American Express adds a new way to use Membership Rewards points at checkout with Apple Pay

American Express is rolling out a new points-redeption feature that lets eligible U.S. Card Members use Membership Rewards points at checkout through Apple Pay. The company announced the change on July 1, framing it as an expansion of where points can be redeemed for payments, not just as a standalone rewards option.

The new offering is called “Use Pay with Points with Apple Pay.” According to American Express, it is designed for use when customers are checking out with Apple Pay, linking points redemption to the in-store or online flow where Apple Pay is accepted.

Membership Rewards is American Express’s loyalty program for cardholders. Under the expanded option, the company is effectively moving redemption closer to the moment of payment by incorporating points use into the Apple Pay checkout experience.

While American Express did not provide additional program terms in the announcement, the positioning suggests that the company is aiming to make redemption more convenient for customers who already use Apple Pay. That matters in a sector where payment friction can discourage loyalty behavior, and where card issuers increasingly compete on everyday usability rather than only on long-horizon redemption catalogs.

Apple Pay, meanwhile, functions as a mobile payments service that lets shoppers authorize transactions using Apple devices. By connecting points redemption to Apple Pay, the card issuer is aligning its rewards mechanics with the payment method customers already select at the time of purchase, potentially reducing the number of steps required to apply benefits to a transaction.

For merchants and the payments ecosystem, the practical question is how widely the feature will be available and what categories of purchases qualify once a customer chooses Apple Pay at checkout. In the July 1 announcement, American Express described the launch at a high level but did not spell out merchant coverage, eligible purchase categories, or any point-to-payment conversion details in the publicly posted summary.

As of this writing, American Express and Apple have not disclosed further implementation specifics in the material available with the announcement, including any redemption limits, rates, or whether the rollout is immediate across all eligible card products. Customers who want to use points through Apple Pay will likely need to look for the feature during the Apple Pay checkout flow, and the full terms may be clarified through American Express’s program communications over time.