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You've earned a bunch of American Express Membership Rewards points. Now, what do you do with them? While there are several ways you can redeem Amex points, not all of them are created equal. Without a good understanding of the redemption options, it can be difficult to determine how to best use your Amex points.
Although the options can seem overwhelming, put your worries aside. We'll walk you through all the ways to redeem Amex Membership Rewards and highlight which will generally give you the best value.
Page Contents
- Best Ways to Use Amex Points
- Fly Virgin Atlantic Saver Awards to the United Kingdom from 6,000 points
- Use Avianca LifeMiles for domestic, short-haul United flights
- Fly Iberia to or from Madrid from 9,600 points
- Use ANA Mileage Club to fly United Polaris to Europe for 50k miles
- Book ANA premium cabins using Virgin Atlantic points
- Transfer to Flying Blue for Promo Rewards and other sweet spots
- Fly Singapore Airlines business or first class
- Fly to Hawaii from the West Coast from 15,000 Aeroplan points
- Take advantage of transfer bonuses
- Transfer to British Airways to book short-haul Oneworld flights
- Use the 35% points rebate from the Business Platinum Card
- Decent Ways to Redeem Amex Points
- Bad Ways to Use Amex Points
- Top Cards for Earning More Amex Points
- Final Thoughts
Best Ways to Use Amex Points
At a high level, transferring points to travel partners is the best way to use Amex points. However, the set of Amex transfer partners is large: 20 in total, with three hotel and 17 airline partners.
Not all transfer partners give you the same value for your points. In general, the following Amex partner airline programs provide the best high-value uses:
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Air France–KLM Flying Blue
- All Nippon Airways (ANA) Mileage Club
- Avianca LifeMiles
- British Airways Club
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Delta SkyMiles
- Emirates Skywards
- Iberia Plus
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
This doesn't mean all of these programs are good in every situation. It's just that each has some uses that will offer good to excellent value for many people. The remaining partners have limited uses and generally poor value.
If you're new to American Express Membership Rewards and need help with your first transfer, we have a detailed guide on how to transfer Amex points. Now, let's walk through some of the best ways to use Amex points.
Related: Do American Express Membership Rewards Points Expire?
Fly Virgin Atlantic Saver Awards to the United Kingdom from 6,000 points
When Virgin Atlantic adopted dynamic pricing, the sentiment was that it would be bad news. In some cases, it is. But when locating Saver awards, the award prices — as well as the usually high fees — are rock bottom. This New York (JFK) to London (LHR) flight is 6,000 points in economy class, 10,500 in premium economy, and 31,000 in Upper class.
But the taxes and fees are known to fluctuate to the point of making premium awards not so worthwhile.
This may now be a better alternative to booking Virgin flights than with Air France/KLM — previously the better option thanks to lower fees.
Use Avianca LifeMiles for domestic, short-haul United flights
Avianca LifeMiles used to be a stalwart on this list, but recent program changes have severely limited its uses. It is still possible to find short and medium distance domestic flights for 7,500 LifeMiles — such as the Bozeman (BZN) to Austin (AUS) example below — but you have to look much harder to unearth them.
United Saver award space must be available to get the best pricing. This is often another limiting factor. But if you can find the space, LifeMiles offer an amazing deal for select itineraries. Membership Rewards transfer to LifeMiles at a 1:1 ratio and are sometimes the target of a transfer bonus — making the value even better.
Fly Iberia to or from Madrid from 9,600 points
Iberia uses a distance-based award chart for award flights. The business class pricing from U.S. airports to Madrid is attractive during off-peak dates, which cover a large chunk of the calendar.
Despite a recent devaluation, you can still fly from the U.S. East Coast or Chicago (ORD) to Madrid (MAD) for an incredible 9,600 Avios in economy, 29,500 in premium economy, and 40,500 in business each way during off-peak dates. The fees aren't bad either, coming in at $137 in business class. Flying for nearly 10 hours at this price is an absolute steal — if you can find this hard-to-come-by availability.
Related: Amex Membership Rewards Sweet Spots to Europe
Use ANA Mileage Club to fly United Polaris to Europe for 50k miles
ANA has some extremely good pricing for business- and first-class flights from the U.S. to other regions of the world. And this sweet spot just got even better with ANA now allowing one-way bookings.
