for eligible purchases, including sports apparel, trading cards, collectibles, tickets, and other experiences.

You’ll need a Fanatics ONE account to transfer points. And like airline and hotel transfers, transfers to Fanatics are irreversible.

FanCash can also expire. Under the program’s terms, FanCash earned from eligible purchases or qualifying transactions expires one year after the transaction. However, making another eligible purchase or qualifying transaction can extend the expiration date of your existing FanCash balance.

More on This: American Express Transfer Partners: Airlines, Hotels, and Ratios

Is Transferring Amex Points to Fanatics Worth It?

At 1 cent per point, the new Fanatics option offers a straightforward way to use Membership Rewards points outside of travel, without necessarily settling for the comparatively lower redemption values associated with some other options, such as gift cards or merchandise purchases.

Of course, transferring Membership Rewards points to airline and hotel partners can deliver considerably more value, particularly when booking premium-cabin flights.

But not everyone wants to use their points for travel. For cardmembers who regularly shop at Fanatics, this adds another option, albeit one that trades the potential upside of travel redemptions for a fixed value.

Fanatics Also Introduces a New Amex Card

The transfer partnership arrives alongside the announcement of the new Fanatics American Express Card, a no-annual-fee credit card issued by First Electronic Bank and powered by the American Express network and Imprint.

The card earns FanCash on purchases, including elevated rewards across the Fanatics ecosystem, and features more than 500 customizable designs inspired by trading cards featuring professional athletes.

A waitlist is now open, with invitations to apply expected to begin later this year.

American Express is now offering eligible cash-back cardholders another way to use their rewards.

Starting October 29, 2026, eligible U.S. consumer cardholders can redeem their Reward Dollars directly into an American Express High Yield Savings Account. Certain business cardholders can also redeem rewards into an Amex Business Checking account.

Here’s what’s changing and how the new redemption options work.

Redeem Amex Cash Back Into a High Yield Savings Account

Eligible American Express consumer cash-back cardholders can now redeem Reward Dollars directly into an Amex High Yield Savings Account (HYSA).

The redemption rate is 1:1, meaning $50 in Reward Dollars translates to a $50 deposit. There’s no minimum redemption amount.

Once deposited, the funds earn interest at the account’s prevailing annual percentage yield (APY). Currently, that stands at 3.2%. Interest compounds daily and is credited monthly.

This applies to eligible consumer cash-back cards, including the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express.

Cardholders can continue redeeming their Reward Dollars for statement credits or eligible purchases at Amazon.com. The savings account option just gives eligible cardmembers another way to use their rewards.

And while the redemption value itself isn’t changing, depositing rewards into a savings account means that money can begin earning interest. Over time, that could help cardholders get a little more value from the cash back they’ve already earned.

According to the press release, American Express also plans to introduce automatic Reward Dollars deposits into eligible savings accounts sometime in 2027.

Business Cardholders Get a New Redemption Option, Too

American Express is also introducing a similar feature for its Graphite Business Cash Unlimited Card.

Eligible cardholders can redeem Reward Dollars directly into an American Express Business Checking account at a 1:1 rate. Here, too, there’s no minimum redemption amount.

That means $100 in cash-back rewards can be deposited as $100 into an eligible business checking account.

For now, Amex has only identified the Graphite Business Cash Unlimited Card as eligible for this feature. The company hasn’t announced whether other business cash-back cards will be included.

How to Redeem Amex Reward Dollars Into a Bank Account

To use either option, you’ll need an eligible American Express cash-back card and the corresponding Amex bank account.

Here’s how to redeem your rewards:

1. Log in to your American Express account online.
2. Select your eligible cash-back card and navigate to your Reward Dollars balance.
3. Choose the option to deposit rewards into your Amex High Yield Savings Account or Business Checking account.
4. Enter the amount you’d like to redeem.
5. Review and confirm the deposit.

There’s no minimum redemption amount, and American Express says the feature will also be available through its mobile app soon.