The American Express Membership Rewards Card offers you many choices on the rewards you can receive. By learning American Express Membership Rewards Card basics, you can determine which AMEX Rewards Card will work best for you and your business.

There are many different American Express Rewards cards you can choose from, and each offers its own unique American Express membership rewards. When you're researching the different cards, you should make a list of the American Express Membership awards that would work best for you and your company. Once you have determined which American Express Rewards card you'll want to apply for, you can research more information on that particular card, and apply for it.

1. Review the American Express Rewards cards, and learn about the different American Express Card membership rewards.

2. Decide which American Express membership awards are best for you, and determine which American Express Rewards card will give you these rewards.

3. Select the best American Express Rewards card for you and your company, research more about that card and apply for it.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Learn about the American Express Membership Rewards cards

American Express offers many different American Express Rewards cards. Each card has its own unique rewards, and different American Express points. You can choose from many different personal and business AMEX Rewards cards.

I recommend: American Express features their Small Business Reward Credit Cards, and allows you to research their different benefits. Credit-Cards-Resource.com shows you the information and benefits of many AMEX Rewards cards.

Determine which AMEX Rewards card will give you the membership awards you want

Each of the AMEX Rewards card offers different rewards, reward points and benefits. Once you've researched each of these cards, you'll know how their membership awards work. You can then determine which card will give you the membership awards that you want.

I recommend: The online American Express Membership Rewards Catalogue shows you the different rewards you can choose from per number of American Express points you have. The American Express Credit Card Comparison allows you to select the features you want to determine which card is best for you.

Select and apply for your AMEX Rewards Card

Once you have compared the different AMEX Rewards cards features and determined which one is best for you and your business, you are ready to start the application process. You can apply for American Express Rewards cards online, over the phone or through the mail. The Internet offers you a safe, convenient way to apply for your AMEX Rewards Card.

I recommend: The American Express Online Credit Card Application lets you choose your card, apply for it and check the application status. Find Credit Cards offers secure online applications for the different AMEX Rewards Cards.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Contact American Express and talk to them about the American Express Reward program.

American Express membership rewards come as a bonus for spending when you use one of many AMEX rewards cards. American Express rewards cards offer a variety of redeemable points options for you based on the type of card you choose for yourself or your business.

AMEX rewards cards also come with built-in support, including online banking and rewards management. American Express even offers some creative ways to use your rewards beyond just cash or points, such as donating your rewards money to charity.

Plan for the following when you apply for an AMEX rewards card:

1. Decide if you want a personal credit card or a business credit card for your small business.
2. Think about the kind of spending that you do to select the type of American Express membership that will benefit you most.
3. Compare APR, fees, and restrictions for all AMEX rewards cards, then apply online for instant approval.
4. Manage your AMEX rewards account online and track your American Express rewards points through your online account.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Pick personal or business American Express rewards cards

Business credit cards can be an effective choice for you to reap American Express rewards card benefits if your small business does a lot of spending. You can use an AMEX rewards card to make your business purchases, and then save money on business expenses, such as travel, when you get rewards. Or, take advantage of American Express' online presence to help select a personal reward card that fits your needs.

I recommend: Business rewards cards frequently have an annual fee, but some, like the American Express Business Gold Rewards Card, don't charge an annual fee during the first year and can get you special discounts at the hotels and airlines you use. If you're a first time credit card applicant, join the American Express site to learn which personal cards for which you might be pre-approved. You also can compare different personal rewards cards before applying.

Evaluate your spending habits before selecting an AMEX rewards card

Pick the American Express rewards card that can benefit you most by evaluating what American Express membership rewards are best for you and how you spend. Some cards, such as the Delta SkyMiles cards and the Hilton HHonors card, offer better rewards on specific types of services, such as airline tickets and hotels. Business rewards cards tend to offer travel and office merchandise rewards.

I recommend: Shop the whole range of personal and business American Express rewards cards to choose which card offers you the rewards you will use most. American Express also has a questionnaire you can take to answer questions about your spending and credit needs and find out what card is right for you.

Compare the things that matter on American Express membership awards

When shopping around for rewards, don't forget to look at important factors such as APR, annual fees, and credit limits that influence your credit card membership decisions. Many of the rewards cards offering the best rewards plans also have the highest credit requirements or annual fees.

I recommend: Compare all of the American Express rewards cards for both personal and business users for APR, credit limits, credit requirements for membership, annual fees and balance transfer options from existing credit cards. You also can apply online for immediate action. Use American Express's own comparison feature to help you select the card features you care about most.

