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Amex Membership Rewards Transfer Partners & How To Use Them [2024]

Jarrod West

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Amex Airline Transfer Partners

Amex hotel transfer partners, how to transfer membership rewards, american express transfer bonuses, earning amex membership rewards, should you transfer or book through amex, other ways to use your points, combining membership rewards from different accounts, redeeming membership rewards, final thoughts.

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If you’re looking for a way to earn lots of points to redeem for some amazing travel, you can’t go wrong with American Express Membership Rewards credit cards. Amex provides a number of ways to earn Membership Rewards points and plenty of fun ways to redeem them for some great flights.

In this post, we’ll show you all of the American Express transfer partners, how to transfer Membership Rewards to these partners, and much more. With this guide in hand, you’ll be ready to book some amazing vacations!

The American Express Membership Rewards program has a ton of airline transfer partners.

Make sure you check the transfer rate (see below) since not all transfers are done at a 1:1 ratio.

Membership Rewards can also be transferred to 3 hotel rewards programs.

Like American Express airline partners, transfer ratios vary (see below), so make sure you check them before transferring.

Hot Tip: Use our transfer partner tool to see how many points you’ll get when you transfer your Amex Membership Rewards to their partner airlines and hotels!

With some Membership Rewards points in your account , it’s time to decide where you want to transfer your points so you can start traveling. Here are the simple steps to make the transfer process easy.

Step 1:  Select Earn and Redeem  from the menu.

Step 2: Select Transfer Points under Redeem .

Step 3: Choose your desired airline or hotel transfer partner and select Transfer Points . If you haven’t already, you will need to link your frequent flyer account to your Membership Rewards account. In the example below, we chose Delta Air Lines.

Step 4:  Once you have linked your airline or hotel account to your Membership Rewards account, choose how many points you would like to transfer. Transfers must be made in increments of 1,000.

Step 5: Confirm the number of points you are transferring and complete the transfer.

Step 6:  Head over to the appropriate airline or hotel program to book your award flight or award stay.

Bottom Line: Transferring Amex points to partners is easy. Just have your loyalty program numbers handy and your Amex card details, and you’ll be good to go!

Transferring your points when there is a bonus is an ideal situation. Getting the most value out of every point you have is the key to getting those high-level redemptions!

Amex has previously offered both public and targeted transfer bonus offers of 15% to 40%. For example, if you were to transfer 10,000 points when a particular partner is offering a 40% bonus offer, your points would be worth 14,000 points after transfer.

However, you shouldn’t transfer points JUST because there is a bonus. It’s best to keep your points in a transferable account (like Amex, Capital One, Chase, Citi, or Marriott Bonvoy) until you have a specific redemption in mind.

American Express provides tons of opportunities to earn Membership Rewards points . Pick the card or combination of cards that will help you earn the most points and get the benefits that matter to you.

Recommended American Express Cards (Personal)

The Platinum Card ® from American Express

The Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.

When it comes to cards that offer top-notch benefits, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better card out there than The Platinum Card ® from American Express.

Make no mistake — the Amex Platinum card  is a premium card with a premium price tag. With amazing benefits like best-in-class airport lounge access , hotel elite status, and tremendous value in annual statement credits, it can easily prove to be one of the most lucrative cards in your wallet year after year.

• The best airport lounge access out of any card (by far) — enjoy access to over 1,400 worldwide lounges, including the luxurious Amex Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges, Plaza Premium Lounges, and many more!
• 5x points per dollar spent on flights purchased directly with the airline or with AmexTravel.com (up to $500,000 per year)
• 5x points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked with AmexTravel.com
• Annual and monthly statement credits upon enrollment ( airline credit, Uber Cash credit, Saks Fifth Avenue credit, streaming credit, prepaid hotel credit on eligible stays, Walmart+ credit, CLEAR credit, and Equinox credit )
• TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit
• Access to American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts
• Access to Amex International Airline Program
• No foreign transaction fees ( rates and fees )
• $695 annual fee ( rates and fees )
• Airline credit does not cover airfare (only incidentals like checked bags)
• Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards ® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card ® , Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.
• Earn 5X Membership Rewards ® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards ® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
• $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts ® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card ® . The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card ® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card ® . Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Plus Up Benefits are excluded.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card ® .
• $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only. Terms Apply.
• $300 Equinox Credit: Get up to $300 back in statement credits per calendar year on an Equinox membership, or an Equinox club membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you pay with your Platinum Card ® . Enrollment required. Visit https://platinum.equinox.com/ to enroll.
• $189 CLEAR ® Plus Credit: Breeze through security with CLEAR Plus at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues nationwide and get up to $189 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Platinum Card ® . Learn more.
• $100 Global Entry Credit: Receive either a $100 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck ® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card ® . Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
• Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card ® . That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
• $300 SoulCycle At-Home Bike Credit: Get a $300 statement credit for the purchase of a SoulCycle at-home bike with your Platinum Card ® . An Equinox+ subscription is required to purchase a SoulCycle at-home bike and access SoulCycle content. Must charge full price of bike in one transaction. Shipping available in the contiguous U.S. only. Enrollment Required.
• Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Platinum Card ® to your Resy profile.
• $695 annual fee.
• Terms Apply.

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American Express ® Gold Card

This is the best card for food lovers who dine out at restaurants (worldwide), order take-out and want big rewards at U.S. supermarkets!

The American Express ® Gold Card  is a game-changer.

With this card, you can earn 4x Membership Rewards points at restaurants and you’ll also earn 4x Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1x.

There isn’t another card on the market that offers a 1-2 punch like this. Of course, there are several other benefits of the Gold Card as well, including extra monthly dining rewards and more.

• 4x points per dollar at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
• 4x points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets, up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases; and 1x thereafter
• 3x points per dollar on flights purchased directly from airlines or at Amex Travel
• Up to $120 annual dining credit: up to $10 monthly statement credit when you pay with the Amex Gold card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com , Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations
• Up to $120 in annual Uber Cash : get $10 monthly in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S. when you add your Gold Card to your Uber account
• No foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees )
• Access to Amex’s The Hotel Collection
• Access to American Express transfer partners
• $250 annual fee (see rates and fees )
• No lounge access
• Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards ® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Earn 4X Membership Rewards ® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and earn 4X Membership Rewards ® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X).
• Earn 3X Membership Rewards ® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
• $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year.
• $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings and earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express ® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required.
• Get a $100 experience credit with a minimum two-night stay when you book The Hotel Collection through American Express Travel. Experience credit varies by property.
• Choose the color that suits your style. Gold or Rose Gold.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees.
• Annual Fee is $250.
• Find the Amex Gold 75k or 90k Welcome Bonus Offer
• Benefits of the Amex Gold
• Upgrade Amex Gold to Amex Platinum
• Amex Gold Benefits for Military
• Amex Gold vs Blue Cash Preferred
• Amex Platinum vs Amex Gold
• Amex Gold vs Delta Gold

If you’re a business owner, see our list of the best Amex business credit cards .

A fun and easy way to boost your earning potential is to maximize Amex Offers , which grant additional Membership Rewards for your purchases at select merchants.

Booking Travel With the AmexTravel.com Portal

If you’re booking economy flights or hotels, don’t forget to check out AmexTravel.com , where you can book cash flights with points. Points are generally worth 1 cent each.

With The Business Platinum Card ® from American Express , each point is worth about 1.54 cents when booking on your preselected airline.

The boost is applied in the form of a 35% rebate , so you’ll still need the total points in your account at the time of booking. You can get up to 1 million points rebated per calendar year.

Let’s check out an example (below). If you have the Amex Business Platinum card and Delta Air Lines is your selected airline, this booking will cost 22,516 Membership Rewards points initially.

Once the rebate is applied, American Express will return 7,880 Membership Rewards to your account, which means this booking would actually cost you 14,636 points.

You might have noticed in the example above that the booking is a Membership Rewards Insider Fare .

This can make your bookings through AmexTravel.com even more valuable since American Express sometimes discounts flights if you pay entirely with points .

Consider the flights we discussed above. Booking this itinerary through AmexTravel.com costs 14,636 Membership Rewards points, and the booking still earns Delta SkyMiles as a paid fare rather than an award ticket.

If you were to transfer Membership Rewards to Delta and book this same itinerary as an award ticket, you would have to transfer 25,000 points to your SkyMiles account to book it. In this case, booking through the portal would be a much better deal.

This is clearly a time to book through AmexTravel.com rather than transferring points. To ensure you get the most out of your points every time, it’s important to check both the portal and transfer options when booking economy class.

AmexTravel.com also allows you to book hotels at up to 1 cent per point in value through Fine Hotels & Resorts .

You can also redeem your points for gift cards to merchants like Nike, Saks Fifth Avenue , Walmart, or Amazon , or use your points to shop for items from the Membership Rewards site.

Unfortunately, these are generally terrible uses of your hard-earned Membership Rewards points. To get the most value out of them, stick with travel redemptions!

If you have multiple cards that earn Membership Rewards, they can each be linked to the same account so your points will automatically collect in one place.

Generally, when you apply for a new card that earns Membership Rewards points, it will automatically be linked to your account.

One downside is that points cannot be transferred to your spouse or significant other’s Membership Rewards account.

However, you can transfer points to a frequent flyer program owned by any authorized users on your account, as long as they have been an authorized user for at least 90 days .

While this isn’t a perfect solution, it still allows you to help friends and family book award flights.

Using your Membership Rewards points for travel is clearly the best way to use your points.

With so many airline transfer partners and tons of ways to redeem your points, it’s almost overwhelming!

To make the process a bit easier, we’ve compiled a list of the best ways to redeem your Membership Rewards for some amazing travel experiences.

American Express Membership Rewards points are tremendously useful if you want to travel. With so many ways to earn and redeem points, you can book award flights to just about anywhere in the world!

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card ® from American Express, click here . For rates and fees of the American Express ® Gold Card, click  here . For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card ® from American Express, click here .

Frequently Asked Questions

What airlines can membership rewards points be used for.

There are multiple different airline and hotel partners that you’re able to transfer your Membership Rewards points to. Refer to our table in the post for the most up-to-date transfer partners!

Can you transfer your Membership Rewards points to another person?

You cannot transfer your Membership Rewards points to anyone else. However, you can transfer your Membership Rewards to someone’s frequent flyer account so long as they are an authorized user on one of your cards and have been so for at least 90 days.

Can you transfer your Membership Rewards between your Amex cards?

American Express pools all of your Membership Rewards points into 1 account, so there is no need to transfer them back and forth between cards.

Can you transfer points from an airline to Membership Rewards points?

You cannot transfer miles or points from an airline to Amex Membership Rewards points. You also cannot get back any Membership Rewards points that you have already transferred to an airline partner — all transfers are final.

Do Membership Rewards points expire?

Your Membership Rewards points will not expire as long as your account remains open and in good standing.

How much are Membership Rewards points worth?

Generally, your Membership Rewards points will be worth 0.6 cents toward cash-back, 1.10 cents when cashing them out into a Charles Schwab investment account (depending on which card you hold), or 2+ cents for redemptions made through transfer partners.

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About Jarrod West

Boasting a portfolio of over 20 cards, Jarrod has been an expert in the points and miles space for over 6 years. He earns and redeems over 1 million points per year and his work has been featured in outlets like The New York Times.

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This bonus value is an estimated valuation calculated by UP after analyzing redemption options, transfer partners, award availability and how much UP would pay to buy these points.

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Important Message Regarding Postal Service Disruptions: Due to COVID-19, there may be a delay in outgoing mail from American Express. During this time, there may be delivery delays for gift cards and merchandise redeemed from the Membership Rewards Program. We appreciate your patience during this time. For more information, please refer to our Coronavirus FAQs .

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Frequent travel participants.

Enjoy more ways to travel the world. Add your favourite partner loyalty programmes and transfer your Membership Rewards points.

How To Transfer Points

• Frequent Guest Participants
• All Partners

Hilton Honors

• 1000 Membership Rewards points = 1000 Hilton Honors points
• Estimated transfer time: 5 business days
• Minimum transfer amount: 1000 points

Calculate how many Membership Rewards you'll need for your transfer.

A minimum of 1000 MR points is required transfer to the Partner, and the transfer amount must be in increments of 100 MR points.

The minimum transfer amount is 1000 points.

Points must be in increments of 100 points.

The number of points you have entered is greater than the maximum number of points specified for this Participant. Please try again.

With a hotel for every style, budget & occasion, Hilton Honors let’s your transform points into memories you can’t help but share – at more than 4,800 hotels and resorts worldwide.

View More Details

Marriott Bonvoy®

• 5 Membership Rewards points = 6 Marriott Bonvoy points
• Estimated transfer time: up to 48 hours*

Make the most out of your Membership Rewards points by enrolling in the Marriott Bonvoy program. Points can be used for stays at more than 6,700 hotels and resorts in 130 countries, giving you access to some of the world's most celebrated hotel and resort brands.

Note: Please ensure you select a valid partner account or add a new partner account

transferiFormOverlayAddText

transferiFormOverlaySignText

If you would like to join the ${viewData.currentProduct.name} program please visit the partner's website to submit your request.

Once the partner has confirmed your details you will be able to add your new partner account to your Membership Rewards profile and transfer your Membership Rewards points.

You don't have an account with ${viewData.currentProduct.name} or would like to create an additional account? Enroll in a new partner loyalty program.

How does transfer points work?

Please select the transfer activity you would like to learn about from the tabs below.

• TRANSFER YOUR POINTS TO FREQUENT TRAVEL PARTICIPANT
• LINK A FREQUENT TRAVEL PARTICIPANT ACCOUNT THAT YOU ARE ALREADY ENROLLED IN

ENROLL IN A NEW FREQUENT TRAVEL PARTICIPANT PROGRAM

NUMBER OF POINTS

Select the frequent travel participant and enter the number of points you want to transfer.

Review your information. Please note that all points transfers are final and transferred points cannot be returned.

CONFIRMATION

Confirm your transfer request to complete the request by clicking on ‘Transfer my points’

ENTER YOUR FREQUENT TRAVEL PARTICIPANT ACCOUNT DETAILS

Log in to your account and select the Frequent Travel Participant. Select ‘Add Another Account’ and enter your existing frequent travel participant details to link your existing participant account to your Membership Rewards account.

PLEASE CLICK ‘ADD ACCOUNT’ TO ADD YOUR FREQUENT TRAVEL PARTICIPANT ACCOUNT DETAILS

Once you submit your request, you will be able to submit a points transfer request immediately. Your points transfer will be processed after the frequent travel participant has confirmed your account.

Log in to your account and select the Frequent Travel Participant. Select ‘Add Another Account’, then select ‘sign up for a partner program’ and complete all required fields with the information requested by the frequent travel participant you wish to enroll for. Note: The participants listed below require program enrollment to take place on their respective websites. Asia Miles Etihad Aeroplan Air France KLM Flying Blue

SUBMIT REQUEST TO ENROLL BY CLICKING ‘Sign-up’

American Express Membership Rewards transfer partners: Maximize your points

• You can transfer American Express points to book flights on Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines — often at a fraction of the price their own loyalty programs charge for award tickets.
• There are also three hotel program transfer options.
• The flexible nature of Membership Rewards points is one of the reasons why they are so valuable.

It's no wonder why TPG staffers (and our readers) love American Express Membership Rewards points.

Whether you want to redeem your Amex points for a cheap and cheerful hotel room or fly first class to Asia, you can transfer Amex points to an impressive 17 airline partners and three hotel partners. Plus, Membership Rewards are super easy to earn and redeem.

Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about American Express Membership Rewards transfer partners, including some redemption options so you can learn the best ways to make the most of your Amex points for your next trip.

How to earn American Express Membership Rewards points

You need an eligible American Express card to earn Membership Rewards points.

Several popular Membership Rewards-earning cards currently offer generous welcome bonuses.

The Platinum Card® from American Express

Amex Platinum : Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $8,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership.

Earning points :

• 5 points per dollar spent on airfare purchased directly through airlines or Amex Travel (on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar)
• 5 points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked with Amex Travel
• 1 point per dollar spent on other purchases

Annual fee : $695 (see rates and fees )

American Express® Gold Card

Amex Gold Card : Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new card within the first six months of card membership. However, some readers have been targeted for an even higher welcome offer using the CardMatch tool (offer subject to change at any time).

• 4 points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide
• 4 points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets (on the first $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar)
• 3 points per dollar spent on airfare purchased directly through airlines or through amextravel.com
• 1 point per dollar spent on other eligible purchases

Annual fee : $250 (see rates and fees )

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

Amex Business Platinum : Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $20,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Platinum Card within the first three months of card membership.

• 5 points per dollar spent on flights and prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel
• 1.5 points per dollar spent in select business categories and eligible purchases of $5,000 or more on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year (then 1 point per dollar)

American Express® Business Gold Card

Amex Business Gold Card : Earn 70,000 bonus points after you spend $10,000 on eligible purchases in the first three months of card membership.

