American Express Membership Rewards - need to transfer out 500k points from amex business rewards

Hi,

I need to transfer out 500k points into a frequent flier/hotel rewards program. I have no immediate need to use miles as I have two twin 18 month old daughters. I'd be very appreciative to find out the best frequent flier and hotel rewards program and of the two which is most recommended? I live in hollywood, fl. Thank you so much in advance for your help.

Welcome to Flyertalk.

Why do you need to transfer if you have no immediate need for the miles? There are low (or no) cost methods of preserving your Membership Rewards balance until you need to use it.

In any event, transfers from Membership Rewards to hotel programs are poor value compared to airlines. When you resume travel where might you want to go and in which cabin would you choose to fly?

Thanks for the response. WE are going to close this credit card (business was sold) and we have to divvy out the miles... There are multiple people who share these points..

Thank you for the clarification.

There is no "best" airline program. Here is the list of all the airline transfer partners. Your choice will depend on the answers to the questions posed in my previous reply, and also on the expiration policies of the programs:

http://www.membershiprewards.com/catalog/travel/NewPointsTransfer.aspx?tab=airlines&mrnavlink=topnav:TravelFreqFlyerProg

In any event, transfers from Membership Rewards to hotel programs are poor value compared to airlines. When you resume travel where might you want to go and in which cabin would you choose to fly?

And also - where do you live? It would help to know what alliance works best for you.

We live in Hollywood, FL (next to FLL and MIA)

I'm not certain about where the future travel plans bring us- I would prefer to travel business/first if going out of the country.

I did a bit of research on this ANA program. I noticed the miles expired in 36 months. Aside from this drawback, it appeared to me (as novice as I might be) that they have pretty good mile to point ratios. I am not certain how this works domestically in the US though.

Again, thank you both for your help. I appreciate it.

...not certain how this works domestically in the US though. ...

Most major airlines belong to one of three alliances. A primary consumer benefit of the alliance system is that you can redeem miles for travel on any member of the same alliance. Here's an overview of what this means in the context of Membership Rewards:

Transfer to BA (British Airways) for travel on any OneWorld carrier, including AA (and also on Alaska Airlines, which is not a OneWorld member but has a separate partnership with BA.)

Transfer to DL (Delta) or Flying Blue (Air France, KLM) for travel on any SkyTeam carrier.

Transfer to AC (Air Canada Aeroplan), CO (Continental) or NH (ANA) for travel on any Star Alliance carrier including UA (United) and US (US Airways).

Choosing which program to transfer to in an alliance requires some research. ANA's redemption schedule is based on distance, while most US-based airlines have a zone based redemption schedule. You also need to take into account that Continental and United now have shared ownership and the airlines will merge their operations and programs. No one knows whether the resulting program will look more like Continental's program or more like United's.

You also need to understand exactly what each program means by expiration. In many programs the entire balance is preserved provided you have any activity every 12 or 18 months - and this is easy to accomplish without travelling. In other programs the oldest miles expire after NN months without regard to account activity. Whatever you decide, do not transfer the points and then forget about them for years. You need to pay attention.

Thank you. That is exceptionally helpful. My follow up question is, since US airlines are zone based, is there any specific airline or an alliance that is more consumer friendly. Thank you

Wishing you good luck in finding the right use for you!

Even though they get complained about a lot, I've had good luck with transferring to Delta. They recently had a 50% bonus (and we got 25,000 miles towards silver status). That was the biggest bonus I'd seen with them, and we lucked out with getting 4 first class tickets to Hawaii on them, in 2009 and for this coming summer, for 75,000 miles each in 2009 and 85,000 miles each for this year. Booked late last summer, and got the route through Atlanta with the almost lie flat seats. If you think you may go to Hawaii with your babies in a few years, that is a nice way to go.

Don't know about international travel - we pretty much stay in the USA.

