Several American Express cards offer Membership Rewards® points that you can redeem for statement credits, select online purchases or gift cards. However, one of the most valuable redemption options is to transfer points to one of AmEx’s 20 travel partners.
This guide will walk you through all of American Express’ travel partners, explain how to transfer points and offer tips on how to maximize your rewards.
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American Express Membership Rewards Transfer Partners: The Full List
American Express boasts a large roster of transfer partners, featuring 17 airlines and three hotel chains.
Transfer ratios for AmEx travel partners vary, but most can be transferred at a rate of 1-to-1. Below is a list of AmEx’s airline and hotel partners, along with their transfer ratios:
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How to Earn American Express Membership Rewards Points
There are multiple ways to earn AmEx Membership Rewards points, including earning the welcome bonus on a new American Express card and making purchases through the cash back site Rakuten. However, the easiest way to rack up points is by making everyday purchases with the right AmEx card.
There are seven American Express cards that earn Membership Rewards points — three personal cards and four business cards.
American Express Cards That Earn Points And Allow Transfers
| American Express Card | Annual Fee | How to Earn Points | Redemption Value on AmEx Travel |
| American Express Platinum Card® | $895 See Rates & Fees | Five points per dollar on flights booked directly with the airline or through AmEx Travel® (on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year)
Five points on prepaid hotels booked through AmEx Travel One point on other eligible purchases |
1 point per cent
1 point per 0.7 cents spent on hotels |
| American Express® Gold Card | $325 See Rates & Fees | Four points per dollar at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year)
Four points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year) Three points on flights booked directly with the airline or through AmEx Travel Two points on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked through AmEx Travel One point on other eligible purchases |
1 point per cent |
| American Express® Green Card | $150 | Three points per dollar on travel
Three points on transit Three points on restaurants One point on other eligible purchases |
1 point per cent |
| The Business Platinum Card® from American Express | $895 See Rates & Fees | Five points per dollar spent on flights and prepaid hotels booked through AmEx Travel
Two points on eligible business categories and purchases of $5,000 or more (on up to $2 million per calendar year). One point on other eligible purchases |
1 point per cent |
| American Express® Business Gold Card | $375 See Rates & Fees | Four points per dollar spent on your top two eligible categories each month (on the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year)
Three points on flights and prepaid hotels booked through AmEx Travel One point on other eligible purchases |
1 point per cent |
| The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express | No annual fee See Rates & Fees | Two points per dollar spent on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per year
One point on purchases above $50,000 in a calendar year |
1 point per cent |
| Business Green Rewards Card from American Express | $95 See Rates & Fees | Two points per dollar spent on flights and prepaid hotels booked through AmEx Travel
One point on other eligible purchases |
1 point per cent |
How to Transfer AmEx Points
You can transfer AmEx Membership Rewards points online via your American Express account.
To transfer points, log into your American Express account, go to the Rewards & Benefits tab and select Transfer Points on the Ready to Redeem? page. AmEx usually features two partners on the page, but you can see the full list by clicking on View All located in the bottom right corner.
If this is your first time transferring points to a specific partner, you’ll have to link your accounts. First, enter your partner account number or visit its website to create an account. Then you’ll need to verify your identity and complete the linking process.
Now you’re ready to transfer points. You can transfer points to most partners in 1,000-point increments with a couple of exceptions, such as 250-point increments with JetBlue and 500-point increments with Qantas.
Enter the number of points you want to transfer and click on Review Transfer.
If everything looks good, click on Submit Transfer. Your points will then be on their way. According to AmEx, transfers can take up to 48 hours, but some transfers can be instant.
You can transfer points to most of AmEx’s travel partners at no cost — with the exception of domestic airlines. Transferring to Delta Air Lines or JetBlue incurs a fee of 60 cents — or 120 points — per 1,000 points. American Express charges this fee to offset the federal excise tax it must pay when you transfer points. The maximum fee is $99.
You can cover the fee with points or cash, but the cost in points is twice as much as it is in cash.
How to Maximize American Express Membership Rewards Points Transfers
Transferring points to AmEx partners can be one of the savviest rewards moves — but only if you do it right. Follow these tips to increase your chances of scoring success:
Confirm award availability before transferring points. “Never transfer AmEx points until you are 100% sure that there is award availability for your redemption,” says Ramsey Qubein, a freelance journalist who has covered travel and loyalty programs for more than 20 years. Also, keep in mind that some transfers can take up to 48 hours, so “the flight you wanted might disappear if the points take a while to transfer,” says Ben Nickel-D’Andrea, author of the travel rewards blog No Mas Coach. And, he adds, there’s no way to get those points back into your American Express account.
Take advantage of limited-time transfer bonuses. You could possibly stretch point value by 20% to 50% when redeeming a transfer bonus. For example, Virgin Atlantic recently offered a 40% bonus and Marriott Bonvoy offered a 35% bonus. “While I generally don’t recommend transferring points speculatively without a redemption in mind, it may make sense to transfer into those airline programs you regularly use for redemptions,” says Nickel-D’Andrea.
Explore all your redemption options first. The same flight or hotel option could have starkly different point prices depending on where you book. “You should price out the redemption you want in cash, and then compare it to the miles/points value,” says Qubein. “Perhaps you don’t need to transfer points at all to a partner and could secure better value through AmEx.”
Consider transfer fees and taxes. Transferring to domestic airlines comes with a tax offset fee capped at $99, so do the math before transferring to confirm you’re getting the best redemption value. Also, depending on the airline and destination, the fees and taxes of an award flight may double the cost of your trip. “This can eat into the savings that you might see when transferring your points,” says Nickel-D’Andrea.
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Transferring AmEx Points to Travel Partners vs. Redeeming Through AmEx Travel
In many cases, you’ll stretch the value of your Membership Rewards points by transferring them to one of AmEx’s travel partners — but one of the best ways to maximize your rewards is to shop around.
Many of AmEx’s airline partners have partnerships with other companies, which means you may be able to book the same flight through different loyalty programs at different costs in miles.
“Remember that not all loyalty programs are created equally,” says Qubein. “Moving 100,000 points from AmEx to Delta, for example, for a redemption that may cost twice (as much), that makes no sense.” Also, consider the pros of booking through AmEx Travel, he says. “You will even earn miles for the flight. When redeeming miles from an airline’s own program, typically you will not.”
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American Express Membership Rewards: Transfer Partners Guide originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 12/22/25: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