• 4 points per dollar spent in the two categories your business spends the most each billing cycle from six eligible categories; you'll earn 4 points per dollar spent on the first $150,000 in combined purchases each calendar year (then 1 point per dollar)
• 3 points per dollar spent on flights and prepaid hotels booked through amextravel.com

Annual fee : $375 (see rates and fees )

American Express® Green Card

Amex Green Card : Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership.

• 3 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and takeout and delivery in the U.S.
• 3 points per spent dollar on travel and transit

Annual fee : $150 (see rates and fees )

The information for the American Express Green Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Amex Membership Rewards transfer partners

American Express has 17 airline and three hotel transfer partners. These partners include at least one useful option in each major airline alliance: SkyTeam , Star Alliance and Oneworld .

You can transfer your Membership Rewards points to the following airline programs:

• Aer Lingus AerClub (1:1 ratio; transfers instant)
• Aeromexico Rewards (1:1.6 ratio; transfers take 24 hours)
• Air Canada Aeroplan (1:1 ratio; transfers instant)
• Air France-KLM Flying Blue (1:1 ratio; transfers instant)
• All Nippon Airways Mileage Club (1:1 ratio; transfers take 48 hours)
• Avianca LifeMiles (1:1 ratio; transfers instant)
• British Airways Executive Club (1:1 ratio; transfers instant)
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles (1:1 ratio; transfers take 48 hours)
• Delta SkyMiles (1:1 ratio; transfers instant)
• Emirates Skywards (1:1 ratio; transfers instant)
• Etihad Guest (1:1 ratio; transfers instant)
• HawaiianMiles (1:1 ratio; transfers instant)
• Iberia Plus (1:1 ratio; transfers take 48 hours)
• JetBlue TrueBlue (250:200 ratio; transfers instant)
• Qantas Frequent Flyer (1:1 ratio; transfers instant)
• Singapore KrisFlyer (1:1 ratio; transfers take up to 24 hours)
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (1:1 ratio; transfers take 24 hours)

Related: Best frequent flyer programs for US travelers

There are also three hotel transfer partner options:

• Choice Privileges (1:1 ratio; transfers instant)
• Hilton Honors (1:2 ratio; transfers instant)
• Marriott Bonvoy (1:1 ratio; transfers instant)

Related: Best hotel rewards programs in the world: Which one is right for you?

How to transfer Membership Rewards to partners

You'll need an open and valid Amex account if you wish to transfer your Membership Rewards. You can then link each transfer partner in your Membership Rewards account and transfer Membership Rewards points in increments of 1,000 to any partner you wish, with a minimum of 1,000 points.

American Express offers bonuses to transfer to select partners from time to time.

Transfers to travel partners are non-reversible, so make sure you are certain you have a use for the points before you transfer them.

How to maximize Membership Rewards transfer partners

With so many different transfer options, deciding where to transfer your Membership Rewards points can be difficult. The great thing about transferable points is that you can keep them in your Amex account until you decide where and when to transfer them.

For some inspiration, here are some of our favorite transfer options:

• Book Delta flights to Europe (with no fuel surcharges) and ANA first class by transferring your Membership Rewards to Virgin Atlantic : You can book one-way Delta flights from the U.S. to Europe in Delta One business class for just 50,000 points. You can also book a one-way flight to Japan flying ANA from the U.S. West Coast for 45,000 points (business class) or 72,500 points (first class).
• Book Oneworld economy flights using British Airways Avios : Many routes from the East Coast to Dublin on Aer Lingus can be booked in economy class for just 26,000 Avios round-trip on off-peak dates by transferring your Membership Rewards to British Airways. You can also fly short haul outside North America for as few as 5,000 Avios.
• Fly round trip to Madrid on Iberia : One of the industry's best sweet spots is flying Iberia business class from the northeast U.S., including Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD), to Spain for just 34,000 miles each way on off-peak dates, booking through Iberia Plus or British Airways Executive Club.
• Fly Singapore Airlines premium classes by transferring Membership Rewards to KrisFlyer : You can fly the first-class suites on the Airbus A380 for 93,500 points if you book a one-way flight between Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) and Sydney Airport (SYD). While Singapore no longer flies the A380 to the U.S., you can still book first class on the carrier's 777-300ER from New York to Frankfurt for 97,000 points.
• Transfer to Flying Blue for flights to Europe and North Africa : Flying Blue is Air France and KLM's joint loyalty program and a Membership Rewards transfer partner. Flights to Europe start at 20,000 miles one-way in economy and 50,000 miles one-way in business class. Also, look out for the program's monthly Promo Rewards , where select routes are discounted for last-minute travel.

Bottom line

American Express Membership Rewards points are some of the most valuable points on the market. This is largely due to Amex's extensive list of airline and hotel transfer partners.

There are plenty of valuable ways to use them, and the flexibility to decide when, where and how many points to transfer at your convenience is one of the reasons why we rate this points currency so highly.

For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum Card, click here .

For rates and fees of the Amex Gold Card, click here .

For rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum Card, click here .

For rates and fees of the Amex Business Gold Card, click here .

For rates and fees of the Amex Green Card, click here .

Ultimate Guide to American Express Canada Transfer Partners

Quentin Tsang Mar 20, 2024 / American Express / Leave a comment

Miles & Points

by [author_plus] | Published Oct 30, 2023 | Edited [modified_date]

American Express

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Categorized: Miles & Points

American Express Membership Rewards (MR) points are one of the most valuable points currencies that we can earn in Canada. While they can be used for statement credits (cash back), redeemed for travel through the American Express Travel Portal, or gift cards and merchandise, we can unlock the most value when we transfer MR points to American Express’s Transfer Partners. 

Let’s talk about these Transfer Partners and how we can use them to maximize the value of our hard-earned Membership Rewards points!

What Are American Express Canada Transfer Partners?

American Express Transfer Partners are points and miles loyalty programs where we can exchange our Membership Rewards points for their respective currencies at various rates. Essentially, this allows us to use our MR points to redeem flights or hotels directly with loyalty programs, rather than being restricted to the American Express Travel Portal. 

More importantly, this gives us the potential to break the fixed value of 1 cent per point that American Express limits on their points when we use it directly with them, making every Membership Rewards point go further than before. 

However, not all American Express credit cards have access to these transfer partners – only cards that earn Membership Rewards points have this ability. American Express’s consumer portfolio of MR earning credit cards includes the American Express Green card , the American Express Cobalt card , the American Express Gold card , and the American Express Platinum card .

On the other hand, American Express’s business portfolio of MR earning credit cards includes the American Express Business Platinum card , American Express Business Gold card , and the American Express Business Edge card .

American Express Canada currently has 6 airline and 2 hotel transfer partners, all of which transfer Membership Rewards points at slightly different ratios. We’ll go over each of them and show you which ones offer the best bang for your buck (or more accurately, your point!).

All American Express Transfer Partners

Let’s go over all of American Express Canada’s Transfer Partners. However, if you’re ever in a rush to check what Transfer Partners are available for American Express Canada, or any other transferable points currencies, check out our new Miles & Points Transfer Partner Tool , where we outline all points transfer ratios and up-to-date transfer bonuses!

Air Canada Aeroplan

Air Canada Aeroplan is one of the most valuable points currency in the game and consistently ranks as one of our top transfer partners for Membership Rewards points. Points transfer at a ratio of 1:1, meaning 1 MR point will yield 1 Aeroplan point. 

Air Canada has the most flights to and from all major Canadian airports and has destinations all around the world. They are also part of the Star Alliance – this means that your Aeroplan points can be used to book flights from Air Canada’s partner airlines. Sure, you can book Air Canada Signature Class , but you can also fly several other renowned products, such as Lufthansa First Class .

Additionally, with the abundant number of Aeroplan co-branded credit cards that unlock additional travel benefits when booking with Aeroplan points, it’s easy to see why we love transferring our Membership Rewards points to Aeroplan for amazing travel experiences!

Air France/KLM Flying Blue

Flying Blue is the loyalty program of both Air France and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Points transfer at a ratio of 4:3 – in more simple math, 1 MR point will transfer to 0.75 Flying Blue miles. 

The most attractive part of the Flying Blue loyalty program is their Flying Blue Promo Rewards . These promotions are offered monthly and offer up to 50% discounts on their award tickets redeemed directly with Flying Blue miles. If a monthly promotion catches your eye, it may make sense to take advantage and transfer some Membership Rewards points over to Flying Blue!

As a note, some routes have moderate fuel surcharge fees, so be sure to double-check the complete cost, both miles and dollars, before transferring your MR points!

British Airways Avios

British Airways Avios is another one of our favorites here at Frugal Flyer. Points transfer at a ratio of 1:1, meaning that 1 MR point will turn into 1 Avios point. 

Since British Airways is part of the OneWorld alliance, there are many carriers that you can book redemption flights on. While carrier surcharge fees are quite high when redeeming for flights operated by British Airways, our favorite use for transferring Membership Rewards points to Avios miles is to book Qatar Airways QSuites , either by booking through British Airways, or by transferring to Qatar Airways Avios.

If you are looking to travel with a partner via British Airways, you can also take advantage of the British Airways Household Account to earn towards your next redemption even quicker.

If you are booking with British Airways, you can also redeem Avios on US-originating flights with American Airlines to avoid pesky fuel surcharge fees. There are also several best ways to redeem British Airways Avios for business class flights if you are looking for ideas for your next vacation.

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

Cathay Pacific is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, and as such, mainly serves destinations in Asia. Points transfer at a ratio of 4:3, meaning that 1 MR point will give you 0.75 Asia Miles. 

As a personal anecdote, Cathay Asia Miles is my parent’s favorite loyalty program because they take advantage of their fixed flight award chart (rare these days!) to fly to and from their home city of Hong Kong for 38,000 Asia Miles.

While the Cathay Pacific Asia Miles program is great for getting you to Asia (pun intended), Membership Rewards points are not the strongest transfer partner to the program. Instead, consider using RBC Avion Points , typically earned from the RBC Avion Visa Infinite card , to transfer to Asia Miles, as they offer a more favorable 1:1 transfer ratio.

Delta SkyMiles

Delta SkyMiles are less popular in Canada but still have some unique value propositions if used correctly. Points transfer at a ratio of 4:3, meaning 1 MR point will get you 0.75 SkyMiles. 

While international flights with Delta offer less-than-ideal prices, SkyMiles shines when flying within North America. Specifically, flights within the US have great value. For example, going from New York to Chicago costs only 6,000 points and $6 USD in fees!

This makes Delta a great choice to visit multiple destinations in the US when visiting our neighbor to the South. 

How about getting to the US? Well, SkyMiles also has a good answer for that. To get from Vancouver to Los Angeles, it only costs us 11,500 SkyMiles, which isn’t bad at all.

Delta is a partner airline to WestJet, which offers many domestic Canadian flights and transborder routes to and from Canada and the US. If you don’t collect WestJet Rewards from the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard or RBC Avion Points, SkyMiles can unlock some of WestJets destinations to and from Canadian airports.

Additionally, if you are looking to splurge, Delta Business Class when traveling internationally can be quite the treat.

Etihad Guest

Etihad Airways is the flagship carrier of the United Arab Emirates. It isn’t a very popular loyalty program in Canada, as it is hard to earn points with and only operates flights out of Toronto-Pearson International Airport. Points transfer at a ratio of 4:3 – 1 MR point yields 0.75 Etihad Guest points. 

Unfortunately, it’s going to be quite difficult to extract value from Etihad Guest in Canada (or the US, as it only serves Boston, Chicago, New York, and Washington). With much better partners available, Etihad Guest ranks low on our list of Transfer Partners.

Hilton Honors

While not as big of a footprint as Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Hotels, and its Hilton Honors loyalty program are a close second and have hotels everywhere around the world. Points transfer at a ratio of 1:1 from Membership Rewards points to Hilton Honors points, but again, we generally do not recommend transferring MR points to hotel programs. 

If you’re looking to earn Hilton Honors points, consider starting your US credit card journey with one of the American Express US Hilton Honors credit cards ! That’s how I booked a recent stay in Chicago at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel – the birthplace of the brownie!

Marriott Bonvoy

Odds are that you have stayed, or will stay, in a Marriott Bonvoy hotel in your lifetime, as it is the largest hotel chain in the world. One of American Express Canada’s two hotel transfer partners, transferring 5 Membership Rewards points will yield 6 Marriott Bonvoy points. 

As a general rule of thumb, we do not recommend that you transfer MR points to any hotel loyalty program unless it is to do a small top-up of your points for an upcoming stay. Instead, check out the American Express Marriott Bonvoy card or American Express Marriott Bonvoy Business card to earn a great welcome bonus plus Marriott Bonvoy points on all purchases.

Additionally, both of these cards earn an annual Marriott free night certificate each year worth 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points adding even more value.

Why Should We Use Transfer Partners?

When you first applied for your American Express MR-earning credit card, you’ve probably seen a tagline along the lines of “Earn up to 30,000 points, worth up to $300.” That gives us a valuation of 1 cent per point.  However, if you’ve read our guide to the American Express Membership Rewards loyalty program , you’ll notice that we value Membership Rewards points at 2.2 cents per point. 

You might be asking, “How are these two valuations so different?” 

Using Transfer Partners allows us to unlock the full potential of Membership Rewards points and exceed the default 1 cent per point valuation that American Express gives us.  Here’s an example of how I got over 11 cents per point by transferring my MR points to Aeroplan:

My partner and I have always wanted to go to Greece and luckily, we both were able to get some time off at the end of October and beginning of November. This being our first overseas trip together in quite some time, we wanted to travel in style in business class, but as you can imagine, pigs would have to fly before we paid over $9,000 CAD per ticket! Luckily, being the Frugal Flyer that I am, I decided to look at redeeming a flight using Aeroplan points.

A flexible reward ticket from Toronto to Athens turned out to be 81,100 Aeroplan points – $9550 cash fare, divided by 81,100 points, gives us an over 11 cents per point valuation! 

However, we didn’t have enough Aeroplan points in our accounts when we were looking to book two tickets. Luckily, American Express Membership Rewards points transfer 1:1 to Aeroplan points, so without hesitation, we transferred points and once they appeared almost instantly we booked our flights! 

Disclaimer: you won’t always get over 11 cents per point. I would say that we were pretty lucky getting such a high cent per point value for our MR/Aeroplan points. However, we believe that you will routinely get over 2 cents if you decide to transfer Membership Rewards points to Aeroplan.

Which American Express Canada Transfer Partners Are Best?

When determining the best transfer partners, we have 2 guidelines:

• American Express Membership Reward points must transfer at least 1:1 to the respective loyalty program for the best value. 
• Hotel loyalty programs are generally not recommended. 

This leaves us with a few main options for where you should consider transferring your Membership Rewards points.

The Best: Air Canada Aeroplan

In our opinion, Air Canada Aeroplan is the strongest American Express Canada Transfer Partner. As Canadians, this is a no-brainer – Air Canada has the most flights from all major Canadian airports to destinations all across the world. 

Aeroplan is also one of the strongest loyalty programs in the points and miles game and offers great redemptions with Air Canada and its partner airlines. My trip later this year to Greece is evidence of how powerful transferring MR points to Aeroplan can be!

Another Good Option: British Airways Avios

British Airways Avios also has the potential to be one of the better transfer partners. If you can avoid the fuel surcharge fees, transferring Membership Rewards points to Avios can unlock great redemptions. Additionally, by linking your British Airways Prestige Club and Qatar Airways Prestige Club Accounts , your British Airways Avios can transfer 1:1 to Qatar Airways Avios to book the prestigious QSuites product.

Several other popular options are also available to be booked with Avios including Aer Lingus Business Class and Japan Airlines Business Class , albeit with higher taxes and fees.

Keep in mind that RBC Avion points also transfer to British Airways Avios, and you can earn points with spending with the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite card . Thus, we recommend that you channel your points earned with RBC to Avios points while reserving American Express Membership Rewards points for partners that are not available anywhere else.

An Unlikely Contender: Air France/KLM Flying Blue

Lastly, an argument can be made for Air France/KLM Flying Blue to be one of the stronger transfer partners, even though it has a 1 MR point to 0.75 Flying Blue miles transfer rate. If you are able to take advantage of the Flying Blue Monthly Promos and get a 25-50% discount on reward redemptions, this brings the effective transfer ratio from 1:1-1.25.

However, on flights outside of these monthly promos, Flying Blue can fall short and we do not recommend transferring your Membership Rewards points.

American Express Canada Transfer Partners are the best way to get the most value out of your hard-earned Membership Rewards points. You can regularly get value over the 1 cent per point valuation that American Express gives it by default, and use them to book amazing flights for a fraction of the price! Be sure to check out our Miles & Points Transfer Partner tool before you transfer any points to get up-to-date information about transfer rates and any transfer bonuses!

