American Express’s Airline Transfer Partners

American Express Membership Rewards points are one of the most valuable currencies in the travel space. This is particularly true when you transfer them to one of Amex’s many airline transfer partners, but you might not know where to start. To help you maximize the value of your Membership Rewards points and create some memorable travel experiences, read on to understand the current landscape of American Express airline transfer partners.

Overview of American Express’s Point Currency

The American Express Membership Rewards program is a loyalty program that was launched in 1991 under the name Membership Miles. However, it’s important to note that Amex has offered cardholders various rewards since the 1980s. The Membership Rewards program, as it’s known today, has evolved over the years to become one of the most comprehensive and versatile rewards programs in the credit card industry.

Throughout the years, Amex has forged partnerships with various airlines and hotel chains, allowing cardholders to transfer Membership Rewards points to these loyalty programs at favorable exchange rates. This has been key for the program to attract a wider audience.

Today, the Membership Rewards program boasts 21 total transfer partners, 18 of which are airlines. Most transfer rates are pretty favorable, and the ease with which you can earn Membership Rewards points in the United States makes this a great program to help you unlock free travel.

List of American Express’s Airline Partners

American Express currently has 18 airline transfer partners, summarized in the table below:

This list of partners, as well as their specific transfer ratios and transfer bonus offers, can change over time. For the latest information, refer to the official list provided by American Express.

For most transfer partners, the minimum transfer is 1,000 points, and you can increase this in increments of 1,000. Notable exceptions include:

• JetBlue TrueBlue®: 250 point minimum, increase in increments of 250
• Qantas Frequent Flyer: 500 point minimum, increase in increments of 500

Also, Amex estimates that most transfers will take up to 2 days (48 hours) to complete. Notable exceptions include:

• ANA Mileage Club: 4 days (96 hours)
• Avianca LifeMiles: 3 days (72 hours)

Best Practices for Transferring Points

Before you transfer your hard-earned Membership Rewards points, keep the following best practices in mind.

Confirm Award Availability First

Carefully think through any transfer you make from your Membership Rewards account to an airline partner’s account. Once you’ve converted them into a specific partner currency, you cannot reverse this operation.

You should always confirm award availability for your desired travel before placing the transfer request. This avoids a disaster scenario where your points become “stranded” in the airline account with no reward seats to use them on. Additionally, some partner airlines may implement expiration policies on their Miles (for example, Emirates miles expire three years after transfer).

If you don’t see any current award availability, simply don’t transfer your Membership Rewards points. They are most flexible in your Amex account, and will never expire as long as your account is open and in good standing.

Consider Calling the Airline to Hold Availability

As an extension of the previous point, you may want to consider calling your partner airline to ask if they can place your desired award seat on hold. This is because American Express transfers may take rather long to complete. By the time the points get to your account, your seat may be gone.

Officially, American Express says that transfers can take up to 48 hours for most partners. In practice, sometimes the transfers are instantaneous. Other times, they can take the full 48 hours. Due to the inconsistency in Amex travel times, you may want to play it safe by calling the airline to hold availability.

Check Multiple Partners

Just because you want to fly an airline doesn’t necessarily mean you must transfer your points to that airline. Your desired route can be offered by multiple partner airlines. Different airlines offer different rates for the same seat, so check as many partners as you can to find the redemption with the lowest points cost.

Check For Transfer Bonuses

Membership Rewards points are already very valuable, but you can maximize them even further by taking advantage of any ongoing transfer bonuses. American Express routinely offers transfer bonuses to some of their airline partners.

Sure, you’ll need a bit of luck to have a transfer bonus come up for your desired program at the right time. But if you can do so, you can often get an additional 15% to 30% in value from your points (or more). For example, a 30% transfer bonus to British Airways Executive Club means that 1,000 Membership Rewards points become 1,300 Avios.

Program Rules and Limitations

The American Express program is pretty straightforward when it comes to earning and transferring Miles to partners. Here’s an overview of some program policies to be aware of.

Eligible Cards

To access American Express’s transfer partners, you must have one of the following credit cards:

• The Platinum Card® from American Express
• American Express® Gold Card
• American Express® Green Card
• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
• American Express® Business Gold Card
• The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
• Business Green Rewards Card from American Express

Essentially, if the card earns Membership Rewards points, it has access to Amex travel partners. Note that the Blue Cash Everyday® Card is another popular card offered by Amex that earns cash-back only. In addition, co-branded cards like the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card do not earn Membership Rewards points.

Minimum and Maximum Transfer Limits

American Express explicitly lists the minimum and maximum transfer limits for each partner. For most of them, the minimum transfer amount is 1,000, the maximum is 999,000 and the transfer increment is 1,000 unless otherwise stated. Here are the exceptions:

• For Avianca LifeMiles, the maximum is 750,000.
• For JetBlue TrueBlue®, the minimum is 250, the maximum is 999,750 and the increment is 250.
• For Qantas Frequent Flyer, the minimum is 500, the maximum is 999,500 and the increment is 500.
• For Qatar Airways Privilege Club, the maximum is 750,000.

Expiration Policies

Since American Express Membership Rewards points don’t expire, as long as your card account is active and in good standing, you can leave as many in your account as you’d like.

It may be a different story if you decide to transfer your points to an airline partner. Once your points are in the partner airline account, they are subject to the expiration policies in that partner’s program terms and conditions. Many airline Miles do expire, so be mindful of this before transferring your points.

Restrictions and Blackout Dates

You can transfer your Amex points at any time, as there are no restrictions or blackout dates. However, note that each airline partner may have their own set of restrictions regarding blackout dates and award booking procedures.

Earning American Express Membership Rewards Points

There are a couple of ways to earn Amex Membership Rewards points. The most obvious is through sign-up bonuses and bonus spending multipliers on Membership Rewards-earning cards.

Bear in mind that not all Amex cards earn Membership Rewards points. In the previous section, we listed both the personal and business card options. Be sure to do your research into each card to find the one that best aligns with your current spending habits.

Another way to earn is through the Rakuten shopping portal. When you want to make an online purchase, you can log into your Rakuten account and search for the retailer you want. By clicking on the retailer’s link through Rakuten and then making your purchase, you can earn bonus Membership Rewards points, regardless of payment method.

Each retailer offers a different rate, and rates can fluctuate over time. If you have an item that you want, you may consider waiting for an elevated earning rate on Rakuten before pulling the trigger to maximize Membership Rewards points.

Conclusion

American Express’s comprehensive list of airline partners can help you get around the world in style. Many Amex credit cards unlock access to travel partners, and you can begin earning Membership Rewards points with them immediately. Once you’ve earned enough points, you can transfer them to your desired airline partner and reap the benefits of free travel.

As with many things in the points and miles game, it’s possible that American Express’s transfer partners, bonuses and even program terms and conditions can change. We advise keeping a close eye on updates within the American Express program to guarantee you can optimize the value of your points.