Summary
Read on to learn what a transfer bonus is, current Amex transfer bonuses offered and more.
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If you are a current holder of The Platinum Card® from American Express, American Express® Gold Card or American Express® Green Card*, you’re probably scrambling to earn more Membership Rewards points.
Since Amex puts a strict “once-in-a-lifetime” limit on the introductory bonuses for its credit cards, finding other opportunities for earning and maximizing points is key to going far with Membership Rewards.
Transfer bonuses, in particular, can help you squeeze more value out of your Membership Rewards points. Amex regularly offers transfer bonuses on its site, and if you transfer your points to the right airline or hotel partner at the right moment, you can potentially get up to a 20% boost on the value of your points.
Read on to learn how transfer bonuses work and how to get the most value out of them.
What is a transfer bonus?
A transfer bonus is a limited time offer that awards you additional points or miles for transferring your points to an outside loyalty program. Most of the time, these bonuses are doled out as an additional percentage of rewards earned – for example, you might earn 15% to 40% more miles when you transfer rewards to a certain airline or hotel partner. Amex adds new transfer bonuses to its site pretty frequently, so it’s worth checking in on a regular basis to see what kinds of deals you can score.
Current Amex transfer bonuses
To show you what kinds of offers you can get, the list below includes all American Express transfer partners and the current transfer bonuses available as of the publish date:
| Transfer partner | Normal transfer ratio | Transfer bonus available |
| Aer Lingus | 1,000 points = 1,000 airline miles | None |
| Aeromexico | 1,000 points = 1,600 airline miles | None |
| Aeroplan | 1,000 points = 1,920 airline miles | 20% through Feb. 15, 2022 |
| Air France / Flying Blue | 1,000 points = 1,000 airline miles | None |
| All Nippon Airways (ANA) | 1,000 points = 1,000 airline miles | None |
| Asia Miles | 1,000 points = 1,000 airline miles | None |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 1,000 points = 1,000 airline miles | None |
| British Airways | 1,000 points = 1,000 airline miles | None |
| Delta SkyMiles | 1,000 points = 1,000 airline miles | None |
| Emirates Skywards | 1,000 points = 1,000 airline miles | None |
| Etihad Guest | 1,000 points = 1,000 airline miles | None |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 1,000 points = 1,000 airline miles | None |
| Iberia Plus | 1,000 points = 1,000 airline miles | None |
| JetBlue | 1,250 points = 1,000 airline miles | None |
| Qantas | 1,000 points = 1,000 airline miles | None |
| Singapore KrisFlyer | 1,000 points = 1,000 airline miles | None |
| Virgin Atlantic | 1,000 points = 1,000 airline miles | None |
| Choice Privileges | 1,000 points = 1,000 points | None |
| Hilton Honors | 1,000 points = 2,000 points | None |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 1,000 points = 1,500 points | None |
Which Amex cards are eligible for a transfer bonus?
American Express offers a wide range of credit cards, some of which are co-branded with airlines and hotels. However, only certain American Express credit cards that earn Membership Rewards points are eligible to transfer points to airline and hotel partners:
| Welcome bonus (terms apply) | Annual fee | |
| American Express® Green Card | 30,000 points when you spend $2,000 in first 3 months | $150 |
| American Express® Gold Card | 60,000 points when you spend $4,000 in first 6 months | $250 |
| The Platinum Card® from American Express | 100,000 points when you spend $6,000 in first 6 months | $695 |
| The Business Platinum Card® from American Express | 120,000 points when you spend $15,000 in first 3 months | $695 |
| American Express® Business Gold Card | 70,000 points when you spend $10,000 in first 3 months | $295 |
| The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express | 15,000 points when you spend $3,000 in first 3 months | $0 |
| Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express* | 10,000 points when you spend $1,000 in first 3 months | $0 |
| Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card* | 15,000 points when you spend $1,000 in first 3 months | $95 |
How do you know when Amex is offering a transfer bonus?
The best way to find out if American Express is offering a transfer bonus is through your online account management page. Start by signing in to your American Express credit card account at AmericanExpress.com and clicking on the heading that says “Rewards.”
From there, you’ll see a variety of options for redeeming your points. You’ll want to click on “Transfer Points” to see all the transfer partners and transfer bonuses available to you.
After you click on “Transfer Points,” you’ll see the transfer bonuses that are currently available at the top of the page.
Keep in mind that transfer bonuses change frequently and may not be available if you take too long to take advantage of it.
How do you transfer Membership Rewards points?
Once you’ve followed the above steps to find the current list of point transfer options, all you have to do is click on “View All” to see every partner available to you.
To transfer points to airline and hotel partners, click on the partner you want to transfer to. From there, you’ll enter the information for the hotel program or frequent flyer number, including your loyalty program account number. You’ll also need to enter the security codes on your corresponding American Express credit card.
How to maximize an Amex transfer bonus
While all American Express Membership Rewards transfer bonuses can be lucrative, some bonuses are definitely better than others. Here are some steps you can take to get more value when you transfer points to airline and hotel partners:
- Keep an eye out for lucrative offers: Occasionally, American Express offers transfer bonuses of up to 40%. Keeping an eye out for the most generous bonuses can help you get more value out of the points you worked so hard to earn.
- Only transfer points to programs with a plan: Make sure you have a plan to use the points you plan to transfer over. Because American Express airline and hotel partner transfers are one-way and cannot be undone, your points may go to waste if you transfer to earn bonus miles but find you can’t actually use your newfound points.
- Double dip with special frequent flyer promotions: Keep an eye out for special promotions that can help you get the most out of miles within a new program. For example, Delta SkyMiles Deals and Flying Blue Promo Rewards let you book award flights at a considerable discount.
- Double-check the point value before you transfer: Don’t be fooled by a large number of points – make sure that the program you’re transferring to offers a good value on those points. For instance, you may get 300 more points by transferring them to Marriott Bonvoy, but since Marriott points are only worth around 0.8 cents apiece, you might be better off sending your points elsewhere.
Bottom line
Transfer bonuses can help you get more bang for your buck, but you may have to wait a while for a truly beneficial partner bonus to come along. Your best bet is earning points as soon as you can so that, once a good bonus is announced, you can strike while the iron is hot.
*Information about the American Express Green Card, American Express Everyday Credit Card and Amex EveryDay Preferred Credit Card has been collected independently by CreditCards.com. The issuer did not provide the content, nor is it responsible for its accuracy.
Editorial Disclaimer
The editorial content on this page is based solely on the objective assessment of our writers and is not driven by advertising dollars. It has not been provided or commissioned by the credit card issuers. However, we may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners.
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