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Amex Transfer Partners

Updated: Mar 19, 2024, 1:45am

Table of Contents

How to earn membership rewards, amex airline transfer partners, membership rewards best airline transfer partners, all other membership rewards airline transfer partners, amex hotel transfer partners, all membership rewards hotel partners, amex transfer bonuses, how to transfer amex points to travel partners, how to use amex points, frequently asked questions (faqs).

American Express Membership Rewards has an extensive list of airline and hotel transfer partners. Transferring credit card points to travel partners is often the best way to maximize their value, and no program offers more options than Membership Rewards. Below we detail how to earn and redeem your Membership Rewards points with Amex’s transfer partners.

Featured Partner Offer

TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card

On TD’s Website

Welcome Bonus

Up to 85,000 Aeroplan points†

Regular APR (Purchases) / Regular APR (Cash Advances)

20.99% / 22.99%

American Express® Aeroplan®* Card

On American Express’s Secure Website

Up to 50,000 Aeroplan points

Regular APR

30% (charge card)

• TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card

Up to $1200 in value†

Credit Score Description

Good/Excellent

Regular Spending

Amex cards reward you with points on your spending, depending on the category of merchant and the type of card. Most cards earn additional points in specific categories and provide one Membership Rewards point per dollar on everything else.

Some popular bonus categories on Amex cards include travel (5 points per dollar with  The Platinum Card® from American Express ), restaurants and takeout (4 points per dollar with the American Express® Gold Card ), or transit (3 points per dollar with the American Express® Green Card* ). Rewards from regular spending are the core rewards from Amex products.

Qualifying new card members can earn a welcome bonus on most Membership Rewards cards.

Earning the welcome bonus requires spending a certain amount of money on the card within the first few months (typically three to six) of opening your account. Our reviews of the current lineup of Amex cards can help you to select the one that is the best fit for you.

Amex welcome bonuses can only be earned once per card per lifetime, so if you have previously had the Amex card that you’re applying for you will not be eligible for the welcome bonus.

For many cards, the welcome bonus alone is enough to be redeemed for a flight with multiple airlines. This can provide a big boost as you start to build your Membership Rewards balance.

Refer-a-Friend

Existing Amex cardholders can often earn additional Membership Rewards by referring friends and family for Amex cards. Depending on the card, the person making the referral will be eligible for a bonus of 5,000 to 20,000 or more Membership Rewards. The person receiving the offer may also be eligible for a higher welcome bonus than what is publicly offered, making it a great deal for both.

Referral bonuses may be considered taxable income , which cuts into their value slightly, but they are still attractive if you have family or friends interested in an Amex card.

Amex Offers

Head to the Amex website to participate in the Amex Offers program. Partner merchants may offer bonus Membership Rewards points, cash back or additional perks when you enroll in the offer and pay with your card. If you see an offer you may be able to use, simply click to active the offer before making your purchase.

These offers change regularly, so it may be a good idea to check the website often. You never know when your favourite vendor may appear with the perfect offer.

Membership Rewards can be transferred to any of 17 airline partner programs. While points can always be redeemed for flights on the airline operating the program, there are also a myriad of options for awards with the airline’s alliance and codeshare partners. This creates more opportunities to stretch your Membership Rewards points a little further around the globe.

For each transfer partner below, we have mentioned a few highlights of each program and mentioned some potential redemption options that the typical reader may find interesting.

Air Canada Aeroplan Points

Transfer Ratio : 1:1 Minimum Transfer : 1,000 Transfer Increment : 1,000 Alliance : Star Alliance

Air Canada’s Aeroplan program  offers a fantastic worldwide network through its own flights and those of its Star Alliance partners. Connecting flights through Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal allow you to book from the U.S. to international destinations.

Aeroplan redemption prices are determined by a combination of a zone-based system and a distance-based one. On longer routes, it may be possible to find a lower award price through another transfer partner.

One of the best features of Aeroplan’s program is the ability to add a stopover on an one-way trip for 5,000 extra Aeroplan points. Though no stopovers are allowed in Canada or the U.S., this feature can help you add an extra destination for a low cost.

Air France/KLM Flying Blue Miles

Transfer Ratio : 1:1 Minimum Transfer : 1,000 Transfer Increment : 1,000 Alliance : SkyTeam

Flying Blue is the joint loyalty program of Air France/KLM, two airlines with an extensive worldwide network. Unlike Avios, where multiple airlines operate separate programs under the same name, Flying Blue points are stored in a single account for both airlines.

The Flying Blue program uses a dynamic pricing model, so award ticket prices will vary. It’s worth checking the cost of your intended route and specific dates in advance before transferring Membership Rewards points to the program.

To potentially save up to 50% of the cost of your flight, you should keep an eye on the Flying Blue Promo Rewards program. This program offers discounted award redemptions and is a great way to stretch your miles. Deals from the U.S. to Europe are relatively frequent, so keep an eye out for your home airport.

British Airways Executive Club Avios

Transfer Ratio : 1:1 Minimum Transfer : 1,000 Transfer Increment : 1,000 Alliance : Oneworld

For both its own flights and those of its Oneworld partners, British Airways Executive Club charges for award tickets based on the distance flown. This can lead to some attractive deals on short flights that are expensive to buy with cash.

British Airways has a reputation for charging high taxes and fees on award flights, but they massively reduced many of these costs in late 2022. While you’ll still be subject to some surcharges, they are more in line with other European airlines now. It might be worth checking rates for your dates if you previously wrote them off, especially since award space on their flights can be plentiful.

Aer Lingus Aerclub Avios

Transfer Ratio : 1:1 Minimum Transfer : 1,000 Transfer Increment : 1,000 Alliance : None, but has codeshare agreements with some Oneworld and Star Alliance airlines

As Ireland’s second-largest airline (after low-cost carrier Ryanair), Aer Lingus operates an extensive network of flights within Europe from its Dublin hub. However the airline’s long-haul network to North America and beyond is relatively limited. Luckily, its partner airlines help expand its reach beyond Europe.

Aer Lingus, British Airways and Iberia are owned by the International Airlines Group (IAG), along with Vueling and LEVEL. While you can earn and redeem points known as “Avios” in multiple, separate airlines, it is generally possible to transfer points from one airline’s program to another interchangeably. Each of these programs has different redemption costs and rules but Forbes Advisor’s guide to maximizing Avios can help you choose the best option for your trip.

Within Aer Lingus AerClub itself, one popular redemption is for an economy one-way flight between the northeastern U.S. and Ireland for as few as 13,000 Avios plus taxes and fees.

Aeromexico Rewards

Transfer Ratio : 1:1.6 Minimum Transfer : 1,000 Transfer Increment : 1,000 Alliance : SkyTeam

Aeromexico is the flag carrier of its namesake country and offers a wide variety of flights from the U.S. to Latin America as well as many flights from their hub in Mexico City to destinations worldwide. Despite a solid route network, its award program leaves something to be desired. The website doesn’t always return all available award flights and it can be difficult to find a helpful agent when calling to book. If you can book an award for a similar price with another Membership Rewards partner, we’d recommend trying someone else.

ANA Mileage Club Miles

ANA Mileage Club award tickets can allow for some creative routings across the airline and its Star Alliance partners. It uses a zone-based award chart. Additionally, seasonality impacts price when flying solely on All Nippon Airways.

Stopovers (visiting an additional city on the way to your final destination) and open-jaws (returning from a different city than you initially traveled to) are permitted on award tickets. This may allow you to visit additional cities on longer trips for no additional cost. However, ANA only offers round-trip award tickets, so you will need to return to the region where you started.

Avianca LifeMiles

Transferring your Membership Rewards to Avianca’s LifeMiles program can be an excellent option for U.S.-based frequent flyers. Regional flights may cost 7,500 LifeMiles or less. This can be useful for flying to smaller airports on Avianca’s Star Alliance partner United Airlines. United flies to many vacation destinations and smaller airports like Aspen (ASE) and West Yellowstone (WYS) that are often very expensive to buy with cash.

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

Oneworld Member Cathay Pacific is based in Hong Kong and operates an extensive long-haul network. It is the best Oneworld carrier for flights to Mainland China and is also a convenient choice for flying from the U.S. to Hong Kong.

Learning Cathay’s program takes some effort because there are different award prices and rules depending on if you’re flying Cathay Pacific, a partner, multiple partners or any combination thereof. Their “Oneworld Multi-Carrier Award” tickets are similar to a round-the-world ticket, but without the typical requirements to cross an ocean or fly in a particular direction.

Delta Air Lines SkyMiles

Delta SkyMiles can be a high-value program with a variety of redemptions for you to put your Membership Rewards points to work. Its own enormous network stretches to every continent except Antarctica, and its SkyTeam partners help it reach even more corners of the globe.

Delta’s pricing is dynamic meaning that award costs vary depending on demand for a particular flight and date. The airline’s search engine provides a convenient way to search for the cheapest dates on Delta and its partners. Staying flexible with your exact travel dates and booking well in advance will help you secure the best deal.

Emirates Skywards Miles

Transfer Ratio : 1:1 Minimum Transfer : 1,000 Transfer Increment : 1,000 Alliance : None

The Emirates Skywards program can provide excellent value and flexibility when redeeming your Amex Membership Rewards. While Emirates is not part of one of the major alliances, it has a partnership with Flydubai, Qantas and codeshares with a large number of airlines.

The  Emirates Miles Calculator  can help you figure out the cost of your routing and compare to other possible transfer partners. It may not always have the lowest prices compared to other award options, but they offer unique routes and the prospect of additional award space to get you to where you want to be—comfortably and efficiently.

Etihad Guest Miles

Etihad Guest is the rewards program of Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways. Award tickets flying on Etihad itself are often expensive, so it can be a good idea to redeem these awards on its  partner airlines . These partners include American Airlines, ANA and Royal Air Maroc, and awards may be cheaper than if you booked with the airline itself. Unfortunately, it is not currently possible to book award tickets on partner airlines online. You will need to search for award availability on another site, then call Etihad to book the ticket.

Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles

Hawaiian Airlines has a small but convenient network connecting its namesake state to major airports in the continental U.S. It also makes a logical connecting point for some destinations in the South Pacific. However, HawaiianMiles may not be the best price for your next vacation. The airline uses a  simple award chart , but with flights to the West Coast starting at 17,500 miles each way, it’s not always the cheapest option.

Iberia Plus Avios

Iberia Plus is a separate loyalty program from the other IAG-owned airlines, but also calls its points Avios. Avios can be transferred and combined between your accounts with each airline.

Iberia uses a similar distance-based award chart to the other Avios-earning programs, with peak and off-peak seasons determining the price of the ticket. Their off-peak tickets can have low mileage requirements as well as reasonable fees, making it a potentially valuable transfer option.

JetBlue TrueBlue Points

Transfer Ratio : 1:0.8 (250:200) Minimum Transfer : 250 Transfer Increment : 250 Alliance : None

JetBlue’s TrueBlue program ties the value of points to the cash price of the ticket, which makes it impossible to find redemptions with outsized value. However, they offer a wide selection of routes across the U.S. and to Europe and you may find good reward redemptions by using Membership Rewards to top off your existing balance with TrueBlue.

JetBlue is not part of any of the three airline alliances, but TrueBlue points can be redeemed on some American Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines flights. However, it may be a better choice to transfer your Membership Rewards points to Hawaiian Airlines directly rather than booking through JetBlue, depending on the cost of the ticket.

Qantas Frequent Flyer Points

Transfer Ratio : 1:1 Minimum Transfer : 500 Transfer Increment : 500 Alliance : Oneworld

Australia-based Qantas has a well-loved frequent flyer program, with prices determined by distance. In addition to redeeming miles for Qantas or Oneworld flights, they also have access to award inventory on non-alliance partners like Fiji Airways and El Al Israel. Generally speaking, nonstop flights are usually the best-priced awards since connecting flights are priced as two additive awards.

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Miles

Singapore Airlines is known for its high-quality long-haul flights, but as a Star Alliance member, the redemption options span the globe. When booking a full price award ticket (known as an Advantage Award), a stopover of up to 30 days is permitted in each direction, meaning you could have an opportunity to visit Singapore for free on your way to your next vacation.

One advantage to transferring your points to KrisFlyer is the airline’s low-cost redemptions for domestic flights on United Airlines. A round-trip business class ticket within North America costs a fixed 52,000 miles. With United, the same flight could cost that much—or more— each way .

Virgin Atlantic FlyingClub Virgin Points

Majority owned by Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, Virgin Atlantic is known for its distinctive livery and customer service. Transferring Membership Rewards to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points can be lucrative, especially flying on off-peak dates. There are low redemption rates for economy and premium economy . You’ll also find sweet spots flying internationally on partner airlines.

American Express offers the opportunity to transfer your Membership Rewards points to three different hotel loyalty programs. Relative to the cost of paying cash for a night’s stay, it is often a less attractive deal than the airline partners mentioned above.

Choice Privileges Rewards Points

Transfer Ratio : 1:1 Minimum Transfer : 1,000 Transfer Increment : 1,000

Choice Hotels, a popular worldwide chain of discount hotels, is the owner of brands including Quality Inn, EconoLodge and Cambria Hotels. Redeeming Membership Rewards points for nights in its hotels is rarely the best value compared to paying cash. Always check your options before transferring points.

Hilton Honors Points

Transfer Ratio : 1:2 Minimum Transfer : 1,000 Transfer Increment : 1,000

Hilton’s Honors program prices its awards based on demand for the particular hotel and date, but can be a better deal if you are traveling outside of the peak season. You will receive 2,000 Hilton Honors points for each 1,000 Membership Rewards transferred, but this is often not enough to overcome the high price of award nights at Hilton properties. Similar to Choice Hotels, double check your options for paying cash versus redeeming points to ensure you’re getting a fair value from your Membership Rewards.

Marriott Bonvoy Points

Marriott’s Bonvoy loyalty program is shared across the group’s various brands, including Ritz-Carlton, Sheraton, Westin and several more. Bonvoy has moved to a dynamic pricing model where redemption prices are based on demand.

Like the other hotel transfer partners for Membership Rewards, there’s no guarantee that using Membership Rewards for Marriott will be a strong redemption. However, transferring a handful of points could be worthwhile if you need just a few more points for a free night at one of Marriott’s properties.

Amex routinely offers transfer bonuses that provide a boost of 10% to 50% more miles when transferring Membership Rewards to an eligible partner during a promotion. For example, the same 1,000 Membership Rewards Points could convert (during a promotion) to 1,250 Avios at British Airways with a 25% bonus, reducing the cost of your next trip and maximizing your rewards.

Other flexible points programs also offer transfer bonuses from time to time, but American Express tends to have one or more offers nearly every month.

Transfering your Amex Membership Rewards Points to partner airlines is simple and straightforward. After navigating to the  points transfer page  and logging into your account, you will be able to see a list of transfer partners, including any transfer bonuses that may be available. After adding your loyalty program number to link your accounts, you are a few clicks away from transferring the chosen number of Membership Rewards to your partner of choice.

For each partner Amex notes the typical transfer time, but it can often be faster. For many transfer partners, the loyalty points or miles will appear in your airline account instantly, allowing you to book immediately.

Transferring Amex points to travel partners is usually the most valuable way to use Membership Rewards. That’s because these transfers can ultimately lead to values of more than 1 cent per point. Other redemptions, such as making a reservation through AmexTravel.com, top out at exactly 1 cent per point and many options are worth even less. That said, you have the flexibility to use Amex points to cover card charges, redeem for gift cards or even purchase merchandise.

Assuming you’ve decided to transfer your Amex points to a travel partner, get some inspiration on the best ways to use Membership Rewards for travel.

Can I transfer Amex points to someone else?

No, you cannot transfer Amex points to someone else. All Membership Rewards will remain in the name of the primary cardholder. Additionally, you can only transfer Membership Rewards to a frequent flyer account in the same name as a card member.

Should I use Amex travel or transfer to partners?

It is usually better to transfer your Membership Rewards to travel partners and book through their loyalty program instead of paying with points for reservations booked through American Express Travel. Often, transferring points will lead to better redemption values of over 1 cent per point so there is the possibility to extract more value from the same points.

If you are not going to get at least 1 cent per point by transferring miles, you’ll be better off making your reservations on AmexTravel.com and paying with points.

One other exception: if you hold  The Business Platinum Card® from American Express , you can get a 35% rebate when paying with points for eligible flights booked through American Express Travel. That also increases the value of your points and may be the better use of Membership Rewards on some fares.

How can I combine Amex points?

If you have multiple Membership Rewards-earning cards under the same login online, American Express will automatically combine your Amex points for you. This will make it easier to make redemptions since you can pull from the entire pool of points available.

If your Amex accounts are under separate logins but have the same name listed as the primary card member, you may still be able to combine points. Call American Express at the number on the back of your card to have your accounts linked and combine Amex points.

Unfortunately, you cannot combine Amex points between accounts in two separate names. So, for example, if you and a partner or spouse have separate Membership Rewards accounts, you cannot combine these points and will have to treat them as separate balances.

