Amex Announces New Transfer Bonuses for Membership Rewards
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American Express Membership Rewards continue to prove their value. On Wednesday, Amex temporarily raised the transfer ratios of 12 of their hotel and airlines partners.
Simply put, your Amex Membership Rewards are now worth more during this promotion. So if you’re planning on booking travel by transferring American Express Membership Rewards, be sure to take advantage of this promotion soon, as you’ll get much more value from your points.
Here’s what you need to know.
American Express Membership Rewards transfer bonuses
Here are the current transfer ratio promotions running, and when each offer ends.
Amex transfer bonuses
| Partner program | Transfer bonus | Current transfer ratio | End date |
| Aer Lingus AerClub | 40% | 1,000 Amex Membership Rewards = 1,400 Aer Lingus Miles | Sept. 30 |
| Aeromexico Club Premier | 25% | 1,000 Amex Membership Rewards = 2,000 Aeromexico Miles | Sept. 30 |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | 20% | 1,000 Amex Membership Rewards = 1,200 Aeroplan Miles | Sept. 30 |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | 25% | 1,000 Amex Membership Rewards = 1,250 Flying Blue Miles | Sept. 30 |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 15% | 1,000 Amex Membership Rewards = 1,150 Avianca Lifemiles | Sept. 30 |
| British Airways Executive Club | 40% | 1,000 Amex Membership Rewards = 1,400 British Airways Avios | Sept. 30 |
| Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles | 25% | 1,000 Amex Membership Rewards = 1,250 Hawaiian Airlines miles | Sept. 30 |
| Iberia Plus | 40% | 1,000 Amex Membership Rewards = 1,400 Iberia Miles | Sept. 30 |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | 20% | 500 Amex Membership Rewards = 600 Qantas Miles | Sept. 30 |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 30% | 1,000 Amex Membership Rewards = 1,300 Virgin Atlantic Miles | Sept. 30 |
| Hilton Honors | 30% | 1,000 Amex Membership Rewards = 2,600 Hilton Honors points | Oct. 31 |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 30% | 1,000 Amex Membership Rewards = 1,300 Marriott Bonvoy points | Oct. 31 |
To transfer your rewards, simply log in to your American Express account and find the section that says “explore rewards”. Follow the prompts from there, and you will find a screen with a list of airline and hotel partners you can choose from. Lastly, you will need to link your airline or hotel loyalty account to your American Express account, and then you’ll be ready to transfer your rewards.
This points and miles strategy is extremely effective for stretching the value of your rewards, which makes American Express credit cards desirable to have. Note that you’ll need an Amex card that earns Membership Rewards points to transfer to airlines and hotels. Cards that earn these points include The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card and the American Express® Green Card.
The Platinum Card® from American Express
On the American Express secure site
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Rewards
Earn 10X points on eligible purchases on the card at restaurants worldwide and when you shop small in the U.S., on up to $25,000 in combined purchases, during your first 6 months of card membership, 5X points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (starting January 1, 2021, this applies on up to $500,000 per calendar year), 5X points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel, 1X points on all other purchases
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Welcome bonus
100,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $6,000 within 6 months of account opening
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Annual fee
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Intro APR
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Regular APR
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Balance transfer fee
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Foreign transaction fee
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Credit Needed
American Express® Gold Card
On the American Express secure site
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Rewards
4X Membership Rewards® points on restaurants (including takeout and delivery, plus, Uber Eats purchases) and at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X), 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com, 1X points on all other purchases
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Welcome bonus
60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases within the first 6 months from account opening
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Annual fee
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Intro APR
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Regular APR
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Balance transfer fee
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Foreign transaction fee
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Credit needed
What to keep in mind when transferring points
There are a few nuances to keep in mind when transferring Amex rewards to airline and hotel programs.
- Transfers sometimes do not process immediately, so give the transfer process a few hours to go through, and sometimes up to 24 hours.
- In some cases, you may need to pay an excise tax when transferring to U.S.-based frequent flyer programs. You can pay this using your American Express card or with Amex points. You will find this prompt before you confirm your points transfer.
But most importantly, there are several outstanding redemptions to keep in mind if you are looking for a luxurious travel experience without spending all of your Amex points.
Amex transfer partner sweet spots
If your favorite airline is not listed, like American Airlines or United Airlines, there are still ways to redeem with those carriers through their partners. And if you’re looking to fly in a premium first class cabin without paying thousands of dollars, this is the best way to save money while also enjoying a glass of champagne and comfortable seat 30,000 feet in the sky. Here are a few of the sweet spots to consider when using your American Express rewards:
American Airlines business/first class by transferring to Etihad guest
If you’re looking to get a premium American Airlines seat you can get it much cheaper than booking with American Airlines miles. For a one-way first class ticket across the U.S. you’ll pay a modest 32,500 miles. If you were to book with American Airlines, you may pay double or triple that.
Book Delta flights with Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic and Delta have a partnership where you can book Delta flights through Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club rewards program. Ironically, there are many cases where if you were to transfer your miles to Delta and book an identical flight, it will cost significantly more. So if you want to fly Delta on your next adventure, consider transferring your miles to VA instead.
And with the current transfer bonus, you’ll need to move 30% fewer rewards from Amex to Virgin Atlantic for your preferred redemption.
United Airlines business class to Europe with ANA miles
One of the downsides of booking with miles is that some European-based airlines charge incredibly high fuel surcharges — sometimes upwards of $1,000 when booking premium cabins. Consider transferring your Amex points to ANA and booking a United Airlines business class flight to Europe for 88,000 miles round-trip. You’ll avoid paying steep fees, all the while getting an incredible deal with miles.
Bottom line
Additionally, do the simple math to see what value you’re getting from your points. Take the cost of the flight and divide by the number of points needed. If you’re earning above 1 cent per point, you’re doing better than other redemptions like booking through the Amex Travel Portal; anything above 2 cents per point and you’re getting a great value.
Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.
