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You’ve collected a healthy balance of American Express Membership Rewards points, one of the most valuable and flexible rewards currencies on the planet. The question now is, what’s the best way to use them? While the Amex travel portal offers a simple path to booking flights, it often provides a fixed, mediocre value. The true, game-changing power of your points lies in a feature that separates casual travelers from expert hackers: the list of Amex transfer partners. This is where your points transform from a simple rebate into a key that can unlock tens of thousands of dollars in travel experiences.
Understanding how to leverage these airline and hotel loyalty programs is the most important skill for anyone serious about credit card travel rewards. It’s the difference between redeeming 100,000 points for a $1,000 flight and redeeming them for a $7,000 business class suite to Asia. This guide will serve as your definitive resource for navigating the world of Amex transfer partners in 2025. We will break down the complete list, identify the top-tier partners that provide the most value, and provide a strategic framework for turning your points into priceless memories.
Full Comparison of Top-Tier Amex Transfer Partners
While the full list of Amex transfer partners is long, a few consistently rise to the top, offering the best combination of high-value award charts, excellent partner networks, and frequent transfer bonuses. Here’s how our top five picks stack up.
| Partner Program | Airline Alliance | Best Use Case | Typical Value (CPP) | Key Sweet Spot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Star Alliance | Booking partner business class with no fuel surcharges. | 2.0 – 8.0 cents | Business class to Europe for 60k-70k points on airlines like Swiss or Lufthansa. |
| Air France/KLM Flying Blue | SkyTeam | Finding promo awards and good business class availability to Europe. | 1.5 – 6.0 cents | Monthly “Promo Rewards” offering 25-50% off business class awards to select cities. |
| Avianca LifeMiles | Star Alliance | Booking premium cabin flights with no fuel surcharges and a simple award chart. | 1.8 – 10.0+ cents | Lufthansa First Class within 14 days of departure for ~87k miles. |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | SkyTeam | Booking partner awards, especially on Delta and ANA. | 2.0 – 15.0+ cents | Booking ANA First Class to Japan for as low as 47,500 points one-way—a legendary redemption. |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | oneworld | Booking complex, multi-partner itineraries and premium flights on Cathay Pacific. | 1.6 – 7.0 cents | Using the multi-carrier award chart to build a mini round-the-world trip. |
The Best Amex Transfer Partners for Your Travel Goals
The “best” partner is subjective; it depends entirely on where you want to go and how you want to fly. Here are our winners for the most common travel goals, showcasing the versatility of the Amex transfer partners program.
🏆 Best Overall & For Star Alliance: Air Canada Aeroplan
If you could only choose one of the Amex transfer partners, Aeroplan would be it. Its combination of a reasonable award chart, a massive network of over 40 airline partners, and its policy of not passing on fuel surcharges makes it incredibly powerful. Whether you want to fly United Polaris to Australia, Swiss Business to the Alps, or Singapore Airlines to Asia, Aeroplan is often the most reliable and cost-effective way to book it. Its versatility is unmatched in the world of credit card travel rewards.
🏆 Best for Aspirational First Class: Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
This is the home of one of the most legendary “sweet spot” redemptions in the entire points and miles world: booking ANA First Class “The Suite” between the U.S. and Japan for as few as 47,500 points one-way. A ticket that regularly sells for over $15,000. While finding availability is a challenge, this single redemption demonstrates the monumental power of leveraging the right Amex transfer partners. Virgin’s partnership with Delta also provides excellent value for domestic US flights.
🏆 Best for SkyTeam & Europe Trips: Air France/KLM Flying Blue
For travelers heading to Europe, Flying Blue is an essential tool. The program has access to significant award space on its own flights and on partners like Delta. Its secret weapon is the monthly “Promo Rewards,” which can offer discounts of up to 50% on award tickets from select North American cities to Europe. A business class seat for 25,000-35,000 miles is an incredible deal, making Flying Blue a top-tier choice among the Amex transfer partners.
🏆 Best for Hotel Stays: Hilton Honors (with a caveat)
While hotel transfers generally offer less value than airline transfers, Hilton Honors is the most viable option among the Amex transfer partners for hotels. This is due to two factors: the standard 1:2 transfer ratio (1,000 Amex points = 2,000 Hilton points) and frequent transfer bonuses of 30-40%. During a good promotion, you can get a solid value, especially for high-end properties like the Waldorf Astoria Maldives or for topping off an account for a 5th-night-free booking. For a full breakdown, see our guide on When to Pay With Points vs. Cash for a Hotel Stay.
