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American Express Membership Rewards are a notoriously powerful transferable points currency. But even Amex fans may not realize just how far Amex points can take them. With familiar Amex transfer partners such as Delta SkyMiles and JetBlue TrueBlue, it's easy not to dive deeper into the full list of 17 airline transfer partners.
But, you can potentially stretch your Amex points even further by utilizing lesser well-known partners like Virgin Flying Club, Air Canada Aeroplan, or even HawaiianMiles to book domestic flights on American, Delta, United, Alaska, and Hawaiian Airlines itself.
Let's show you the best ways to redeem Amex Membership Rewards points for domestic flights.
Page Contents
- American Express Membership Rewards Transfer Partners
- Current Amex Card Welcome Offers
- JetBlue Award Flights From 3,000 Amex Points
- Delta Award Flights From 4,000 Amex Points
- American Airlines Award Flights From 4,500 Amex Points
- United Award Flights From 6,000 Amex Points
- Alaska Airlines Award Flights From 5,000 Amex Points
- Hawaiian Airlines Award Flights From 7,000 Amex Points
- Final Thoughts
American Express Membership Rewards Transfer Partners
Before we dive into the sweet spots, here's an overview of all 17 Amex Membership Rewards airline transfer partners, their transfer times, and which U.S. airlines each partners with. Amex points transfer to most partners at a 1:1 ratio. The two exceptions are Aeromexico (1:1.6) and JetBlue (5:4):
| Membership Rewards Transfer Partner | Transfer Ratio | ...which you can use to book award flights on: | Transfer Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aer Lingus AerClub | 1,000 : 1,000 Avios | n/a (for Avios redemptions) | Instant |
| Aeromexico Rewards | 1,000 : 1,600 Points | Delta | Instant |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | 1,000 : 1,000 Aeroplan Points | United | Instant |
| Air France/KLM Flying Blue | 1,000 : 1,000 Flying Blue Miles | Delta | Instant |
| ANA Mileage Club | 1,000 : 1,000 ANA Miles | United | 1-2 days |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 1,000 : 1,000 LifeMiles | United | Instant |
| British Airways Avios | 1,000 : 1,000 Avios | American and Alaska | Instant |
| Cathay Pacific | 1,000 : 1,000 Asia Miles | American and Alaska | 9 hours |
| Delta SkyMiles | 1,000 : 1,000 SkyMiles | Delta | Instant |
| Emirates Skywards | 1,000 : 1,000 Skywards Miles | United | Instant |
| Etihad Guest | 1,000 : 1,000 Etihad Guest Miles | American | Instant |
| Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles | 1,000 : 1,000 HawaiianMiles | Hawaiian, Alaska, American, JetBlue | Instant |
| Iberia Plus | 1,000 : 1,000 Iberia Avios | American and Alaska | 1 day |
| JetBlue TrueBlue | 250 : 200 TrueBlue Points | JetBlue | Instant |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | 500 : 500 Qantas Points | American and Alaska | Instant |
| Qatar Privilege Club | 1,000 : 1,000 Qatar Avios | American and Alaska | Instant |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 1,000 : 1,000 KrisFlyer Miles | United and Alaska | 3 hours |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 1,000 : 1,000 Virgin Points | Delta | Instant |
Current Amex Card Welcome Offers
Quite a few cards earn Amex Membership Rewards points. Here are some of the top Amex welcome offers:
- 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.
- 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)
- 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)
- 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 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.
JetBlue Award Flights From 3,000 Amex Points
The absolute cheapest domestic U.S. awards we could find using Amex Membership Rewards points are courtesy of the JetBlue TrueBlue program dynamic award pricing. You can currently score JetBlue flights for as cheap as 2,300 TrueBlue points between San Juan, Puerto Rico and St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands:
Within the continental U.S., I'm finding JetBlue flights pricing as low as 4,400 points — such as between Boston (BOS) and Presque Isle, Maine (PQI):
However, one downside of redeeming Amex points via JetBlue TrueBlue is that the transfer ratio is 5:4. That means you'll only receive 200 TrueBlue points for every 250 Amex points transferred. Make sure to factor this math — and the annoying excise tax — into your redemption planning.
