American Express has added a new benefit to Membership Rewards, allowing members to instantly redeem points for travel online. Members can now go to http://www.americanexpress.com/travel to redeem points directly for any airline ticket, cruise, or hotel room.

The new site, powered by Travelocity, offers awards without restrictions or blackout dates. Members have access to over 250 hotel partners, almost 40 luxury cruise liners, and 23 airline partners (15 of which offer the ability to transfer points directly into their frequent flyer program).

Members logon to the site, select their travel options, and during the checkout process get the option to use reward points to pay for either all or part of the purchase price.

The enhancement does not change previous benefits in any way. Members can still transfer earned points directly into a frequent flyer program of their choice or exchange them for a variety of certificates including free airline tickets.