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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 airline transfer partners such as Delta SkyMiles and JetBlue TrueBlue, it's easy not to dive deeper. But, you can potentially stretch your Amex points even further by booking award flights through less well-known partners like Virgin Flying Club, British Airways Executive Club, or Air Canada Aeroplan.
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
- Delta Award Flights From 3,400 Amex Points
- JetBlue Award Flights From 4,750 Amex Points
- United Award Flights From 6,000 Amex Points
- American Airlines Award Flights From 7,000 Amex Points
- Alaska Airlines Award Flights From 7,500 Amex Points
- Hawaiian Airlines Award Flights From 7,500 Amex Points
- Final Thoughts
American Express Membership Rewards Transfer Partners
Before we dive into the sweet spots, here's an overview of all 18 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, Alaska | Instant |
| Cathay Pacific | 1,000 : 1,000 Asia Miles | American, 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, 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, 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: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points
- American Express® Gold Card: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points
- American Express® Green Card: Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards® Points
- American Express® Business Gold Card: Earn 70,000 Membership Rewards® points
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 120,000 Membership Rewards® points
That Amex Green Card offer is particularly appealing as the current welcome bonus offers a solid 40,000-point bonus after you spend $3,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Even better, the Amex Green Card charges a reasonable $150 annual fee .
- 3x Membership Rewards® on travel
- 3x Membership Rewards® at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.
- 3x Membership Rewards® on transit including trains, buses, ferries, subway, and more
- 1x Membership Rewards® on other purchases
Delta Award Flights From 3,400 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 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. 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 382 Delta routes bookable for 7,500 Virgin points — including a couple of routes over 500 miles in distance:
If your dates are flexible, use the Virgin Atlantic Reward Seat Calendar to find which dates have Delta award availability:
JetBlue Award Flights From 4,750 Amex Points
Like Delta SkyMiles, the JetBlue TrueBlue program uses dynamic award pricing. If you're flexible, you can score domestic U.S. flights for as cheap as 3,800 TrueBlue points:
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.
Booking JetBlue flights with Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles
It's almost certainly never going to 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.
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.
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 makes you take a longer route. That can be useful even on routes where United has a nonstop flight, but the nonstop flight doesn't have award availability.
Book United award flights for 14,000 Singapore KrisFlyer
Don't want to mess worry about how long your flight is? You can book domestic United flights for 14,000 Singapore KrisFlyer — no matter the distance. Just keep in mind that Aeroplan and LifeMiles will often be cheaper options.
American Airlines Award Flights From 7,000 Amex Points
While American Airlines isn't an Amex transfer partner, Membership Rewards points collectors can book American award flights through six programs (all of which are 1:1 transfer partners). Each of these can be useful in some situations — as you can see in the chart below.
Hint: Type “nonstop” or “connecting” in the search field to limit the results by the type of booking.
| Distance band | Best Program | Mileage Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1-500 miles (nonstop or connecting) | Etihad Guest | 6,000 |
| 501-650 miles (nonstop) | British/Iberia/Qatar | 7,500 |
| 501-600 miles (connecting) | Qantas Frequent Flyer | 8,000 |
| 651-1,150 miles (nonstop) | British/Iberia/Qatar | 9,000 |
| 601-750 miles (connecting) | Cathay Asia Miles | 10,000 |
| 1,151-2,000 miles (nonstop) | British/Iberia/Qatar | 11,000 |
| 751-1,200 miles (connecting) | Qantas Frequent Flyer | 12,000 |
| 2,001-3,000 miles (nonstop) | British/Iberia/Qatar | 13,000 |
| 1,201-2,750 miles (connecting) | Cathay Asia Miles | 15,000 |
Book American award flights from 7,000 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:
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 7,500 Avios
Need to fly a bit further than 500 miles? British Airways, Iberia, and Qatar all price nonstop American Airlines award flights up to 650 miles in distance at 7,500 Avios. That's true even if you're flying on short-haul international flights — such as to the Bahamas or Mexico.
Longer flights can also be a good deal using Avios — as long as you're able to find a nonstop option:
- 651-1,150 miles: 9,000 Avios
- 1,151-2,000 miles: 11,000 Avios
- 2,001-3,000 miles: 13,000 Avios
Related: How To Book American Airlines Flights Using British Airways Avios
Book American award flights from 8,000 Qantas Frequent Flyer miles
If you need to connect to get where you want to go, check out Qantas Frequent Flyer. American Airlines flights up to 600 miles in distance cost 8,000 Frequent Flyer miles one-way:
Qantas is also the best 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 10,000 Cathay Asia Miles
Lastly, you can transfer Membership Rewards to Asia Miles to book American Airlines award flights. The starting price isn't great: 10,000 miles for flights up to 750 miles in distance. But don't write off this option quite yet.