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Cole’s travel addiction started in college, when he made long overland trips to Africa and Central Asia during summer breaks. Today he uses his free time to plan trips and work remotely around the globe. Lately he has combined his passion for travel with a newfound interest in mountaineering.

Becky Pokora is an avid traveler with a particular love for the outdoors. She's always looking for new ways to make travel easier, more memorable, and more affordable, particularly by using miles and points.

The best cards for earning American Express Membership Rewards

American express membership rewards transfer partners, how to transfer amex membership rewards points, the best amex membership rewards transfer partners, other options, what to know about transferring amex points to partners, amex transfer partners: full list of airlines and hotels for 2024.

Affiliate links for the products on this page are from partners that compensate us and terms apply to offers listed (see our advertiser disclosure with our list of partners for more details). However, our opinions are our own. See how we rate credit cards to write unbiased product reviews .

The information for the following product(s) has been collected independently by Business Insider: American Express® Green Card, Amex EveryDay® Credit Card, Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card, Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card. The details for these products have not been reviewed or provided by the issuer.

• American Express Membership Rewards points are among the most valuable card rewards you can earn. 
• You'll usually get the most value from Amex points by transferring them to airline and hotel partners.
• Airline partners like Air Canada and Virgin Atlantic can help you get the best value on first-class award flights. 
• Read Insider's guide to the best travel rewards credit cards .

When it comes to transferable credit card rewards points , you might automatically think of Chase Ultimate Rewards ® or Capital One miles . But the American Express Membership Rewards program was one of the first points currencies to allow folks with associated credit cards to convert their hard-earned rewards into miles and points with various airline and hotel partners.

In fact, the Amex Membership Rewards program debuted way back in 1991 with just seven US airline partners. Today, Membership Rewards works with 17 frequent flyer programs and three hotel loyalty programs. Those numbers are impressive in and of themselves – consider, Chase has just 14 partners total, and Citi ThankYou Rewards has 16.

What sets Amex apart even more, however, is the excellent quality of its partners, and the myriad redemption opportunities they represent.

Here is a comprehensive guide to American Express transfer partners and how to get the most value from your points when taking advantage of them.

We're focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won't be worth it if you're paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it's important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.

Limited time offer: Earn 10X Membership Rewards® Points at restaurants worldwide for three months, on up to $25,000 in purchases when eligible card member refers a friend and the friend applies by May 22, 2024 and gets the card (terms apply). Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 per calendar year) and on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. Earn 1X Points on other purchases.

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Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® points

Good to Excellent

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Long list of travel benefits, including airport lounge access and complimentary elite status with Hilton and Marriott (enrollment required)
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Annual statement credits with Saks and Uber
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Bonus categories leave something to be desired
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. One of the highest annual fees among premium travel cards

If you want as many premium travel perks as possible, The Platinum Card® from American Express could be the right card for you. The annual fee is high, but you get a long list of benefits such as airport lounge access, travel statement credits, complimentary hotel elite status, and more.

• Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card®, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.
• Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
• $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card®. Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Plus Up Benefits are excluded.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card®.
• $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only. Terms Apply.
• $300 Equinox Credit: Get up to $300 back in statement credits per calendar year on an Equinox membership, or an Equinox club membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you pay with your Platinum Card®. Enrollment required. Visit https://platinum.equinox.com/ to enroll.
• $189 CLEAR® Plus Credit: Breeze through security with CLEAR Plus at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues nationwide and get up to $189 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Platinum Card®. Learn more.
• $100 Global Entry Credit: Receive either a $100 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card®. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
• Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card®. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
• $300 SoulCycle At-Home Bike Credit: Get a $300 statement credit for the purchase of a SoulCycle at-home bike with your Platinum Card®. An Equinox+ subscription is required to purchase a SoulCycle at-home bike and access SoulCycle content. Must charge full price of bike in one transaction. Shipping available in the contiguous U.S. only. Enrollment Required.
• Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Platinum Card® to your Resy profile.
• $695 annual fee.
• Terms Apply.

Before you can redeem Amex points, you've actually got to earn them. Only a handful of Amex cards – both business and personal – rack up Membership Rewards points. Other Amex rewards cards earn either cash back, hotel points with programs including Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy , or airline miles with programs such as Delta SkyMiles .

The following personal American Express cards earn Membership Rewards points: 

And the following business cards earn Amex Membership Rewards points:

Now for a quick rundown of the current lineup of Amex Membership Rewards transfer partners.

You can transfer your Amex points to all of the following airline and hotel partners. Points transfer to many of these instantaneously, though some transactions might take a few business days to process.

Most transfer ratios are 1 Membership Rewards point to 1 airline mile or hotel point, but those that vary have been noted.

Once you start looking into booking awards using partner miles or points, your next step will be to actually transfer your Amex points to a partner program.

In order to do so, log in to your Amex account online. Click on the "Rewards" tab, and you should see your points balance and various options including one with an arrow that says, "Transfer Points." You will be redirected to a page that lists the various partner programs and the current conversion ratios.

Before you can initiate a transfer, you must link your Membership Rewards account to your various frequent flyer and hotel accounts. Doing so is as simple as clicking on the partner you want to use, then entering your credit card's security code and four-digit ID as well as your account number with the partner. Once you link accounts, you should be able to transfer whenever you like.

One thing to keep in mind: American Express also periodically offers transfer bonuses that tend to range from 20% to 40% to various partners. It's worth checking on available transfer bonuses from time to time, or taking advantage of ones you come across in order to get even more value from your points.

Before you get too overwhelmed with the number of transfer partners and all the points possibilities, here are the nine that deserve the most attention, with some examples of what makes them such fantastic options.

Just a quick note on some of the numbers, airlines, flight cabins, and routes cited here: These are accurate as of the time of publication, but are subject to any fleet and network changes individual airlines make, as well as government-imposed travel restrictions.

Air Canada Aeroplan

Air Canada Aeroplan has had a few ups and downs in recent years, including being spun off then reacquired by Air Canada. In late 2020, the airline introduced several major changes, but its award charts have not changed much, so its points have largely retained their value. Thus, Aeroplan remains one of the best frequent flyer programs for those who want to redeem their Amex points for flights on Star Alliance carriers such as United, Lufthansa, SWISS, and EVA Air.

Aeroplan's new award formula includes 10 distance-based charts for travel within and between four regions: North America, Atlantic, Pacific, South America.

Yes, it's a bit convoluted. In general, though, economy flight redemptions are a solid bet, and you should keep your eye out for specific premium award opportunities – especially in light of the fact that Aeroplan has eliminated fuel surcharges that used to range into the thousands of dollars.

Here are three possibilities based on both the distances of specific routes and the partner airlines you can fly:

• You only need 55,000 points each way for business class on ANA from either Vancouver or Seattle to Tokyo Haneda. For comparison, United would charge you 88,000 MileagePlus miles.
• Likewise, business class on Lufthansa or SWISS between Europe and several airports in the eastern US should cost just 60,000 Aeroplan points but would require 77,000 United miles.
• Finally, thanks to that same distance-based formula, you can book coach tickets between the West Coast of the US and Canada and Hawaii starting at 12,500 points each way versus 22,500 United miles – that's nearly twice as many miles!

Air France-KLM Flying Blue

Flying Blue is the mileage program of numerous airlines including not only Air France and KLM, but also carriers like Kenya Airways and TAROM. Members can also redeem their miles for flights on SkyTeam partners like Delta, Aeromexico, and Korean Air, among other partners.

Though Flying Blue levies hundreds of dollars in fuel surcharges for flights to and from Europe, there are still a couple of reasons to recommend the program.

First, it offers monthly rotating "Promo Rewards" with discounts of 20% to 50% off award pricing between certain cities and regions. In real terms, that means rewards for under 11,000 miles each way between North America and Europe in economy, or 28,750 miles in business class — if you can find them. Those numbers are hard to beat.

But even on a regular basis, Flying Blue members seem to have a lot more access to premium awards on both Air France and KLM than they would with other programs, such as Delta SkyMiles.

ANA Mileage Club

Getting back to Star Alliance for a moment, you can find some phenomenal possibilities by transferring your miles to All Nippon Airways' underrated frequent flyer program.

Without getting too bogged down in the details, Mileage Club does have a few important restrictions. Awards must be booked round-trip, though there's some flexibility thanks to open-jaw and stopover allowances. But the real beauty of the program is just how few miles you need even for the most premium experiences in the skies.

For example, you would need just 88,000 miles round-trip to fly business class on airlines like SAS and TAP Portugal between North America and Europe. Want to bump it up to first class on an airline like Lufthansa? That'll cost you 165,000 miles round-trip. Sure, that's still a lot of miles, but it's a far cry from the 242,000 miles United would charge you.

You could fly from North America to most of Asia for 85,000 to 95,000 miles round-trip in business class on Star Alliance carriers like Asiana or EVA, or 150,000 to 180,000 in first class. Yes, that's a lot of miles, but is still around half what other airlines' frequent flyer programs would charge.

Interested in taking either United's new services between Newark and either Cape Town or Johannesburg? You would need just 104,000 miles round-trip in business class with ANA, versus 176,000 United miles, or 170,000 Aeroplan miles.

British Airways Executive Club

Thanks to a distance-based award formula that can result in exorbitant pricing for long-haul flights in premium cabins, some folks might shy away from transferring Amex points to British Airways . However, Executive Club has offered some of the most frequent transfer bonuses of any Amex partner, and is still an excellent choice for certain short-haul awards (flights that are about three hours or less).

Flying from the West Coast of the US to Hawaii will only cost you 13,000 Avios each way in economy on either American Airlines or Alaska Airlines, versus 15,000 to 22,500 using either of those carriers' miles. Likewise, using Avios to book shorter flights within Asia on Cathay Pacific, within Australia on Qantas, or from Miami or Dallas to the Caribbean on American Airlines can be a good way to save money on routes that can be expensive to book using cash.

You can also get from Los Angeles or San Francisco to Tokyo for just 27,750 miles each way in economy on JAL, or from Boston to Dublin on Aer Lingus for just 13,000 miles each way at off-peak times. Keep in mind that you can transfer Avios between British Airways Executive Club, Aer Lingus AerClub, and Iberia Plus for even more options, including some with lower surcharges on flights to and from Europe.

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

While this Hong Kong-based airline's award chart won't be for everyone, if you're positively raking in the Amex points thanks to bonuses and spending, you might want to splurge with a few redemptions.

Like American Airlines AAdvantage , Asia Miles will charge you 70,000 miles each way in business class or 110,000 miles in first between the West Coast of the US (and Canada) and Hong Kong. The reason you might want to use Asia Miles instead of AAdvantage (or Alaska Mileage Plan miles, for that matter), is that it's easier to come by award space using the airline's own frequent flyer program rather than a partner, and unlike American and Alaska, you can transfer points from Amex as well as other card programs.

Another great premium possibility is to use 75,000 Asia Miles each way for Qatar Airways' outstanding business class between its hub at Doha and certain destinations within the US, including Boston, Chicago, New York-JFK, and Philadelphia.

Delta SkyMiles

Although Delta has made drastic changes to its award program over the past decade, it's still one of Amex's standout transfer partners for a number of reasons. First, it's the largest US carrier on the list, it's part of SkyTeam, and it also boasts non-alliance partners like Virgin Atlantic, so you can use Delta SkyMiles in a variety of ways.

That said, Delta has done its best lately to peg the value of SkyMiles to about 1 cent each, especially for awards on Delta itself. So use your Amex points for cheaper economy tickets that can cost as little as 5,000 miles each, or simply to top up your account with a few thousand miles here and there for specific tickets you are certain you will need to book in the near future (especially if that bumps you up from economy to business class).

Etihad Guest

Due to a clunky online interface and the fact that you have to call customer service to book awards on partner airlines, you might want to avoid Etihad Guest in general, unless you can pinpoint a few specific awards.

However, the carrier has a lot of interesting airline partners, including American Airlines, Air New Zealand, ANA, Korean Air, and Royal Air Maroc, among others. The airline also offers occasional award sales, bringing the price of some tickets down even further.

In general, though, here are two great awards you could consider transferring Amex points for:

• First, you can snag a one-way, one-segment business-class ticket on Royal Air Maroc, including between the US and Morocco, for just 44,000 miles.
• Second, Etihad makes first-class award space much more easily available to its own mileage program members than those of partners, including American Airlines AAdvantage. So if you want a shot at one of Etihad's fabulous first-class suites between Abu Dhabi and either the US or Europe, you'll probably want to start hoarding Amex points for a transfer to Etihad Guest.

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

Singapore Airlines partners with several of the other major transferable points programs, including Chase Ultimate Rewards,   Citi ThankYou Rewards , and Capital One , so before you transfer Amex points, consider what other options you have. That said, there are a few redemption sweet spots to be aware of.

Economy awards between North America and Hawaii on either United or Air Canada are priced at a reasonable 19,500 miles each way, while flying business class within North America on either of those carriers is 26,000 miles each way.

But the real reason you might want to transfer Amex points to KrisFlyer is to redeem them for business- or first-class flights on Singapore Airlines itself, since the airline is very stingy with releasing award space to partners.

Sure, flights cost a lot of miles – flying business class on the world's current longest flight from Newark to Singapore will set you back 111,500 miles each way, or first class from New York-JFK to Frankfurt will require 97,000 miles — but spending some time in the lap of luxury could well be worth it.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points are useful for partner award flights, some of which you can book for fewer points compared to other programs. The program will soon become more useful, as Virgin Atlantic will join the SkyTeam alliance in 2023 .

Among the best examples are using just 50,000 miles to fly Delta One Suites between the US and Europe (except the UK), or 60,000 miles between the US and Asia – a bargain considering you'd need at least 85,000 Delta SkyMiles for either option. You might also want to use 90,000 to 95,000 of them to fly ANA's gorgeous new business-class suites round-trip between the US or Europe and Japan, or 110,000 to 120,000 miles to fly first class.

Now that we've gotten the best partners out of the way, here are the details on the rest and why might or might not want to transfer your hard-earned Amex points to them.

Aer Lingus AerClub: In reality, Aer Lingus AerClub is linked to British Airways Executive Club, so it's relatively easy to transfer your Avios between accounts, but why add another layer of complexity to your rewards strategy? Aeromexico Club Premier: Although the transfer ratio to Aeromexico might seem favorable, and there are sometimes transfer bonuses, the Club Premier award chart lacks any truly great redemption opportunities. Avianca LifeMiles: While this program offers some fabulous award opportunities on Avianca's Star Alliance partners, its booking engine is not the most reliable, and its customer service reps can be hard to reach.  Emirates Skywards: Emirates reduced the sky-high fuel surcharges it once tacked onto its award tickets, but mileage prices are still astronomical, especially for sought-after seats in first and business class. Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles: While this program can come in handy specifically for tickets within Hawaii and between the islands and the US mainland, you might be better off simply getting one of Hawaiian Airlines' co-branded credit cards to enjoy extra earnings and perks. Iberia Plus: Another partner linked to British Airways Avios, Iberia's mileage program is a great way to save on fuel surcharges, and does have some excellent award options between the US and Europe, including certain business-class tickets that cost as few as 34,000 Avios. However, its search engine can be hard to use, and customer service is almost non-existent, so do your homework before transferring Amex points here. JetBlue TrueBlue: Folks can get a lot of value from TrueBlue points for flights on JetBlue, but the conversion ratio of 5 Amex points to 4 TrueBlue points takes it out of the running as a truly great transfer partner. Qantas Frequent Flyer: You might find some good deals redeeming Qantas miles for expensive flights on the airline's own metal within Australia and the South Pacific, but award prices for flights beyond that are jaw-droppingly high for the most part.

Choice Privileges: Booking some budget stays in the near future? Choice points could come in handy, but are unlikely to be a frequent transfer option for more aspirational travelers. Hilton Honors: Amex points convert to Hilton Honors points at a 1:2 ratio, which is great on the surface. But if you're interested in Hilton stays and perks, you should probably apply for a co-branded Hilton card instead . For instance, the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is currently offering 150,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the card within your first six months of card membership, and it confers automatic top-tier Hilton Honors Diamond elite status , statement credits at Hilton Resorts and on certain eligible stays at Waldorf Astoria and Conrad properties, plus a free night reward each account year. Marriott Bonvoy: Considering the paltry 1:1 conversion ratio and Marriott's excellent stable of co-branded credit cards , you might want to avoid Amex transfers and instead apply for a product like the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card . It's currently offering new cardholders 5 Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first three months from your account opening, plus benefits like automatic Gold elite status, 6 points per dollar on eligible Marriott purchases, 3 points per dollar on dining, gas, and groceries (on up to $6,000 in combined purchases each year), and 2 points per dollar on other eligible purchases.

American Express Membership Rewards points are among the most valuable and versatile travel rewards out there. That's thanks not only to the sheer number of airline and hotel loyalty programs cardholders can transfer their points to, but also to the variety of excellent redemption opportunities available.

The key to optimizing Membership Rewards points is to pick a credit card that will earn the most of them on the things you tend to purchase most frequently. And then, on the other side of the travel rewards equation, you will want to focus on just a few of the transfer partners with the best redemption opportunities for your needs and goals.

