Get up to 40% on Transfers to 12 Travel Partners
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- Amex is offering up to a 40% bonus on Membership Rewards points transfers to 12 travel partners.
- Airline partners include British Airways, Air Canada, and Avianca through September 30, 2021.
- Hotel programs include Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy through October 31, 2021.
- Read Insider’s guide to the best travel rewards credit cards.
One of the best ways to squeeze the most value from your flexible rewards points is by transferring them to airline and hotel partners to book award travel.
The deal gets even sweeter if there’s a bonus that improves the transfer ratio, but these are typically infrequent and rarely apply to more than a handful of partners at a time.
Now, for the first time, American Express Membership Rewards has launched a wide-ranging transfer bonus promotion with a dozen airline and hotel partners. These bonuses vary by partner, and include popular programs like British Airways, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Air Canada Aeroplan, Marriott Bonvoy, and Hilton.
Read more: How to earn, redeem, and maximize American Express Membership Rewards points
All US cardholders are eligible, but these transfer bonuses are only available for a limited time.
Amex Membership Rewards transfer bonus promotion
Regular APR
See Pay Over Time APR
Featured Reward
100,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 in your first 6 months of card membership, plus 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
Pros
- Long list of travel benefits, including airport lounge access and complimentary elite status with Hilton and Marriott (enrollment required)
- Annual statement credits with Saks and Uber
Cons
- Bonus categories leave something to be desired
- One of the highest annual fees among premium travel cards
- Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on the Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Plus, 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.
- 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.
- Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
- $200 Hotel Credit: Get $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®.
- $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 in statement credits each month when you pay for eligible purchases with the Platinum Card® at your choice of one or more of the following providers: Peacock, Audible, SiriusXM, and The New York Times. Enrollment required.
- New! American Express has expanded The Centurion® Network to include 40+ Centurion Lounge and Studio locations worldwide. Now there are even more places your Platinum Card® can get you complimentary entry and exclusive perks.
- $200 Airline Fee Credit: Get up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year in baggage fees and more at one qualifying airline.
- $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 available to Basic Card Member only.
- $300 Equinox Credit: Get up to $25 back each month on select Equinox memberships. Enrollment required.
- $179 CLEAR® Credit: Use your Card and get up to $179 back per year on your CLEAR® membership.
- $695 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
Read Our Review
If you have an American Express card that earns Membership Rewards points, you have access to over 20 airline and hotel transfer partners. In most cases, the standard transfer ratio is 1 Amex point to 1 airline mile or hotel point, with a few exceptions.
Read more: You can transfer Amex points to 21 loyalty programs to book travel, from first class to Japan on ANA to hotel stays with Hilton
Amex’s new transfer bonus promotion includes 10 airline and two hotel programs — and the bonus ranges from 15% to 40%, depending on the partner. Here’s the full list:
For airline partners, these bonuses are available through September 30, 2021. With Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors, you have until October 31, 2021, to transfer with a bonus.
You’ll see the transfer options when you sign in to your American Express account:
American Express
As with any other Amex Membership Rewards transfer, there’s a minimum transfer amount of 1,000 points, and transfers must be in 1,000-point increments.
Which Amex cards earn Membership Rewards points?
American Express issues a number of personal and small-business cards that earn Membership Rewards points. All US Membership Rewards cards qualify for these transfer bonuses.
Read more: The best American Express cards of 2021
Amex Membership Rewards: Personal cards
Amex Membership Rewards: Small-business cards
Should you transfer Amex points with a bonus?
It might be tempting to take advantage of these transfer bonuses to your favorite airline or hotel partner, even if you don’t have immediate travel plans. If you know you’ll definitely redeem rewards from one of these programs in the future, transferring with a bonus now could save you points on a redemption when you’re ready to travel.
That said, it’s important to remember that once you move Membership Rewards points to a partner program, you can’t transfer them back — so don’t make a transfer unless you’re sure you’ll have a use for the points or miles down the road.
I’m planning a trip with my family to Ireland (hopefully) next year, so I’ll probably jump on the 40% transfer bonus to British Airways. One of the best deals offered by British Airways’ Executive Club program is flights to Ireland from the US East Coast for just 13,000 Avios points each way (26,000 points round-trip) in economy class.
With the 40% bonus, I’d only need to transfer 19,000 Membership Rewards points (because transfers must be in 1,000-point increments) for a round-trip ticket, which is a steal for an award flight to Europe.
Read more: The best credit card rewards sweet spots that get you the most from your hard-earned points and miles
Keep in mind that once you transfer your points, they become subject to the expiration policy of the partner program. Although Amex Membership Rewards points don’t expire as long as your account is open and in good standing, many airline and hotel miles or points will expire after a certain time has passed without activity in your account.
Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to keep your points and miles from expiring — including transferring points from flexible programs like Amex, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Capital One miles, or Marriott Bonvoy.
100,000 points
Good to Excellent
Featured Reward
3 Free Nights (valued up to 50,000 points each) after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months, plus 10x total points per $1 spent on up to $2,500 in combined purchases in select categories within your first 6 months
Credit Needed
Good to Excellent
Featured Reward
$200 after spending $500 on purchases in the first three months from account opening
Credit Needed
Good to Excellent
