Amex Transfer Partners

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; Terms apply, see rates & fees), restaurants and takeout (4 points per dollar with the American Express® Gold Card; Terms apply, see rates & fees), or transit and rideshare (3 points per dollar with the American Express® Green Card*. Rewards from regular spending are the core rewards from Amex products.

Welcome Bonus

Qualified new card members can earn a welcome bonus on most Membership Rewards cards. For example, the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card*  offers 10,000 points after spending $2,000 in qualifying purchases in the first 6 months of account opening.

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 favorite vendor may appear with the perfect offer.

Membership Rewards can be transferred to any of 18 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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. Only some partner airlines allow you to book online. If the partner award is with an airline that you cannot book online, you’ll need to search for award availability on another site, then call Etihad to book the ticket.

Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles

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

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

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

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 Hawaiian Airlines flights and some Qatar Airways flights. However, it may be a better choice to transfer your Membership Rewards points to one of these partners 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

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

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

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

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 in particular from the U.S. to the U.K. on Virgin Atlantic metal. 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

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

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.

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