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You’ve earned a stash of American Express Membership Rewards points. Now, what do you do with them?
Amex gives you plenty of ways to redeem your points, but not all of them deliver the same value. Without a clear game plan, it’s easy to leave value on the table.
The good news: it doesn’t have to be complicated. We’ll break down the ways to redeem Amex Membership Rewards and point out which options give you the best return.
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 16,000 points
- Use ANA Mileage Club to fly United Polaris to Europe for 50,000 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 Membership Rewards points. However, the Amex transfer partner list is extensive with 20 total partners — three hotel and 17 airline partners.
Not all transfer partners offer the same value. In general, the following airline partners tend to provide the strongest high-value redemption opportunities:
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Air France–KLM Flying Blue
- All Nippon Airways (ANA) Mileage Club
- Avianca LifeMiles
- Club Iberia Plus
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Plus, you can sometimes find solid redemptions through these programs:
This doesn’t mean all of these programs are good in every situation. Each has specific uses that can offer good to excellent value for many people. The remaining partners have more 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 largely bad news. In some cases, it is. But when you find Saver awards, both award prices and the usually high fees can be very attractive.
This New York (JFK) to London (LHR) flight is 6,000 points in economy class, 10,500 in premium economy, and 29,000 in Upper Class.
But the taxes and fees can fluctuate to the point of making premium awards not so worthwhile. The $583 surcharge on Upper Class is pretty disappointing — despite the low miles required.
Even so, this may now be a better alternative to booking Virgin flights than with Air France/KLM, which previously stood out for its lower fees. Still, it pays to compare both programs to find the best balance of miles and 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 limited its uses. It’s 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’ll have to look harder to find them.
United Saver award space must be available for the best pricing, which is often another limiting factor. But if you can find it, LifeMiles can offer an excellent deal on select itineraries. Membership Rewards transfer to LifeMiles at a 1:1 ratio and are sometimes targeted for transfer bonuses, which can make the value even better.
Fly Iberia to or from Madrid from 16,000 points
Iberia uses a distance-based, peak/off-peak award chart. 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 16,000 Avios in economy, 29,500 in premium economy, and 40,500 in business each way during off-peak dates. Fees are reasonable as well, at $137 in business class. Flying 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 50,000 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 better with ANA now allowing one-way bookings.
One standout option is United Polaris business class to Europe. If you can find United 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 and remains one of the best ways to redeem Amex Membership Rewards.
The key here is that United doesn’t levy fuel or carrier surcharges, keeping taxes and fees minimal. The San Francisco (SFO) to Munich (MUC) flight above is a perfect example.
ANA does, however, pass along carrier surcharges on airlines that impose them — and applies these fees on its own flights as well.
These costs can add up quickly. Even when the mileage requirement is attractive, you could still face more than $1,000 in fees, depending on the operating airline. This is why it’s worth comparing United flights to Europe with options on Lufthansa Group airlines.
It’s also worth noting that transfers from Amex to ANA may not be instant, so be sure to check our dedicated transfer timetable.
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 want to highlight it as one of the best ways to use Amex Membership Rewards points. 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 through most other programs, these are amazing deals. You can’t search or book these awards on Virgin’s website, so be sure to check out the post above for details on finding these flights.
Even better, Amex routinely runs Virgin Atlantic Flying Club transfer bonuses. If you can transfer your points during one of these promotions, you’ll get even more 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 Flying Blue’s Promo Rewards, which offer monthly award discounts of 25% to 50% on flights to and from select cities. With these deals, it’s often possible to book economy flights to Europe for as few as 18,750 miles each way, plus reasonable taxes and fees.
In some cases, you may also find discounted business-class awards from U.S. airports served by KLM and Air France, though these are much rarer.
Another excellent Flying Blue redemption stems from how the program defines its award regions. Like many frequent-flyer programs, Flying Blue uses a region-based award chart, but its definitions are unique. For example, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, and the Canary Islands are categorized as part of Europe.
In this example, you can redeem miles for a one-way flight from Chicago (ORD) to Casablanca (CMN) for just 25,000 Air France–KLM Flying Blue miles.