Once you pinpoint the right card and the right partners, you should be able to make strategic transfers and enjoy excellent award flights and hotel stays.

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.

Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews, or recommendations expressed in this article are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Read our editorial standards .

Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.

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American Express membership rewards transfer partners

Best american express transfer partners, earning amex membership rewards, how to transfer amex membership rewards, are amex transfer partners a good deal.

There are many ways to redeem American Express Membership Rewards points, and some redemptions end up offering far superior value than others. And in many circumstances, the best way to use your AmEx points is by transferring them to another hotel loyalty or frequent flyer program.

American Express has about two dozen different hotel and airline transfer partners. The AmEx transfer ratios you receive depend on which program you’re transferring to; while most are at a 1-to-1 ratio, some can be as high as 1-to-2. This means that one AmEx point will become two hotel or airline points.

Let’s take a look at American Express’ transfer partners to help you maximize your points (plus the credit cards that will help you earn AmEx points ).

» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now

Below is a list of all the AmEx transfer partners and their exchange rates. Just note that while these are the typical transfer ratios offered, it's not uncommon to find one-off promotions that bump up ratios from time to time — making for the best time to transfer your American Express Membership Rewards points.

Aer Lingus AerClub

AerClub is the loyalty program of Irish airline Aer Lingus, which has Avios that are interchangeable with British Airways, Iberia and Qatar Airways . AmEx points transfer over to Aer Lingus at a 1-to-1 ratio.

Aeromexico Club Premier

Aeromexico is Mexico’s national flag carrier and a member of SkyTeam , which includes airlines such as Delta and Air France. AmEx points transfer over to Club Premier at a 1-to-1.6 ratio.

Air Canada Aeroplan

Aeroplan is the loyalty program of Air Canada, a member of Star Alliance , which has partners that include United and Lufthansa. AmEx points transfer over to Aeroplan at a 1-to-1 ratio.

» Learn more: A guide to Air Canada’s Aeroplan rewards loyalty program

Air France-KLM Flying Blue

The Flying Blue loyalty program comprises two separate airlines: Air France and KLM. You can use your Flying Blue miles interchangeably between the pair, though you’ll also be able to redeem miles with fellow SkyTeam airlines such as Delta and Korean Air.

Flying Blue miles transfer from AmEx points at a 1-to-1 ratio.

» Learn more: An intro to Flying Blue promo rewards

ANA Mileage Club

Also a member of Star Alliance, ANA is well known for its generous reward redemptions. These include the ability to fly round-trip to Europe in business class for just 88,000 miles. AmEx points transfer to ANA at a 1-to-1 ratio.

Avianca Lifemiles

The Lifemiles program belongs to Colombian airline Avianca. Another member of Star Alliance, AmEx points transfer over at a 1-to-1 ratio.

» Learn more: What’s the value of Avianca LifeMiles?

British Airways Avios

British Airways is a part of the Oneworld alliance. Like Aer Lingus, it uses Avios as its reward program; these are interchangeable with Iberia, Aer Lingus and Qatar Airways. AmEx points transfer to British Airways at a 1-to-1 ratio.

» Learn more: How much are Avios worth?

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

Asia Miles are the currency of Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific. As a member of Oneworld, you can use your miles with airlines such as British Airways and American Airlines. AmEx points convert to Asia Miles at a 1-to-1 ratio.

» Learn more: Cathay Pacific: What to know

Choice Privileges

Choice Hotels may not offer tons of aspirational properties, but they do have a strong international presence and great redemptions for hotels in Scandinavia . AmEx points transfer over to Choice Privileges at a 1-to-1 ratio.

Delta SkyMiles

One of the “Big 3” U.S. airlines, Delta uses SkyMiles as its loyalty program. Another member of SkyTeam, AmEx points convert to SkyMiles at a 1:1 ratio.

» Learn more: Your guide to earning Delta Air Lines SkyMiles

Emirates Skywards

Ever wanted to stare out a virtual window? The opportunity is yours when flying first class in Emirates' famous suites . Cardholders can transfer over their AmEx points at a 1-to-1 ratio to Emirates Skywards.

» Learn more: The guide to Emirates Skywards

Etihad Guest

Another popular Middle Eastern airline, AmEx points transfer over to Etihad Guest at a 1-to-1 ratio.

Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles

Hawaiian Airlines isn’t part of a major airline alliance, but it does maintain its own award program and some strong links with other airlines. AmEx points transfer to HawaiianMiles at a 1-to-1 ratio.

» Learn more: The complete guide to Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles

Hilton Honors

As one of the largest hotel chains in the world, it’s likely you’ve spotted a Hilton property or two during your travels.

Although it’s possible to earn Hilton Honors points through a handful of co-branded AmEx credit cards, you can also opt to transfer your AmEx points directly to Hilton at a 1-to-2 ratio.

Be warned, however, that this may not be the best option. NerdWallet estimates that AmEx points are worth 2.8 cents , significantly more than the 0.5 cent Hilton points are estimated to be worth . This means transferring AmEx points to Hilton can lead to a significant loss in point value.

» Learn more: The complete guide to earning Hilton Honors points

Iberia Plus

Another Oneworld carrier that relies on Avios, Iberia is the national airline of Spain. Its loyalty currency can be used interchangeably with British Airways, Aer Lingus and Qatar Airways. AmEx points transfer to Iberia Plus at a 1-to-1 ratio.

» Learn more: What to know about Iberia Airlines Plus loyalty program

JetBlue TrueBlue

Although not as large as other U.S.-based airlines, JetBlue Airways services destinations in North America, the Caribbean, Europe and Latin America.

AmEx points can be transferred over to JetBlue TrueBlue at a 2.5-to-2 ratio.

» Learn more: The complete guide to the JetBlue TrueBlue rewards program

Marriott Bonvoy

The world’s largest hotel chain, Marriott has more than 8,000 locations scattered around the world. Marriott is unique in that it maintains transfer partnerships with more than 30 different airlines, allowing you to convert your Marriott Bonvoy points to a variety of airlines. AmEx points transfer to Marriott Bonvoy at a 1-to-1 ratio.

Qantas Frequent Flyer

This Australian airline is a member of Oneworld, allowing you to redeem Qantas points for flights with the likes of American Airlines. Qantas also has a codeshare agreement with Air Tahiti Nui and charges just 25,200 points one-way for an economy class ticket from Los Angeles to Tahiti.

AmEx points transfer to Qantas at a 1-to-1 ratio.

» Learn more: The points collector’s guide to Qantas Frequent Flyer

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

Like ANA and United, Singapore Airlines is a member of Star Alliance. AmEx cardholders can transfer over their points to Singapore’s KrisFlyer Miles at a 1-to-1 ratio.

» Learn more: Singapore Airlines sweet spots

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Although it’s not part of an airline alliance, Virgin Atlantic maintains strong partnership links with airlines such as Air France-KLM, ANA and Delta. AmEx points convert to Virgin Atlantic at a 1-to-1 ratio.

» Learn more: The guide to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Here's how the most popular of those programs compare against each other in terms of value, using NerdWallet's estimates of what those points and miles are worth:

While it might be appealing to transfer points to something like Marriott Bonvoy given the massive number of options where you could stay, it's often the lesser-known programs — like Air Canada and ANA — that offer some of the best exchange rates.

There are several cards that earn American Express Membership Rewards that can be transferred to travel partners. These cards include:

on American Express' website

• 5 points per $1 on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel, on up to $500,000 spent per year.

• 5 points per $1 on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.

• 1 point per $1 on other eligible purchases.

Terms apply.

• 4 points per $1 at restaurant plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.

• 4 points per $1 at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 in purchases per year).

• 3 points per $1 on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel.

• 5 points per $1 on flights and prepaid hotels booked American Express Travel.

• 1.5 points per $1 in key business categories and eligible purchases of $5,000 or more (on up to $2,000,000 in purchases per year).

• 4 points per $1 on your top two business categories (on up to $150,000 in purchases per year).

• 3 points per $1 on flights and prepaid hotels booked American Express Travel.

• Access to more than 1,400 airport lounges worldwide, including AmEx's own Centurion Lounges and Delta Sky Clubs (when flying Delta).

• Credit for the application fee for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry.

• Hundreds of dollars a year in credits for travel, shopping and entertainment. These include up to $200 a year for incidental fees on an airline you choose, up to $240 for digital entertainment from select providers, and up to $200 a year for Uber. Enrollment required.

• $120 annual dining credit (available as $10 monthly credits on purchases from select partners). Enrollment required.

• Up to $120 a year in Uber Cash ($10 per month) which can be used toward Uber Eats or rides in the U.S. Note that you must add the Uber app to receive the Uber Cash benefit.

• Get 35% of your Membership Rewards points back when you redeem points for an eligible first or business class flight on any airline, or a flight in any cabin of travel on an airline you choose (up to 500,000 points per year).

• Up to $1,000 a year in credits for various business expenses and travel. These include $400 a year for U.S. Dell purchases, $200 a year for incidental fees on an airline you choose, $120 for a U.S. wireless credit, and more. Enrollment required.

• $155 annual Walmart+ credit (available as $12.95 monthly credits when you pay for a Walmart+ membership).

• $240 annual credits for eligible U.S. purchases at FedEx, Grubhub, and Office Supply Stores ($20 per month).

Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.

Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.

Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $20,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.

Earn 70,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $10,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.

» Learn more: The best transferable points currencies and who they partner with

Once you've earned your points and you're ready to convert them to another currency, just realize that the process of transferring American Express Membership Rewards points is not always the most straightforward.

The first time you want to transfer points, you'll typically have to verify your card details and link your loyalty accounts in a separate process before initiating the transfer. Then, you'll make the transfer, but you won't necessarily get those points instantly. Transfer times can take up to 48 hours.

The good news is, once you link a loyalty program once, it'll stay linked with your account. If you're trying to jump on a flight deal, it might be wise to have made the transfer long before you intend to purchase your airfare.

While you might book hotels and airfares with cash or through the dedicated American Express travel portal , it’s often a better deal to put in the extra effort and transfer your points to one of the American Express transfer partners.

That's because — while American Express points have a great deal of flexibility — they’re at their most useful when transferred to hotel and airline partners.

Be aware, however, that not all points are created equally. NerdWallet’s AmEx Membership Rewards Points calculator can help you determine the value of your points, based on both the baseline and NerdWallet estimated values:

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024 , including those best for:

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

On a similar note...

• Travel Rewards Credit Cards
• Airline Credit Cards
• Hotel Credit Cards
• Cash Back Credit Cards
• Business Credit Cards
• Earn Points
• Transfer Partners
• Earn Miles & Rewards
• Guide to Chase Refer-A-Friend
• Guide to Amex Refer-A-Friend
• Guide to Capital One Refer-A-Friend
• Program Guide
• Points Maximizer
• Airline Transfer Partner Guide
• Best Travel Backpacks
• Best Underseat Luggage
• Best Carry On Garment Bags
• The Best Waterproof Backpacks
• Global Entry Application Guide
• Guide to Bus Travel in Argentina

Complete Guide to Amex Membership Rewards Transfer Partners [2021 Version]

The American Express Membership Rewards program is one of the most well-known and respected credit card rewards programs thanks to its valuable points that can be used in many ways, including transferring to 22 airline and hotel programs. Transferring Amex points is usually the secret to getting the best possible value by making your points worth anywhere from 2-4 cents each or even more -- as long as you're strategic when choosing transfer partners and award flights.

Ready to start exploring the best American Express transfer partners? Here's an in-depth look at every Amex transfer partner, which have the most value, and how to transfer Membership Rewards points to partners.

Which Amex Cards Earn Membership Rewards Points?

Want to start earning points in the Membership Rewards program? There's an almost overwhelming number of Amex cards that earn Membership rewards points, including personal and business cards. Many offer sizable welcome offers that can be worth $1,000 or more when transferred to partners, but a few cards don't offer much in the way of welcome offers.

Here's an overview of the credit cards in the Membership Rewards program and where each one shines.

Personal Amex Membership Rewards Cards

There are 6 personal Amex cards that earn Membership Rewards cards. These cards fall into two categories: travel rewards and everyday spending rewards.

Platinum Card from American Express ($550 annual fee)

• 60,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 during the first 3 months
• 5x points on flights booked with airlines or AmexTravel.com and on hotels booked through AmexTravel.com
• 1x points on all other spending

The Amex Platinum Card is a solid travel rewards cards that has a better rewards rate than most co-branded airline cards. You'll earn 5x points when you book flights through airlines and enjoy a host of travel perks like a $200 airline fee credit for incidentals, free Global Entry, and $200 in annual Uber credits.

American Express Gold Card ($250 annual fee)

• 35,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 during the first 3 months
• 4x points on dining
• 4x points on supermarkets (on the first $25k per year)
• 3x points on flights booked with airlines or AmexTravel.com

The American Express Gold card is one of the best values in the Membership Rewards program. It has the best rewards rate on supermarkets and dining plus 3x points when you book airfare through Amex Travel or airlines. You also get a $100 airline fee credit with your chosen airline.

American Express Green Card ($150 annual fee)

• 45,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 during the first 3 months
• 3x points on travel and worldwide restaurants

Want a starter travel card that earns Membership Rewards points? The Amex Green card is a good choice with a modest annual fee and a good rewards rate on dining and travel, including airfare, hotels, and rideshares. The Green card also includes travel perks like a $100 annual credit for CLEAR membership and a $100 credit for LoungeBuddy to purchase lounge access.

Amex Everyday Preferred Card ($95 annual fee)

• 15,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 during the first 3 months
• 3x points at supermarkets (on the first $6k per year)
• 2x points at gas stations
• 50% extra points when you make more than 30 transactions per billing period

Geared toward bonus spending on everyday transactions, the Amex Everyday Preferred card is more rewarding than it seems at first glance with a 50% bonus on the points you earn when you make at least 30 transactions per billing period.

Amex Everyday Credit Card (No annual fee)

• 10,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 during the first 3 months
• 2x points at supermarkets (on the first $6k per year)
• 20% extra points when you make more than 20 transactions per billing period

While it has no annual fee and it's better than the Amex Blue card, the regular Amex Everyday credit card isn't the best choice if you want to earn Membership Rewards points.

American Express Blue Card (No annual fee) While the card has no annual fee, it's the most basic of all Membership Rewards credit cards. The American Express Blue card earns just 1x Membership Rewards points and doesn't have a welcome offer. You also can't transfer points to Amex transfer partners.

Business Amex Membership Rewards Cards

There are four business American Express cards that earn Membership Rewards. The Business Platinum card and Amex Business Gold card are the most beneficial, although you can benefit from the no-annual-fee Blue Business Plus card when paired with one of these two.

Business Platinum Card from American Express ($595 annual fee)

• 75,000 bonus points after spending $10,000 during the first 3 months
• 25,000 extra points after spending an additional $10,000 during the first 3 months
• 5x points on flights and hotels through AmexTravel.com
• 1.5x points on purchases of $5k+
• 35% points back when you book a flight with Pay with Points

While the Amex Business Gold rewards you on popular business categories, the Business Platinum Card is the ideal travel companion. In addition to its high reward rate on airline purchases through Amex Travel, you'll get valuable travel perks like Amex Global Lounge Collection with access to Centurion lounges and a $200 airline fee credit.

The Business Platinum Card also comes with an extra perk you won't get with any other Amex card: a 35% rebate when you book flights with points through Amex Travel . When you combine this with the International Airline Program, you may get better deals than you would by transferring your points to partner airlines, especially when booking premium fares.

American Express Business Gold Card ($295 annual fee)

• 35,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 during the first 3 months
• 4x points on two categories where you spend the most each month (on the first $100k combined)
• 25% points back when you book a flight with Pay with Points

It's hard to beat the Amex Business Gold card for bonus points on business expenses. You get 4x points on the two categories where you spend the most each month with categories that include airfare, gas stations, restaurants, shipping, technology providers, and select media advertising.

American Express Business Green Rewards Card ($95 annual fee, waived the first year)

• 15,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 during the first 3 months
• 2x points on purchases at AmexTravel.com

The Business Green Rewards card doesn't have a very compelling welcome offer and the bonus category isn't worth all that much as you're limited to hotels and airfare booked directly through Amex Travel.

Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express (No annual fee)

• 2x points on everyday spending up to $50,000 per year without category restrictions
• 1x points afterward

The Amex Blue Business Plus card is the most basic business credit card that participates in Membership Rewards. While it may seem basic and it has no welcome offer, it can be a good complement to the Business Platinum card or the Business Gold card to earn 2x Amex points on purchases that don't fall into bonus categories.

Amex Airline Transfer Partners

One of the reasons American Express Membership Rewards points are so valuable is Amex's extensive list of airline partners. The Membership Rewards program has 19 airline transfer partners, including partners in all three major airline alliances -- Oneworld, Star Alliance, and SkyTeam -- plus some interesting non-alliance airlines.

