AMEX: Third-Party Integration
Elevating American Express, Delta, and point.me’s connection by integrating third-party features within the Reward Summary and Redemption experience.
Highlight
Collaborating with Third Party partners
Year
2025
Deliverables
Wireframes
Prototypes
Mockups
Project Overview
Collaborating with third-party partners is essential for closing gaps in our user journeys. Many of our existing flows lack key entry points, which makes it harder for users to discover and engage with available benefits. I aimed to increase visibility, drive higher engagement, and ensure users access the value they’re eligible for at the right moments.
Impact
↗️ 18% Visibility and Click Rate
↘️ 10% Complaints from Third-Party Partners
I Didn’t Know I Had That
Despite Amex’s wide range of third-party benefits, users consistently reported confusion around where to find them. Most didn’t know that they even existed at all! This gap led to reduced third-party engagement and a disconnect between users’ needs and what Amex offers.
I understood that our challenge was to resurface these “hidden” benefits and encourage our users to learn more about them. During my preliminary research, I even discovered that users had been taking their frustration to social media.
User on Reddit
“Is this still a partnership? I no longer can get the links to work”
Bringing Clarity to Travel
To begin clarifying the additional travel benefits provided to users, I started looking into the existing engagement data. I found that many users thought they accidentally ended up on a third-party site and quickly returned to Amex before exploring their benefits.
I decided to tackle these two main issues:
Educating on Value Proposition
Providing Consistent Access
Delta had a complex set of metrics called Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) that were nowhere to be seen on Amex’s Rewards platform. By breaking down the framework, I realized that we needed to define terminology and explain to users why they were receiving MQDs. To maintain constant exposure to this benefit, I decided to keep this information in plain view and provide an additional entry point to Delta.com.
Point.me is a website where users can find the best deals for flights using their Membership Reward points. This partner’s project was an even bigger challenge because most Amex users had not heard of the platform before.
In addition to the other points mentioned, I had to foster trust in this third-party partner.
I understood that the lack of recognition meant that point.me’s entry point needed to be more prominent in the Redemption journey. I also had to make sure that the design was immediately providing clarity on what the site is and how it could be of value.
Mapping the Gaps
The exploration stage was pivotal in mapping current gaps and experimenting with new entry points. By doing this, we identified clearer, more contextual ways to surface these benefits. This early work helped shape a more intuitive and connected experience.
From Assumptions to Answers
Another concern I had with these designs was that they would cause more confusion for the users. Third-party components are tricky because they can be mistaken for advertising campaigns.
To ensure that the components were not too “ad-y”, I decided to work with our Research team and do a live test with 12 participants.
We discovered that lifestyle images threw off participants and made them think it was an ad. Participants were also more sensitive to color choice. Some would even bypass components if the color deviated from Amex’s brand colors.
Research Participant #5
“To me, it looks like it’s part of Amex. It looks like something that American Express is affiliated with, or has adopted for us to use.”
Now You Know!
Every third-party has its own way of managing its digital experiences. Collaboration is key when working with my partners to ensure that I’m meeting expectations across the board.
Managing the third-party feedback allowed me to develop this design that satisfies all requirements and more!
Customers now recognize which third-party offers are available to them.
Clear entry points and well-timed prompts throughout the travel experience helped surface relevant perks at the right moment.
These benefits are no longer hidden, and users are engaging with them more often.