The Membership Rewards(R) Program from American Express Adds Virgin Atlantic Airways and Hawaiian Airlines to Flight Finder for Charge Card Members

NEW YORK, Oct. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Membership Rewards program from American Express has added Virgin Atlantic and Hawaiian Airlines to its Flight Finder feature, an innovative online booking tool that makes booking a reward flight easier and faster.

Flight Finder, which launched in March, enables Charge Cardmembers enrolled in Membership Rewards and Membership Rewards First(SM) to easily search flight reward inventory, transfer points directly into a frequent flyer account, and book a reward flight in a single online transaction. AirTran Airways A+ Rewards was the first program to launch with Flight Finder, and now with the addition of Virgin Atlantic and Hawaiian Airlines to Flight Finder, Cardmembers can search rewards inventory for more than 80 popular destinations throughout the continental United States, Hawaii, London/Manchester, and the Pacific region, including Australia, American Samoa and Tahiti.

"Our Cardmembers have been enjoying the benefits of Flight Finder and Room Finder since we introduced the feature earlier this year," said Ralph Andretta, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Cardmember Services, American Express. "Our goal is to continue to make the program increasingly robust by adding more partners and giving our Cardmembers greater choice, convenience and flexibility. The addition of Virgin Atlantic and Hawaiian Airlines supports our commitment to provide enhanced customer service, and will no doubt continue to be well received by our Cardmembers."

In addition to Flight Finder, the Membership Rewards program also offers Room Finder, a similar online booking tool that allows Cardmembers to search for and book reward hotel stays with participating frequent guest programs, representing 17 brands and more than 6,400 hotel properties. Featured hotel partners currently include Priority Club(R) Rewards (InterContinental(R) Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza(R) Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn(R) Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express(R), Staybridge Suites(R), Candlewood Suites(R) and Hotel Indigo(R)); and Hilton HHonors(R) Program (The Hilton Family of Hotels: Hilton(R), Conrad(R) Hotels & Resorts, Doubletree(R), Embassy Suites Hotels(R), Hampton Inn(R), Hampton Inn & Suites(R), Hilton Garden Inn(R), Homewood Suites by Hilton(R), Scandic(R), and The Waldorf Astoria Collection(TM)).

To redeem reward flights or hotel stays, enrolled Cardmembers visit membershiprewards.com/flightfinder or membershiprewards.com/roomfinder to begin searching for flight or hotel room availability, respectively. Flight Finder or Room Finder will return a list of available options based on the traveler's search criteria and the travel partner's available reward inventories. Alongside the search results displayed, Cardmembers can view the total points needed for booking, their current frequent flyer or frequent guest program point balance, and Membership Rewards point balance.

Based on total points available, Charge Cardmembers can instantly transfer points needed from their Membership Rewards account to their frequent flyer or frequent guest program account to finalize the booking. Through Flight Finder and Room Finder, Cardmembers can also instantly link or establish a frequent flyer or frequent guest account with the selected partner. If Cardmembers are short on points to book a reward through Flight Finder or Room Finder, they can use the Points Advance(SM)(i) feature to "advance" points against future points earned at the time they choose to make a reward booking.

About The Membership Rewards Program

The Membership Rewards program from American Express has more than 140 redemption partners. The program allows Cardmembers to earn one point for virtually every Dollar charged on eligible, enrolled American Express(R) Cards (ii).

Cardmembers are enrolled in one of three levels of the Membership Rewards program based on their charge or credit card type. Cardmembers with American Express Credit Cards, including Blue from American Express(R), are enrolled in the Membership Rewards Express program. Cardmembers with American Express Green and Gold Cards will have the Membership Rewards program, while Platinum Card(R) members and Centurion(R) Card members are enrolled in the Membership Rewards First program.

Membership Rewards points are redeemable in a wide selection of reward categories, including travel, retail merchandise, entertainment, shopping and recreation gift certificates, experiences, financial services and charity rewards. Enrollees may also customize their own redemption experiences through the program's Create Your Reward and Experiences options and use points for just about anything they can imagine. Points have no expiration date, and there is no limit on the number of points a Cardmember can earn.

For more information about the Membership Rewards program, or to apply for an American Express Card, consumers can call 1-800-THE-CARD or visit 800TheCard.com.

About American Express

American Express Company (http://www.americanexpress.com/) is a leading global payments, network and travel company founded in 1850.

(i) Through the Points Advance(SM) feature, you may advance points when redeeming for Points Advance eligible rewards. You must accrue enough points in your program account to satisfy a Points Advance within 12 months. If you are unable to do so, the unsatisfied amount of the Points Advance will be charged to you at the rate charged for a Points Purchase transaction on the day the Points Advance was initiated. For more details, you may refer to the terms and conditions in your Program Guide or view them on the Membership Rewards website.

(ii) Some Cards require enrollment and the payment of an annual program fee. Terms and conditions apply.