Even so, it's still a great deal to book a JetBlue flight for as cheap as 3,000 Membership Rewards points plus $7.40 out-of-pocket ($1.80 excise tax + $5.60 taxes on the award).
Booking JetBlue flights with Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles
It will almost certainly never be your best option, but you can alternatively redeem 10,000 HawaiianMiles — another Amex transfer partner — to redeem for JetBlue flights costing up to $99.
Delta Award Flights From 4,000 Amex Points
You can book Delta award flights through four Membership Rewards transfer partners: Delta SkyMiles, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, and (theoretically) Aeromexico Rewards. Of these, the best options are generally Delta SkyMiles and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.
Book Delta award flights from 3,400 Delta SkyMiles
Thanks to Delta's dynamic award pricing, the cheapest domestic awards you can book with Amex Membership Rewards are through the SkyMiles program. On certain routes and certain dates, you can book domestic flights for as few as 4,000 miles one-way. That price drops as low as 3,400 SkyMiles after the Delta cardmember discount.
Just keep in mind that this pricing typically only applies to basic economy awards — with all of the restrictions that come along with that.
Membership Rewards points transfer to Delta SkyMiles at a 1:1 ratio. However, you'll need to transfer in increments of 1,000 points — meaning you'd need to transfer 4,000 points to book the 3,400-mile award above. Plus, you'll have to pay a small excise tax to transfer your Amex points to Delta — a fee not charged when you transfer Amex points to non-U.S. airline partners:
Book Delta award flights from 7,500 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points
If you're flying on a route under 500 miles and Delta is charging 7,500 SkyMiles or more, check if an award flight is available through Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. Nonstop Delta award flights under 500 miles cost just 7,500 Virgin points.
Although 500 miles may not sound very far, hundreds of Delta routes fall in this distance band. When we dug into this sweet spot, we at AwardWallet found 460+ Delta routes bookable for 7,500 Virgin points — including a couple of routes over 500 miles in distance:
American Airlines Award Flights From 4,500 Amex Points
While American Airlines isn't an Amex transfer partner, Membership Rewards points collectors can book American award flights through seven Amex airline partners (all of which are 1:1 transfer partners). However, one is a clear standout winner — as shown in the chart below.
| Distance band | Mileage Program | Mileage Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1-700 miles (nonstop or connecting) | Alaska Mileage Plan (via HawaiianMiles) | 4,500 |
| 1-500 miles (nonstop or connecting) | Etihad Guest | 6,000 |
| 701-1,400 miles (nonstop or connecting) | Alaska Mileage Plan (via HawaiianMiles) | 7,500 |
| 501-600 miles (nonstop or connecting) | Qantas Frequent Flyer | 8,000 |
| 601-650 miles (nonstop) | Qatar Privilege Club | 9,500 |
| 601-750 miles (nonstop or connecting) | Cathay Asia Miles | 10,000 |
| 751-1,200 miles (nonstop or connecting) | Qantas Frequent Flyer | 12,000 |
| 1,401-2,100 miles (nonstop or connecting) | Alaska Mileage Plan (via HawaiianMiles) | 12,500 |
| 1,201-2,750 miles (nonstop or connecting) | Cathay Asia Miles | 15,000 |
| 2,751-3,000 miles (nonstop) | Qatar Privilege Club | 16,000 |
Book American award flights from 4,500 Alaska Mileage Plan miles
While Alaska isn't a direct Amex Membership Rewards transfer partner, Hawaiian Airlines is — and you can now transfer miles 1:1 between HawaiianMiles and Alaska Mileage Plan miles. This new ability unlocks Alaska's amazing award chart for Amex Membership Rewards collectors.
