Transferring American Express Membership Rewards points to an airline loyalty program is simple. Amex has 16 different transfer partners to choose from.
Things to Consider:
- Advertised transfer time: Up to 5 business days, but some are instant
- Transfer fees: $0.0006 per point for domestic airline partners with a maximum fee of $99
- Points transfer limits: 999,000 per day, except for JetBlue (799,000) and Virgin America (499,000)
- Expedited transfer time: No
| Airline Partner | Approximate Transfer Time | Points Transfer Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| ANA Mileage Club | 2-3 days | 1,000 : 1,000 |
| AeroMexico Club Premier | 4-5 days | 1,000 : 1,000 |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Instant | 1,000 : 1,000 |
| Air France/KLM FlyingBlue | Instant | 1,000 : 1,000 |
| Alitalia Mille Miglia | Instant | 1,000 : 1,000 |
| British Airways Executive Club | Instant | 1,000 : 1,000 |
| Cathay Pacific Airways - Asia Miles | 1 day | 1,000 : 1,000 |
| Delta SkyMiles | Instant | 1,000 : 1,000 |
| El Al Frequent Traveler Club - Matmid | Instant | 1,000 : 20 |
| Emirates Skywards | Instant | 1,000 : 1,000 |
| Hawaiian Airlines - HawaiianMiles | Instant | 1,000 : 1,000 |
| Iberia Plus | 1-2 days | 1,000 : 1,000 |
| JetBlue TrueBlue | Instant | 1,000 : 800 |
| Singapore Air KrisFlyer | 1 day | 1,000 : 1,000 |
| Virgin America Elevate | Instant | 1,000 : 500 |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 1-2 days | 1,000 : 1,000 |
How to Transfer Membership Rewards Points:
1) Go to American Express and enter your log in information.
2) Click the menu button at the top left corner of the screen.
3) Click “Rewards,” then select “Membership Rewards” and “Use Points.”
4) Then click “Travel.”
5) Scroll down the page and click “Get Started” under “Transfer Points.”
6) Choose the airline you want to transfer your points to.
7) If you have already linked your frequent flyer account to your Membership Rewards account simply input the amount of miles you would like to transfer (in increments of 1,000) agree to the terms and conditions by checking the box and click the green “Continue” button.
If you do not already have a frequent traveler account you can enroll with many American Express airline partners through the Membership Rewards portal. If you have existing frequent traveler accounts than skip to the How to Enroll section and go directly to the How to Link Section.
How to Enroll in Frequent Traveler Programs through American Express Membership Rewards
You can access your Points Summary page any time by clicking the drop down menu next to your name in the upper right hand corner of the page.
1) Once on that page, click the yellow icon beside “Link Loyalty Programs,” then click on “Enroll Additional Programs.”
2) If you would like to join any of the listed airline partners simply check the box beside the frequent traveler program and click “Continue.” About half of their airline partners can be joined directly through their website. The others you must call.
3) Fill in the required information, and click “Continue.” The frequent traveler programs you are enrolling in will be listed to the right of the page.
4) Next, verify your information is correct and enter the card ID number and security code and click “Enroll.”
5) Click “Return to Points Summary” to check the status. It can take up to 5 days for domestic partners and up to two weeks for foreign partners.
6) You will have to wait until the enrollment is completer to transfer the points. It can take up to five days for domestic partners and up to two weeks for foreign partners.
7) Once the enrollment process is complete and your frequent traveler program is linked, you can then transfer your points. Return to your Point Summary page to check the status.
How to Link American Express Membership Rewards to your Existing Frequent Traveler Account
1) Your Membership Rewards account must be linked to your existing frequent flyer accounts in order to complete a transfer. To do this return to the Points Summary page which can be accessed by going to Membership Rewards, logging in and clicking “Rewards” then “Point Summary.”
2) Click the yellow icon next to “Link Loyalty Programs” to expand the menu. Then click “Link Additional Programs.”
3) Check the box beside the loyalty programs you would like to link your account to, in this case we are linking to Delta SkyMiles. Then scroll down the page and click “Continue.”
4) Choose the card you will be using from the drop down menu. Fill in the account number of any accounts you are linking. Then input the card ID number and security code. You will need your American Express card to complete this step. Then click “Link Programs.”
5) The request has to be confirmed by the loyalty program. This can be up to 5 days for their domestic partners and up to 2 weeks for international partners. However, many happen instantly. Click on “Points Summary” to see the status of your request.
6) In this case the Delta SkyMiles account linked instantly. Click on “Delta SkyMiles” if you wish to transfer miles to that account. Or whichever other already linked program you would like to use.
7) Now just enter the amount of points you would like to transfer (they must be in increments of 1,000), agree to the terms and conditions by checking the box then click the green “Continue” button.
You should receive a confirmation e-mail shortly after completing the transfer process.