With most partners, your points convert to miles at a 1:1 ratio. There are some notable exceptions like AeroMexico which has a 1:1.6 ratio to account for the program's use of kilometers instead of miles and El AL which gives you just 1 Matmid mile for every 50 Amex points.

• AeroMexico Club Premier: 1 Amex points : 1.6 miles
• Air Canada Aeroplan: 1:1
• AirFrance/KLM FlyingBlue: 1:1
• Alitalia MilleMiglia: 1:1
• Aer Lingus AerClub: 1:1
• ANA Mileage Club: 1:1
• Aviance LifeMiles: 1:1
• British Airways Executive Club: 1:1
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles: 1:1
• Delta Air Lines SkyMiles: 1:1
• EL AL Matmid: 50:1
• Emirates Skywards: 1:1
• Etihad Airways Guest Miles: 1:1
• Hawaiian HawaiianMiles: 1:1
• Iberia Plus: 1:1
• JetBlue TrueBlue: 1:0.8
• Qantas Frequent Flyer: 1:1
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer: 1:1
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club: 1:1

Amex offers frequent transfer bonuses that can give you an even better value when you transfer points to Amex airline partners. Some transfer bonuses are targeted, such as a recent 25% transfer bonus to Cathay Pacific. In some cases, transfer bonuses can even be stacked when the airline's loyalty program is offering a bonus on transfers.

Amex Hotel Transfer Partners

You can also transfer Membership Rewards points to three hotel programs. These transfers are almost instant but the transfer ratio depends on the partner:

• Choice Privileges: 1:1
• Hilton Honors: 1:2
• Marriott Bonvoy: 1:1

While the Hilton Honors transfer ratio seems like a good deal, Hilton points have an inflated value and are really only worth 0.5 cents each. The same is true for Marriott Bonvoy -- you can get a better value for your Membership Rewards points.

Choice Privileges can be a good use of your Amex points, however, as long as you're getting a great value or you're just topping off your Choice Privileges balance. It's easy to get a value of 1 cent or more per point through Choice Privileges. A great use of your points is booking free hotel stays in expensive European cities for just 8,000 to 35,000 points.

Here are just a few great ways to use Choice Privileges points:

• Comfort Grand Hotel Central , Oslo, Norway: 15,000 points with cash rates between $150 and $400 per night
• Clarion Hotel Stockholm , Sweden: 20,000 points with cash rates between $150 and $250 per night
• SKT Petri, Ascend Hotel Collection , Copenhagen, Denmark: 20,000 points with cash rates between $300 and $500 per night
• Prince Park Tower Tokyo , Japan: 35,000 points with cash rates between $250 and $600 per night
• Royal Lancaster London , UK: 35,000 points with cash rates between $400 and $650 per night

How to Transfer American Express Points to Partners

Transferring Membership Rewards points to partners is easy. After logging into your American Express account, select "Rewards" then choose "Transfer Points."

You'll need to link your hotel or airline loyalty account to your Membership Rewards account before you can make a transfer. Choose which program you want to link, provide your member number and verify your Amex card information to link your accounts then select the amount you want to transfer.

With most partners, transfers are almost instant, but some partner transfers can take up to a few days.

Amex Travel Portal vs Transfer Partners

Before transferring Amex Membership Rewards points to an airline partner, make sure you check the Amex Travel portal first -- especially if you have the Business Platinum Card from American Express which gives a 35% rebate on flights booked with points.

With the Amex Platinum or Business Platinum card, you also have access to an overlooked benefit: the International Airline Program (IAP) which gives you premium fare discounts with more than 20 carriers such as Delta, British Airways, and Lufthansa. To qualify for the discount, you need to book through the IAP landing page , not Amex Travel, and book a first, business, or premium economy class fare.

Sometimes booking through Amex will cost fewer points than transferring your Membership Rewards points to a partner airline. When you book with points through Amex Travel, your points act like cash so you can still earn miles on the airline.

Best Amex Airline Partners

While you can get a great value transferring Membership Rewards points to Choice Privileges, you'll usually get the best value by transferring points to one of several Amex airline transfer partners. Not all partners are worth using your Amex points, though; these airline partners have at least several sweet spots worth your time.

• Air Canada Aeroplan

Transfer time: Instant Aeroplan is currently one of the most valuable Amex airline partners thanks to its zone-based award chart for Star Alliance partners and Air Canada flights and affordable award charts.

Looking for cheap domestic award flights? Transfer Amex points to Air Canada and book awards on partner United for roundtrip economy flights for 25,000 miles or reach Western Europe in business class for 110,000 miles. You can also fly between the U.S. and Canada for 25,000 miles for long-haul flights and 15,000 miles for short-haul flights.

Transferring Membership Rewards points to Air Canada miles can make sense right now, although be aware that Air Canada has announced a new Aeroplan program will launch in 2020 and the details are still unknown.

Air France/KLM Flying Blue

Transfer time: Instant There are drawbacks to the Flying Blue program including confusing rules and partner surcharges, but it's a valuable Amex transfer partner for flying from the mainland U.S. to Hawaii, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean for just 30,000 to 35,000 miles roundtrip or from the U.S. to Europe.

You get the best value when you transfer Membership Rewards points to Flying Blue to book promo awards. Flying Blue Promo Rewards change every week but let you book awards for up to 50% off certain dates, routes, and airlines. You may see deals to fly from the U.S. to Europe for just 10,750 miles one-way.

• Aer Lingus AerClub

Transfer time: Instant It's easy to overlook Aer Lingus: they use the same Avios as British Airways and Iberia Plus but with different award prices and availability. Despite its complexity, there are a few sweet spots to explore by transferring Amex points to Aer Lingus -- especially flights to Ireland.

One great way to get maximum value for your Membership Rewards points is booking an award flight on Aer Lingus from the East Coast to Ireland. You'll pay just 13,000 Avios with no fuel surcharges if you fly during the off-peak season. You can also add a connection to popular European or Mediterranean destinations and pay as little as 4,000 miles extra thanks to the program's per-segment distance-based awards.

• ANA Mileage Club

Transfer time: 2-3 days American Express is one of the most valuable partners to earn miles for Japan-based All Nippon Airways as Amex points transfer at a 1:1 ratio compared to 3:1 with Marriott, 10:1 with Hilton, and 5:1 with IHG Rewards Club.

Want to get the best value when you transfer Amex points to ANA? Fly roundtrip from North America to Japan on ANA starting at 75,000 miles in business class during the low season or up to 90,000 miles during the high season. You can save miles by flying economy to and from Japan for 40,000 miles during the low season compared to 70,000 miles or more with most airline programs. You can also fly to Europe from the U.S. starting at 55,000 miles roundtrip with partners United, Turkish Airlines, Air Canada, and more.

• Avianca LifeMiles

Transfer time: Instant LifeMiles is one of the most valuable Amex transfer partners because it doesn't pass on fuel surcharges (although you do pay a $25 award booking fee) and there are no close-in fees. This is a huge perk if you want an award flight on a partner known for hefty surcharges like Lufthansa. That's not all LifeMiles has going for it. They also offer frequent bonuses when you buy miles plus you can use a combination of points and cash to maximize your Ame points.

Want some good reasons to transfer Amex points to Avianca LifeMiles? Here are some great award options:

• Domestic flights on United in Zone 1 for 7,500 miles
• U.S. to Europe in business class for 63,000 miles
• First-class from the U.S. to Europe on Lufthansa for 87,000 miles without surcharges
• First-class from the U.S. to North or South Asia on ANA for 90,000 miles

British Airways

Transfer time: Instant There are big drawbacks to the British Airways program that may make you think twice about using it. British Airways is known for its hefty fuel surcharges and the cost for award seats to and from the UK is exorbitant. Still, you can get a good value when you transfer Amex points to British Airways with the right approach.

British Airways Avios have a great value when used for non-stop, short-haul domestic flights in economy with awards as low as 4,000 miles when you fly fewer than 651 miles. You'll also see low award prices within Asia, especially for business in expensive markets. Book with partner Cathay Pacific and fly in the fully flat business class between Ho Chi Minh City and Hong Kong for 16,500 Avios plus around $59 in fees. You can even fly from the West Coast to Hawaii on Alaska for just 13,000 Avios with good award availability.

To get the best value with British Airways, make sure you book nonstop flights because award prices are segment-based and don't book transatlantic flights to or from the UK.

• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

Transfer time: 2-3 days There's no getting around Cathay Pacific's unusual award chart with prices determined by whether you fly on Cathay alone or include other Oneworld partners. With that said, Cathay Pacific can be a valuable transfer partner in some scenarios.

You can use Asia Miles to fly roundtrip from the U.S. to Europe in business class for 100,000 miles or fly first-class from the U.S. to Hong Kong and on to London for 125,000 miles. You can also book short-haul flights under 750 miles within Asia for just 7,500 Asia Miles.

Delta SkyMiles

Transfer time: Instant As a general rule, you won't get the best value when you transfer Membership Rewards points to Delta SkyMiles. Your best bet is taking advantage of Delta's promo sales on award flights which can yield a good value. Recently, Delta offered discounted domestic routes as low as 5,000 miles roundtrip in economy or 10,000 miles roundtrip in Main Cabin plus other getaways like Raleigh to Nassau, Bahamas for just 27,000 miles roundtrip.

Aside from SkyMiles promos and certain routes, you'll get better award prices on Delta by instead transferring your points to Virgin Atlantic and booking a partner award.

• Emirates Skywards

Transfer time: Instant In many cases, you'll get a better value booking Emirates awards through a partner like Alaska, but there are some good finds within the Skywards program as long as you stick with roundtrip awards. Just keep in mind partner surcharges are passed on and there's a different award chart for each partner.

You can find decent redemption rates when flying to North Africa from the U.S. with roundtrip prices starting at 85,000 miles for economy. While it's not the best deal, you can also fly from Japan to Hawaii or Australia for 40,000 miles on partner Japan Airlines.

Etihad Guest Miles

Transfer time: Instant The Etihad Guest program is almost never worthwhile for booking for booking Etihad awards, however, it does have some good options when booking partner awards. There are drawbacks, though; Etihad has separate award charts for every partner and you need to book over the phone.

Want to get the best value when you transfer Membership Rewards points to Etihad? Try booking American Airlines flights at pre-devaluation costs with one-way flights from the U.S. to Japan or Europe for 50,000 miles. Just 44,000 miles is enough for a business class flight from New York to Casablanca on a 787 Dreamliner with partner Royal Air Maroc, or you can use 59,000 miles to fly from the West Coast to Seoul.

• Iberia Plus

Transfer time: 2-3 days Iberia's program has major drawbacks including a complex rewards program. Still, there are some sweet spots in the program that make it worthwhile.

You can fly from the East Coast to Madrid, Spain in business class for just 34,000 miles during the off-peak season compared to 30,000+ miles for economy one-way flights with other programs. You'll also get a great value on multi-city and short-haul roundtrip award flights. These awards are not segment-based which allows you to make several stops to explore different cities.

• Qantas Frequent Flyer

Transfer time: Instant While it's usually better to book Qantas flights with a partner for a better value, there are some sweet spots in the Qantas program. You can get a great value when you transfer Membership Rewards points to Qantas for short-haul domestic flights on American or within Australia for 8,000 miles.

There are also some sweet spots with partners. You can book an award flight on El AL and fly business class from the East Coast to Tel Aviv for 78,000 miles without surcharges or from the East Coast to Dubai roundtrip for 80,000 points in economy. Book an award on American to fly from the East Coast to Western Europe for just 45,000 miles in economy or business class for 100,000 miles.

• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

Transfer time: 1-2 days KrisFlyer is one of the best Membership Rewards transfer partners thanks to its loose rules and numerous sweet spots. With KrisFlyer, you can book one-way awards on all carriers and most partner flights can be combined. You can also have up to six segments and one free stopover on a roundtrip award.

Use KrisFlyer miles to fly on United from the U.S. to Hawaii for 17,500 (less than United's award price) or to Europe for 27,500 miles. You'll get good award prices on nonstop flights between Los Angeles and Tokyo or Singapore or Singapore and Hong Kong. The award chart for partner Alaska is also generous with economy awards ranging from 7,000 to 12,500 miles within Cuba, Costa Rica, Hawaii, Canada, and Mexico.

Just be aware of some drawbacks to the KrisFlyer program. Partner surcharges are passed on and there's a fee of $25 or 2,500 miles to book an award flight over the phone, a process you need to go through for partner awards.

• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Transfer time: Instant While it's almost never worthwhile to book Virgin Atlantic award flights with Flying Club miles thanks to massive surcharges on their own flights, the Virgin Atlantic program still offers a good value for some partner awards.

Virgin Atlantic's Flying Club gives you access to Delta award space not available with other partners and there are sweet spots with lower award prices than Delta charges for its own award flights. For example, you can book a nonstop cross-country award flight for 12,500 on Delta with Flying Club miles instead of 25,500 with Delta.

Using Flying Club miles on ANA awards can also yield a good value. Dreaming of a trip to Japan? Then ANA partner awards through Virgin Atlantic are one of the best ways to use Membership Rewards points to get there without the hefty cash price. Virgin Atlantic's ANA award chart is one of the rare examples of low award prices without the hefty surcharges that usually come with them. While you will face surcharges you wouldn't pay if you booked an ANA flight through LifeMiles or United, the surcharges aren't too bad.

You can fly from Hawaii to Japan for just 90,000 Virgin Atlantic miles roundtrip first-class or 110,000 miles one-way in first-class from the mainland.

Not-So-Great Amex Partners

Some American Express transfer partners offer excellent value and some have more limited sweet spots. These partners, however, have even more limited value and are usually best to avoid except in very specific circumstances like topping off your account balance for an award.

• AeroMexico . While Amex has a transfer ratio of 1:1.6 that considers the fact that the AeroMexico program uses kilometers, not miles, the program still has few sweet spots and transfers can take days or almost two weeks.
• Alitalia . While you could previously get a good value on Alitalia award seats, the devaluation in February 2020 destroyed a lot of the program's value and there are fuel surcharges.
• EL AL . The Matmid program is virtually worthless with high award rates, a terrible search engine, and low saver award availability. You're much better off booking EL AL award seats with a partner like Qantas.
• Hawaiian Airlines . Hawaiian doesn't have the best award chart, but it can be worthwhile to transfer Amex points to Hawaiian Airlines in some cases, especially with a transfer bonus if you're flying from the West Coast to Hawaii.
• JetBlue . JetBlue does not have an award chart. The cost of an award seat is loosely tied to the cash price and your TrueBlue points will be worth around 1.3 to 1.4 cents each. You're probably better off saving your Membership Rewards points.

While a handful of Amex transfer partners are best avoided, the Membership Rewards program offers tremendous value in large part due to its many airline and hotel partnerships. From award flights to Asia, Hawaii, Ireland, and the rest of Europe, you'll find plenty of sweet spots to explore with most partners to maximize the value of your Membership Rewards points.

What airlines are partners with American Express?

There are 19 Amex airline transfer partners:

• AeroMexico Club Premier
• AirFrance/KLM FlyingBlue
• Alitalia MilleMiglia
• British Airways Executive Club
• Delta Air Lines SkyMiles
• EL AL Matmid
• Etihad Airways Guest Miles
• Hawaiian HawaiianMiles
• JetBlue TrueBlue

What hotels does American Express partner with?

Amex has three hotels partners to which you can transfer Membership Rewards points:

• Choice Privileges
• Hilton Honors
• Marriott Bonvoy

Where can I transfer Amex points?

Amex Membership Rewards points can be transferred to 22 partner hotel and airline partners. You cannot transfer Membership Rewards points to someone else's Amex account.

Can you combine Amex points from different cards?

American Express allows you to easily link your Amex accounts that earn Membership Rewards points into a single account. Your points earned across different cards will be pooled together.

How much are Membership Rewards points worth?

Membership Rewards points are worth 1 to 1.35 cents each when redeemed for travel through Amex but they're worth 2 cents or more each when transferred to airline or hotel partners.

Can you transfer Membership Rewards points to someone else?

You can't transfer Membership Rewards points to other person's Membership Rewards account, not even a spouse or authorized user. You can transfer Amex points to another person's airline loyalty program, however, as long as they are an authorized user on your Amex account.

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Credit Cards

Guide to Amex transfer partners

Ariana Arghandewal

Allie Johnson

“Verified by an expert” means that this article has been thoroughly reviewed and evaluated for accuracy.

Robin Saks Frankel

Published 5:49 a.m. UTC Jan. 29, 2024

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Andrii Zastrozhnov, Getty Images

One of the most valuable advantages of holding an American Express credit card is an extensive network of American Express Membership Rewards® travel transfer partners. These partnerships open a world of possibilities and ways to maximize the value of your earnings.

We’ve created this guide to help you understand how to leverage the 21 Amex Membership Rewards transfer partners to get the most out of it. Here’s everything you need to know about Amex’s transfer partnerships.

