2025 Amex Membership Rewards Devaluation

[elogic]

With a certain flood on MR points leaving the program before Dec 15 , which airline programs will be best to stockpile points ?
Will the main draw be programs that account activity stops expiry , due to large numbers possibly entering airline programs will airlines look at their own exposure

 

[straitman]

With a certain flood on MR points leaving the program before Dec 15 , which airline programs will be best to stockpile points ?
Will the main draw be programs that account activity stops expiry , due to large numbers possibly entering airline programs will airlines look at their own exposure

A great question and I am watching to see the answers.

 

[levelnine]

Avios for access to the full suite of redemption partners on BA/QR/IB/etc. In particular, 90K Australia-Europe in QSuites.

Cathay for expanded access to reward seats on their own flights.

 

[elogic]

A great question and I am watching to see the answers.

Like many here playing game , having a large pot of MR points (no expiry) I thought would see me out well into retirement for travelling is now not the case , the big question is how do you split and accept being locked in to one program with them as without doing something will result in millions being effectively wiped out

 

[straitman]

Like many here playing game , having a large pot of MR points (no expiry) I thought would see me out well into retirement for travelling is now not the case , the big question is how do you split and accept being locked in to one program with them as without doing something will result in millions being effectively wiped out

My thoughts exactly. What to do with my 1.4M Amex points?

 

[andye]

Avios also good for short-haul BA flights. MEL-PER was also competitive with the BA mileage bands

 

[ChrisFlyer]

Virgin Atlantic has no expiry and good access to SkyTeam seats into and out of Australia. Booked Garuda recently during school holidays at a time where no other 'more common' frequent flyer program had seats open - yet through Flying Club, there were 2+ business class seats on most flights between Indonesia and Australia. Handy for Vietnam Airlines too, and good redemption rates on Air New Zealand and ANA (albeit rates on the latter have increased in recent times).

 

[andye]

Virgin Atlantic has no expiry and good access to SkyTeam seats into and out of Australia. Booked Garuda recently during school holidays at a time where no other 'more common' frequent flyer program had seats open - yet through Flying Club, there were 2+ business class seats on most flights between Indonesia and Australia. Handy for Vietnam Airlines too, and good redemption rates on Air New Zealand and ANA (albeit rates on the latter have increased in recent times).

How are taxes on VS partners, as they are pretty steep ( BA steep not EK/EY steep) on own metal?

 

[ChrisFlyer]

How are taxes on VS partners, as they are pretty steep ( BA steep not EK/EY steep) on own metal?

I think it depends on the partner. Carrier fees on Garuda were $38 USD in business one way from Jakarta to Melbourne. Total co-pay was under $77 USD. But yeah, fees can be pretty high to book Virgin Atlantic itself, in part because the redemption rates can be so low. I snagged JFK-LHR in PE for less than 20,000 Flying Club points last year, but recall it cost at least half a grand in fees.

 

[Saizo]

I'm a fairly recent Plat holder but when AMEX announces refreshes of their cards does it ever seem to spell an improvement?

Luckily I happened to have recently cashed out all my amex points anyway, but with the questionable "improvement" to Accor+, removal of the Amazon benefit, devaluation of flight partners, strange inclusion of Everyday Rewards (side note what is going on with this, you get better value just using MR pointsstraight on statement balances?), it seems just like all take no give. Wheres the silver lining? Just that AMEX is still better than the alternative?

Seems like a depressing timeline.

 

[Daver6]

I think it depends on the partner. Carrier fees on Garuda were $38 USD in business one way from Jakarta to Melbourne. Total co-pay was under $77 USD. But yeah, fees can be pretty high to book Virgin Atlantic itself, in part because the redemption rates can be so low. I snagged JFK-LHR in PE for less than 20,000 Flying Club points last year, but recall it cost at least half a grand in fees.

Not sure if its a general thing or just the route I was interested in, but using VS points on GA, the taxes were significantly less in J than Y!

 

[random111]

wow, currently sitting on 3m amex MR points, was working on plans to attend World Cup 2026 - this change hurts, despite having a very healthy points balance, to lose between 1/3 to 1/2 in value seems steep!!

The card just lost significant value in my eyes!!

 

[elogic]

QR looks to be a good option , does transferring Avios between BA and QR count as activity to keep the points alive after 3 years ?

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

Every enhancement from the airlines has made me more and more of a free agent flyer and every enhancement from the banks gets me closer to the tipping point where I'll be better off switching to a low-fee credit card without foreign exchange fees and quitting these games.

With Amazon gone, the Accor membership being "enhanced", the dining credit (that was already a nice-to-have but hardly a "wow I really adore this" for me) due to expire as well this year, and now this --- I'm definitely getting there. If I weren't fortunate enough to have held the Plat long enough to still get the additional $400 TC that came with the free Plat Reserve card before they enhanced that away too, I'd probably already be there...

And all that before you even consider the potential degradation in some of the other benefits, e.g., I find the Accor Plus rates not as good as they were a few years ago, the genuine deals that could be come by on the Fine Hotels/Hotel Collection are fewer and farer between, ditto discounts for premium airfare booked via AMEX Travel.

As for "where else will people go?" -- I imagine things are going to get worse across the board, but AMEX's Plat/Centurion fees are multiples higher than other products focussed primarily on points earning and the additional benefits meant to justify AMEX's multiples are being enhanced down/away too.

Between this, QF's devaluation and VA's devaluation + obliteration of status-earning for most status-holders, 2025 has been quite the doozy for Australian frequent flyers. Nowhere to hide.

 

[Happy Dude]

Direct sweep QF/VA cards looking good now.

 

[burneracc]

the dining credit (that was already a nice-to-have but hardly a "wow I really adore this" for me) due to expire as well this year

renewed till end of next year FYI - check your saved offers, you will see the date has been extended

 

[guerre64]

And this is why I abandoned Amex in favour of an HSBC Star Alliance Credit Card

 

[Bell21]

ts on most flights between Indonesia and Australia. Handy for Vietnam Ai

Every enhancement from the airlines has made me more and more of a free agent flyer and every enhancement from the banks gets me closer to the tipping point where I'll be better off switching to a low-fee credit card without foreign exchange fees and quitting these games.

With Amazon gone, the Accor membership being "enhanced", the dining credit (that was already a nice-to-have but hardly a "wow I really adore this" for me) due to expire as well this year, and now this --- I'm definitely getting there. If I weren't fortunate enough to have held the Plat long enough to still get the additional $400 TC that came with the free Plat Reserve card before they enhanced that away too, I'd probably already be there...

And all that before you even consider the potential degradation in some of the other benefits, e.g., I find the Accor Plus rates not as good as they were a few years ago, the genuine deals that could be come by on the Fine Hotels/Hotel Collection are fewer and farer between, ditto discounts for premium airfare booked via AMEX Travel.

As for "where else will people go?" -- I imagine things are going to get worse across the board, but AMEX's Plat/Centurion fees are multiples higher than other products focussed primarily on points earning and the additional benefits meant to justify AMEX's multiples are being enhanced down/away too.

Between this, QF's devaluation and VA's devaluation + obliteration of status-earning for most status-holders, 2025 has been quite the doozy for Australian frequent flyers. Nowhere to hide.

YMMV - it will still probably have value for me given its breadth of perks, but they are making it challenging to keep, that's for sure!

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

renewed till end of next year FYI - check your saved offers, you will see the date has been extended

Ah thanks, good to know; that's a bit of nice-to-have consolation then.

 

[lovestotravel]

Recent $6K in savings for 3 J return airfares on SQ makes me keep the Plat card ...