Jan 17, 2015, 11:52 am
Last edit by: mia
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
Germany: 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?
(The Canadian transfer ratios are listed directly on the Canadian site.)
Q: After I transfer, when will my miles expire at that airline/hotel program? Is there anything I can do to avoid expiration there?
The Miles/Points that Do and Don't Expire wiki lists all of the Amex USA airline/hotel transfer partners and their respective expiration policies.
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 or any other OneWorld carrier redeem through:
American also has partnership outside OneWorld with:
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
Germany: 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.
In the USA version of Membership Rewards the exceptions are:
El AL Israel Airlines: 1,000 points = 20 Matmid points
Hilton®: 1,000 points = 2,000 Honors points (as of 1/11/2018)
JetBlue Airways: 250 points = 200 JetBlue TrueBlue® points
In the USA version of Membership Rewards the exceptions are:
El AL Israel Airlines: 1,000 points = 20 Matmid points
Hilton®: 1,000 points = 2,000 Honors points (as of 1/11/2018)
JetBlue Airways: 250 points = 200 JetBlue TrueBlue® points
Q: After I transfer, when will my miles expire at that airline/hotel program? Is there anything I can do to avoid expiration there?
The Miles/Points that Do and Don't Expire wiki lists all of the Amex USA airline/hotel transfer partners and their respective expiration policies.
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 or any other OneWorld carrier redeem through:
- Asia Miles (Cathay Pacific)
- British Airways
- Iberia Airlines
- Qantas Airways
American also has partnership outside OneWorld with:
- Etihad
To travel on Delta Air Lines or any other SkyTeam carrier redeem through:
- Delta Air Lines (DL permits one-way awards as of 01 JAN 2015, however trips originating in Europe carry additional surcharges; Delta also imposes surcharges on trips using some partner airlines such as China Eastern or China Southern, but notably not on trips involving its European partners (as long as the trip originates outside Europe) or Virgin Australia.)
- AeroMexico
- Alitalia
- FlyingBlue (Air France, KLM, Air Europa, Kenya Airways, Aircalin and Tarom.)
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. See also transatlantic strategy discussion HERE. Read about changes to redemption charts in December 2015 HERE.
- All Nippon Airways. Read about ANA fuel surcharges HERE. Read about changes to partner redemption charts in April 2015 HERE.
- Avianca Airlines
- Singapore Airlines. Read HERE
Read about Singapore Airlines' reciprocal mile conversion arrangement with Virgin Australia HERE.
To travel on Alaska Airlines redeem through:
- BA British Airways
- CX Asia Miles https://www.asiamiles.com/en/earn-mi...irlines#redeem
- EK Emirates https://www.emirates.com/us/english/...-airlines.aspx
- SQ Singapore Airlines https://www.singaporeair.com/saar5/p...s_AwdChart.pdf
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? (2015 - 2021)
Apr 29, 2015, 12:02 pm
#106
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 25
Not necessarily just an MR question but thought I'd start here.
I would like to get my sister, her husband and their yet to be born son tickets from Denver to Florence for June of next year (was trying to get them biz class). I am trying to reduce the amount of stops they have to make because of the baby and because she doesnt love flying. It looks like two options are Denver- Frankfurt - Florence (Lufthansa) or Denver - London - Bologna (evidently there are no flights from LHR to Florence).
Have about 130K United Miles, 180k UR and 180K Membership Rewards. Also have about 50k SPG points. Given Lufthansa's crappy redemption for non-economy tickets via partners, it seems like my best bet is just to transfer to BA and pay the fuel charges (and not get unbelievably pissed I missed the transfer bonus).
Just thought I'd see if anyone had any other thoughts? I am also okay with just getting one award ticket and paying for the other (not ideal, but may be whats needed).
I would like to get my sister, her husband and their yet to be born son tickets from Denver to Florence for June of next year (was trying to get them biz class). I am trying to reduce the amount of stops they have to make because of the baby and because she doesnt love flying. It looks like two options are Denver- Frankfurt - Florence (Lufthansa) or Denver - London - Bologna (evidently there are no flights from LHR to Florence).
Have about 130K United Miles, 180k UR and 180K Membership Rewards. Also have about 50k SPG points. Given Lufthansa's crappy redemption for non-economy tickets via partners, it seems like my best bet is just to transfer to BA and pay the fuel charges (and not get unbelievably pissed I missed the transfer bonus).
Just thought I'd see if anyone had any other thoughts? I am also okay with just getting one award ticket and paying for the other (not ideal, but may be whats needed).
Apr 29, 2015, 6:24 pm
#107
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: San Francisco
Programs: Amex MR, SPG Gold, HHonors Gold, AS MVP
Posts: 518
You could also gamble and try to book LH using UA miles within two weeks of departure, but in summer is probably a poor bet. Or you could try to find a way to come up with 210k Miles and More miles.
Apr 29, 2015, 7:08 pm
#108
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 60
Does anyone know of any way to transfer MR to Hyatt Passport? Is that even possible?
Thanks!
Thanks!
Apr 30, 2015, 10:18 am
#109
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 25
Without adding another stop, I don't see any option but BA. You might look into whether the itinerary will cost you fewer MR points if you transfer to CX rather than to BA itself. Only trouble with that is that you would need to book two separate tickets (one through BA transferred from UR, the other on CX from MR), since you don't have enough MR points. But if I am reading the award charts correctly, DEN-LHR-BLQ would cost 120k RT using Asia Miles and 168k Avios. My guess is the fuel charges will be the same either way.