One great option is for United Polaris business class to Europe. If you can find Saver business class award space, you can book an award ticket for just 50,000 miles each way — even from the U.S. West Coast! It's hard to beat that price. This is hands-down one of the best ways to redeem Amex Membership Rewards.
The key here is that United doesn't levy fuel or carrier surcharges, so the taxes and fees are minimal. Be aware, though, that ANA does pass along carrier surcharges on airlines that assess these fees. ANA also levies these on its own flights.
These can really add up, so even though the required number of miles is attractive, you could get hit with over $1,000 in fees on an award, depending on which airline operates the flight. Compare flying United to Europe versus flying on Lufthansa Group airlines!
Related: Airline Programs that Don't Add Fees and Surcharges to Award Flights
We have a dedicated post on how to maximize Virgin Atlantic Flying Club for ANA business or first class flights to Japan, so I won't go into detail here. But I do want to highlight it as one of the best ways to use Amex Membership Rewards points. In a nutshell, one-way flights cost:
- Japan–Australia/Canada/Western USA in business class: 52,500 miles or first class for 72,500 miles
- Japan–Europe/Central and Eastern USA in business class: 60,000 miles or first class for 85,000 miles
Compared to the prices you'll pay in most other programs, these are amazing deals. You cannot search or book these awards on Virgin's website, so be sure to check out the above post for details on finding these flights.
Even better, Amex routinely runs Virgin Atlantic Flying Club transfer bonuses. If you're able to move your points during one of these promotions, you'll get even greater value.
Transfer to Flying Blue for Promo Rewards and other sweet spots
With Flying Blue, you can access two outstanding redemption opportunities. The first is with Flying Blue’s Promo Rewards. Every month, award flights to/from specific cities are on sale from 25–50% off. With this deal, it’s often possible to book economy flights to Europe for as few as 18,750 miles each way, plus reasonable taxes and fees.
Sometimes, you'll be able to book business class flights from U.S. airports served by KLM and Air France at a discount — but these are much more rare.
Another excellent redemption option with Flying Blue has to do with how the program categorizes countries into regions. Flying Blue, like many frequent-flyer programs, uses a region-based award chart, but it has some unique region definitions. For example, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, and the Canary Islands are part of Europe.
In this example, it's possible to redeem miles for a one-way itinerary from San Francisco (SFO) to Casablanca (CMN) for only 25,000 Air France–KLM Flying Blue miles.
Other frequent-flyer programs charge many more miles to fly to these destinations. On the same date, the cheapest flight option (but not the exact same itinerary) offered by Delta costs 54,000 miles one-way.
You can find more destinations where Flying Blue beats the competition in our guide to Air France–KLM award sweet spots.
Fly Singapore Airlines business or first class
Singapore Airlines business, first, and suites class are all top-notch products that are difficult to book except through Singapore's own KrisFlyer loyalty program. While some other programs have access to business-class awards on Singapore Airlines flights, the routes and award space are limited. You simply cannot book first class or suites awards outside the KrisFlyer program.
Redeeming Amex points through KrisFlyer is the way to go for booking Singapore premium cabins. Some great options include:
- Singapore suites from New York (JFK) to Frankfurt (FRA) for 97,000 KrisFlyer miles
- Business class from Seattle (SEA) to Singapore (SIN) for 107,000 KrisFlyer miles
- First class from Los Angeles (LAX) to Tokyo-Narita (NRT) for 120,500 KrisFlyer miles
You can book at singaporeair.com, and Singapore's search is fairly robust. Note that you must have a KrisFlyer account and must log in to search for award flights. Saver awards are the way to go, but sometimes an Advantage award may still be worth it if Saver space is unavailable.
Unlike other programs, the next award pricing “tier” isn't a terrible deal compared to Saver. But you should steer clear of awards marked “Waitlist” as these aren't a guaranteed ticket and may not ultimately clear.
Fly to Hawaii from the West Coast from 15,000 Aeroplan points
Flying to Hawaii from the U.S. West Coast in economy is an Aeroplan sweet spot. The key is finding an itinerary that is fewer than 2,751 miles one-way. However, unlike with other Amex transfer partners, Aeroplan awards can include a connection without any increase in award pricing. Here is an example itinerary from a regional airport to Honolulu:
This works from a good number of regional airports in California, as well as Las Vegas, Reno, and southern Oregon airports. It's a niche redemption, but it provides excellent value. You'll need to carefully watch the distance, as some origin/destination combos exceed the threshold.