Other frequent flyer programs, like Delta, may charge more miles to reach these destinations, so it pays to compare.
Speaking of Delta, using Flying Blue miles for domestic Delta flights — such as to Hawaii — can be another good use of your Amex miles. For example, this Salt Lake City (SLC) to Honolulu (HNL) flight costs 25,500 Flying Blue miles plus $39.
The same flight on Delta costs 35,900 SkyMiles and $5.60. This highlights the power of transferable points, which let you choose the cheapest option for the same flight.
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 — and they’re notoriously hard to book outside of Singapore's own KrisFlyer loyalty program. While some programs offer limited access to business-class awards on Singapore Airlines flights, routes and availability are restricted. First-class and suites awards, however, can only be booked through KrisFlyer.
Redeeming Amex points through KrisFlyer is the best way to book Singapore’s premium cabins. Despite a recent pricing increase, there are still some solid options, including:
- Singapore suites from New York (JFK) to Frankfurt (FRA) for 106,500 KrisFlyer miles
- Business class from Seattle (SEA) to Singapore (SIN) for 112,500 KrisFlyer miles
- Business class from Los Angeles (LAX) to Tokyo-Narita (NRT) for 114,000 KrisFlyer miles
You can book at singaporeair.com, where the award search is fairly robust. You’ll need a KrisFlyer account and must be logged in to search for award flights. Saver awards offer the best value, though an Advantage award can still make sense if Saver space isn’t available.
Unlike many programs, the next pricing tier above Saver isn’t a terrible deal. That said, it’s best to avoid awards marked “Waitlist,” as these aren’t guaranteed 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’s fewer than 2,751 miles one way. Unlike many other Amex transfer partners, Aeroplan awards can include a connection without increasing the award price. Here’s an example itinerary from a regional airport to Honolulu:
This works from many regional airports in California, as well as Las Vegas, Reno, and parts of southern Oregon. It’s a niche redemption, but it can provide excellent value. You’ll need to watch the distance carefully, as some origin-and-destination combinations exceed the threshold.
Air Canada recently added United to its list of “select partners” subject to dynamic pricing. As a result, while these flights technically start at 12,500 miles, 15,000 miles was the lowest price I found — and rates increased from there.
Take advantage of transfer bonuses
We’ve already mentioned Amex transfer bonuses for several airline programs. If you can use a transfer bonus on any of the awards above, you’ll get even more value from 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
Transfer to British Airways to book short-haul Oneworld flights
British Airways can be a decent option for booking nonstop flights on Oneworld alliance airlines. Booking nonstop American and Alaska flights used to be a primary use of Avios, but a recent devaluation has reduced the value significantly.
However, there’s still potential for many domestic flights within the U.S. — especially shorter routes to more rural destinations where cash prices tend to be high.
If you’re not familiar with these awards, here are the first five British Airways award zone prices for flights within North America:
| Distance/Zone | Economy | Premium Economy (on select flights to Hawaii/Alaska) | Business (Domestic First) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 650 miles (Zone 1) | 13,500 | N/A | 26,500 |
| Up to 1,151 miles (Zones 2) | 18,000 | N/A | 35,500 |
| 1,152 to 2,000 miles (Zone 3) | 20,000 | N/A | 44,000 |
| 2,001 to 3,000 miles (Zone 4) | 22,000 | 44,000 | 55,000 |
| 3,001 to 4,000 miles (Zone 5) | 23,000 | 45,500 | 67,000 |
British Airways award pricing within North America now starts at 13,500 Avios. While that’s much higher than in past years, some redemptions can still offer solid value.
For example, consider this Phoenix to Vail/Eagle, Colorado (EGE) flight, which costs $326 for a Main Cabin ticket through American Airlines:
With award availability through British Airways, this ticket would require 13,500 Avios and $5.60 in taxes and fees each way — a 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 ways to use 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
These can all make Avios a solid option for redeeming Membership Rewards points. Given recent devaluations, however, British Airways Avios no longer rank as highly among the most useful Amex transfer options.
