Oct 9, 2013, 1:33 pm
Last edit by: gooselee
Q. Where can I find a list of the airline and hotel transfer partners?
Partner airline and hotel programs, transfer ratios, and rules vary by the country where your American Express card is issued:
Australia: Airlines & Hotels
Canada: Airlines & Hotels
International Dollar & Euro Cards: Airlines & Hotels
New Zealand: Airlines & Hotels
UK: Airlines, Hotels
USA: Airlines & Hotels Transfer ratios explained below.
Q. What are the transfer ratios to USA airline and hotel partners?
Q. How long does it typically take to compete a transfer?
MR USA airline and hotel partner transfer times.
Q. How can I use Membership Rewards points to travel on American Airlines, United Airlines, Alaska Airlines or other carriers which are not transfer partners?
Membership Rewards (USA) points can be transferred to three or more frequent flyer programs in each of the international alliances. Any program can arrange award travel on flights operated by all members of the same alliance. Points cannot be transferred from one frequent flyer program to another, instead you redeem for a partner award. The number of miles required is determined by the program through which you redeem, not by the airline operating the flights. Programs in the same alliance will require different amounts of miles, and different co-payments, for the same flights. Do not transfer until you understand the full cost of the flights you need. Do not transfer until you have confirmed availability for your specific dates and route.
To travel on American Airlines, US Airways or any other OneWorld carrier redeem through:
To travel on Delta Air Lines or any other SkyTeam carrier redeem through:
To travel on United Airlines or any other Star Alliance carrier redeem through:
To travel on Alaska Airlines redeem through:
Q. Rather than transferring now, can I preserve my Membership Rewards USA points balance without paying any annual fee?
Apply for an American Express Everyday card, and link it to the same Membership Rewards account. You may then close the other cards.
Partner airline and hotel programs, transfer ratios, and rules vary by the country where your American Express card is issued:
Australia: Airlines & Hotels
Canada: Airlines & Hotels
International Dollar & Euro Cards: Airlines & Hotels
New Zealand: Airlines & Hotels
UK: Airlines, Hotels
USA: Airlines & Hotels Transfer ratios explained below.
Q. What are the transfer ratios to USA airline and hotel partners?
For most frequent customer programs, 1,000 Membership Rewards points will equal 1,000 miles, points or credits and must be transferred in 1,000-point increments unless otherwise noted.
The only exceptions are:
JetBlue Airways: 250 points = 200 JetBlue TrueBlue® points; must be transferred in 250-point increments
El AL Israel Airlines: 1,000 points = 20 Matmid points
Starwood Preferred Guest®: 1,000 points = 333 Starpoints®
Hilton®: 1,000 points = 1,500 HHonors™ points
Virgin America: 200 points = 100 Elevate points; must be transferred in 200-point increments
The only exceptions are:
JetBlue Airways: 250 points = 200 JetBlue TrueBlue® points; must be transferred in 250-point increments
El AL Israel Airlines: 1,000 points = 20 Matmid points
Starwood Preferred Guest®: 1,000 points = 333 Starpoints®
Hilton®: 1,000 points = 1,500 HHonors™ points
Virgin America: 200 points = 100 Elevate points; must be transferred in 200-point increments
Q. How long does it typically take to compete a transfer?
MR USA airline and hotel partner transfer times.
Q. How can I use Membership Rewards points to travel on American Airlines, United Airlines, Alaska Airlines or other carriers which are not transfer partners?
Membership Rewards (USA) points can be transferred to three or more frequent flyer programs in each of the international alliances. Any program can arrange award travel on flights operated by all members of the same alliance. Points cannot be transferred from one frequent flyer program to another, instead you redeem for a partner award. The number of miles required is determined by the program through which you redeem, not by the airline operating the flights. Programs in the same alliance will require different amounts of miles, and different co-payments, for the same flights. Do not transfer until you understand the full cost of the flights you need. Do not transfer until you have confirmed availability for your specific dates and route.
To travel on American Airlines, US Airways or any other OneWorld carrier redeem through:
- Asia Miles (Cathay Pacific)
- British Airways
- Iberia Airlines
------------------ - El Al is not a OneWorld member, but they do have a rewards partnership with American Airlines, see HERE. Ends October 31, 2014.
- Hawaiian Airlines is not a OneWorld member, but they do have a rewards partnership with American Airlines, see HERE.
