American Express offers a variety of credit cards that allow you to earn Membership Rewards points on your spending. The true value of these points often depends on how you choose to redeem them and the current exchange rates when making purchases in foreign currencies. This calculator helps you understand the effective value and conversion rates associated with your Amex spending.
How it Works:
When you spend money using your American Express card, you earn points based on the card's earning structure. If you make purchases in a foreign currency, the amount you spend in USD is determined by the current exchange rate. This calculator takes your total spend in USD, applies the current exchange rate to show you how much that might be in another currency, calculates the total Membership Rewards points earned, and then assesses the potential value of those points based on a common redemption method like statement credits or gift cards.
Key Metrics:
Total Spend (USD): The base amount of money you've spent in US dollars.
Current Exchange Rate: The rate at which US dollars can be converted to a foreign currency. For example, if the rate is 0.92, it means 1 USD is equivalent to 0.92 units of the foreign currency.
American Express Points Earned: The total number of Membership Rewards points accumulated from your spending.
Value of 1 Point in USD: The cash value you get when redeeming one Membership Rewards point for certain options like statement credits or gift cards. This is often a fixed value, but can vary.
Total Value of Points (USD): The total monetary value of all the points earned, based on the specified redemption value per point.
Effective Value Per USD Spent: This shows you the actual dollar value you're getting back for every dollar you spend, considering points earned and their redemption value.
By using this calculator, you can better gauge the benefits of using your American Express card for international travel or purchases, and compare the value of different redemption options. Remember that premium redemptions, like transferring points to airline or hotel partners, can often yield a much higher value per point than the simple redemption values used in this calculator.
function calculateAmexConversion() {
var spendUsd = parseFloat(document.getElementById("spendUsd").value);
var exchangeRate = parseFloat(document.getElementById("exchangeRate").value);
var pointsPerDollar = parseFloat(document.getElementById("pointsPerDollar").value);
var pointRedemptionValueUsd = parseFloat(document.getElementById("pointRedemptionValueUsd").value);
var resultDiv = document.getElementById("result");
resultDiv.innerHTML = ""; // Clear previous results
if (isNaN(spendUsd) || isNaN(exchangeRate) || isNaN(pointsPerDollar) || isNaN(pointRedemptionValueUsd) ||
spendUsd < 0 || exchangeRate <= 0 || pointsPerDollar < 0 || pointRedemptionValueUsd < 0) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter valid positive numbers for all fields.";
return;
}
var spendInForeignCurrency = spendUsd * exchangeRate;
var totalPointsEarned = spendUsd * pointsPerDollar;
var totalPointsValueUsd = totalPointsEarned * pointRedemptionValueUsd;
var effectiveValuePerUsd = (totalPointsValueUsd / spendUsd);
var htmlOutput = "