Guide To American Express Transfer Partners

One of the most magical aspects of credit card rewards travel is learning how to multiply your rewards with transfer partners, i.e. hotel and airfare accommodations. In most cases, transferring rewards to a travel partner will give you a higher redemption value than exchanging rewards for statement credits, cash, or gift cards. This is especially true for cardholders who can afford to make higher-value redemptions, such as premium-cabin airfare or luxury hotel stays in far-flung parts of the world.

American Express’ Membership Rewards program is one of the most popular reward travel ecosystems. The program offers a variety of transfer partners, and its network includes many popular airlines and hotels. If you have an eligible Amex credit card and want to get even more value out of your points, redeeming your points through the Amex travel portal or travel partners should be a top priority.

In this guide, we’ll cover all of Amex’s points transfer partners, the pros and cons of transferring points, and how to maximize your rewards.

American Express Airline Partners

Amex airline partners typically offer points transfers at a rate of 1,000 points:1,000 points (or 1:1). However, many Amex airline partners have partnerships that can expand your flight options or increase the value of your points.

Below is a table of Amex’s partner airlines and their estimated transfer rates and transfer times.

It may take some time to find great deals, but if you’re flexible with your dates and destinations, there are plenty of deals out there that offer much more than a 1:1 exchange ratio. And according to Bankrate’s points vs. miles valuation guide, Amex Membership Rewards points can be worth about 2.0 cents per point or more if you redeem them strategically.

For example, transferring your points to an airline like British Airways might not seem like much use. But Avios, British Airways’ Executive Club currency, can be used to book flights on all Oneworld Alliance airlines, including American Airlines and Alaska Airlines. Unfortunately, using Avios on British Airways flights comes with a significant fuel surcharge, which makes your points much less valuable on those flights.

However, if you focus on British Airways partner flights, you can get great value thanks to the airline’s distance-based award chart.

Many short-haul U.S.-based flights can cost as little as 6,000 points for economy fares, while the same award ticket on another airline could cost more than 20,000 points for the same destination and dates. When you start considering coveted travel options, like international flights in first or business class, your points become even more valuable.

You’ll need to research these connections and understand exactly how the alliances work, but once you get the hang of it, you can score some great discounts on flights.

Should I transfer my Amex points to airline partners?

In most cases, you’ll get more value from transferring your Amex points to airline partners. Here are some pros and cons to consider when transferring your points:

American Express Hotel Partners

Transferring your Amex points to hotel partners might not give you as much value as transferring them to airline partners, but it can be a good use of your points in the right situation. Plus, you might find better deals or better deals on off-peak accommodations.

Amex hotel partners include:

Should I transfer my Amex points to hotel partners?

There aren’t as many situations where you can get more value out of your Amex rewards by transferring to a hotel partner as there are with airline partners, so before you make the move, consider the pros and cons of transferring your Amex points to a hotel.

How to transfer Amex Membership Rewards points

First, keep in mind that you can only earn Membership Rewards with certain Amex credit cards, which includes the brand’s travel credit cards but not its cash-back credit cards.

Before you can transfer, you must connect your hotel or airline loyalty account to your Amex account. The name on your loyalty account must match your name or the name of an authorized user on your credit card account. Once your loyalty program accounts are linked, you can transfer your Amex points by following these steps:

1. Log in to your American Express account and click on “Explore Rewards.”

Go to your American Express online account management page and log in. From there, click on the Account Rewards section to move on to the next step.

2. Select the option to transfer rewards.

Once you access the Rewards section of your account, go to the drop-down menu under “Earn & Redeem” and select “Transfer Points” to see a list of all available American Express transfer partners.

3. Select an airline or hotel partner.

Here you can browse available airline and hotel partners. Every partner has a minimum and maximum number of points you can transfer. Typically, you must transfer at least 1,000 points.

4. Start the transfer

Choose your transfer partner and start the transfer – this step can be done completely online and easily.

Many partners say it can take up to 48 hours for points transfers to complete, but a good rule of thumb is that most transfers are instant. Either way, once the transfer is complete, you can log into your account and use your new loyalty points for flights or hotel stays.

How to Maximize Value When Transferring Points

If you want to make the most of your Membership Rewards points, the following tips will help you.

• To find the best deals, be flexible with your travel destinations and dates.
• Keep an eye out for transfer bonuses through Amex Offers that can increase your points value by 20 to 50 percent.
• Before transferring points, check to see if award bookings are available for the dates you wish to travel.
• Check out alternative booking options, such as alliances that have distance-based award tables rather than dynamic award ticket pricing.
• Check out our Business Class and First Class award ticket prices to enjoy more luxurious travel options at lower prices.
• Be aware of additional costs such as fuel surcharges (British Airways) and Federal Excise Tax when transferring to US-based airlines (Delta SkyMiles, JetBlue TrueBlue, HawaiianMiles with Hawaiian Airlines).

Conclusion

Amex transfer partners can help you make the points you earn even more valuable, but you should verify that this is the case before transferring your points. You can do this by comparing cash rates for your desired travel bookings and checking the prices (cash or points) for flights and hotels on Amex’s travel portal.

Whatever you do, don’t transfer your points to a partner until you know you’ll be able to use them. Transferring Amex points is a one-way street, so you can’t change your mind and transfer the points back to your card issuer.