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Amex Membership Rewards points are so valuable because of the flexibility they offer for booking with multiple airline or hotel partners for everything from that first-class trip around the world to a great family vacation to Europe. And it’s easy to earn Amex points with the best American Express cards.
In addition to the direct Amex airline transfer partners, you’ll get access to other indirect partners as well, thanks to airline alliances. This is a great way to use not only an airline miles credit card, but also use American Express points to double your miles. I’ll show you everything you need to know about Amex Membership Rewards transfer partners and what you should know before you transfer Amex Membership Rewards points to book award travel.
Here’s a quick look at the travel partners you can use with your Amex points.
| Airline | Transfer ratio | Minimum transfer | Estimated transfer time |
| Aer Lingus | 1:1 | 1,000 points | Instant |
| AeroMexico | 1:1.6 | 1,000 points | 24 Hours |
| Air Canada | 1:1 | 1,000 points | Instant |
| Alitalia | 1:1 | 1,000 points | Instant |
| ANA | 1:1 | 1,000 points | 48 Hours |
| Cathay Pacific (Asia Miles) | 1:1 | 1,000 points | 48 Hours |
| Avianca | 1:1 | 1,000 points | Instant |
| British Airways | 1:1 | 1,000 points | Instant |
| Delta | 1:1 | 1,000 points | Instant |
| Emirates | 1:1 | 1,000 points | Instant |
| Etihad | 1:1 | 1,000 points | Instant |
| Flying Blue (Air France / KLM) | 1:1 | 1,000 points | Instant |
| Iberia | 1:1 | 1,000 points | 48 hours |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 1:1 | 1,000 points | Instant |
| JetBlue | 250:200 | 1,000 points | Instant |
| Qantas | 1:1 | 1,000 points | Instant |
| Singapore Airlines | 1:1 | 1,000 points | Up to 24 hours |
| Virgin Atlantic | 1:1 | 1,000 points | Instant |
| Choice Hotels | 1:1 | 1,000 points | Instant |
| Hilton | 1:2 | 1,000 points | Instant |
| Marriott | 1:1 | 1,000 points | Instant |
Airline partners
You can choose from 21 different airline and hotel partners to use your American Express points with, which is why many of the best travel credit cards are issued by American Express. Having the option of booking with so many different partners makes opening flexible rewards credit cards a better option for most, compared to applying for one of the top airline credit cards or best hotel credit cards.
For step-by-step instructions, check out our guide on how to transfer Amex points.
Not all Amex airline transfer partners are equal. The transfer ratios vary, which means you want to make sure you’re using a partner that will get you the highest Amex points value.
Most Amex points transfers occur instantly. The transfer ratios in the table are the standard ratios, but there are frequent Amex transfer bonuses to different partners. You’ll see the current transfer ratios by logging in to your Amex Membership Rewards account, as some of the bonuses are targeted.
Generally, you get a better deal redeeming Amex Membership Rewards points with airline partners. But Amex points are a good option for topping up your Marriott account. You also can transfer Marriott points to many great airline partners (Alaska Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Japan Airlines) and you get a 5,000-mile bonus for every 60,000 Marriott points you transfer.
Choice Hotels are usually inexpensive, so you won’t often get a good value for your Amex Membership Rewards points, but there are some excellent Choice Hotels award deals in many areas of Europe and Japan. As for Hilton, there are lots of ways to easily earn Hilton points with some of the best Hilton credit cards, so I prefer saving my Amex Membership Rewards points for transfers to airline partners.
Aer Lingus
National carrier of: Ireland
Useful partner airlines you can fly by redeeming Aer Lingus Avios: Alaska Airlines, British Airways, JetBlue, United Airlines
Example of how to use Aer Lingus Avios: Fly from many U.S. cities (including Chicago, New York, Minneapolis, and Philadelphia) to Ireland in coach for just 13,000 Aer Lingus Avios points each way. That’s 17,000 miles less than U.S. airlines like United and American.
Aeromexico
National carrier of: Mexico
Useful partner airlines you can fly by redeeming Aeromexico miles: Delta, Garuda Indonesia, Air France, China Eastern
Example of how to use Aeromexico miles: Fly to Athens in lie-flat business class on KLM for 110,000 Aeromexico miles. This flight regularly prices for $1,700+ each way.
