American Express Membership Rewards - Maximizing MR Points Transfer to Priority Club

Is there a way to increase the points exchange of MR points to Priority Club points?

Thought I would ask to see before switching at 1:1 rate

Thanks in advance

The only way to maximize MR points is to cash them out.

It only takes 5,000 MR points to earn a $50 gift card.

It takes 20,000 PC points to earn a $50 gift card.

So, in my calculations, MR points would have to transfer 1:4 before it would be equal.

The only way to maximize MR points is to cash them out.

It only takes 5,000 MR points to earn a $50 gift card.

It takes 20,000 PC points to earn a $50 gift card.

So, in my calculations, MR points would have to transfer 1:4 before it would be equal.
The same calculation works if you transfer MR to an airline FF program it supports compared to goint MR to PC to that same airline.

However, that still doesn't mean it's the maximum value.

20k MR points earn $200 of gift card. But 20k MR points also earn you a free (you only have to pay the security fee) award ticket on Southwest which can be used for the LAST SEAT on the plane (and thus has up to a $600 value if used that way on a longer flight). Therefore it seems to me that THAT is the maximum value of MR points (but only if you can earn 16.0 RR credits on Southwest, through MR transfers or otherwise, in a 12-month period, as they have a rolling 12-month expiration time).

The other maximum value would be to transfer MR to miles in a program in which you can use 50k miles to upgrade from a $$$ international coach roundtrip to a $$$$ internetional business class roundtrip. Used that way, 50k miles is likely to be worth even more than in the Southwest scenario I mentioned above.

Meanwhile, someone in another thread I just read said they used 10k PC points to get a Holiday Inn Express room that was $160ish a night. In that case, if you get MR -> PC at 1:1, it might not be bad. But if you're going to use 20k PC to pay for a $80ish a night Holiday Inn, IMHO that is a bad use of MR points. So again, it depends on how you'll use them as to what the value of PC points are.

Here is a link to a very useful tool:

http://www.webflyer.com/programs/mileage_converter/

Unfortunately it doesn't provide a way to improve on the 1:1 ratio for US Amex Reward points into Priority Club points.

Bazz.
Still
Flying.
www.v-flyer.com

The only way to maximize MR points is to cash them out.

It only takes 5,000 MR points to earn a $50 gift card.

It takes 20,000 PC points to earn a $50 gift card.

So, in my calculations, MR points would have to transfer 1:4 before it would be equal.

All things being more or less equal, the same is true for any loyalty programme - transfer = dilute. That said, always be on the lookout for special transfer and earning offers (Diners Club members seem quite fanatical about the seemingly anual BA double miles offer).