To travel on Delta Air Lines or any other SkyTeam carrier redeem through:
- Delta Air Lines
- AeroMexico
- Alitalia
- FlyingBlue (Air France, KLM, Air Europa, Kenya Airways, Aircalin and Tarom.)
*Note: DL permits one-way awards as of 01 JAN 2015, however trips originating outside of USA carry additional surcharges.
To travel on United Airlines or any other Star Alliance carrier redeem through:
- Aeroplan (Air Canada) No fuel surcharge on flights operated by UA and many other airlines. Read current list HERE.
- All Nippon Airways. Read about ANA fuel surcharges HERE. Read about changes to partner redemption charts in April 2015 HERE.
- Singapore Airlines. Read HERE
Read about Singapore Airlines' reciprocal mile conversion arrangement with Virgin Australia HERE.
To travel on Alaska Airlines redeem through:
- Asia Miles
- British Airways
- Delta Airlines
- Emirates
- FlyingBlue
Q. Rather than transferring now, can I preserve my Membership Rewards USA points balance without paying any annual fee?
Apply for an American Express Everyday card, and link it to the same Membership Rewards account. You may then close the other cards.
Transfer Membership Rewards points to which airline or hotel program? [2008 - 2014]
Nov 6, 2010, 5:11 pm
#46
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: TPA
Programs: spg gold
Posts: 406
I don't know your home is? You should think about BA if you want to Asia and Hawaii. CX to Asia, and AA to Hawaii.
Nov 7, 2010, 7:40 am
#47
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 11
I live in NYC, so there is a delta hub here which helps. At this point I think I am more interested in flying coach with possible upgrades than first in 3 class cabins, although the new Swiss first is worth every point for sure. How would I get to Hawaii through AC?
Nov 7, 2010, 10:44 am
#48
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: DCA/IAD
Posts: 135
I'd consider DL's gawdawful redemption availability before transferring to them unless they are a regular carrier for your routine travel needs.
Nov 7, 2010, 11:38 am
#49
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: ORD
Programs: HH Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, Bonvoy Platinum
Posts: 1,028
as you are east coast usa, for asia or hawaii tavel, I'd transfer to AC.
isut more options in general transferring to *alliance
isut more options in general transferring to *alliance
Nov 7, 2010, 2:17 pm
#50
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Arizona
Posts: 5,689
If you are lazy or want to travel with more than two people Delta is good choice. You can always find a seat...it just may be an extreme poor value. But for ease of booking and/or + 2 passengers Delta is a good choice with 50% bonus. I have booked 8 people international on Delta with ease
Last edited by Centurion; Nov 7, 2010 at 2:23 pm
Nov 7, 2010, 4:50 pm
#51
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: NYC
Programs: Delta DM, SPG Plat, Hyatt Diamond, MTA Rust, Hertz Five Star something or other
Posts: 2,858
If you want coach awards, Air Canada is not your best bet. For example, an Aeroplan coach award to SE Asia is 95,000 in coach- versus Delta 60,000. They also charge 130,000 for COACH travel to India/Africa. A poor value IMO.
If you want Star Alliance, Continental has better coach redemption rates and lower fees.
As other mentioned, your 270k miles would be 405,000 if transferred to Delta using this promo and you'd also get Medallion status (free bags, priority seats, mileage bonus, etc) until Feb 2012. Delta to Europe or Asia is only 60k in coach and yes, while their awards are harder to get- if you have flexibility and can book somewhat last minute, its not as hard finding seats.
If you want Star Alliance, Continental has better coach redemption rates and lower fees.
As other mentioned, your 270k miles would be 405,000 if transferred to Delta using this promo and you'd also get Medallion status (free bags, priority seats, mileage bonus, etc) until Feb 2012. Delta to Europe or Asia is only 60k in coach and yes, while their awards are harder to get- if you have flexibility and can book somewhat last minute, its not as hard finding seats.
Nov 7, 2010, 5:46 pm
#52
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: ORD
Programs: HH Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, Bonvoy Platinum
Posts: 1,028
IMHO, flying coach does not maximize the value of your miles
Last edited by jmw2323; Nov 7, 2010 at 8:56 pm
Nov 7, 2010, 6:57 pm
#53
Community Director Emerita
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Anywhere warm
Posts: 33,747
I move my AMEX points to ANA. Since you want to fly to Asia, you should consider them.