Amex points transfer to Aeromexico at a rate of 5:8.
Air Canada
National carrier of: Canada
Useful partner airlines you can fly by redeeming Air Canada Aeroplan miles: United Airlines, Lufthansa, SWISS, Turkish Airlines
Example of how to use Air Canada Aeroplan miles: Fly one-way from the U.S. to Abu Dhabi to Sydney in Etihad’s world-famous first class apartments for 110,000 Aeroplan miles. This particular seat can cost $20,000+ for this route.
Air France/KLM (Flying Blue)
National carrier of: France/Netherlands
Useful partner airlines you can fly by redeeming Flying Blue miles: Delta, Aeromexico, China Airlines, Aeroflot
Example of how to use Flying Blue miles: Fly to Israel in lie-flat business class for 53,000 Flying Blue miles. Flying Blue doesn’t have an official award chart, but they tend to price tickets based on region anyway — and they lump Israel in with Europe, which is good news for the U.S., as it’s cheaper than Middle East prices.
Alitalia
National carrier of: Italy
Useful partner airlines you can fly by redeeming Alitalia miles: Delta, Air France, Korean Air, Aeromexico
Example of how to use Alitalia miles: Fly to Rome in lie-flat business class on Alitalia from several U.S. airports (including New York, Chicago, and San Francisco) for 70,000 miles each way. This isn’t a spectacular use (Alitalia eliminated their biggest sweet spot in early 2020), but it’s on par with other airline award prices.
ANA
National carrier of: Japan
Useful partner airlines you can fly by redeeming ANA miles: SWISS, United Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Singapore Airlines
Example of how to use ANA miles: Fly round-trip to Japan from the U.S. in lie-flat business class for 75,000 ANA miles during off-peak dates (peak dates cost 90,000 miles). This itinerary easily prices at $5,500.
Avianca
National carrier of: Colombia
Useful partner airlines you can fly by redeeming Avianca miles: United Airlines, Lufthansa, TAP Portugal, Air Canada
Example of how to use Avianca miles: Fly one-way from cities like San Francisco, Dallas, and New York to Germany in Lufthansa first class for 87,000 Avianca miles. Without miles, prepare to pay $7,000 or more for this flight, depending on where you’re flying from.
British Airways
National carrier of: U.K.
Useful partner airlines you can fly by redeeming British Airways Avios points: American Airlines, Iberia, Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways, Alaska Airlines
Example of how to use British Airways Avios points: Fly in coach from the West Coast to Hawaii on American Airlines or Alaska Airlines for just 13,000 Avios points each way.
Cathay Pacific
National carrier of: Hong Kong
Useful partner airlines you can fly by redeeming Cathay Pacific miles: American Airlines, British Airways, Japan Airlines, Qatar Airlines
Example of how to use Cathay Pacific miles: Fly from New York to London with a connection in Hong Kong in Cathay Pacific first class for 125,000 miles. This is a really inconveniently long flight — but if you’re like us, you want to squeeze as many minutes in business class from your miles and points as possible (especially Cathay Pacific business class).
Delta
National carrier of: U.S.
Useful partner airlines you can fly by redeeming Delta miles: Air France/KLM, China Eastern, LATAM, Garuda Indonesia
Example of how to use Delta miles: Fly from the U.S. to Brazil on LATAM for 25,000 miles one-way in coach. This flight costs $340 normally.
Emirates
National carrier of: United Arab Emirates
Useful partner airlines you can fly by redeeming Emirates miles: JetBlue, Japan Airlines, Qantas, TAP Portugal, Korean Air
Example of how to use Emirates miles: Fly from New York to Milan or Athens in Emirates business class for 135,000 miles round-trip. Emirates is known to have some of the most luxurious premium cabins in the world. This is a notable sweet spot.
Etihad
National carrier of: United Arab Emirates
Useful partner airlines you can fly by redeeming Etihad miles: American Airlines, ANA, Royal Air Maroc, Virgin Australia, Brussels Airlines
Example of how to use Etihad miles: Fly from the U.S to Europe on American Airlines for 50,000 miles in business class or 62,500 miles in first class. This first class price is tens of thousands of miles less than American charges when using American Airlines miles for the same seat!
