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It's back! In September 2021, American Express Membership Rewards offered an unprecedented 12 transfer bonuses simultaneously. And it seems that promotion was so popular that Amex decided to offer it again this year!
For the month of September — and October for a couple of hotel partners — Amex cardmembers will get up to a 30% transfer bonus when converting Membership Rewards to 12 different airline and hotel programs.
Important Things to Know
- 9 airline transfer bonuses and 1 hotel transfer bonus expire on September 30, 2022.
- 2 hotel transfer bonuses run through October 31, 2022.
- Membership Rewards must be transferred in increments of 1,000. The only exception is Qantas — which transfers in increments of 500 points.
- Make sure to check out AwardWallet's TransferStat Tool to see the amount of time it takes for transfers to post.
American Express Membership Rewards Transfer Bonuses
9 airline programs currently have Membership Rewards transfer bonuses available through September 30, 2022:
- Aer Lingus AerClub: 25% transfer bonus (1,000 Membership Rewards = 1,250 Aer Lingus Avios)
- AeroMexico Club Premier: 20% transfer bonus (1,000 Membership Rewards = 1,920 Premier points. AeroMexico's normal transfer rate is 1,600 because it is calculated in Kilometers).
- Air Canada Aeroplan: 15% transfer bonus (1,000 Membership Rewards = 1,150 Aeroplan points)
- Air France/KLM Flying Blue: 25% transfer bonus (1,000 Membership Rewards = 1,250 Flying Blue miles)
- Avianca LifeMiles: 15% transfer bonus (1,000 Membership Rewards = 1,150 LifeMiles)
- British Airways Executive Club: 25% transfer bonus (1,000 Membership Rewards = 1,250 British Avios)
- Hawaiian Airlines: 20% transfer bonus (1,000 Membership Rewards = 1,200 HawaiianMiles)
- Qantas Frequent Flyer: 20% transfer bonus (1,000 Membership Rewards = 1,200 Qantas points)
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club: 30% transfer bonus (1,000 Membership Rewards = 1,300 Virgin points)
Three hotel programs have Membership Rewards transfer bonuses available through either September 30 or October 31, 2022:
- Choice Privileges: 25% transfer bonus (1,000 Membership Rewards = 1,250 Choice Privileges points)
- Hilton Honors: 30% transfer bonus (1,000 Membership Rewards = 2,600 Hilton Honors points)
- Marriott: 20% transfer bonus (1,000 Membership Rewards = 1,200 Bonvoy points)
A Note on Speculatively Transferring Points
As fun and as tempting as this offer is, speculatively transferring your Membership Rewards is never a great idea. With the way airlines devalue their currencies and the ever-changing nature of loyalty programs, speculatively transferring can be a big gamble.
That being said, if you have a trip in mind and are ready to book, then this could be the jackpot.
Redemption Ideas
Pretty much every partner participating in this promotion has its own sweet spots and options for great redemptions. A few that stand out include:
25% transfer to British Airways Avios
After a recent improvement, you can now book business class flights on Iberia from Chicago to Madrid for 34,000 British Airways Avios and reasonable taxes and fees. With the Amex transfer promotion, that same flight will require you to transfer just 28k Membership Rewards. That is a ridiculously good redemption.
And don't ignore economy redemptions. With a 25% bonus, a one-way award from the U.S. East Coast (or Chicago) to Madrid in economy will run you just 14k Membership Rewards points on off-peak dates.
15% transfer to Avianca LifeMiles
Snag a flight in a premium cabin with Lufthansa. Lifemiles already offers fantastic redemptions for flying Star Alliance partners. Not only is the mileage completely reasonable, but Avianca does not tack on carrier-imposed fees. Add in a 15% transfer bonus and you have a downright awesome deal.
For example, with this transfer bonus, a flight in business class with Lufthansa from Chicago to Frankfurt would require a transfer of just 55k Membership Rewards.
After factoring in the transfer bonus, first-class redemptions (which cost 87,000 LifeMiles) can be booked for as low as 76k Membership Rewards. For more LifeMiles sweet spots, see our dedicated LifeMiles sweet spots post.
Other Transfer Partners
We can't go into full detail on all 12 transfer bonuses in this post. Instead, check out our dedicated posts that dive deep into how you can maximize these bonuses:
- Aer Lingus & British Airways: 25% Transfer Bonus From Membership Rewards to British Airways, Aer Lingus Avios
- AeroMexico: Transfer Amex Membership Rewards to Aeromexico With a 20% Bonus
- Avianca: Get a 15% Transfer Bonus When Transferring Amex Membership Rewards to LifeMiles
- Flying Blue: Get 25% Bonus Flying Blue Miles When You Transfer Amex Membership Rewards
- Hawaiian Airlines: American Express Membership Rewards: 20% Transfer Bonus to Hawaiian Airlines
- Hilton: Get 30% Bonus Hilton Points When Transferring From American Express Membership Rewards
- Marriott: 20% Transfer Bonus From Membership Rewards To Marriott Bonvoy
- Qantas: Transfer Membership Rewards Points to Qantas With a 20% Bonus
- Virgin Atlantic: Transfer Membership Rewards to Virgin Atlantic With a 30% Bonus
Best Cards for Earning Membership Rewards
Membership Rewards have always been relatively easy to earn. But lately, Amex has been handing them out like candy, and it's amazing! Some of the best welcome offers currently available are:
- The Platinum Card® from American Express: As High As 175,000 points. Find Out Your Offer. You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
- American Express® Gold Card: As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer. You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Welcome Offer: Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $20,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
- American Express® Business Gold Card: Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.*
Final Thoughts
In September 2021, Amex launched a truly unprecedented promotion offering 12 transfer bonuses. It seems that Transfer Bonus Mania 2021 was so popular that Amex decided to bring it back for 2022. Unfortunately, some transfer bonus rates aren't as high as last year. And this year's cluster of promotions doesn't include Iberia Plus — swapping in Choice Privileges instead.
If you have any trips in mind, check these transfer bonuses to see which makes sense for you. Odds are, one or more probably will.
Which of these transfer bonuses are you most excited about?
Article was originally written by Toni Perkins-Southam on September 1, 2021.
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