Manage your AMEX rewards online

American Express membership rewards are easy to manage online for all of your cards. Just create an account at the American Express website. You can even donate to charity and manage those donations for tax purposes using rewards points from your AMEX account.

I recommend: Create an American Express account to manage your bills online as well as keep tabs on and request rewards. Check out how you can use your points to donate to charity.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Use both the information available at the American Express rewards card website and comparisons available from a third party when choosing a credit card. When shopping for rewards cards, it's helpful to know what others have to say, but also be certain to examine card information directly from the source and read the fine print.

You selected to use an American Express Membership Rewards Card for your business. The AMEX Rewards Card can benefit your business in many ways. Not only can you use the card to buy what you need for your business, you can use your American Express rewards points to acquire equipment, supplies and services for your business. By researching these benefits, you can be sure you are making the most of your American Express Membership Rewards Card.

The first thing you'll want to do to make the most of your American Express Membership Rewards credit card is develop a system to keep track of your points. Once you start keeping track of your points, you'll want to spend them wisely. You can do this by learning all of the ways you can use your points to benefit your business, such as transferring your points for services and taking advantage of the American Express Open program.

1. Track your AMEX membership awards points so you always know how many you have.

2. Transfer and redeem your points for airline tickets, hotel accommodations and other services.

3. Use the American Express Open program to benefit and improve your business.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Keep track of your AMEX membership awards points

You will be using your AMEX membership awards points from your card to purchase one American Express reward after another. In order to know how many points you have at a moment's notice, and how many American Express Membership awards points you have used, develop a system to keep track of your points.

I recommend: The American Express Membership Rewards website allows you to log in and view your points. American Express Online Services allows you to sign up for an online account to keep track of your charges and points.

Learn how to redeem or transfer your American Express Rewards Card points

There are some services you'll want to use your American Express Membership awards points for that you can't order through their catalog. Some of these services include trading points for airline tickets, hotel accommodations and car rentals. You can even donate points.

I recommend: Business Travel Logue lists the benefits and services you can redeem your AMEX awards points for. American Express Frequent Guest Programs allow you to transfer your AMEX award points for hotel stays, airline tickets and other travel services.

Enroll in the American Express Rewards Card Open program

Many of the American Express Business Cards come with the added benefit of the Open program. This program can help you keep track of your finances, track your card spending, lets you issue cards to your employees with a spending limit, set up a payment schedule that benefits you, receive savings with numerous companies, have access to customer service and network with other Open members.

I recommend: The American Express Open website lets you read about the benefits of the program and see if your card is eligible for an Open membership. American Express Open Small Business provides a web page of Open partners for supplies, services, travel, entertainment and business tools.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Use your AMEX Membership Rewards Card on all of your personal and business credit purchases to earn the most points.

Before you apply for an American Express credit card, make sure you are getting the best kind for you. This company offers several types of rewards cards, from travel and entertainment rewards to cash back. Learning about each program offered is the best way to get the most for your money. Many programs are dependent on the type of card you qualify for, so check out each program before applying for a particular card. Getting to know the terms for American Express rewards cards is especially important if you want to save money on a business trip or a night out.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Membership Rewards Express

Membership Rewards Express is the first level of the American Express membership rewards program. Members with qualifying cards, like Blue from American Express, will receive travel, dining and shopping rewards when they spend money using their card. The level of your Membership Rewards Express program depends on your card.

I recommend: Love to Know discusses the details of Membership Rewards Express.

Membership Rewards

The Membership Rewards tier allows you to earn more than one point per dollar you spend with your qualifying card. With this program, you can transfer your points to airline or hotel frequent buyer programs and receive many travel discounts.

I recommend: American Express explains the details of the Membership Rewards level.

Membership Rewards First

This is the highest level of the program. If you have a qualifying card, you will receive the benefits of the other two levels. Additionally, you will get the chance to earn bonus points, travel discounts and the ability to redeem your points for luxury items.

I recommend: The American Express website discusses the benefits of the Membership Rewards First tier.

Air Travel Rewards cards

These credit cards from American Express allow you to earn travel rewards, such as free miles with different airlines, for every dollar you spend on your card.

I recommend: Find out what cards give you Air Travel rewards at the American Express website.

Hotel Partner cards

This is a selection of cards that offer discounts on hotels nationwide, such as Hilton or Starwood hotels.

I recommend: The American Express site offers details on the Hotel Partner cards available.

Automatic Rewards

The Automatic Rewards program allows you to earn 1% cash back when you have a qualifying card. Your money will be refunded via a gift card once you spend more than $2500.

I recommend: Learn more about how the Automatic Rewards program works at NextAdvisor.com.