Nov 7, 2010, 7:41 pm
#54
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: ORD
Programs: HH Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, Bonvoy Platinum
Posts: 1,028
Nov 7, 2010, 11:10 pm
#55
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 10,969
Aeroplan's fees and mileage expiration (i.e. shelf life) are bad. Aeroplan does have this thing where you can take advantage of its routing rules to do RTW-like F tickets for 120,000 miles : http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/air-c...rst-class.html
DL's bonus is nice but redemption and fees are bad - $150 to change date/time unless you are Platinum/Diamond.
CO->UA is good if you are a UA elite and can get into Economy Plus for award redemption. The problem is that there are a lot of uncertainties on how a merged program will look like.
Also there is the fee for transferring to US airlines.
DL's bonus is nice but redemption and fees are bad - $150 to change date/time unless you are Platinum/Diamond.
CO->UA is good if you are a UA elite and can get into Economy Plus for award redemption. The problem is that there are a lot of uncertainties on how a merged program will look like.
Also there is the fee for transferring to US airlines.
Last edited by username; Nov 8, 2010 at 8:05 pm
Nov 8, 2010, 5:55 am
#56
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: AA Gold, AMEX MR, BA, DL, SPG, UA, US, Hyatt Platinum
Posts: 461
My two cents.
First, I confess...I redeem my frequent flyer miles for economy tickets. I have miles on all the major US carriers plus American Express Membership Rewards and American Express Starwoods Preferred Guest. I book multiple trips a year to Asia and South America (never domestic).
My thoughts based upon your 270,000 Membership Rewards points and your New York City location. Others have written valid comments on other airlines, I will not repeat their comments.
Delta - Yes, all the stuff they say about Skypesos is true. But with a ease of which many of us got tons of Delta miles (does anyone actually fly on Delta? ) 50% Membership Rewards bonus promotion and Medallion status, it is a good alternative. Yes, a 60,000 mile ticket to Asia is almost impossible to find. But a 90,000 mile Asia ticket is easy to get. So, based upon a 50% MR to DL bonus, 60,000 MR points gets a 90,000 mile DL ticket. This is a fair deal and the 90,000 ticket is easy to get. If you want Business, a 120,000 DL business ticket to Asia is not easy to find. But a partner Business ticket to 120,000 is not too hard. So for 80,000 MR points you get a business ticket to Asia, not a bad deal.
Continental - You live near Newark and Continental flies everywhere from EWR. You do not have to find availability on a domestic leg. I love Continental for redeeming partner awards on low mileage economy tickets. I pay for KVS and find my own routing.
USairways - Do not overlook USairways. Their program is a bit goofy, but great for redeeming Business and First partner awards (you have to find availability yourself). Since you live next to EWR, this is a good alternative.
Once again, just my two cents.
My thoughts based upon your 270,000 Membership Rewards points and your New York City location. Others have written valid comments on other airlines, I will not repeat their comments.
Delta - Yes, all the stuff they say about Skypesos is true. But with a ease of which many of us got tons of Delta miles (does anyone actually fly on Delta? ) 50% Membership Rewards bonus promotion and Medallion status, it is a good alternative. Yes, a 60,000 mile ticket to Asia is almost impossible to find. But a 90,000 mile Asia ticket is easy to get. So, based upon a 50% MR to DL bonus, 60,000 MR points gets a 90,000 mile DL ticket. This is a fair deal and the 90,000 ticket is easy to get. If you want Business, a 120,000 DL business ticket to Asia is not easy to find. But a partner Business ticket to 120,000 is not too hard. So for 80,000 MR points you get a business ticket to Asia, not a bad deal.
Continental - You live near Newark and Continental flies everywhere from EWR. You do not have to find availability on a domestic leg. I love Continental for redeeming partner awards on low mileage economy tickets. I pay for KVS and find my own routing.
USairways - Do not overlook USairways. Their program is a bit goofy, but great for redeeming Business and First partner awards (you have to find availability yourself). Since you live next to EWR, this is a good alternative.
Once again, just my two cents.
Last edited by whynotgo; Nov 8, 2010 at 7:02 am
Nov 9, 2010, 5:00 am
#57
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Miami
Programs: Hilton Diamond, AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 420
Tranfer to BA with the 30% bonus they are currently offering. You can then use any One World partner, including AA.