Air Canada recently added United to its list of “select partners” that are subject to dynamic pricing, so while technically the above flights “start at” 12,500 miles, anecdotally 15,000 was the best I found — and prices went up from there.
Take advantage of transfer bonuses
We've already mentioned Amex transfer bonuses to a couple of airline programs. If you're able to take advantage of a transfer bonus with any of the above awards, you'll get even more value when you redeem your Amex Membership Rewards. Bookmark and check these pages regularly for current offers:
- Air Canada Aeroplan Amex transfer bonus
- Avianca LifeMiles Amex transfer bonus
- Flying Blue Amex transfer bonus
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Amex transfer bonus
Related: All Current Credit Card Transfer Bonuses
Transfer to British Airways to book short-haul Oneworld flights
British Airways can be a decent option for booking nonstop flights on airlines that belong to the Oneworld alliance. Booking nonstop American and Alaska flights used to be a primary use of Avios, but multiple significant devaluations over the past few years have reduced the value significantly.
However, there's still potential for many domestic flights within the U.S. — especially short flights to more rural destinations where prices are high.
If you're not familiar with these awards, here are the first four British Airways award zone prices for flights within North America:
| Distance/Zone | Economy | Premium Economy (on select flights to Hawaii/Alaska) | Business (Domestic First) | First (On 3-Cabin Flights) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 650 miles (Zone 1) | 12,000 | N/A | 24,000 | N/A |
| Up to 1,151 miles (Zones 2) | 16,000 | N/A | 32,000 | N/A |
| 1,152 to 2,000 miles (Zone 3) | 18,000 | N/A | 40,000 | N/A |
| 2,001 to 3,000 miles (Zone 4) | 20,000 | 40,000 | 50,000 | 80,000 |
| 3,001 to 4,000 miles (Zone 5) | 20,750 | 41,250 | 62,000 | 82,500 |
British Airways prices for flights within North America start at 12,000 Avios, which is far higher than in past years, but some can still be a great deal. Consider this flight from Phoenix to Vail/Eagle, Colorado (EGE) that costs $476 for a Main Cabin ticket through American Airlines:
Since there's award availability via British Airways, this ticket would only require 12,000 Avios and $5.60 in taxes and fees per way. Solid deal!
It's also worth noting that you can transfer Avios from British Airways to Qatar Airways quickly and easily, and book similar awards for a few thousand points less. The same flight may not be available on both British Airways and Qatar, so it's best to compare.
Beyond domestic American Airlines flights, here are some other places to consider using British Airways Avios:
- Flights within Australia on Qantas
- Some short flights on Royal Jordanian
- High-cost economy flights within Europe on British Airways, Iberia, or Finnair
- Flights within Japan or to Korea on Japan Airlines
All of these can make Avios a great way to redeem your Membership Rewards points. Given the devaluations lately, however, I would not place British Airways Avios as high on the list of useful ways to redeem Amex Membership Rewards.
Use the 35% points rebate from the Business Platinum Card
A final strategy to redeem Amex Membership Rewards for solid value is to use the 35% rebate on Pay with Points bookings offered by The Business Platinum Card® from American Express. Amex will give you 3.5 points back for each 10 points redeemed (as long as you redeem at least 5,000 points) for bookings with your selected airline, which is the same airline you select to redeem the $200 airline incidental credit.
This is mediocre value compared to many economy awards, but the more intriguing option is to use this feature for booking business- or first-class flights.
For now, the Pay with Points feature allows you to receive 35% of your points back when booking first- or business-class flights with any airline. That will change September 18, 2025, when premium cabins will too be restricted to your selected airline. All Pay with Points bookings must be made through the American Express Travel® website.
Since you normally receive a value of 1¢ per Amex point when using Pay with Points, the 35% back rebate increases this to 1.54 cents per point. It's not all that fantastic when compared to award options. But you should also factor in the miles you earn from the flight, as well as any elite status credit, since you are booking a paid flight using Pay with Points. Factoring in these other earnings can sometimes make Pay with Points bookings well worth it.
Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
Decent Ways to Redeem Amex Points
We've covered the best ways to redeem Amex Membership Rewards points, including ways you could use specific transfer partners. In this section, I'll discuss options that often offer poorer value but can make sense in some limited situations.
