Thanks to both for responding but, if I may...Jaywhy is right he answered my question but, Freddie is more right. As a noob in this, the extra info is very important to know. And, strictly speaking, if AMEX is so touchy then there is what "to worry about" unless you don't agree.
That you will get points for buying VR's, MVD's et al is uncontested, regardless of whatever it says in the terms.
Would it make you two happy if I rephrased my answer to "you will get the points"?
There are plenty of things to look out for when playing the MS game. May I suggest that you, as a "noob" spend some time reading though the various threads here and Dan's comprehensive posts to familiarize yourself with the risks before you start playing the game.
There are plenty of people here who will help you out, but you can't expect that an answer to a simple question will contain every caveat that you need to know.