All else fails, even though it's not a "great use" of the points - when I had to close our personal Amex Membership Rewards card and had some points left, I just got some gift cards - I think I got the Gap for clothes for my kids. So you could do some gift cards - like Pottery Barn for kids' furniture. Even though it's not the "best" use, free is free.

I did a lot of travel with my kids even as babies, but they were 2 years apart. Twins - more work - but they'll grow and FAST! Maybe look into a nice getaway to Disney in a year or so - that's a super easy vacation with little ones (I know firsthand; we've taken ours and I even went many times without my husband when they were little).

Also, is there a way to keep the card and just put it into your name? You can call Amex to see if you open a personal card if they'll transfer the MR points into it for you, so you can have some time to decide how to use the points.

Keep the card as a business gold rewards card - Get a new BGR card in YOUR name.
Costs 125$ a year; you get 10k points each year for the membership renewal.
If you buy Amex points that 10k alone will cost you 250$

Keep it as Amex; keeps flexibility in the program you want to use when you want to use it (transfers usually immediate).
Unlike airlines, miles do not expire as long as your account is OK.
AC Aeroplan is a good one for most things, but points expire there as well.
Anyway, 2 good long distance trips for a couple will finish them off soon.

Read the rules.
I went on LH with a 11 month old and had to pay 10% of the fare at the airport- last minute trip.
I went PHL-FRA-SIN-FRA-EWR (to save time and cab fare) seemed a good idea at the time.
The PHL-FRA-SIN-FRA-PHL and the EWR-FRA-SIN-FRA-EWR tickets were 12k$ = baby 1200$;
(in F- I did not ask about the baby as I assumed <2 years was free)
The start from PHL and return to EWR was 20k = baby 2000$! (most expensive savings in cab fare I ever got!). Since I did not know about the baby fare till I got to the airport (this was a last minute family trip) it was too late to take a cab to the other airport (and there was a 250$ change fee), so with 3 bags and crying child, I decided not to save 300$ and perhaps miss that flight due to traffic delay. I had ~4 hours to flight time.

In contrast, AA does not charge for a domestic flight with an infant in arms; so our trip to HI was great in F with child.

Thank you happymommy. It seems like you got a great deal. My wife would be thrilled going to Hawaii. The only specials i see listed is for virgin atlantic.

Is anyone familiar with their Flying Club? i see they have multiple partners as well but the mileage to redeem seems a bit high.

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Thank you happymommy. It seems like you got a great deal. My wife would be thrilled going to Hawaii. The only specials i see listed is for virgin atlantic.

Is anyone familiar with their Flying Club? i see they have multiple partners as well but the mileage to redeem seems a bit high.

If you're interested in flying to Hawaii in first class, I would transfer the MR points to AC Aeroplan. I believe that Aeroplan only charges 60,000 miles for a "business class" redemption from the mainland to Hawaii on CO, UA, or US, and the business-class redemption permits one to fly in first class on two-class aircraft.

On the other hand, if you're interested in flying to Hawaii in coach, I would transfer MR points to BA, which would enable you to fly roundtrip for 35,000 miles, including free en-route stopovers in either -- or both -- direction(s) if desired. In fact, since BA offers one-way awards on partner carriers for half the round-trip mileage, for 17,500 BA miles, you could have a coach redemption from the Caribbean to MIA (stopover for weeks or months), and then continue on to Hawaii (perhaps with a stopover in California). For another 17,500 miles, you could do the same thing in reverse, effectively giving you two vacation trips a year for 35,000 miles/person.

Even a plain green Amex would be fine. Call Amex, explain the situation and if you already have your own Amex, ask them to transfer the miles to that card. Amex miles do not expire and can be transfered within 1 minute to any airline you want, when you are booking award tickets. If you transfer the miles to an airline program, they will all expire after 2-3 years, if you do not travel with that airline during that time so the clock would be reset, plus you do not gain status because they are not MQM miles.