Hawaiian Airlines
Flag carrier of: Hawaii
Useful partner airlines you can fly by redeeming Hawaiian miles: JetBlue, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia
Example of how to use Hawaiian Airlines miles: Fly from Boston, New York, or Salt Lake City to Honolulu in Hawaiian first class for 40,000 Hawaiian miles each way. A great deal for potentially 10 hours of lie-flat seats.
Iberia
National carrier of: Spain
Useful partner airlines you can fly by redeeming Iberia Avios points: American Airlines, British Airways, Royal Air Maroc
Example of how to use Iberia Avios points: Fly from New York, Chicago, or Boston to Madrid in lie-flat business class for just 34,000 Iberia Avios points each way during off-peak dates (the vast majority of the year is off-peak, so no worries). Good luck finding a cheaper business class ticket across the Atlantic! This is one of my favorite sweet spots.
JetBlue
National carrier of: U.S.
Useful partner airlines you can fly by redeeming JetBlue points: Hawaiian Airlines
Example of how to use JetBlue points: JetBlue has what is widely considered the best business class product of any U.S. airline. You can fly it from its hubs like New York and Boston to the Caribbean (Barbados, St. Lucia, Grenada, etc.), Central America (Liberia, Costa Rica), and plenty of transcontinental routes like Los Angeles and Seattle. JetBlue prices its awards based on the cash price of the ticket. You should be able to find select routes for under 40,000 points each way.
Amex points transfer to JetBlue at a ratio of 5:4.
Qantas
National carrier of: Australia
Useful partner airlines you can fly by redeeming Qantas points: American Airlines Emirates, Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways, EL AL
Example of how to use Qantas points: Fly to Israel in EL AL business class for 90,000 Qantas points. This is one of the few ways to secure an elusive premium cabin seat on Israel’s national airline.
Singapore Airlines
National carrier of: Singapore
Useful partner airlines you can fly by redeeming Singapore miles: United Airlines, Turkish Airlines, SWISS, Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic
Example of how to use Singapore miles: Fly one-way from New York to Frankfurt in game-changing Singapore Suites (first class) for 86,000 Singapore miles. If you book two of these seats in the middle of the plane, you and a partner can fold them down into a double bed!
Virgin Atlantic
National carrier of: U.K.
Useful partner airlines you can fly by redeeming Virgin Atlantic miles: ANA, Delta, Air New Zealand, Air France, Hawaiian Airlines
Example of how to use Virgin Atlantic miles: Fly round-trip in ANA first class (one of the best!) from the West Coast for 110,000 Virgin Atlantic miles, or from the East Coast for 120,000 Virgin Atlantic miles. This is possibly the best airline sweet spot available, as these seats cost $17,000+. An absolute steal for 110,000 miles.
Hotel partners
All three Amex hotel partners have one thing going for them: They’ve got gigantic footprints all over the world! Some are specialized to certain markets, as you’ll see in a second, but as long as you don’t wander into the deep recesses of Antarctica, you’ll be able to secure a free hotel night by transferring Amex points to one of the below hotel chains.
Note that it’s almost always a bad idea to convert Amex points into hotel points. You’ll get a much better value per point when transferring your points to airlines instead.
Choice Hotels
Choice hotels are known for two-star brands, such as Quality Inn, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Comfort Inn, etc. While the chain does publish a more upscale brand — Ascend Hotel Collection – Choice points are an investment well made by road warriors and those who find themselves in small town USA where other major chains like Hyatt and Marriott are nowhere to be found.
Choice hotels are also uniquely valuable in Scandinavia, with notoriously expensive hotel rates for even budget hotels. Award nights at Choice hotels in this area are dirt cheap, while their cash prices are intimidating.
Hilton
Hilton has a decent mix of low-rent hotels along with five-star resorts to use with your points. You’ll know Hilton hotel brands like Hampton Inn, DoubleTree, Hilton Garden Inn, Conrad, and Waldorf Astoria.
One fantastic aspect of this program is that Hilton points are so easy to earn. It’s relatively effortless to earn 30+ points per dollar when staying at Hilton hotels. If you give Hilton your patronage even a few times per year, you’ll do better by opening Hilton credit cards and earning their gigantic bonuses instead. It takes a lot of Hilton points for a free night at any hotel worth writing home about.
Amex points transfer to Hilton at a 1:2 ratio, however – the most favorable transfer rate of the lot.
