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With 17 Amex airline transfer partners, American Express Membership Rewards offer a huge range of options for booking award travel. Each airline also has its own alliances and partner agreements, which means the possibilities multiply quickly. This can make it hard to know where to start when you want to get the most from your points.
To cut through the noise, we have sifted through the latest redemption opportunities and identified the best sweet spots for getting to Europe with Membership Rewards points. In the world of points and miles, values are always changing, and some once-popular routes no longer offer the same return. Here are the options that still deliver excellent value today.
Page Contents
- Hop Across the Pond for as Little as 6K Virgin Atlantic Points
- Fly to Ireland for 13K British Airways Avios
- Fly to Spain From 16K Iberia Avios in Economy or 40.5K in Business Class
- Fly Business Class to Europe for 50K ANA Miles (or 100k Round-Trip)
- Fly Business Class to Europe From 60K Air Canada Aeroplan Points
- Fly Business Class to Europe From 62.5K Avios on Finnair
- Book Discounted Awards With Flying Blue
- Snag a Cheap Flight to Iceland on JetBlue
- Best Ways to Earn Amex Membership Rewards Points
- Final Thoughts
Hop Across the Pond for as Little as 6K Virgin Atlantic Points
6,000 points from the U.S. to the U.K.
This U.K.-based airline offers Membership Rewards Europe sweet spots redemptions in both economy and business class. Virgin Atlantic's transatlantic economy award prices stand out as the lowest of any program despite being dynamically priced. And there is relatively plentiful award availability. Generally speaking, we see Flying Club redemptions from the U.S. East Coast to London and Manchester start at just:
- Economy Classic: 6,000 points
- Premium Economy: 10,500 points
- Upper Class: 29,000 points
Unfortunately, even though award pricing for Virgin Atlantic's flights remains highly competitive in premium cabins, the massive surcharges spoil the appeal of these redemptions for many.
12,000 points to Europe on Virgin Atlantic partners
As a member of SkyTeam, Virgin Atlantic miles provide redemption options on other SkyTeam partners as well. In this case, Air France, KLM, Delta, and SAS, are the notable SkyTeam partners flying between North America and Europe.
Recall that Flying Blue ordinarily charges 25,000 miles for economy class travel from Chicago to Amsterdam. Even with the Promo Rewards discount, this brings costs down to as little as 18,750 miles.
Meanwhile, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club requires only 12,000 points for the same itinerary (with slightly higher taxes and fees). This pricing comes without any special promotional timing requirements, either.
48,500 points to Europe in business class
Additionally, business class flights operated by Air France or KLM booked through Virgin Atlantic Flying Club offer great value for Membership Rewards points. On standard dates, these awards can cost just 48,500 miles with a fairly reasonable amount of taxes and fees.
Fly to Ireland for 13K British Airways Avios
Many award travelers may be surprised to see British Airways on a Europe sweet spots list due to their hefty award surcharges when flying through its hub in London Heathrow (LHR). While that may often be the case on British Airways metal, redeeming Avios for flights on British Airways partner airlines often provides great value. Plus, this sweet spot redemption avoids the high taxes and fees of British Airways flights.
For example, a transatlantic flight on Aer Lingus matches these criteria. Thanks to both British Airways' distance-based award chart and Dublin's location, flights between Ireland and the East Coast or even Upper Midwest regions in the United States price at just 13,000 Avios one-way for flights in economy.
Fly to Spain From 16K Iberia Avios in Economy or 40.5K in Business Class
While Iberia Plus Avios exists in the same points ecosystem as British Airways Avios, where transfers between Avios programs are quick and easy, the Iberia Plus program offers further redemption sweet spots. Specifically, direct flights between North America and Madrid on Iberia metal offer incredibly favorable award prices with very reasonable taxes and fees.
For flights in economy from the East Coast (plus Chicago) to Madrid, Iberia charges just 16,000 Avios one way. Even with recent award pricing hikes, you can still get business class off-peak tickets to Madrid from the East Coast as low as 40,500 Avios. This redemption remains one of the cheapest business class awards to Europe.
Fly Business Class to Europe for 50K ANA Miles (or 100k Round-Trip)
United Airlines MileagePlus, the popular U.S.-based Star Alliance program and Chase transfer partner, often charges 100,000 miles or more for a one-way business class ticket to Europe on partner airlines. With ANA Mileage Club, an Amex transfer partner, you can book the same trip for far fewer miles. Partner awards price at 50,000 miles one-way or 100,000 miles roundtrip in business class. Economy starts at 34,000 miles one-way or 55,000 miles round-trip.
While in the past you could only book these partner awards as round-trips, ANA now allows one-way bookings at half the roundtrip price. This opens up more flexibility to pair an ANA award with another program for an open-jaw trip or to mix cash and award flights.
ANA’s chart offers some of the lowest award rates to Europe. But there are a few important things to know about this Membership Rewards sweet spot:
- Transfers from Amex Membership Rewards to ANA take 1–2 days.
- ANA passes along fuel surcharges for many partners. You’ll pay the lowest fees when booking flights on United, Air Canada, TAP Air Portugal, or SAS.
- Award space must be available at the saver level.
Fly Business Class to Europe From 60K Air Canada Aeroplan Points
Air Canada Aeroplan‘s hybrid award chart creates a number of sweet spots across the globe. While economy award pricing between North America and Europe can be more expensive than other programs, partner business class flights spanning less than 4,000 miles are only 60,000 points in each direction. That includes many flights between the U.S. East Coast to much of Western Europe.