Domestic travel for 2< child is free in the USA, anything internationally is 10% of the current purchase price of an adult ticket, and has to be in the same class fare as the parent's award ticket. The best programs with domestic and multiple international partners/connections are Delta and United/Continental. If you travel a lot in the USA, DL has the best connections/rerouting; if you travel internationally then take UA, (I mean connections in general, not just award ticketing, because you would have to continue flying with the same carrier to reset the clock for the miles).

... Amex miles do not expire and can be transfered within 1 minute to any airline you want, when you are booking award tickets. ...

To be sure there is no misunderstanding points do not expire provided you maintain a card account enrolled in Membership Rewards. Points can be converted instantly to some partners (e.g. AC, BA, CO, DL, VS) but transfers to others (notably ANA) are slower. CO is departing Membership Rewards in September 2011 and UA will not be joining.

Thanks again to all..... What I am considering doing is as follows: I'd love some feedback.

Transferring 160k miles over to AirItalia which my wife and I can use to take a trip to Italy (non stop from Miami) and transferring the remaining points over to virgin atlantic as a 1 to 1.15 ratio due to Amex promotion. I noticed that Virgin Atlantic has a promotion where they will transfer to Hilton at a 1 to 2 ration which is far better than Amex at a 1 to 1.3. I figure, this way worse case scenario, we can pay for our hotel in Italy with these points.

...Virgin Atlantic has a promotion where they will transfer to Hilton at a 1 to 2 ratio...

Where do you see this offer?

Are you comfortable with Alitalia's mileage expiration and fuel surcharge policies?

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/alitalia-millemiglia/1123957-expiry-date-mile.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/alitalia-millemiglia/1170859-does-alitalia-charge-fuel-surcharge-fees-award-bookings.html

Alitalia is not an airline that you want to deal with. You would be better to sign up for a FF account with Delta, then link that ff account under your Amex rewards link. Then call their skymiles desk and ask to book an international award ticket with a partner. Usually you can not make the award reservation yourself for Alitalia on DL's website and have to do it over the phone. In that way, if there is a problem (hurricane in FL, volcano in Europe, numerous strikes in Italy, etc) DL will re-route you through somewhere (JFK, ATL, DTW, etc) else to your destination, or either through KLM (Amsterdam) or AF(Paris). Also, check so you can have as your final destination may be, Milan or Venice, so you can do a stopover to Rome where the direct flight goes to. This is allowed through award ticketing.

You should really make an effort to keep the miles in an Amex account so they won't expire. Plead, beg with them, they are usually very helpful. Things happen, especially with small kids, so you will better off either keeping them in an Amex, or transfering them to a US carrier. That way, if your plans change for some reason you can redeposit the miles to the ff account for a fine, but be able to use them in another destination that you might like.If your schedule is flexible, you can wait a few months when the new promotions roll out for miles transfer, different every year.
ie, In 2010, I also transfered Amex miles to my kids accounts so they will all get silver status with Delta, plus got the bonus for myself from this transfer. The previous year, I transfered 60k to my husband's DL account, and he transfered 60k from his account to mine, during the 100% mile bonus for transfer. Even with the $300 tax/fee, it was still a bargain as we used each for additional tickets to Europe.

BTW, are not you going to have to pay income taxes on the miles? Since the business is sold, would you be better off to donate the miles and claim them on your IRS filing?

I am not an accountant, but I believe there is a distinction on how miles are treated on whether it is a corporation or sole proprietor. Thus, they are fringe benefit and are taxable as personal income.

MIA- you are correct. I misread what it said. It said 2:1 EXCEPT for Virgin Atlantic.


Alex- thank you. Trust me, if I had a choice I'd keep the miles in amex-but i don't.

So, I need to decide before tomorrow. What is the best way to plan a trip for wife and I on business to Italy and use the miles for hotels as well? Thanks again

When do you plan to travel and where?

