It may come as a surprise but members of American Express rewards program can now redeem their hard-earned points at McDonald’s.
This new option will be available starting this week in New York and Chicago. It will roll out in Phoenix and San Francisco next week. The credit card company plans to make this option available all over US by December.
The good news is the conversion is not that complicated and it was designed that way. One hundred points will be worth $1. Just for reference, it means a Big Mac will cost 400 points.
At this time, the process may not be perfect. Some say this will work well only when ordering at the counter. Drive-thru orders can be quite complicated because the cardholder will have to give his or her credit card to the server first and won’t be able to see the payment screen. To redeem points they will have to either use their AmEx mobile app or go online.
“We want our customers to think about using their American Express card in places they haven’t thought about before,” said Leslie Berland, executive VP for digital partnerships and development at American Express.
This move seems rather strange given the brand image of American Express. But, there is a reason behind this new program. The company claims their card members spend millions of dollars each year buying at McDonald’s and most likely will spend more because of this new program.
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