When booked via Alaska Mileage Plan, American Airlines awards cost:
- 4,500 miles on flights under 700 miles
- 7,500 miles on flights between 701 and 1,400 miles
- 12,500 miles on flights between 1,401 and 2,100 miles
These rates make Alaska Mileage Plan the best way to book domestic American Airlines award flights in almost every case — unless there's an Amex transfer bonus shifting the math. In fact, it could be worth splurging for first class. In some cases, Alaska charges less for first-class awards than other programs charge for economy on the same American Airlines flight:
- 9,000 miles on flights under 700 miles
- 15,000 miles on flights between 701 and 1,400 miles
- 25,000 miles on flights between 1,401 and 2,100 miles
When we dug into it, we found 760+ American Airlines routes you can book for 4,500 Alaska Mileage Plan miles. This includes several routes that are over 700 miles in length — such as between Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) and Atlanta (ATL). And there's no lack of availability at this rock-bottom price:
Book American award flights from 6,000 Etihad Guest miles
In March 2023, Etihad Guest unveiled a new award chart. This change was almost entirely bad news, devaluing many former American Airlines sweet spots bookable through Etihad. The sole improvement: Etihad dropped the price of American Airlines award flights under 500 miles to just 6,000 Etihad Guest miles in economy or 10,000 miles in first class.
That can be useful on dozens of routes where it would be a bit far to drive — such as from Chicago to Memphis. But just be ultra careful of Etihad's award cancellation policy (it's punitive).
However, Etihad Guest award rates increase quickly on longer flights:
- 501-1,000 miles: 12,000 Etihad Guest miles
- 1,001-1,500 miles: 15,000 Etihad Guest miles
- 1,501-2,000 miles: 23,000 Etihad Guest miles
Book American award flights from 8,000 Qantas Frequent Flyer miles
Another overseas program that offers niche value for American Airlines flights is Qantas Frequent Flyer. American Airlines flights up to 600 miles in distance cost 8,000 Frequent Flyer miles one-way:
Qantas can also be a good option for connecting American Airlines award flights between 751 and 1,200 miles in distance. These routes cost a reasonable 12,000 miles each way.
Book American award flights from 9,500 Avios
British Airways and Iberia used to be our go-to recommendations for booking domestic American Airlines awards. However, a British Airways devaluation in December 2023 and another British Airways devaluation in July 2024 have spiked award rates to laughable rates. But, for now, Qatar Privilege Club still offers some niche value on American Airlines awards.
Nonstop American Airlines award flights up to 650 miles can be booked through Qatar Privilege Club for 9,500 Avios each way (and there are hundreds of such routes):
During transfer bonuses — or if you just have a ton of Avios — longer flights might be a good deal using Qatar Avios. Just remember that you'll need to find a nonstop option to book at these rates:
- 651-1,150 miles: 13,000 Avios
- 1,151-2,000 miles: 14,500 Avios
- 2,001-3,000 miles: 16,000 Avios
Related: The 5 Best Uses of Qatar Airways Avios on Partner Airlines
Book American award flights from 10,000 Cathay Asia Miles
Lastly, you can transfer Membership Rewards to Asia Miles to book American Airlines award flights, seemingly still for 10,000 miles for flights up to 750 miles in distance. However, American Airlines awards can't be booked on Cathay's website. In fact, Asia Miles has even killed off the ability to check award pricing online.
If you want to figure out award pricing, you'll need to submit a form online to price out awards and request the booking. But between subpar rates and a frustrating booking process, this is an easy option to skip.
United Award Flights From 6,000 Amex Points
American Express Membership Rewards cardmembers have two great options for redeeming Amex points for short United flights: Air Canada Aeroplan and Avianca LifeMiles. Plus, Singapore Airlines' fixed-rate award pricing can be useful in niche situations.
Book United award flights from 6,000 Air Canada Aeroplan points
Aeroplan is the cheapest option, charging just 6,000 points for one-way awards up to 500 miles in distance. Flights don't have to be nonstop, but the total flight distance must be under 500 miles to qualify. Longer flights falling in the next distance band (501-1,500 miles) can be reasonable at 10,000 Aeroplan points.
When digging into this sweet spot, we found 680+ United routes bookable for 6,000 Aeroplan points — including a couple of routes right on the 500-mile threshold. For example, book an award flight on the pricey route between Chicago (ORD) and Chattanooga, Tennessee (CHA) for 6,000 points each way:
Book United award flights from 6,500 LifeMiles
Based on the LifeMiles award chart, domestic U.S. award flights should start at 7,500 LifeMiles. However, AwardWallet has found that you can book certain United routes for 6,500 LifeMiles. The similarity: The distance between the origin and destination has to be under 500 miles — even if a connection pushes the miles flown over 500 miles. That can be useful even on routes where United has a nonstop flight, but the nonstop flight doesn't have award availability or the timing doesn't work.