I have no real dates yet. I'd like to go a year from march during spring break (my wife is a teacher). Thanks

That's why I suggested US based programs with multiple options, instead of getting stack with Alitalia or Virgin. I just checked in the Amex website, they have an offer with DL where you get a 30% bonus.

"If you have Membership Rewards® points from American Express, you can enjoy all that you’ve earned with a 30% mileage bonus. First, register for this promotion, then transfer points into miles now through March 31, 2011, and enjoy an additional 30% mileage bonus. There’s no limit to the number of points you may transfer into miles." "For each conversion of points into the SkyMiles program, a fee of $0.0006 per point, with a maximum fee of $99, will be charged to your Card account. We charge this fee to offset the federal excise tax we must pay on such conversions."

And transfer some of the miles to a chain that has many locations in Europe like Hilton.

I also saw the following in the Amex site: you can transfer approximately 240k miles and get $2000 in Amex giftcards!

"$100 American Express® Especially for Birthdays Gift Card
20,000 Points for only 12,000 Points (Savings: 8,000 Points), 20 cards limit "

Thanks. This is exactly what i'm going to do. Where did you see this on amex's site? I didn't see either. the only featured special i saw was for virgin atlantic.

I am going to call them tomorrow to do as you suggested.

But first become a ff member with DL. You can do it online right now and they will send you an email with your ff number within 10 minutes. Once you have the ff number, you can register for the promotion. Then you log in to your Amex account, click under the rewards program and click on link ff program so you can link the card to your account.

This is the promo link
http://www.delta.com/pet/mrgetaway/pet/main

(You can also buy the Amex travelers cheques with the 40% discount and you'll get $4000 for 480k miles. You just endorse them to yourself and deposit the money into your bank account. )


"$500 Travelers Cheque
100,000 Points 60,000 Points (Savings: 40,000 Points)
Model Number: Now use your Membership Rewards points to redeem for Travelers Cheques. American Express Travelers Cheques are safer than cash. They're accepted practically everywhere including hotels, shops and restaurants. If they’re lost or stolen, they can be replaced, usually within 24 hours. And, they never expire, so they can be used anytime.

Reward Code TCG3
It's easy to redeem points for Travelers Cheques. Simply click on Add to cart and follow the steps provided.
You will receive your Travelers Cheques within seven business days.
American Express Travelers Cheques can only be delivered to valid addresses within the United States (excluding Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands)."

Awesome. Thanks a ton. Where did you find the other promotion of 2k in gift cards? Thanks a gain for being so super helpful

I logged into my personal Amex account (I do not have a business Amex) and then the top tabs where it says Rewards and has the box with the bow. Then I clicked on the Membership Rewards Home and it showed me the special offers on the bottom right. The DL should be open to everyone. The travel cheques I do not know if it is only for personal cards, but I do not see any restrictions. You can call them, they are open 24h and ask about "Reward Code TCG3" That's the 60k miles per $500 travellers check.

(You can also buy the Amex travelers cheques with the 40% discount and you'll get $4000 for 480k miles. You just endorse them to yourself and deposit the money into your bank account. )


That is a terrible redemption value, even with the discount. You are getting .8 cents per point.(Originally .5 cpm) You can even do much better with the "not so great value" of purchasing airfare using Amex with pay with points.(1cpm or 1.2cpm if have Plat/Cent card) Transferring to an Airline you can get a much higher value than either of those options.

But everything depends on the person's needs. Do I really need to travel, or am I doing it because I have the miles and need to use them? Would the $4k be more useful being a young parent, than a future trip?

Where did you see this on amex's site? I didn't see either. the only featured special i saw was for virgin atlantic.


If the offer is sponsored by American Express it will appear on membershiprewards.com, but if it is sponsored by the airline in may only appear on the carrier's website.

Be sure to understand Delta's mileage expiration policy:

http://www.delta.com/skymiles/about_skymiles/membership_guide_program/skymiles_rules/index.jsp