As the year approaches, so do your opportunities to use the annual, semi-annual and quarterly statement points that come with your credit card. If you’re like me, you probably still have a few things to cross off your list.
At the beginning of this week, I had two American Express hotel points available that I can use until the end of December. cardholder American Express Platinum Card® and American Express Business Platinum Card® Book a prepaid stay at a Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection hotel through American Express Travel® and earn up to $600 in hotel bill credits each calendar year (up to $300 every six months). (Hotel Collection reservations require a two-night minimum stay.)
I admit I didn’t use my benefits American Express Platinum Card® in previous years. But after the issuer increased the hotel credit from $200 to $300, extended it semiannually, and American Express Business Platinum Card®I knew it was time to put my benefits to work.
Whether you’re using points for the first time or you’re just looking for an easy way to use them at the end of the calendar, here are three things you need to know.
RELATED: Here’s Your Guide to Prepaid Hotel Points with the American Express Platinum and Business Platinum Cards
Filter options with MaxFHR
In the past, I’ve let my hotel points fall by the wayside because I didn’t want to pay for the rest of the stay out of pocket. While there are many hotel credit cards that can pay most bills, finding these hotels through Amex Travel can be time-consuming.
But this time, I used a handy tool to speed up the process of finding hotels in Las Vegas: MaxFHR. This tool allows you to filter hotels in the American Express Card Collection by price. All you have to do is enter your location and use the sliding scale to set your cap.
Please note that hotel prices listed on the website are not always up to date, so you will need to go to the American Express website to confirm the cost. If you want to filter by exact dates, you’ll also have to pay for a professional account. Still, it’s a good way to get an idea of which properties might be in your price range.
You can also filter by brand, which is useful if you want to earn elite stays with a specific chain. Alternatively, you can filter by amenity points to find hotels that offer perks you’ll actually use; I’m not a spa person, so unchecking these boxes allowed me to see hotels that offer different benefits, such as food and drink points.
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Use points to reduce out-of-pocket expenses
If you need to travel on specific dates or try to stay at a specific hotel, you may not be able to find a rate in the $300 range. Luckily, there’s a way to avoid spending the money.
American Express offers cash and points options, so you can choose how much of your stay is charged to your card and how much you pay with points. That way, you can charge $300 to your card (matching the credit on your statement) and use your points to pay for the remainder at a rate of 1 cent per point, with no out-of-pocket costs.
Ellie Nan Storck, TPG’s hotel editor in chief, went this route last month, spending a night at the White Barn Inn in Maine, which is part of FHR. The bill was just over $530, so she deducted $300 from her Amex Platinum account to trigger points and used 23,100 Amex points to pay for the remainder.
TPG values American Express Membership Rewards at 2 cents per point based on our December 2025 valuation, so we generally don’t recommend redeeming them through American Express Travel at 1 cent per point. But in this case, you spend 23,100 points to get a $530 stay. This means Ellie’s redemption price per point is 2.29 cents, exceeding our valuation.
RELATED: I’m an American Express Business Platinum Cardholder—Here’s How I’ll Get $1,000 Worth Next Year with 3 of My Favorite Perks
Please note that prepayment does not mean it is non-refundable
If you typically book hotels directly through a hotel website rather than through a third party, you may be accustomed to seeing the following option from Marriott that gets you a lower, non-refundable prepaid rate.
This is what I personally am used to seeing when booking hotels. And, since accommodations are eligible for American Express hotel points if they are prepaid, I assume that means they are non-refundable. So it blew my mind when I went to use my credit card and saw that the refundable option was the only one available.
Worried that I might not get a refund if I booked a refundable rate, I put my reservation on hold for the entire weekend to confirm with colleagues. During that time, the price surged by nearly $150.
Finally, I didn’t have to worry—or wait. The refundable interest rate is independent of whether credit is in effect as long as payment is made in advance. Even though I could cancel up to three days before my stay, my stay ended up qualifying for points.
bottom line
There are only a few weeks left in the year to use your American Express hotel points, which are about to expire. While you can use your points toward next year’s stay, reservations must be made and prepaid by January 1st.
If you want to lock something down, especially during a busy, unpredictable and expensive time of year, these time and money saving tips can help you find a great option.
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