Book United award flights for 14,000 Singapore KrisFlyer
Don't want to worry about how long your flight is? You can book domestic United flights for 14,000 Singapore KrisFlyer miles — no matter the distance. Just keep in mind that Aeroplan and LifeMiles will often be cheaper options.
Alaska Airlines Award Flights From 5,000 Amex Points
Although they are part of the same Oneworld alliance as American, the options for booking Alaska Airlines award flights are slightly different. You can't use Etihad Guest miles to book Alaska award flights — but you can use Singapore KrisFlyer miles.
However, like with American Airlines awards, the best option is likely to transfer Amex Membership Rewards points to HawaiianMiles and then from HawaiianMiles to Alaska Mileage Plan.
Book Alaska award flights from 4,500 Alaska Mileage Plan miles
Per Alaska's award chart, Alaska Airlines awards start at 5,000 Mileage Plan miles for flights up to 700 miles in distance. However, in practice, we've found Alaska Airlines awards pricing as low as 4,500 Mileage Plan miles each way — particularly closer to departure:
Note that the award chart price is listed as a starting price, so award rates can climb much higher.
Book Alaska award flights from 8,500 Singapore KrisFlyer miles
Singapore KrisFlyer kept its mileage partnership with Alaska, even as Alaska joined Oneworld. Even after a recent KrisFlyer award chart devaluation, Alaska Airlines awards start at 8,500 KrisFlyer miles. However, Singapore's zone-based award chart for Alaska awards can be quite confusing to understand:
To find 8,500-mile awards, you'll need to fly within or between the following states/countries: California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Wyoming, Utah, and Canada. You can also book awards between Zone 3 and 4 for the same 8,500-mile rate. That can open some rather unique opportunities.
Book Alaska award flights from 10,000 Cathay Asia Miles
Like with American Airlines, you can book Alaska award flights with as few as 10,000 Cathay Asia Miles. For example, fly from Seattle (SEA) to Jackson Hole (JAC) during ski season for 10,000 Asia Miles.
The longer distance band (751-2,750 miles) can be useful on Alaska's routes to Alaska or Mexico. For example, escape from the heat of Las Vegas to Anchorage, Alaska, for just 15,000 Asia Miles.
However, in both cases, it's likely cheaper and easier to just book these awards through Alaska Mileage Plan.
Book Alaska award flights from 10,000 Qantas Frequent Flyer miles
Qantas Frequent Flyer charges a higher award rate for award flights on Alaska than American Airlines. You'll need to pay 10,000 miles for routes up to 600 miles — instead of just 8,000 miles. That puts Qantas in the back of the pack. Longer flights cost even more:
- 601-1,200 miles: 14,000 miles
- 1,201-2,400 miles: 20,000 miles
- 2,401-3,600 miles: 24,500 miles
Hawaiian Airlines Award Flights From 7,000 Amex Points
Amex cardholders have a few options for booking flights within the state of Hawaii. But again, the best is through Alaska Mileage Plan. Unfortunately, Alaska doesn't treat Hawaiian like one of its partners, so you won't find 4,500-mile awards. Instead, Hawaiian Airlines awards are currently pricing as low as 6,500 Mileage Plan miles each way:
If you want to skip the step of transferring points from Amex to Hawaiian and then from Hawaiian to Alaska, you have a couple of options for booking Hawaiian awards for just 7,500 Membership Rewards points. Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club both charge 7,500 miles/points for intra-Hawaii flights.
JetBlue also charges 7,500 TrueBlue points for Hawaiian Airlines flights within Hawaii. However, after factoring in the 5:4 transfer rate, you'd have to transfer 9,500 Membership Rewards points to book this option. But at least JetBlue has added the ability to book Hawaiian awards online:
Final Thoughts
It may take a bit more effort than merely redeeming Membership Rewards for flights in the Amex Travel portal, but your points will go much further by transferring them to Amex’s travel partners. It’s a fantastic way to save Amex points and leverage them for valuable award redemptions.
Even though Amex may not directly partner with airlines like United or American, you can still use Amex points to fly on them by taking advantage of airline alliances. Keep this in mind the next time you need to travel domestically in the U.S. and want to do so on points.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: The Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees), American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees), and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees)
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