Marriott
Marriott is the largest hotel chain in the world, with well over 7,000 locations worldwide. Popular Marriott hotel brands include Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, Courtyard, Fairfield Inn & Suites, and TownePlace Suites.
Similar to Hilton, Marriott hotels can cost a lot of points – up to 100,000 per night during peak dates at their best hotels. That’s an absolute scandal, and you should under no circumstances cash-in 100,000 Amex points for a single free night at a hotel.
Amex credit cards to earn Membership Rewards
You can only earn the welcome bonus with each Amex card once per lifetime. It’s important to ensure you’re getting a notably high offer when opening these cards. To help you with this, bookmark our Bonus Tracker and check it often. We’ll let you know if any Amex cards are offering a higher-than-usual bonus.
| Card | Welcome bonus & minimum spending requirements |
| The Business Platinum Card® from American Express | Earn 120,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with your Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply. |
| American Express®️ Green Card | Earn 45,000 Amex Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $2,000 on purchases in your first six months of card membership. Terms Apply. |
| The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express | Earn 15,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in eligible purchases within the first three months of card membership. Terms Apply. |
| The Platinum Card® from American Express | 100,000 Membership Rewards Points after you spend $6,000 on purchases within the first 6 months of account opening. Terms Apply. |
| American Express® Gold Card | 60,000 Amex Membership Rewards® points after spending $4,000 in purchases in the first six months of account opening. Terms Apply. |
| American Express® Business Gold Card | Earn 70,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $10,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply. |
| Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card from American Express | 15,000 Amex Membership Rewards® points after spending $1,000 on purchases within the first three months of opening your account. Terms Apply. |
| Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express | 10,000 Amex Membership Rewards® points after spending $1,000 on purchases within the first three months of opening your account. Terms Apply. |
The information for the Amex Green, Amex EveryDay Preferred Credit Card and Amex EveryDay Credit Card has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Amex points transfer rules
All transfers are final
Once you transfer Amex Membership Rewards points to a partner program, you will not be able to get the points back to your Amex account. It’s always best to find available award seats before you make a transfer. This way, you can simply transfer your points and book.
Some airlines allow you to place an award booking on hold, so you can find the award space and transfer your Amex points after you’ve already secured the award seat.
Small fee for transfers to U.S. airlines
There’s a small fee for every transfer you make to U.S. airlines. American Express charges an excise fee of 0.06 cents per point, up to a maximum of $99. It’s never fun paying extra fees, but this is usually a small cost in the big picture.
FAQ on Amex transfer partners
Do Membership Reward points expire?
Amex points don’t expire. However, you’ll lose them if you don’t keep at least one American Express Membership Rewards earning card open. In short, you can keep your Amex points alive by:
- Opening another Amex Membership Rewards points earning card before you cancel (including a no annual fee card)
- Downgrading to an Amex Membership Rewards points card with a lower or no annual fee
- Transfer your Amex Membership Rewards points to an airline or hotel partner before you cancel
How much are Amex points worth?
We estimate that Amex points are worth an average of 1.8 cents each. There are many ways to use Amex points, several of them offering far less value. But when transferring to travel partners, we generally find that we receive at least 1.8 cents.
Can you transfer Amex points to another person?
It’s not possible to directly transfer Amex Membership Rewards to another Amex account, but there’s a way around this rule. You can transfer your Amex Membership Rewards points directly into the frequent flyer account of any authorized user. The catch is the cardholder will need to have been an authorized user on your account for at least 90 days before you can make transfers into their frequent flyer account.
It’s easy to add an authorized user to your Amex card online or by calling the number on the back of your card. For some cards (Amex Platinum, Amex Business Platinum, etc.), you will pay a fee to add authorized users, so be sure to double check what fee (if any) you’ll pay for adding someone to your account.
Bottom line
There are 21 airline and hotel partners, which are part of the Amex Membership Rewards program. Thanks to airline alliances, you can book award travel beyond the direct transfer partners. This is extremely helpful because you’ll have more options for getting to just about anywhere with your points.
Remember, not all transfer partners are equal because the transfer ratios and transfer times vary by airline and hotel. So make sure you’re taking advantage of the best ways to use Amex points. If you want help booking a specific trip, check out our guides on using Amex points to get to Europe or using flexible points for flights to Australia.
Featured image by Feel good studio/Shuttestock.