How to Transfer your American Express Membership Rewards Points to Airline Miles

American Express Membership Rewards points can be transferred to airline loyalty programs and redeemed for flights. It is important to research your loyalty program’s terms and conditions as once transferred, points are subject to the loyalty program’s terms and conditions. Also check flight availability before transferring points.

Also research your American Express card as some are not eligible to transfer points, like American Express Platinum Credit Card, Platinum Business Credit Card, ZYNC card, some Blue credit cards, and some Optima credit cards.

Airlines that Work with American Express Membership Rewards

American Express Member Rewards work with 17 airlines.  Sometimes there are special offers, but points can generally be redeemed at a 1:1 ratio in increments of 1,000 points, like the following:

  • Air Canada Aeroplan Miles
  • Air France KLM Flying Blue Award Miles
  • Millemiglia Alitalia Miles
  • ANA Mileage Club Miles
  • Asia Miles
  • Delta Airlines SkyMiles
  • Emirates Skywards Miles
  • Etihad Airways Guest Miles
  • Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles
  • Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Miles
  • Virgin Atlantic Airways Flying Club miles

But some points can be redeemed for more or less in different increments, like the following:

  • 1000 MR =1600 Aeromexico Premier Points
  • 250 MR = 200 British Airways Avios
  • 1000 MR = 20 El Al Israel Airlines Matmid Points
  • 250 MR = 200 Iberia Plus Avios
  • 250 MR = 200 jetBlue Airways TrueBlue Points
  • 200 MR = 100 Virgin America Elevate points

Transferring Membership Rewards Points to Miles

If you have found a flight you would like to book, you will have to log in to your American Express account and go to the Transfer Points page to link that airline loyalty program. Once you have selected the loyalty program, you will be given step-by-step instructions.

Even if you do not have a specific flight in mind, you may want log in every once in awhile to look for special offers to accumulate more frequent flier miles quickly.

Transfer Times Between American Express Rewards and Airlines

The American Express Membership Rewards terms and conditions indicate that transfers take up to 5 working days to reach your loyalty account. However, while everyone may have their own experiences with different airlines, sometimes it is instantaneous. These have been member experiences in the past:

  • Instant: Air France, Aeroplan, British Airways, Delta, Emirates, Hawaiian
  • 72 Hours: ANA, Iberia

But again, these times are simply a guideline and results may vary.

It has to be stressed that in order to get the most out of transferring your American Express Membership Rewards points to Airline Miles, you HAVE TO do your research. If you are looking for another option for your AMEX points besides transferring them to frequent flyer miles, learn more about selling them for cash by clicking here.