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. With this benefit, Amex gives you 3.5 points back for every 10 points redeemed, on redemptions of at least 5,000 points. The rebate applies when booking flights with your selected airline, which is the same airline you choose for the $200 airline incidental credit.
All Pay with Points bookings must be made through the American Express Travel® website.
Since Pay with Points normally provides a value of 1¢ per Amex point, the 35% rebate increases that to about 1.54 cents per point. That’s not especially compelling compared to many award options. However, because Pay with Points bookings count as paid flights, you’ll also earn miles and elite status credit. When you factor in those additional earnings, Pay with Points bookings can sometimes be 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 how to use specific transfer partners. In this section, we’ll look at options that often offer poorer value but can still make sense in 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:
- 1.26¢ per Choice Privileges point
- 0.59¢ per Hilton Honors point
- 0.93¢ per Marriott Bonvoy point
Since points transfer to Hilton Honors at a 1:2 ratio, you'll get around 1.2 cents per Membership Rewards point here. This falls far short of the 2-plus 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, having the option to transfer Amex points to hotel programs can still be useful — especially if you’re a few thousand points short of an award stay or find a specific redemption that offers strong value. And now that SLH properties are bookable with Hilton Honors points, there’s potential to get better value than you typically would with traditional Hilton redemptions.
Transfer to lower-value airline partners
There are a handful of airline partners where transfers don’t usually offer strong value, including:
- Aeromexico Rewards: 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.
- JetBlue TrueBlue: 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 Qatar Airways and a couple of others.
- Etihad Guest: Before the Etihad devaluation, it was an amazing program. Much of the value has been removed, but don't write the program off entirely. It’s still useful in select cases, like short-haul American Airlines awards for 6,000 miles. But, its overall value is limited.
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 essentially cash. However, you’ll only get about 0.6¢ per point — terrible value compared to most other redemption options. You can easily get double that by transferring points to Hilton Honors, which itself is still mediocre compared to many airline transfers.
Another way to “cash out” is redeeming points for purchases at retailers like Amazon. In most cases, this also delivers poor value. The exception is targeted promotions that let you redeem 1 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 redeeming Amex points for gift cards, though some offer even worse rates. Unless you’re sitting on a massive points balance with no other use in mind, redeeming points for gift cards generally isn’t a good option.
Booking travel through American Express Travel®
In general, booking travel through Amex Travel isn’t a great use of Membership Rewards points. While you’ll get 1¢ per point — better than cashing out — you can usually do far better by transferring points to travel partners.
The main exception is booking flights with the 35% Pay with Points rebate offered by the Business Platinum Card. Even then, you’ll need to factor in mileage earning and elite status credit for the math to work. This option became less compelling after Amex limited the rebate to a single selected airline, even for business-class bookings.
Donating points
You can donate points to charity through JustGiving, but the value is low. Amex gives just 0.7¢ per point for donated points. While donating to causes you support is admirable, it’s not a good way to maximize the value of your Membership Rewards.
Top Cards for Earning More Amex Points
If 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 using Amex Offers, shopping through Rakuten, or putting your everyday spending on a Membership Rewards-earning card.
One of the fastest ways to build a meaningful balance, however, 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.
- American Express Platinum Card®: 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 $12,000 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: Elevated Welcome Offer: Earn 200,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $20,000 in eligible purchases on the Business Platinum 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®.
- Earn 5X points on Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection bookings.
(Terms apply)
- Earn 5X points on flights and prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X points on each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more.
- Earn 2X points on each eligible purchase with U.S. construction material and hardware suppliers.
- Earn 2X points on each eligible purchase with U.S. electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers.
- Earn 2X points on each eligible purchase with U.S. shipping providers.
- 2X 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, thanks to a wide range of airline and hotel transfer partners. Whether you’re aiming for a lie-flat seat to Europe or trying to stretch points on a domestic flight, strong redemption options exist — if you know where to look.
Use this guide as a starting point to get the most 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 put your points to work.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees), American Express Platinum Card® (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.
