American Express just announced a new Membership Rewards redemption option, allowing cardmembers to use points toward federal, state and local income tax payments. Through expanded partnerships with Pay1040 and Official Payments Corp, cardmembers can now redeem their points towards the actual tax payment. Previously, points could only be used to offset the cost of the convenience and payment fees incurred when filing taxes online. Unfortunately, the redemption rate of 200 MR points per 1 dollar towards your tax bill leaves a lot to be desired.