How to transfer your Amex Membership Rewards®

Transferring your American Express Membership Rewards points can help you to maximize their value and may allow you to stretch your points further than other options like using your rewards to book travel directly with Amex. Just follow these steps to transfer your Amex points to a partner:

• Log into your Amex account.
• Navigate to the “Explore Rewards” section.
• Under the “Earn and Redeem” tab, select “transfer points.”
• Scroll down to the program to which you want to transfer your Amex points and select “show details.”
• Enter your account number if you haven’t linked your loyalty account yet.
• Once you’ve linked your loyalty account, enter the total number of points you want to transfer and select “review transfer.”
• Check the details and, if everything looks OK, click “submit transfer.”

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American Express® Gold Card

Welcome bonus

• Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.

Regular APR

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• Up to $240 in combined credits for Uber Cash and on select dining.
• High rewards rate on restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and travel.
• Generous welcome bonus.
• $250 annual fee.
• Minimal travel perks.
• Complex rewards structure.

Card details

• Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X).
• Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
• $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year.
• $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings and earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required.
• Get a $100 experience credit with a minimum two-night stay when you book The Hotel Collection through American Express Travel. Experience credit varies by property.
• Choose the color that suits your style. Gold or Rose Gold.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees.
• Annual Fee is $250.
• Terms Apply.

Amex Membership Rewards airline transfer partners

American Express Membership Rewards is a versatile rewards program that offers a wide array of options for earning and redeeming points. One standout feature of this program is its impressive lineup of airline transfer partners. Cardmembers have the opportunity to convert their points into airline miles with 18 frequent-flyer programs. Nearly all transfer ratios are 1:1 unless otherwise noted:

Aer Lingus Aerclub

• AeroMexico Rewards (1:1.6)

Air Canada Aeroplan 

• Air France KLM Flying Blue

ANA Mileage Club

Avianca lifemiles, british airways executive club, cathay pacific asia miles.

• Delta Air Lines SkyMiles

Emirates Skywards

Etihad guest.

• Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles

Iberia Plus

• JetBlue TrueBlue (5:4)

Qantas Frequent Flyer

• Qatar Airways Privilege Club

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer 

Virgin atlantic flying club.

This flexibility opens the door to numerous travel possibilities, allowing you to strategically book premium flights and seat upgrades, often at amazing rates when compared with cash prices.

Keep in mind that Amex regularly offers transfer bonuses of 15% to 30% or more for transferring Membership Rewards points to certain partners, so keep an eye out for these deals. That said, here’s a breakdown of sweet spots you can book with each Amex transfer partner.

Aer Lingus Aerclub can be a fantastic option for transferring your Amex rewards because the distance-based program offers some of the cheapest award flights to Dublin. These start at 13,000 Avios each way for off-peak economy flights from the East Coast. Off-peak business flights can be a decent deal at 50,000 miles each way.

AeroMexico Rewards

On first sight, AeroMexico Rewards may not offer the best pricing on award flights between the U.S. and Mexico, However, Amex points transfer to AeroMexico at a 1:1.6 ratio, making them more attractive. For example, an off-peak economy class ticket starts at 18,000 miles each way while high season comes in at 22,000 miles. However, you’ll need just 11,250 -13,750 Membership Rewards for these flights. Considering AeroMexico offers direct flights between numerous U.S. cities and popular destinations like Cancun (CUN) and Los Cabos (SJD), this can be a great use of points.

Air Canada Aeroplan uses a distance-based award chart, and there are several notable sweet spots. Since Air Canada is part of the Star Alliance network, you can use your miles for United flights. Flights between the West Coast and Hawaii are a particularly good deal for as little as 50,000 points round trip in business class. United uses dynamic pricing, so these awards can be much more expensive using United miles.

Air France-KLM Flying Blue

The Air France-KLM Flying Blue program offers fantastic deals on long-haul international flights. If you have a trip to North Africa on your bucket list, you can get there for just 20,000 miles each way in economy class and 50,000 miles in business. Through the Promo Rewards sale , flights are substantially discounted. It’s possible to occasionally book flights to Europe starting at just 15,000 miles each way.

ANA Mileage Club consistently offers some of the cheapest business-class flights to Europe, Asia and beyond. You can redeem just 88,000 miles round trip for a business-class flight to Europe, while a business class ticket to Asia starts at 95,000 miles. These rates are about half of what some other Star Alliance carriers charge for the same tickets.

Avianca LifeMiles is well known for its mileage sales, which make business and first-class tickets much more affordable. You can transfer to LifeMiles 1:1 from Amex Membership Rewards. One of the best uses of LifeMiles is for a business class ticket between the West Coast and Hong Kong. This long-haul flight costs just 68,500 miles each way.

British Airways Executive Club gets a bad rep for its high fuel surcharges on flights departing from the UK. However, the program still offers plenty of value. For example, you can book a short-haul flight between Helsinki (HEL) and Stockholm (ARN) for just 6,000 Avios each way. Domestic flights can also be a bargain, with Alaska Airlines flights between Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO) pricing out at 8,250 Avios. 

Cathay Pacific’s Asia Miles has some steep rates on award flights to Asia. However, Europe flights are much more reasonable. You can book a round trip business class ticket on Iberia between the East Coast and Spain for just 100,000 miles. Cathay Pacific charges just 100,000 miles round-trip for business class tickets on Oneworld partner flights between 4,001 and 7,500 miles in distance. Round trip flights between Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) and Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD) are just over 6,800 miles, making them eligible for this redemption level.

Delta SkyMiles

Transferring Amex points to Delta SkyMiles isn’t generally the best option. Delta uses dynamic pricing, and rates can get pretty high. Still, you might occasionally find a reasonable domestic award flight, so it’s worth checking.

Emirates is one of the top airlines in the world. The UAE-based carrier is renowned for its luxurious inflight experience. A one-way economy class ticket costs 75,000 miles. While that sounds excessive, unlike most other airlines, Emirates offers numerous direct flights to Dubai so the premium mileage price might be worth the convenience of a shorter travel time.

Etihad is an award-winning airline based in Abu Dhabi, providing plenty of options for redeeming flights. Unfortunately, Etihad’s redemption rates tend to be astronomical compared to other Amex transfer partners. So we don’t recommend using this program for booking flights. For example, an award ticket from the U.S. to Abu Dhabi costs 60,000 Etihad miles in economy class, 110,000 miles in business and 220,000 in first class. Meanwhile, American Airlines charges a fraction of the miles for the same Etihad flights: 40,000 miles in economy class, 70,000 in business and 115,000 miles in first class.

HawaiianMiles

HawaiianMiles can be a great option for island hopping in Hawaii. Intra-Hawaii flights start at just 7,500 miles each way in economy class, while discounted awards go for 6,375 miles.

Iberia Plus is a great program for flights to Europe, specifically Spain. A one-way economy class flight between New York (JFK) and Madrid (MAD) starts at just 17,000 miles in economy during off-peak season. That’s cheaper than some airlines charge for a domestic flight, making it a terrific value.

JetBlue TrueBlue

JetBlue TrueBlue isn’t the best Amex transfer partner, since you can get far better value with other partner redemptions. JetBlue also has a smaller route network, which limits redemption options (especially for international travelers).

Qantas Airlines first class is an incredible product, but award tickets can be challenging to find. Qantas prioritizes award space for its frequent flyer program, and you can fly Qantas first class between Los Angeles (LAX) and Sydney (SYD) for 162,800 points each way. That’s a solid deal for a long-haul flight, if you can snag the rare award inventory.

Qatar Airways Privileges Club

Qatar Airways not only offers one of the world’s best business-class products (dubbed QSuites) but if you’re connecting through the Hamad International Airport in Doha, you can access the luxurious Al Mourjan Business Lounge. Qatar Airways Privilege Club offers reasonable rates for business-class flights between the U.S. and Doha. A ride in the famous QSuites will set you back just 70,000 Avios each way. Now, that’s a solid way to use your Amex points.

The Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer program offers terrific deals on domestic and international flights. As a member of the Star Alliance network, you can redeem KrisFlyer miles for United flights at a great rate. A domestic United Airlines flight costs just 25,000 miles round trip in economy or 40,000 in business. With United’s unpredictable dynamic pricing, these KrisFlyer rates might be a bargain in some scenarios. 

Virgin Atlantic offers some of the cheapest economy-class award fares to Europe. Flights from the East Coast start at just 10,000 miles each way, while West Coast-departing flights clock in at 15,000 miles. 

Amex Membership Rewards hotel transfer partners

American Express Membership Rewards has three hotel transfer partners, providing added flexibility for redeeming points. Sometimes flights are too cheap to justify using points, in which case you might want to pay cash and then use your points to cover hotels. While you won’t get the highest redemption rate by transferring your Amex points to hotels, there are still times when it can make sense.

Amex points transfer to hotel loyalty programs at a 1:1 ratio unless noted otherwise:

Choice Privileges 

• Hilton Honors (1:2)

Marriott Bonvoy

Choice Privileges flies under the radar as far as hotel loyalty programs go, but it offers tremendous value. Free nights start at 8,000 points per night and Choice offers additional discounts through Free Night Sweet Spots promos. With reasonable redemption rates, Choice Privileges may not be a bad choice for an Amex point transfer.

Hilton Honors

Hilton Honors is Amex’s only 1:2 transfer partner, but that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a good use of points. Hilton doesn’t publish an award chart, but standard award nights range from 5,000 to 95,000 points. Hilton Honors Silver, Gold and Diamond members can get the fifth night free on award stays, which could make higher rates more palatable.

Marriott Bonvoy doesn’t publish an award chart, but free nights typically range from 10,000 to 100,000 points. Bonvoy members get the fifth night free on award bookings. Because of the inflated rates, Marriott points are not the best program for transferring your Amex points. Instead, you should only consider transferring points if you’re short a few points for a free night.

Best Amex transfer partners

The best Amex transfer partners depend on your travel goals and where and when you plan to fly. For example, you might be looking for a great value on a domestic flight for a family trip or eyeing a bucket list luxury redemption such as a round-the-world trip.

That said, Amex transfer partners that tend to offer excellent value include ANA Mileage Club, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and Iberia Plus. These programs offer some of the cheapest award redemption rates on international flights, making them tremendously valuable.

For ideas on lucrative redemptions, check out our guide to the best ways to use Amex Membership Rewards points . For example, one of our favorite redemptions is to transfer to ANA Mileage Club to book an around-the-world business class trip. We also like ANA for flying round trip to Europe, and Iberia for flights to and from Europe on off-peak dates.

Earning points isn’t always easy, and you want to put your Amex rewards to good use. Transferring them to Amex transfer partner programs allows you to stretch your rewards (and travel budget) further.

Credit cards that earn you Amex Membership Rewards

American Express Membership Rewards offers cardholders generous rewards and an array of redemption options thanks to its many airline and hotel transfer partners. With many credit cards linked to this program, American Express allows cardholders to earn valuable points that can be redeemed for travel, shopping, dining and more. 

Whether you’re a frequent traveler, a food enthusiast, or someone who appreciates cash back, American Express has a card that can help you accumulate points to unlock numerous valuable benefits. Here are cards that earn Amex Membership Rewards points along with their welcome offers to help you get started amassing points (terms apply):

• The Platinum Card® from American Express : Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards Points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership.
• American Express® Gold Card : Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 on eligible purchases in the first six months of card membership.
• American Express® Green Card * The information for the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. : Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $3,000 in purchases in the first six months of card membership.
• Amex EveryDay® Credit Card * The information for the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. : Earn 10,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership.
• Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card * The information for the Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. : Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $2,000 in purchases in the first six months of card membership.
• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express * The information for the The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. : Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $20,000 on eligible purchases in the first three months of card membership.
• American Express® Business Gold Card * The information for the American Express® Business Gold Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. : Earn 70,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $10,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership.
• Business Green Rewards Card from American Express * The information for the Business Green Rewards Card from American Express has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. : Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $3,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of card membership.
• The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express * The information for the The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. : Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $3,000 in eligible purchases in the first three months of card membership.

All information about American Express® Green Card, Amex EveryDay® Credit Card, Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, American Express® Business Gold Card, Business Green Rewards Card from American Express and The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express has been collected independently by Blueprint.

When choosing an American Express card that earns Amex Membership Rewards points, you’ll want to weigh the annual fee against the rewards earning rate, perks and benefits. The annual fees on these cards vary from $0 to $695 ( rates & fees ), but Amex cards can also offer a high rewards rate and valuable perks that can balance out a high price tag. The right card for you will depend on your travel and spending patterns and how much you’ll use certain benefits.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Yes, American Express Membership Rewards points transfer to Marriott Bonvoy at a 1:1 ratio. The minimum number of points required for a transfer is 1,000.

Transferring Amex points to partners is well worth it because it’s the best way to maximize the value of your Membership Rewards points. Just make sure to check award availability before transferring points, and keep in mind that airline miles and hotel points can devalue at any time. Make sure to compare award redemption rates against the cash cost of the same ticket or booking to ensure it’s a good use of your points. We value Amex points  at 1.275 cents per point, so you’ll want to get at least that much value from any redemption you choose.

You can use Amex Membership Rewards points for Southwest Airlines flights, indirectly. While you can’t transfer points, you can book a Southwest Airlines flight and then redeem points towards the charge at 0.6 cents per point. That means 100,000 Amex points would be needed to pay for a $600 flight. This is a poor use of Amex points due to the extremely low value you’re getting, but it’s an available option.

Amex Rewards points are worth 1 cent each towards Amex Travel bookings, though you can get far more value from moving your points to a transfer partner and choosing the right redemption. We value Amex points at roughly 1.3 cents per point, so use that value as a benchmark target of minimum value to seek in any redemption.

For rates and fees for The Platinum Card® from American Express please visit this page .

*The information for the American Express® Business Gold Card, American Express® Green Card, Amex EveryDay® Credit Card, Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card, Business Green Rewards Card from American Express, The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Blueprint is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor. The information provided is for educational purposes only and we encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific financial decisions. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Blueprint has an advertiser disclosure policy . The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Blueprint editorial staff alone. Blueprint adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.

Ariana Arghandewal is a travel hacker and travel rewards expert who leverages credit cards to earn over a million miles every year. She is the founder of Pointchaser, an award-winning blog where she covered rewards travel and credit cards since 2012.

Allie is a journalist with a passion for money tips and advice. She's been writing about personal finance since the Great Recession for online publications such as Bankrate, CreditCards.com, MyWalletJoy and ValuePenguin. She's also written personal finance content for Discover, First Horizon Bank, The Hartford, Travelers and Synovus.

Robin Saks Frankel is a credit cards lead editor at USA TODAY Blueprint. Previously, she was a credit cards and personal finance deputy editor for Forbes Advisor. She has also covered credit cards and related content for other national web publications including NerdWallet, Bankrate and HerMoney. She's been featured as a personal finance expert in outlets including CNBC, Business Insider, CBS Marketplace, NASDAQ's Trade Talks and has appeared on or contributed to The New York Times, Fox News, CBS Radio, ABC Radio, NPR, International Business Times and NBC, ABC and CBS TV affiliates nationwide. She holds an M.S. in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University. Follow her on Twitter at @robinsaks.

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Tutorial: List of major points transfer programs in Canada

Not all reward points are transferable.

Generally speaking, airlines points ( Aeroplan British Airways Executive Club Avios, Delta Skymiles Flying Blue Flying Blue etc.) are not transferable. Once credited to your loyalty account, there’s no way out for these miles. So think twice before transferring your American Express Membership Rewards points or your Marriott Bonvoy points .

On the other hand, there are a number of other programs that we call “hybrid” reward point programs: these are programs where points can be used in the program in question or transferred to another loyalty program.

The most popular transferable points programs in Canada are:

American Express Membership Rewards

Rbc rewards, marriott bonvoy, best western rewards, points transfer partners.

In Canada, American Express Membership Rewards partners with various airline and hotel loyalty programs. This allows you to transfer your Membership Rewards into points or miles.

For Aeroplan and Delta Skymiles, the transfer is immediate. For the others, it usually takes between 5 and 7 days.

American Express Membership Rewards are considered THE most valuable points currency in Canada, thanks in part to their ability to be converted into many great programs.

However, not every conversion is worthwhile:

• British Airways Executive Club: The regular conversion rate is identical to the one for Aeroplan. However, several times a year, there is a 35-40% conversion bonus. I suggest you wait until then to transfer your Membership Rewards
• Hilton Honors: the conversion rate is really not interesting. This can be only useful for topping up a points balance to get a free room.
• Marriott Bonvoy: While the conversion rate remains generally attractive, I recommend that you prioritize accumulation via Marriott Bonvoy credit cards and, if necessary, supplement with one of the Membership Rewards credit cards, such as the American Express Cobalt ® Card .

Credit cards

Here is the list of Membership Rewards credit cards in Canada:

Here is a list of the top articles on Milesopedia about the Membership Rewards program:

With RBC Rewards, you have access to these transfer partners:

RBC Rewards points are useful for building up your WestJet Dollars, British Airways Executive Club Avios or Asia Miles balance.

