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American Express Membership Rewards transfer partners: Maximize your points

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Editor’s note: This is a recurring post regularly updated with the latest information.

It’s no wonder why TPG staffers (and our readers) love American Express Membership Rewards points.

Whether you want to redeem your Amex points for a cheap and cheerful hotel room or fly first class to Asia, you can transfer Amex points to an impressive 17 airline partners and three hotel partners. Plus, Membership Rewards are super easy to earn and redeem.

Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about American Express Membership Rewards transfer partners, including some redemption options so you can learn the best ways to make the most of your Amex points for your next trip.

How to earn American Express Membership Rewards points

Qatar Airways_Qsuite_Facebook_3
QATAR AIRWAYS/FACEBOOK

You need an eligible American Express card to earn Membership Rewards points.

Several popular Membership Rewards-earning cards currently offer generous welcome bonuses.

The Platinum Card® from American Express

Amex Platinum: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $8,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership.

Earning points:

  • 5 points per dollar spent on airfare purchased directly through airlines or Amex Travel (on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar)
  • 5 points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked with Amex Travel
  • 1 point per dollar spent on other purchases

Annual fee: $695 (see rates and fees)

American Express® Gold Card

Amex Gold Card: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new card within the first six months of card membership. However, some readers have been targeted for an even higher welcome offer using the CardMatch tool (offer subject to change at any time).

Earning points:

  • 4 points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide
  • 4 points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets (on the first $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on airfare purchased directly through airlines or through amextravel.com
  • 1 point per dollar spent on other eligible purchases

Annual fee: $250 (see rates and fees)

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

Amex Business Platinum: Earn 120,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Platinum Card within the first three months of card membership.

Earning points:

  • 5 points per dollar spent on flights and prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel
  • 1.5 points per dollar spent in select business categories and eligible purchases of $5,000 or more on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year (then 1 point per dollar)
  • 1 point per dollar spent on other eligible purchases

Annual fee: $695 (see rates and fees)

American Express® Business Gold Card

Amex Business Gold Card: Earn 70,000 bonus points after you spend $10,000 on eligible purchases in the first three months of card membership.

Earning points:

  • 4 points per dollar spent in the two categories your business spends the most each billing cycle from six eligible categories; you’ll earn 4 points per dollar spent on the first $150,000 in combined purchases each calendar year (then 1 point per dollar)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights and prepaid hotels booked through amextravel.com
  • 1 point per dollar spent on other eligible purchases

Annual fee: $375 (see rates and fees)

American Express® Green Card

Amex Green Card: Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership.

Earning points:

  • 3 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and takeout and delivery in the U.S.
  • 3 points per spent dollar on travel and transit
  • 1 point per dollar spent on other eligible purchases

Annual fee: $150 (see rates and fees)

The information for the American Express Green Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Amex Membership Rewards transfer partners

ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

American Express has 17 airline and three hotel transfer partners. These partners include at least one useful option in each major airline alliance: SkyTeam, Star Alliance and Oneworld.

You can transfer your Membership Rewards points to the following airline programs:

Related: Best frequent flyer programs for US travelers

HILTON

There are also three hotel transfer partner options:

Related: Best hotel rewards programs in the world: Which one is right for you?

How to transfer Membership Rewards to partners

You’ll need an open and valid Amex account if you wish to transfer your Membership Rewards. You can then link each transfer partner in your Membership Rewards account and transfer Membership Rewards points in increments of 1,000 to any partner you wish, with a minimum of 1,000 points.

American Express offers bonuses to transfer to select partners from time to time.

Transfers to travel partners are non-reversible, so make sure you are certain you have a use for the points before you transfer them.

How to maximize Membership Rewards transfer partners

Delta One Suite
ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

With so many different transfer options, deciding where to transfer your Membership Rewards points can be difficult. The great thing about transferable points is that you can keep them in your Amex account until you decide where and when to transfer them.

For some inspiration, here are some of our favorite transfer options:

  • Book Delta flights to Europe (with no fuel surcharges) and ANA first class by transferring your Membership Rewards to Virgin Atlantic: You can book one-way Delta flights from the U.S. to Europe in Delta One business class for just 50,000 points. You can also book a one-way flight to Japan flying ANA from the U.S. West Coast for 45,000 points (business class) or 72,500 points (first class).
  • Book Oneworld economy flights using British Airways Avios: Many routes from the East Coast to Dublin on Aer Lingus can be booked in economy class for just 26,000 Avios round-trip on off-peak dates by transferring your Membership Rewards to British Airways. You can also fly short haul outside North America for as few as 5,000 Avios.
  • Fly round trip to Madrid on Iberia: One of the industry’s best sweet spots is flying Iberia business class from the northeast U.S., including Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD), to Spain for just 34,000 miles each way on off-peak dates, booking through Iberia Plus or British Airways Executive Club.
  • Fly Singapore Airlines premium classes by transferring Membership Rewards to KrisFlyer: You can fly the first-class suites on the Airbus A380 for 93,500 points if you book a one-way flight between Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) and Sydney Airport (SYD). While Singapore no longer flies the A380 to the U.S., you can still book first class on the carrier’s 777-300ER from New York to Frankfurt for 97,000 points.
  • Transfer to Flying Blue for flights to Europe and North Africa: Flying Blue is Air France and KLM’s joint loyalty program and a Membership Rewards transfer partner. Flights to Europe start at 20,000 miles one-way in economy and 50,000 miles one-way in business class. Also, look out for the program’s monthly Promo Rewards, where select routes are discounted for last-minute travel.

Bottom line

American Express Membership Rewards points are some of the most valuable points on the market. This is largely due to Amex’s extensive list of airline and hotel transfer partners.

There are plenty of valuable ways to use them, and the flexibility to decide when, where and how many points to transfer at your convenience is one of the reasons why we rate this points currency so highly.

For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum Card, click here.

For rates and fees of the Amex Gold Card, click here.

For rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum Card, click here.

For rates and fees of the Amex Business Gold Card, click here.

For rates and fees of the Amex Green Card, click here.