You could also gamble and try to book LH using UA miles within two weeks of departure, but in summer is probably a poor bet. Or you could try to find a way to come up with 210k Miles and More miles.
You could also gamble and try to book LH using UA miles within two weeks of departure, but in summer is probably a poor bet. Or you could try to find a way to come up with 210k Miles and More miles.
May 11, 2015, 2:51 pm
#110
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: AZ
Posts: 187
Fees to transfer?!?!
From the T/C
Membership Rewards® Program - Transfer Points (Domestic Airlines)
Enrollment in a participating Frequent Flyer program is required. Airline tickets are subject to availability. For each conversion of points into the Frequent Flyer program of a U.S. airline, 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. The fee may be more or less than the actual amount of the excise tax we pay on any individual conversion. We may offer you the option to redeem points to pay this fee.
From the T/C
Membership Rewards® Program - Transfer Points (Domestic Airlines)
Enrollment in a participating Frequent Flyer program is required. Airline tickets are subject to availability. For each conversion of points into the Frequent Flyer program of a U.S. airline, 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. The fee may be more or less than the actual amount of the excise tax we pay on any individual conversion. We may offer you the option to redeem points to pay this fee.
May 11, 2015, 2:53 pm
#111
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 8,460
Fees to transfer?!?!
From the T/C
Membership Rewards® Program - Transfer Points (Domestic Airlines)
Enrollment in a participating Frequent Flyer program is required. Airline tickets are subject to availability. For each conversion of points into the Frequent Flyer program of a U.S. airline, 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. The fee may be more or less than the actual amount of the excise tax we pay on any individual conversion. We may offer you the option to redeem points to pay this fee.
From the T/C
Membership Rewards® Program - Transfer Points (Domestic Airlines)
Enrollment in a participating Frequent Flyer program is required. Airline tickets are subject to availability. For each conversion of points into the Frequent Flyer program of a U.S. airline, 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. The fee may be more or less than the actual amount of the excise tax we pay on any individual conversion. We may offer you the option to redeem points to pay this fee.
May 11, 2015, 3:06 pm
#113
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: YVR
Programs: Aeroplan, British Airways, Alaska
Posts: 249
Canadian Amex MR transfer
I have previously only transferred my Canadian MR's to Aeroplan and British Airways.
Has anyone ever transferred their MR's to Alitalia, Delta, Asia Miles or Etihad at the 1000 to 750 Rate?
I have given up looking for value transferring to those programs. Am I missing any good opportunities?
Has anyone ever transferred their MR's to Alitalia, Delta, Asia Miles or Etihad at the 1000 to 750 Rate?
I have given up looking for value transferring to those programs. Am I missing any good opportunities?
May 11, 2015, 4:41 pm
#115
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 1,406
Transferng to spousal account?
Will they allow transferring to spousal account?
May 11, 2015, 5:04 pm
#116
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,958
May 12, 2015, 3:19 pm
#117
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Charleston, SC
Programs: SPG/Marriot Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 412
I have to fly to Mississippi in July for a wedding and was wonder what the best way is to maximize my MR points.
I have about 170,000 accumulated. The tickets right now are running about $388, or 38,000 points if I book through AMEX's travel site, or up to 50,000 if I try to book directly through Delta.
Is there any way to use these points more wisely?
I have about 170,000 accumulated. The tickets right now are running about $388, or 38,000 points if I book through AMEX's travel site, or up to 50,000 if I try to book directly through Delta.
Is there any way to use these points more wisely?
May 12, 2015, 3:55 pm
#118
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 1,406
I have to fly to Mississippi in July for a wedding and was wonder what the best way is to maximize my MR points.
I have about 170,000 accumulated. The tickets right now are running about $388, or 38,000 points if I book through AMEX's travel site, or up to 50,000 if I try to book directly through Delta.
Is there any way to use these points more wisely?
I have about 170,000 accumulated. The tickets right now are running about $388, or 38,000 points if I book through AMEX's travel site, or up to 50,000 if I try to book directly through Delta.
Is there any way to use these points more wisely?
What I saw was, transfer to an airline when there is a promo - there was a British Air and a lot of people took advantage.
I am sure that the experts in this forum will advice you. I am looking forward to those responses too.
May 12, 2015, 4:49 pm
#119
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 8,460
I have to fly to Mississippi in July for a wedding and was wonder what the best way is to maximize my MR points.
I have about 170,000 accumulated. The tickets right now are running about $388, or 38,000 points if I book through AMEX's travel site, or up to 50,000 if I try to book directly through Delta.
Is there any way to use these points more wisely?
I have about 170,000 accumulated. The tickets right now are running about $388, or 38,000 points if I book through AMEX's travel site, or up to 50,000 if I try to book directly through Delta.
Is there any way to use these points more wisely?
May 12, 2015, 7:01 pm
#120
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,958
It would also help to know more about the Delta redemption options. "Up to" suggests that there are some lower mileage award seats offered. Are there any at 25,000 miles or 37,500?
At $380 is it really worth redeeming miles or points?
At $380 is it really worth redeeming miles or points?