• British Airways Executive Club : several times a year, there is a 35-40% conversion bonus . I suggest you wait until then to transfer your RBC points to Avios miles
• American AAdvantage : the conversion rate is not really interesting. This transfer should only be done to supplement an existing mileage balance.
• Hudson’s Bay Rewards : If you want to travel, Hudson’s Bay Rewards won’t take you far! I do not recommend this transfer.

The following is a list of RBC Rewards (Avion) credit cards that can be used to transfer points to airline partners:

Here is a list of the top articles from Milesopedia about the RBC Rewards program:

With Marriott Bonvoy, you can transfer your points into miles from various airline programs.

The transfer rate is generally 3:1 (30,000 Marriott points = 10,000 miles). And for every 60,000 points transferred, Marriott adds a bonus of 15,000 points (equivalent to 5,000 miles).

So 60,000 points = 25,000 miles (bringing the transfer rate to 2.4:1).

Note that Marriott Bonvoy and United have a special relationship: point transfers to United have a 10% bonus.

I often advise you to use loyalty program points ONLY for what they were originally intended for:

• hotel points for free hotel nights
• airline miles for airline tickets

However, it can be interesting to deal with Marriott Bonvoy to get miles, especially at certain times of the year by taking advantage of transfer bonuses ! Aeroplan and British Airways Executive Club run 3-4 annual promotions during which you can earn 25-30% more miles by converting your hotel points.

It’s also a good way to earn miles from foreign airline programs like United MileagePlus, Singapore KrisFlyer, Emirates Skywards, etc.

Here is the list of Marriott Bonvoy credit cards in Canada:

American Express Membership Rewards points can also be transferred to Marriott Bonvoy points at a 1:1.2 (or 5:6) rate.

So 50,000 Membership Rewards = 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.

If your goal is to go through the Marriott Bonvoy program to earn airline miles, the best credit card will be the American Express Cobalt ® Card .

With this card, you can earn 5 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent in some categories: grocery stores, convenience stores and restaurants. And in grocery and convenience stores, you can buy gift cards for many other retailers (SAQ, Amazon , Walmart, Ikea, etc.) to earn 5 points per dollar .

And since 5 Membership Rewards points = 6 Marriott Bonvoy points = 2 airline miles, that means that at these stores you earn 2 miles per dollar of purchase ! Which is incredible!

While there aren’t many promotions for transferring Membership Rewards points to airline points like Aeroplan, transfer bonuses to hotel programs are more common, usually once a year.

Here is the list of credit cards that earn Marriott Bonvoy Points in Canada:

Here is the list of the main articles from Milesopedia about the Marriott Bonvoy program:

With the Best Western Rewards program, you can redeem your points for airline partner miles . Let me warn you right away: the exchange rate is far from being the best.

However, if you have Best Western Rewards points that you don’t need, you might as well put them to use!

A minimum of 5,000 Best Western Rewards points is required to make a transfer.

Here is the list of the main posts on Milesopedia about the Best Western Rewards program:

Bottom Line

With these 4 programs, you can easily transfer your points to dozens of other loyalty programs and travel the world with your reward points!

Do you start with the points? With one of these five credit cards, you will earn transferable points:

All posts by Jean-Maximilien

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How to Transfer Amex MR Points Between US and Canada

If you’ve gotten involved with US credit cards , chances are that you have an account with both American Express Canada and American Express US .

You might have wondered: is it possible to convert your Canadian American Express Membership Rewards (MR) points into Amex US MR points, and vice versa? The answer is yes, and it can unlock an entire world of new opportunities.

In This Post

American express international transfer, sweet spots for transferring points between us and canada.

American Express doesn’t seem to publish any information about converting points between countries on either their Canadian or US sites.

However, if we turn to other regions – specifically, a set of Membership Rewards Terms & Conditions from Amex UK – we can understand more about the process of transferring MR points between countries.

This process allows cardholders with another American Express card account, which is under the same name but denominated in a different currency, to transfer points from one account to the other.

Previously, American Express has referred to this as an International Transfer, although that name has been removed from the latest update to the terms and conditions.

Note the terminology here: an American Express Global Transfer refers to using an existing Amex card to establish a new Amex relationship in a different country, while an American Express International Transfer refers to transferring Membership Rewards points between accounts domiciled in two different countries. 

What’s the Transfer Ratio?

In the Amex UK terms and conditions, it states that points transfers are subject to a different set of terms and conditions, and the transfer ratios aren’t displayed.

However, using the Amex Live Chat feature, it’s possible to confirm the following transfer ratios:

• When converting Canadian Amex MR points to Amex US MR points , the prevailing exchange rate is applied.
• When converting Amex US MR points to Canadian Amex MR points, a 1:1 ratio is applied.

Importantly, there is also a timeframe restriction: you’re only allowed one International Transfer within a 12-month period.

The Transfer Process

Converting points between Amex Canada and Amex US is best done through the phone. The Amex Live Chat service can also handle these requests, although they don’t always get put through successfully when initiated via chat.

In the past, it was possible to convert points in either direction by calling either Amex Canada or Amex US. However, now you’ll need to call the originating country to initiate your International Transfer. 

You’ll be asked for the card numbers in the origin and destination countries that you’d like points deducted from and deposited into, respectively. You’ll also be asked for how many points you want to transfer, beginning with a minimum transfer of 1,000 points. 

The entire process can take 1–2 weeks to complete, after which you should see the points added to your destination country’s Amex account based on the transfer ratios outlined above.

Now that we know how to transfer your Amex MR points between countries, let’s figure out when it would beneficial to convert your MR points between Canada and the US, in either direction.

Remember that every cardholder is limited to one International Transfer per 12-month period, so you should definitely approach this opportunity with a specific redemption goal in mind.

First of all, let’s take a look the eight airline and hotel partners that are common to both countries’ Amex MR programs:

• Aeroplan : 1:1 ratio in both Canada and the US
• Air France KLM Flying Blue : 1:1 in the US, stronger than 1:0.75 in Canada
• British Airways Executive Club : 1:1 ratio in both Canada and the US
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles : 1:1 in the US, 1:0.75 in Canada
• Delta SkyMiles : 1:1 in the US, stronger than 1:0.75 in Canada
• Etihad Guest : 1:1 in the US, stronger than 1:0.75 in Canada
• Hilton Honors : 1:2 in the US, stronger than 1:1 in Canada
• Marriott Bonvoy : 1:1.2 in Canada, stronger than 1:1 in the US

Additionally, the following 13 transfer partners are only available via Amex US, but not via Amex Canada:

• Aer Lingus AerClub : 1:1
• Aeromexico Club Premier : 1:1.6
• ANA Mileage Club : 1:1
• Avianca LifeMiles : 1:1
• Choice Privileges : 1:1
• Emirates Skywards : 1:1
• Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles : 1:1
• Iberia Plus : 1:1
• JetBlue TrueBlue : 1:0.8
• Qantas Frequent Flyer : 1:1
• Qatar Airways Privilege Club : 1:1
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer : 1:1
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club : 1:1

There are no transfer partners that are only available via Amex Canada, but not via Amex US.

Knowing this, we can then examine the specific reasons why you might find it worthwhile to convert points in either direction across the 49th parallel.

Converting Amex MR Points from US to Canada

Canadian points collectors who have gotten US credit cards will likely find themselves with a stash of Amex US MR points at some juncture. You have the ability of converting these Amex US MR points into Canadian MR points at a 1:1 ratio – but should you?

As mentioned earlier, there are no transfer partners that we can access in Canada, but not in the US. Thus, we wouldn’t be unlocking any additional transfer possibilities by initiating a northbound transfer.

Of the eight programs that are common to both countries’ MR points, only Marriott Bonvoy offers a stronger transfer ratio from Canada than from the US — 1:1.2, instead of 1:1. Therefore, if you collected US MR points for the purpose of converting them into Bonvoy points, it’d be best to transfer to the Canadian side first before converting.

However, Marriott Bonvoy is far from the most valuable use for Amex US MR points, given their wide array of additional transfer options. So unless you desperately wanted to earn hotel points instead of airline miles, this option likely wouldn’t be worth pursuing.

Indeed, there’s a lot more potential when we think about transferring points in the opposite direction…

Converting Amex MR Points from Canada to US

If you hold Amex MR points in both countries, why might you want to convert points from Canada to the US?

By far the most compelling reason to do so is that you’d gain access to the 13 new loyalty programs via the Amex US MR program outlined above, which unlocks a whole new world of redemption possibilities.

We could spend a whole day talking about all the new award chart sweet spots that Canadians would unlock through these programs. To pick a few of the most outstanding ones:

• Transferring to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club to book ANA First Class for 85,000 miles one-way
• Transferring to Emirates Skywards to book Emirates First Class to Europe for 102,000 miles one-way
• Transferring to ANA Mileage Club to book an  ANA round-the-world award or sweet spots on round-trip bookings
• Transferring to Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer to book elusive Singapore Airlines business class , First Class , and Suites Class awards

We can run the numbers to factor in the prevailing exchange rate when converting points from Amex Canada.

For example, consider a traveller who wanted to book a round-trip business class flight from Chicago to Tokyo with ANA:

• If booked through ANA Mileage Club, this would cost 75,000 ANA miles round-trip during low season
• If booked through Aeroplan, this would cost 150,000 Aeroplan points round-trip

The CAD/USD exchange rate at the time of writing is about 1 USD = 1.35 CAD. Thus, factoring in the conversion, the round-trip award would cost only 101,250 Canadian Amex MR points – a far better deal than the 150,000 MR points required to book a similar round-trip through Aeroplan.

It’s worth noting that as of April 18, 2024, ANA is increasing award prices, and the same round-trip flights will cost 100,000 ANA miles. However, even once you factor in the exchange rate, you’d still be coming out ahead, especially since you’ll have access to more award seats through ANA Mileage Club than through Aeroplan.

Moreover, Amex US seems to implement conversion bonuses much more frequently than Amex Canada. For example, in September 2022, we saw a transfer bonus bonanza that boosted the conversion ratio to a dozen airline and hotel partners all at once.

If you timed an International Transfer with a transfer bonus bonanza, you’d effectively have the opportunity to convert points at close to par from Amex Canada to all of Amex US’s unique partners.

As you can see, for Canadians, the ability to transfer points to the US takes the already highly versatile Amex MR program to a whole new level.

Instead of only eight airline and hotel partners, you really have an unbelievable 21 partners at your fingertips – with the caveat that you must plan your redemptions with the 13 US-based partner programs very carefully, as a result of the once-in-12-months rule surrounding International Transfers.

The American Express International Transfer can open up a wealth of new opportunities for points collectors on both sides of the border.

Canada-to-US transfers are generally carried out at the prevailing exchange rate, while US-to-Canada transfers are generally carried out at a 1:1 ratio. 

For Canadians, it’s all the more reason to get started with US credit cards , as it allows you to easily supplement your Amex US earnings with a Canadian points transfer and benefit from a vastly expanded pool of airline transfer partners.

• Earn 80,000 MR points upon spending $15,000 in the first three months
• Plus, earn  40,000 MR points  upon making a purchase in months 14–17 as a cardholder
• And, earn 1.25x MR points on all purchases
• Also, receive a $200 annual travel credit
• Transfer MR points to Aeroplan and other frequent flyer programs for premium flights
• Unlimited airport lounge access for you and one guest at Priority Pass, Plaza Premium, Centurion, and other lounges
• Credits and rebates for business expenses throughout the year with Amex Offers
• Bonus MR points for referring family and friends
• Qualify for the card as a sole proprietor
• Annual fee: $799

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Amex Transfer Partners: Guide to American Express Membership Rewards

Matt Ortile

October 4, 2023

Going has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Going and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Opinions, reviews, analyses, and recommendations are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some of all of the card offers that appear on this page are from advertisers; compensation may affect how and where the cards appear on the site; and Going does not include all card companies are all available card offers.

American Express Membership Rewards points are the transferable points currency earned by American Express travel rewards credit cards. You can use your points to pay for charges on your card, or to book travel through AmexTravel.com. But you’ll get more value out of your points by transferring them to Amex’s travel partners like airlines and hotels, and then using points to book directly with those partners.

Amex transfer partners

American Express transfer partners include 18 airlines and three hotels. 

American Express airline transfer partners

The following airlines are Amex transfer partners:

• Aer Lingus AerClub: 1:1 transfer ratio
• Aeromexico Club Premier
• Air Canada Aeroplan: 1:1 transfer ratio
• Air France / KLM Flying Blue: 1:1 transfer ratio
• ANA Mileage Club: 1:1 transfer ratio
• Avianca LifeMiles: 1:1 transfer ratio
• British Airways Executive Club: 1:1 transfer ratio
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles: 1:1 transfer ratio
• Delta SkyMiles: 1:1 transfer ratio
• Emirates Skywards: 1:1 transfer ratio
• Etihad Guest: 1:1 transfer ratio
• Hawaiian HawaiianMiles: 1:1 transfer ratio
• Iberia Plus: 1:1 transfer ratio
• JetBlue TrueBlue: 1.25:1 transfer ratio
• Qantas Frequent Flyer: 1:1 transfer ratio
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer: 1:1 transfer ratio
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club: 1:1 transfer ratio

With two exceptions, all Amex points transfer at a one to one (1:1) ratio, which means that one Amex point is equivalent to one mile or point with most of these loyalty programs, once transferred. 

The exceptions to this are Aeromexico Club Premier and JetBlue TrueBlue. Amex points transfer to Aeromexico at a 1:1.6 ratio (e.g. 1000 Amex points become 1600 Aeromexico Club Premier miles), and Amex points transfer to JetBlue at a 250:200 ratio (e.g. 1000 Amex points become 800 JetBlue TrueBlue points).

Transfer times from Amex to its travel partners vary. Points transfer can take up to 24 hours for Aeromexico Club Premier and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer. Meanwhile, points transfers can take up to 48 hours for ANA Mileage Club, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, and Iberia Plus. Points transfers to all other airline partners are relatively instantaneous.

Amex hotel transfer partners

And these are Amex’s current hotel partners. Points transfers to all these hotel loyalty programs are instantaneous.

• IHG Rewards Club: 1:1 transfer ratio
• Hilton Honors: 1:2 transfer ratio
• Marriott Bonvoy: 1:1 transfer ratio

Amex points transfer at a 1:1 ratio to IHG Rewards Club and Marriott Bonvoy; points transfer to Hilton Honors at a 1:2 ratio.

On the whole, transferring points to hotels rarely maximizes the value of your points. You’re better off sticking to points transfers to airlines to get the most cents per point when you compare the cash price to the points cost.

How to transfer Amex points 

‍ step 1: on your desktop, log in to the american express membership rewards portal ..

Enter your login credentials that you use to access your American Express account online, then select your credit card that earns American Express Membership Rewards points. If you have multiple travel rewards cards with Amex—like card_name or the card_name —just pick one; it doesn’t matter which you choose. All the Amex points you earn across your cards are automatically pooled together.

‍ Step 2: In the navy blue navigation bar, click on “Earn and Redeem” and then select “Transfer Points” in the drop-down menu.

‍ Step 3: Select the airline you want to transfer points to.

When you click on an airline, it will display the terms of your points transfer, the timing, and other details and requirements.

If it’s your first time transferring points to that airline loyalty program, you’ll be prompted to enter your account number with the program. 

In order to transfer Amex points to an airline loyalty program, you need to first have an account with that program. It’s a good idea to proactively make accounts with these programs because some have rules that require an account to be open for a certain period of time before you can transfer points to it. It can get unwieldy with different member ID numbers and passwords, so keep track of your account numbers somewhere safe, like in a password manager.

Step 4: Transfer your points.

Once you link your American Express account to your selected airline loyalty program, or if you’ve transferred Amex points to that airline before, you can then select how many points you want to transfer. After that, click the “Review Transfer” button. You’ll be prompted to make sure everything is correct, then you can click “Submit Transfer.”

 Depending on the airline partner you selected, you’ll see your points appear in your airline account either instantly, within 24 hours, or within 2 days.

Travel tip: Only transfer Amex points when you're ready to book!

Once you move your Amex points to an airline loyalty program, you can’t move those points back into your Amex account. For that reason, we recommend holding your points in your American Express account until you see a flight that’s bookable with points). From there, you can then transfer your points to an airline and make that booking as soon as you see a good deal.

Cards that earn Amex Membership Rewards

The following are some cards that earn American Express Membership Rewards points:

• card_name ( See Rates and Fees )

It's important to note that American Express co-branded airline or hotel credit cards do not earn Membership Rewards points. The card_name ( See Rates and Fees ) earns Delta SkyMiles, for example, while the card_name ( See Rates and Fees ) earns Marriott points.

Likewise, American Express cash-back rewards credit cards, like the card_name ( See Rates and Fees ), do not earn Membership Rewards points.

See Rates and Fees for the card_name

Published October 4, 2023

Last updated March 11, 2024

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