How I’m Using My 5 Favorite American Express Transfer Partners
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EDITORIAL DISCLOSURE:
Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
*Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.American Express offers one of my favorite flexible point currencies: Membership Rewards®. These points can be used in so many different ways, including transferring them out to one of their 20 hotel or airline transfer partners!
I have been redeeming these rewards for some amazing experiences, so here are 5 of my favorite partners and what I have booked with these points.
Hilton
Hilton is my top choice of the American Express hotel transfer partners. A BIG reason for this (beyond my love for Hilton Honors), is the 1:2 transfer ratio.
This means that when transferring 10,000 Membership Rewards®, you would end up with 20,000 Hilton Honors points!
One of my favorite Hilton redemptions was our overwater villa at the Conrad Maldives. I had a good chunk of Hilton points, but needed enough to cover our last night stay, so I was able to transfer about 100,000 Membership Rewards® and then had about 200,000 Hilton Honors points to cover the rest of my booking.
Price we paid for 5 nights at the Conrad Maldives using a combination of Hilton Honors points and Membership Rewards® points.
Flying Blue
Flying Blue is the loyalty program for KLM and Air France, and they are known for their fantastic award flight deals to Europe.
Whether you’re looking to fly your whole family to Amsterdam in economy, or splurging on business class to Paris, it’s easy to find great deals and plenty of open availability.
Most recently, I transferred Membership Rewards® points to Flying Blue to book premium economy flights for my family from the UK. These flights are on KLM, and I found a route from EDI ➡️ AMS ➡️ JFK for just 40,000 points per person!
The route we booked home from Edinburgh.
British Airways
When I was on the hunt for Qatar Qsuites flights to the Maldives, British Airways was my go-to! I had been lucky to accrue a nice stash of Membership Rewards® over the year prior as I planned for this trip, and I was ready to transfer as soon as I found availability.
Price per person for a Qsuites flight to the Maldives.
Cathay Pacific
Did you know you could book British Airways flights through Cathay Pacific? And a lot of times, you’ll end up paying less in taxes and fees.
This is exactly how I booked business class British Airways flights to London for my family of three!
Price for three business class flights when booked through Cathay Pacific.
Virgin Atlantic
While I haven’t specifically used my Membership Rewards® points to book Virgin Atlantic flights, I couldn’t miss out on an opportunity to highlight such a great rewards program!
I love booking with Virgin Atlantic because you can find incredibly cheap award flights to the UK. We’re talking less than 10,000 points to fly to London! And while the taxes are higher than other airline programs, the low points price still makes it well worth the cost in my opinion.
Pro tip: use their Reward Seat Checker to find the lowest priced dates.
Example of flight options from BOS to LHR on the Reward Seat Checker.
Full list of transfer partners
Airlines:
Aer Lingus
AeroMexico
Air Canada Aeroplan
ANA Mileage Club
Avianca LifeMiles
British Airways Executive Club
Cathay Pacific
Delta Airlines
Emirates Skywards
Etihad Guest
Flying Blue (Air France and KLM)
Iberia Plus
JetBlue TrueBlue
Qantas Frequent Flyer
Qatar Airways Privilege Club
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Hotels:
Choice Privileges
Hilton Honors
Marriott Bonvoy
My favorite cards that earn Membership Rewards®
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
*All information about The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has been collected independently by Packed with Points. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
American Express Platinum Card®
*All information about the American Express Platinum Card® has been collected independently by Packed with Points. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
American Express® Business Gold Card
*All information about the American Express® Business Gold Card has been collected independently by Packed with Points. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
American Express® Gold Card
*All information about the American Express® Gold Card has been collected independently by Packed with Points. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Business Green Rewards Card from American Express
*All information about the Business Green Rewards Card has been collected independently by Packed with Points. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
American Express Green Card®
*All information about the American Express Green Card® has been collected independently by Packed with Points. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Bottom line
There are so many ways to use Membership Rewards® points and a wide variety of cards that can help you rack up a ton of these flexible points! When you consider many of the added travel perks of some of their premium cards, they can be a great addition to your wallet.
EDITORIAL DISCLOSURE: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