Realistic Math Examples: Turning 150,000 Points into $15,000
Let’s take a balance of 150,000 American Express Membership Rewards points and see the real-world outcome of redeeming them through three different methods.
You redeem your points for a statement credit through Amex, a notoriously poor value redemption.
- Points Used: 150,000
- Cash Value Received: $900
Value Realized: 0.6 cents per point. This is a catastrophic waste of high-value credit card travel rewards.
You book a flight directly through the Amex Travel portal, where your points are worth a fixed 1 cent each towards airfare.
- Points Used: 150,000
- Travel Value Received: $1,500
Value Realized: 1.0 cent per point. This is the absolute baseline, and far from maximized.
You wait for a 30% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic and transfer 115,000 points to book a round-trip, First Class ticket to Japan on ANA. The cash price is $15,000.
- Points Transferred: 115,000 Amex Points -> 149,500 Virgin Points
- Travel Value Received: $15,000
Value Realized: An incredible 13 cents per point. This is the power of mastering the Amex transfer partners program.
In these scenarios, using airline transfer partners provides a dramatically higher return on value compared to cash back or travel portal redemptions.
Gotchas You Shouldn’t Ignore
The path to high-value redemptions has a few critical pitfalls. Avoiding them is just as important as knowing the right strategies for using Amex transfer partners.
- Irreversible Transfers: This is the golden rule. Once you move points to an airline or hotel partner, you can never move them back. That’s why you must find and confirm award space *before* you transfer.
- Hefty Surcharges on Certain Airlines: Some Amex transfer partners, notably British Airways Executive Club and Emirates Skywards, pass on significant fuel surcharges that can add hundreds of dollars to an award ticket. Always check the final cash co-pay.
- Varying Transfer Times: While most transfers are instant, some partners can take 24-48 hours or longer. Be aware of these potential delays by checking a reliable source like Upgraded Points’ transfer time chart before initiating a transfer for a time-sensitive booking.
- Phantom Award Space: This is when an airline’s website shows an award seat that isn’t actually bookable. It’s a frustrating glitch. This is why it’s crucial to proceed to the final payment screen to confirm the award is real before you transfer any points.
How We Rank the Amex Transfer Partners
Our rankings are not arbitrary. They are based on a data-driven analysis of each program’s real-world value to a US-based traveler looking to maximize their credit card travel rewards.
- Award Chart Value: We prioritize programs that offer fixed, reasonable award charts with identifiable “sweet spots” that allow for high cents-per-point redemptions.
- Partner Network and Alliances: A program’s value is directly tied to its network of airline partners. We rank Amex transfer partners with broad, multi-alliance partnerships (like Aeroplan) higher.
- Transfer Ratios and Bonuses: We factor in the standard transfer ratio (most are 1:1) and the historical frequency of transfer bonuses, which can significantly enhance a program’s value.
- Ease of Booking and Low Surcharges: Programs that have user-friendly online booking tools and do not pass on exorbitant fuel surcharges are ranked more favorably.
FAQs
What is the complete list of Amex transfer partners?
The list changes periodically, but as of 2025, it includes around 18 airlines and 3 hotel chains. Key airline partners include Delta, British Airways, Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France/KLM, Virgin Atlantic, ANA, and Singapore Airlines. The hotel partners are Hilton, Marriott, and Choice. For the most current list, always check the official American Express transfer portal.
Are hotel transfers ever a good deal with Amex points?
Generally, airline transfers offer much higher potential value. The transfer ratios to Marriott (1:1) and Hilton (1:2) are often poor compared to the cash price of a room. However, they can be useful for topping off an account for a specific high-value award or to secure a 5th-night-free booking.
How do I find out about the latest transfer bonuses?
The best way is to subscribe to a few major points and miles blogs that announce these promotions as soon as they go live. You can also see current offers by logging into your American Express account and navigating to the Membership Rewards transfer page.
Can I transfer my Amex points to my spouse’s airline account?
Generally, no. The name on the frequent flyer account must match the name on the American Express account. However, many airline programs allow you to book award tickets for other people using the miles from your own account.