Can You Transfer Amex Points to Another Person?

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A two-player points strategy can be a great way to earn more rewards, but sharing those rewards isn’t always straightforward. If you and your Player Two both earn American Express Membership Rewards through U.S.-issued American Express cards, you can't combine your points into one account. However, there are still ways to use your points for each other.

Here's what you need to know about sharing your Membership Rewards, including a few workarounds that can help you put your points to use for friends and family.

First, here's a quick overview of the rules:

Can you transfer your Membership Rewards to another person’s Membership Rewards account? No.
Can you transfer your Membership Rewards to someone else’s airline or hotel account? Yes, but only if that person is an eligible Additional Card Member and has been on your account for at least 90 days.
Can you use your Amex points to book travel for someone else? Often, yes. Many airline and hotel programs let you book travel for someone else using your own points or miles.

a couple looking at a credit card and a laptop

Ways To Use Amex Rewards for Someone Else

Even though you can't share Membership Rewards points directly or transfer them to just anyone's loyalty account, there are still ways to use your points for someone else. And you may not need to transfer points to that person at all.

Here's a quick look at your options for sharing Membership Rewards:

Option	Waiting Period	Typical Value	Benefits	Risks
Transfer to an Additional Card Member’s loyalty account	90 days after Additional Card is issued	Potentially high	High flexibility	Primary cardholder is responsible for additional card charges, may impact Additional Card Members credit and 5/24 status
Transfer to and book from your own loyalty account	No Amex waiting period; transfer timing varies by loyalty program	Potentially high	Fastest option but some program limitations	Not every program permits award bookings for another traveler
Book through Amex Travel	None	Usually lower than partner transfer options	Most simple option	Third-party bookings can complicate changes, cancellations, and irregular operations.
Transfer, then use a loyalty program’s pooling feature	No Amex waiting period; transfer timing varies by loyalty program	Potentially high	Lets multiple members combine loyalty balances for a redemption	Varies by program. Some programs have points pooling rules that can restrict use.

How To Book Travel for Someone Else Using Your Own Points

You can use your Membership Rewards to book travel for someone else, even if you're not traveling with them. There are two main ways to do this: booking directly through Amex Travel or transferring points to your own airline or hotel loyalty account and booking an award on their behalf.

Booking an award for someone else through Amex Travel

To book travel for someone else through Amex Travel, simply enter the other traveler’s information when making the reservation.

This is one of the simplest options because you don’t need to transfer points or add the traveler as an Additional Card Member. However, redeeming Membership Rewards through Amex Travel may offer less value than transferring points to a travel partner. And because the reservation is made through a third party, changes, cancellations, or travel disruptions can sometimes be more complicated.

The passenger information screen for booking a flight from LAX-SEA .

Booking an award for someone else through your own loyalty account

Another option, and often a more valuable one, is to transfer Membership Rewards points to your own airline or hotel loyalty account and use those points to book an award for someone else.

For example, if I wanted to book a flight for my husband on Air France, I would:

Search Flying Blue for award availability.
Confirm that Flying Blue allows me to book the award for him.
Confirm my Flying Blue account details, then transfer the necessary Membership Rewards points to my own Flying Blue account from American Express.
Enter his information as the passenger when making the booking on Flying Blue.

Not every loyalty program lets you freely book awards for anyone you choose, however. For example, ANA Mileage Club requires other travelers to be registered as eligible award users and may require documentation verifying the relationship. Always check the program’s rules before transferring Membership Rewards points.

How To Transfer Amex Points to an Additional Card Member’s Loyalty Account

If you know you'll want to transfer your points to someone else's loyalty account, you'll need to plan ahead. An Additional Card Member must have been on your account for at least 90 days before you can link their loyalty account and transfer points. When you're ready to transfer Membership Rewards, you will see the option to transfer to your own or another eligible cardholder's loyalty account.

The loyalty account must belong to that Additional Card Member, and the account details should match their information. You'll link your Additional Card Member's loyalty account to Amex, just as you did for your own account. If you need to brush up on the steps, here's a step-by-step guide on how to transfer Amex points to partners.

This strategy can work well if you have a trusted friend or family member you don't mind adding to your account. Keep in mind that some Amex cards charge a fee for Additional Card Members, and you are responsible for charges they make on your account. Adding someone may also affect their credit report and potentially their Chase 5/24 status.

American Express^® Gold Card

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Welcome Offer Find Out Your Offer. You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 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.

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Annual Fee:$325

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The American Express^® Gold Card stands out for its robust rewards, especially for food enthusiasts. It offers 4X points on dining worldwide (up to $50,000 per year, then 1X) and U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per year, then 1X), and 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel^®. Cardholders can take advantage of multiple annual dining credits at select locations and up to $120 in Uber Cash credits for U.S. rides and Uber Eats (received as $10 monthly credits), just add your American Express^® Gold Card to your account in the Uber app and select it as the payment method. Enrollment required for select American Express benefits.

You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you're approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount - all with no credit score impact. If you're approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™.
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Enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
Book two nights or more with The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™ and receive a $100* credit towards eligible charges at over 1,400 upscale hotels worldwide. *Eligible charges vary by property.
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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)
5X Membership Rewards^® points on prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com
3X Membership Rewards^® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
2X Membership Rewards^® points on prepaid car rentals booked through amextravel.com
2X Membership Rewards^® points on cruises booked and paid through amextravel.com
1X on other eligible purchases

How To Use a Loyalty Program's Points Pooling Feature

Another option is to transfer Membership Rewards points to your own airline or hotel loyalty account and then use that program’s pooling or sharing feature to combine rewards with someone else.

Hilton Honors, for example, allows members to pool or transfer Hilton points to other members for free. So if I wanted to use my Amex points toward a Hilton stay for my parents, I could transfer Membership Rewards to my own Hilton account and then either book the stay for them myself or move the Hilton points to their account so they could make the reservation.

Airline programs can offer similar options. Flying Blue has a family pooling feature, while JetBlue TrueBlue allows eligible members, even outside of your household, to combine points through Points Pooling. Other loyalty programs may let members transfer points or miles directly to one another, sometimes for a fee.

The important distinction is that the sharing happens after the Membership Rewards points have been transferred into the loyalty program, not directly through Amex. Pooling rules vary by program, so check the requirements before transferring your rewards.

You can also see our guide to family points pooling for more programs that allow members to combine or share rewards.

Hilton Honors lets you share your points with other members

What To Know Before Transferring Membership Rewards

Before transferring Membership Rewards, remember that transfers are final. Once the points leave your Amex account, you usually can’t get them back.

Amex transfer partners

American Express offers a wide range of airline and hotel transfer partners, but the available programs, transfer ratios, and transfer times can change. Check the current details before transferring points to your own or an eligible Additional Card Member's loyalty account.

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Transfer Ratio

Min.Transfer

Average Time

Amex Points Sharing Rules: How To Use Membership Rewards for Someone Else