Asia Miles lets you book connecting flights, making it the best option for connecting American Airlines itineraries between 651-750 miles in total distance. Plus, you'll only pay 15,000 Asia Miles for itineraries up to 2,750 miles in distance. And that price can drop even lower when there's an Amex transfer bonus to Asia Miles.
The downside? American Airlines awards can't be booked on Cathay's website. Instead, you'll need to submit a form online to request the booking. That may be too much of a hassle for some travelers.
Alaska Airlines Award Flights From 7,500 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.
Book Alaska award flights from 7,500 Avios
The cheapest option for booking Alaska domestic flights is through Avios programs. You'll only have to pay 7,500 Avios for nonstop flights under 650 miles.
Longer routes can also be a good deal — as long as there's a nonstop flight:
- 651-1,150 miles: 9,000 Avios
- 1,151-2,000 miles: 11,000 Avios
- 2,001-3,000 miles: 13,000 Avios
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. Even better, Alaska award flights can be booked on the Cathay Pacific website. For example, fly from San Francisco to Jackson Hole 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:
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 7,500 Amex Points
Amex cardholders have a few options for booking flights within the state of Hawaii 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 charges just 6,000 TrueBlue points for Hawaiian Airlines flights within Hawaii. However, after factoring in the 5:4 transfer rate, you'll still have to transfer 7,500 Membership Rewards points to book this option. Plus, you'll need to call JetBlue to book this option.
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, by taking advantage of airline alliances you can still use Amex points to fly on them. Keep this in mind the next time you need to travel domestically in the US.
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Great info. Amex points are so versatile. Glad to hear that sweet spots exist
I like booking AA insider fares because you get free changes
this is some great insights. I never thought about redeeming Amex rewards like this. I was piling up the points because I couldn’t find a good way to spend them efficiently. Thank you!
Thanks for this. I hadn’t really considered Avianca before, but this could be quite useful!
Wow. Very thorough post.
Thanks for the breakdown, very helpful! I find that the key is transfer bonuses.
Great info I was looking for !
these are great deals on premium seats
Considering how expensive Delta awards have gotten in recent years, it is very helpful to know that we have alternatives that are cheaper. I don’t like redeeming my miles or points for anything less than .01in value, so this will help a lot.
You can always redeem for .01 in value… ie on Delta just pay with points and it’s .01. IMHO though .01 is horrible redemption. I never redeem less than .02.
always great to see these awesome redemption options!
We have done well out of Avios on short haul flights as well as with Alaska for redemption on Virgin Atlantic business class NYC to LAX (I believe it was 25,000 points).
good summary
Please add a section on using SQ for AS awards.
They are pretty good on the West Coast!
Thanks for the update. Always good to know the AmEx rewards are a great currency to have in your pocket.
This is really good information! I didn’t know you can save so many miles when you book through partners and not directly. I will let my friends know about this!
A few good options that I had completely overlooked. Good info.
This is good information. Thank you.
I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to transfer Amex Membership Rewards to these airline programs as I assume the process is not reversible, correct? If it could be done and potentially reversed in case the miles don’t work out (blackouts, schedule…) it would be a very powerful option to centralize all my miles. Are you aware if this is possible?
You can’t reserve a transfer — but wouldn’t you check to make sure there are seats available for the desired dates of travel BEFORE you transfer the points?
The point transfer process is not reversible. That being said you would first check for availability hen transfer if he award you want is available. Transfers at least between Amex and BA are instant and there are postings out there that tell you estimated transfer times.
Thanks for the useful information. I hadn’t realized that booking through partners can save quite these many miles compared to directly.
I learned a lot from this post, thank you for posting.
I just got my first American express card and I had no idea that I could use it on these different airlines; thanks for the information.
There are some great tips here for maximizing our AmEx points. Thanks!
My understanding is that Iberia redemptions on American Airlines in the continental US must be round-trip redemptions. Therefore, the cheapest Iberia award would be 11,000 avios for trips up to 600 miles. So while that’s a great rate (5,500 avios OW on Iberia compared to 7,500 avios for BA), it requires a round trip purchase.
In your above example, the ticket would cost a minimum of 15,000 Iberia avios round-trip to get the 7,500 avios rate per one-way leg.
Iberia engine shows as bookable one way beginning 5 days ago
That’s great news!
Richard, Thanks for the fresh update on Iberia now offering the one way award booking option on AA.