Transfer to hotel partners
None of the three hotel partners offer exceptional value for your points. Based on actual redemptions made by AwardWallet users, you'll get an average of:
- 0.6¢ per Choice Privileges point
- 0.59¢ per Hilton Honors point
- 0.94¢ per Marriott Bonvoy point
Since points transfer to Hilton Honors at a 1:2 ratio, you'll get nearly 1.2 cents per Membership Rewards point here. This falls far short of the 2+ cents per point you can get from many airline transfer partners. This is why we recommend you transfer Amex Membership Rewards to airlines instead of hotels.
That being said, it's nice to have the option to transfer Amex points to hotel programs, if you're just a few thousand points short of what you need for an award stay — or if you find a specific use of your hotel points that gives you excellent value. Plus, now that SLH properties are bookable with Hilton Honors points, there is potential to get much better value from your points than traditional Hilton properties.
Transfer to lower-value airline partners
There are a handful of airline partners where transfers don't typically offer great value. These include:
With JetBlue, the value falls within a set range, so you won't be able to get out-sized value. That is, unless you take advantage of specific partner redemptions on airlines like JAL, Qatar Airways, and a couple of others.
Before the Etihad devaluation, it was an amazing program. Much of the value has been removed, but don't write the program off entirely. There are still some redemption options where you'll want to use Etihad Guest miles. But overall, it'll only offer value for niche carriers or situations, such as short-haul American Airlines awards for 6,000 miles.
Finally, the juice simply isn't worth the squeeze with Aeromexico. I compared award prices with many FlyingBlue and Delta itineraries, and you'll be fine sticking with the latter programs. Not to mention, Aeromexico's change and cancellation policies are terrible.
Bad Ways to Use Amex Points
Finally, we suggest avoiding some of the worst ways to redeem Amex points. As you'll notice in this section, these options offer exceptionally low redemption value.
Cashing out points
You can redeem Amex points for a statement credit, which is as good as cash. However, you'll only get around 0.6¢ per point this way. Compared to other ways to use Amex Membership Rewards, it's terrible value. You can easily get twice this value when converting to Hilton points, which is a mediocre value compares to many airline options.
Another way to “cash out” is to redeem points for purchases on retailers like Amazon. You'll generally get poor value when redeeming a stash of points for what's in your digital shopping cart, but there's one exception. Occasionally, you can redeem just one Amex point and save up to 40% (or more) on a purchase. In these instances, using a single point can result in incredible savings.
Redeeming Amex points for gift cards
You'll usually get 1¢ per point when you redeem Amex points for gift cards. However, some give gift cards give even worse redemption rates. Unless you have so many Membership Rewards points that you're truly struggling to figure out what to do with them, I wouldn't consider redeeming them for gift cards.
Booking travel through American Express Travel®
In general, booking travel directly through Amex Travel isn't a great use of Membership Rewards points. It's better than cashing them out, as you get 1¢ per point. But you can usually do much better than this if you transfer points to travel partners as evidenced above.
The exception is if you're booking travel with the 35% rebate offered by the Business Platinum Card. And you usually need to factor in mileage earning for it to really be worth it. But again, that rebate opportunity is being diminished soon.
Donating points
You can donate to charity through the JustGiving website. However, rather than get a boost to your value, American Express gives you just 0.7 cents per donated point. While it's great to donate to causes you support, you won't get good value if you redeem Amex Membership Rewards this way.
Top Cards for Earning More Amex Points
If any of the top redemptions above have inspired future travel plans, you might be wondering how to grow your Amex points balance. You can always earn more by taking advantage of Amex Offers, shopping through Rakuten, or putting your everyday spending on a Membership Rewards-earning card.
But one of the fastest ways to rack up a meaningful number of points is by earning a welcome bonus on a new Amex card. Here are some of the best Amex welcome offers available right 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.
If you're curious about how to earn points, here are all the cards that earn Amex Membership Rewards points.
Final Thoughts
American Express Membership Rewards is one of the most versatile loyalty currencies available, with a wide array of high-value airline and hotel transfer partners. Whether you're dreaming of a lie-flat seat to Europe or simply want to stretch your points on a domestic flight, there are outstanding redemptions available—if you know where to look. Use this guide as a starting point to unlock the best value from your Amex points.
And if you’ve uncovered your own favorite Amex sweet spots, drop them in the comments. We’d love to hear how you’ve made the most of your points.
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)
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.