Mar 18, 2011, 1:30 pm
#58
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 8
Best place to transfer Amex points?
Hello FlyerTalk!
I was directed here from another message board. Your knowledge base came highly recommended.
(My post is slightly re-written from what I asked over there.)
The situation is that I have a relative who is very generously giving me her American Express rewards points (about 150K). We're trying to strategize the best use of these points.
One choice is to transfer the points to a frequent flier program. Amex is allowing the transfer of points to any of the following rewards programs:
Aero Mex
Air Canada
Air France
Italia
All Nippon
British Airways
Continental
Delta
Frontier
Hawaiian
Singapore
Virgin Atlantic
I don't currently have accounts with any of those programs, but I do have about 80K miles with my United account.
My long time goal has been to use the miles for a large ticket. In particular I was trying to get to Nepal with a friend. But, perhaps not surprisingly, I've found it very hard to redeem the miles - blackout dates and devaluation of miles have made it a frustrating game. So frustrating in fact that I've pretty much stopped using my mileage credit card and seeking out points opportunities.
May I ask, how would you proceed from here? Do you think there's any difference among the listed rewards programs in terms of how easy it is to redeem the miles? How about in terms of overall value? I'd like to get the most out these miles, i.e., not use them for routes that are sometimes very affordable. (I'm in Chicago). What would you do in my situation?
I'd appreciate any thoughts or tips to help make this decision. Many thanks for your time!
(Also, someone from the other message board mentioned that BA is currently giving a 40% bonus to transferred miles from Amex. This sounds like it could be the best choice. Would this work for what we're trying to do?)
I was directed here from another message board. Your knowledge base came highly recommended.
(My post is slightly re-written from what I asked over there.)The situation is that I have a relative who is very generously giving me her American Express rewards points (about 150K). We're trying to strategize the best use of these points.
One choice is to transfer the points to a frequent flier program. Amex is allowing the transfer of points to any of the following rewards programs:
Aero Mex
Air Canada
Air France
Italia
All Nippon
British Airways
Continental
Delta
Frontier
Hawaiian
Singapore
Virgin Atlantic
I don't currently have accounts with any of those programs, but I do have about 80K miles with my United account.
My long time goal has been to use the miles for a large ticket. In particular I was trying to get to Nepal with a friend. But, perhaps not surprisingly, I've found it very hard to redeem the miles - blackout dates and devaluation of miles have made it a frustrating game. So frustrating in fact that I've pretty much stopped using my mileage credit card and seeking out points opportunities.
May I ask, how would you proceed from here? Do you think there's any difference among the listed rewards programs in terms of how easy it is to redeem the miles? How about in terms of overall value? I'd like to get the most out these miles, i.e., not use them for routes that are sometimes very affordable. (I'm in Chicago). What would you do in my situation?
I'd appreciate any thoughts or tips to help make this decision. Many thanks for your time!
(Also, someone from the other message board mentioned that BA is currently giving a 40% bonus to transferred miles from Amex. This sounds like it could be the best choice. Would this work for what we're trying to do?)
Mar 18, 2011, 1:33 pm
#59
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: DFW
Programs: AA 1M
Posts: 31,475
UA and CO will merge and now allow transfers between each other's programs:
https://secure.unitedmileageplus.com/MP1101OPTM.jsp
So you can transfer Amex to CO and then UA. The Amex to CO transfer agreement will end Sep 2011.
https://secure.unitedmileageplus.com/MP1101OPTM.jsp
So you can transfer Amex to CO and then UA. The Amex to CO transfer agreement will end Sep 2011.
Mar 18, 2011, 1:44 pm
#60
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 8
Wow, that's a great idea, UA Fan. Thanks!
Now, is it better to have 230K at United (my original 80K plus the 150K), or is it better to have the 80K at United and say, 210K at BA (the 150K plus 40% bonus.)?
I know what's "better" is very subjective - it's just that I've found it hard to redeem my United miles for a big ticket. Does BA have significantly less blackout dates than United, for example?
Thank you for your patience with such basic questions!
Now, is it better to have 230K at United (my original 80K plus the 150K), or is it better to have the 80K at United and say, 210K at BA (the 150K plus 40% bonus.)?
I know what's "better" is very subjective - it's just that I've found it hard to redeem my United miles for a big ticket. Does BA have significantly less blackout dates than United, for example?
Thank you for your patience with such basic questions!