It’s no wonder that 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 points are super easy to earn and redeem.
When redeemed with partners, TPG estimates you’ll get at least 2 cents per point in value, as of July 2025.
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about American Express Membership Rewards transfer partners, including some redemption options. This will help you determine the best ways to maximize your Amex points for your next trip.
How to earn American Express Membership Rewards points
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
Welcome offer: New applicants for The Platinum Card® from American Express can find out their offer and see if they are eligible to for as high as 175,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.
Annual fee: $695 (see rates and fees)
Earning rates:
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- 5 points per dollar spent on airfare purchased directly with airlines or through American Express 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
For more information, read our full review of the Amex Platinum.
Apply here: American Express Platinum
American Express Gold Card
Welcome offer: New applicants for the American Express® Gold Card can find out their offer and see if they are eligible to for as high as 100,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
Annual fee: $325 (see rates and fees)
Earning rates:
- 4 points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar)
- 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 with airlines or through amextravel.com
- 2 points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on amextravel.com
- 1 point per dollar spent on other eligible purchases
For more information, read our full review of the Amex Gold.
Apply here: American Express Gold Card
The Business Platinum Card from American Express
Welcome offer: New applicants for The Business Platinum Card® from American Express can earn 150,000 bonus points after spending $20,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Platinum Card within the first three months of card membership.
Annual fee: $695 (see rates and fees)
Earning rates:
- 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
For more information, read our full review of the Amex Business Platinum card.
Apply here: American Express Business Platinum
American Express Business Gold Card
Welcome offer: New applicants for the American Express® Business Gold Card can earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $15,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership.
Annual fee: $375 (see rates and fees)
Earning rates:
- 4 points per dollar spent in the two eligible categories your business spends the most each billing cycle, from six eligible categories, on the first $150,000 in combined purchases each calendar year (then 1 point per dollar spent)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights and prepaid hotels booked through amextravel.com
- 1 point per dollar spent on other eligible purchases
For more information, read our full review of the Amex Business Gold.
Apply here: American Express Business Gold
American Express Green Card
Welcome offer: Earn 40,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership.
Annual fee: $150
Earning rates:
- 3 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide (including 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
For more information, read our full review of the Amex Green Card.
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.
Related: Best frequent flyer programs for US travelers
Do Amex Membership Rewards expire?
Membership Rewards points do not expire. However, if you close your account or American Express closes it itself, you will forfeit any remaining points you have. That’s just one of the reasons we encourage all points and miles enthusiasts to avoid hoarding points.
If Amex determines that you’re abusing your access to Membership Rewards points, such as by selling them to others, they may limit or close your account.
What are the Amex Membership Rewards transfer partners?
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:
It’s important to note that Hawaiian Airlines used to be a transfer partner, but that ended on June 30th.
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
If you wish to transfer your Membership Rewards, you’ll need an open and valid Amex account. 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 on transfers to select partners from time to time.
However, there are a few important restrictions to be aware of:
- Transfers to travel partners are non-reversible, so make sure you are certain you have a use for the points before you transfer them.
- The first and last names must be the same on your Amex account and loyalty program accounts.
- You can only transfer points to your loyalty program accounts or those of authorized users on the card. However, said authorized users must be on your account for at least 90 days before they are eligible for transfers.
- You’re charged a federal excise tax offset fee when you move Amex points to U.S. frequent flyer programs — namely, Delta SkyMiles and JetBlue TrueBlue. This is 60 cents (or 120 points) for every 1,000 points you transfer, up to a maximum of $99 (or 19,800 points). However, you can potentially avoid this fee by using other partners like Virgin Atlantic to book a Delta flight.
Related: How to transfer credit card rewards to partner programs
Is it worth it to transfer Membership Rewards points?
With so many different options, deciding where and when 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.
With the right redemption, your points will be worth significantly more than if you used them for other redemptions, like cash back or gift cards. At TPG, we always think transferring your rewards is worth it, whether you’re booking a dream trip or a yearly family vacation.
For some inspiration, here are five of our favorite transfer options:
- Book ANA first-class flights to Japan with Virgin Atlantic: You can book a one-way flight to Japan flying ANA from the U.S. West Coast for 52,500 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: Despite a recent devaluation, Iberia is still a solid sweet spot for business-class flights from the northeast U.S. to Spain, with just 40,050 miles each way on off-peak dates when you book through Iberia 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. You’ll sometimes even see business-class awards on select routes included in the carrier’s Spontaneous Escapes promotion.
- Transfer to Flying Blue for flights to Europe and North Africa: Flying Blue is Air France and KLM’s joint loyalty program. Flights to Europe start at 20,000 miles one-way in economy and 60,000 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.
Related: Best ways to use Amex Membership Rewards points: From business-class flights to Europe to Hawaii
Bottom line
American Express Membership Rewards points are some of the most valuable points on the market. This is mainly due to Amex’s extensive selection 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 rewards currency so highly.
Related: This might be the best Amex card combo: Amex Gold and Amex Business Platinum
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.