Where the Aeroplan program really shines is when it comes to stopover awards, allowing you to add additional stops to your itinerary. In this case, Aeroplan allows adding a stopover to award tickets for only 5,000 additional miles, with a few stipulations:
- Stopovers are only allowed for award travel outside of North America (Canada and the United States).
- The points cost for stopover awards are 5,000 Aeroplan points each.
- Stopovers are limited to 45 days.
What's even better is that stopover awards are bookable directly on the Aeroplan website. For instance, a business class trip from Boston (BOS) to Nuremberg (NUE), with a three-day stopover in Frankfurt, shows up with the correct pricing online:
If a stopover award is not appearing online for any reason, a call to Aeroplan should often fix the issue.
Fly Business Class to Europe From 62.5K Avios on Finnair
Although you can’t transfer points directly to Finnair from American Express, Finnair Plus is part of the Avios loyalty ecosystem, which means you can move Avios freely between any of the Avios programs. In other words, you can transfer your Membership Rewards to any of the Avios programs (Iberia, British Airways, Aer Lingus, etc.). Once the Avios are in one of those accounts, you can move them to your Finnair Plus account for free. Then, you can book directly at Finnair’s own award rates.
Nonstop business class from U.S. gateways to Helsinki (HEL) prices out at just 62,500 Avios one-way with taxes and fees typically under $150. Economy starts at 30,000 Avios and premium economy at 43,500 Avios. From Helsinki, you can connect onward to many European cities for the same price or only slightly more, often making this a better value than booking through many other Oneworld partners.
Related: Lower Fees and Great U.S. Pricing: The Best Finnair Plus Sweet Spots Bookable With Avios
Book Discounted Awards With Flying Blue
Flying Blue is the loyalty program for Air France and KLM. Back in 2018, it did away with its award chart, but award pricing followed a general pattern. But in the second half of 2023, to many people's surprise, Flying Blue standardized award rates between North America and Europe. After hiking prices on award fares in 2025, Flying Blue awards now start at the following pricing for transatlantic flights:
- Economy Class: 25,000 miles
- Premium Economy: 40,000 miles
- Business Class: 60,000 miles
60,000 miles for business class to Europe
While all cabin options represent great redemption opportunities for your Membership Rewards, the business class prices certainly stand out the most. If you can find a date with availability, you can fly from anywhere in the U.S. to anywhere in Europe for 60,000 miles in business class.
If you need some help finding available space at these prices, here's our tip about how to access the Flying Blue award calendar.
Save 25% on award flights to Europe via Flying Blue Promo Rewards
To make things even sweeter, the monthly Flying Blue Promo Rewards provide 25% discounts on award flights to select destinations, which could potentially reduce award costs further. For example, a flight from Chicago to Amsterdam sometimes costs just 18,750 miles plus taxes and fees, thanks to Promo Rewards discounts. And you aren't limited to nonstop flights.
You could also add a connection onwards to other cities in Europe — such as Stockholm or Oslo — at the same mileage cost.
Snag a Cheap Flight to Iceland on JetBlue
Iceland has been one of the hottest travel destinations in recent years, and if its dramatic landscapes are calling your name, you can get there for less than you might think. JetBlue offers Icelandair redemptions, and you can book award flights from places such as New York (JFK), Boston (BOS), and more starting at just 17,000 TrueBlue points.
Since American Express Membership Rewards points transfer to JetBlue at a 250:200 ratio, that redemption comes out to a little over 21,000 Amex points. Even better, Amex typically runs a transfer bonus to JetBlue about once a year, which can bring the cost closer to a 1:1 rate, making those redemptions an even better deal.
That said, Amex isn’t the only program that partners with JetBlue. Citi ThankYou® Rewards Points and Capital One miles both transfer at a true 1:1 ratio, so if you hold those currencies, you’ll get a stronger value right out of the gate. Still, with an Amex transfer bonus, Membership Rewards can be just as competitive for snagging a low-cost flight to Iceland.
Best Ways to Earn Amex Membership Rewards Points
Several cards earn Amex Membership Rewards points. In other words, by collecting a welcome offer and spending on your card regularly, you should quickly unlock many (if not all) of the Membership Rewards Europe sweet spots discussed in this post.
If you're interested in earning a large batch of Amex points, here are some of the best welcome offers available now:
- 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 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® 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.*
- 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.
(Terms apply)
- 4X Membership Rewards® Points at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. (on up to $50,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
- 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels and other eligible travel booked on amextravel.com
- 1X on other eligible purchases
(Terms apply)
- Earn 5X points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® (up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year).
- Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
(Terms apply)
- Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com.
- Earn 1.5X Membership Rewards® points on each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more.
- Earn 1.5X Membership Rewards® points on each eligible purchase with U.S. construction material and hardware suppliers.
- Earn 1.5X Membership Rewards® points on each eligible purchase with U.S. electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers.
- Earn 1.5X Membership Rewards® points on each eligible purchase with U.S. shipping providers.
- 1.5X earning rates are subject to a cap of $2 million in purchases per calendar year.
Final Thoughts
American Express Membership Rewards points unlock a wide range of opportunities to travel from North America to Europe through different airline partners and alliances. The examples above highlight just a few of the many sweet spots where you can stretch your points further. By focusing on redemptions that minimize points requirements and avoid hefty surcharges, travelers can get the best possible value. Whether you’re booking economy, premium economy, or even business class, understanding these Amex Membership Rewards Europe sweet spots makes it easier to turn your points into unforgettable trips.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees), The Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees), and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees)
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