American Express Membership Rewards is one the 5 transferable point programs. The other 4 programs are Capital One Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Marriott Rewards.
Similar to using Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex has several notable airline transfer partners including ANA and Singapore Airlines.
Unlike using Marriott points with airline partners, Amex does not provide a 5,000 point bonus when transferring 20,000 points. Instead, the program allows you to transfer points to most partners at a 1:1 ratio.
When the time comes to evaluate how best to use your Amex Membership Rewards points, it’s important to know a few of the sweet spots like I mentioned when using Citi ThankYou points.
The process for transferring your Amex Membership Rewards is straightforward.
First, login to your account and click “Link Loyalty Programs”. Next, select the program you’d like to use and click “Transfer Points”. Then, input the number of points you want to transfer and click “Confirm and Transfer Points”.
If you have Amex Membership Rewards points you want to use, here are a few of the best sweet spots when using their airline transfer partners.
1. Delta Economy To Hawaii
The Flying Blue program no longer uses an award chart and instead utilizes a mileage calculator. Without an award chart, award pricing is now tied to the cost of the revenue flight.
For Delta economy flights to Hawaii, Flying Blue charges 30,000 miles round-trip. Business class requires 60,000 miles round-trip though you will want to call Air France / KLM to confirm availability. On a recent search, the Flying Blue website showed a ton of phantom availability.
The Flying Blue Delta redemption has a couple of highlights to mention. The first is that taxes and fees will be low. The second highlight is that award flights can be booked one-way.
The downside to using Flying Blue miles to fly Delta is two-fold. The first downside is that seat availability for premium cabins to Hawaii is limited. The second downside is that award pricing is no longer derived from a standard award chart.
When you decide to use miles for this redemption, you can search for award availability on Air France or KLM (I prefer KLM) which is where you can also book the flight.
Examples of non-stop Delta flights include:
- Los Angeles – Maui (OGG)
- Salt Lake City (SLC) – Honolulu (HNL)
- Atlanta (ATL) – Honolulu (HNL)
2. ANA Business Class To Japan
ANA, also known as All Nippon Airways, uses zone-based and seasonal award pricing for both the ANA international award chart as well as the international partner airline chart. The charts have 10 zones and 3 seasons (high, regular, low).
When flying ANA business class to Japan from the U.S., ANA charges 85,000 miles round-trip during the regular season. If you are able to fly during the low season, you will only need 75,000 miles to fly 11+ hours in business class.
One of the main highlights in the ANA award chart is that you are allowed a stopover for flights not departing from Japan. There are many caveats within the ANA award charts which is why it’s important to read through the terms and conditions.
The major downsides with using ANA miles are two-fold. The first downside is that you are required to book round-trip award tickets. The second downside is that the taxes, fees, and surcharges are material when flying premium cabins. Based on a recent search, you’re looking at ~$250 in fees for business class in addition to the ANA miles required.
When searching for ANA award availability, you can use ANA’s search engine. Once you locate the flight that you want, you can book the flight on ANA. One thing to keep in mind is to make sure you are not “Waitlisted”.
Examples of non-stop ANA flights to Japan include:
- San Francisco (SFO) – Tokyo (NRT)
- Houston (IAH) – Tokyo (NRT)
- Washington (IAD) – Tokyo (NRT)
3. Fly Oneworld Business Class To Europe
The Cathay Pacific Asia Miles program is extremely complicated and uses multiple distanced-based award charts.
For flights to Europe on a single carrier, you’ll use the Asia Miles Award Chart. For flights involving two oneworld airline partners, you’ll use the oneworld Multi-carrier Awards chart.
If you’re flying from the East Coast to Europe using only one airline partner, Cathay requires 100,000 Asia miles round-trip. If you add a second oneworld partner, you will need to use additional Asia Miles. Also, the mileage will be based on the total distance of the entire itinerary.
British Airways and Finnair flights to Europe can be booked with miles on asiamiles.com. For other airline partners with flights to Europe, you will need to complete the Flight Request Award form.
Adding to the competitive business class redemption to Europe, the Asia miles program has another highlight to mention. A stopover is allowed on a one-way flight for most of their airline partners.
The downside to using this redemption is that the program is complicated to use and understand.
I recommend searching for oneworld partner availability on British Airways or Qantas. Once you find availability, book the flight with miles directly on Cathay Pacific or use the form mentioned above.
Examples of non-stop flights to Europe include:
- New York (JFK) – Paris (CDG)
- Philadelphia – Venice (VCE)
- Miami (MIA) – Madrid (MAD)
4. Fly Virgin Atlantic Upper Class To Europe
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer program has multiple high value redemptions including this one. Singapore Airlines has a Virgin Atlantic Chart as well as charts for their other partners.
When flying to Europe in Virgin Atlantic Upper Class, Singapore Airlines requires 50,000 miles one-way. If you want to save some miles, a one-way economy flight is only 25,000 miles.
The Singapore Airlines program allows you to book a stopover on a round-trip itinerary further increasing the value of this redemption.
The primary downside when redeeming miles to fly Upper Class are the fuel surcharges. Based on a recent search, you’re looking at ~$478 in surcharges one-way when flying Virgin Atlantic across the Atlantic.
Virgin Atlantic award availability can be located on Virgin Atlantic and then booked on Singapore Airlines. If availability is not showing on Singapore Airlines, call Singapore Airlines at 213-404-0301.
Examples of non-stop Virgin Atlantic flights include:
- Atlanta (ATL) – London (LHR)
- Newark (EWR) – London (LHR)
- San Francisco (SFO) – London (LHR)
5. Business Class to Brussels
Etihad uses individual award charts for its airline partners which include the Brussels Airlines award chart. Pricing is based on your destination with the three North American destinations requiring the same number of miles.
For Brussels Airlines flights to Europe, Etihad requires 88,000 miles round-trip. If you’d like to save some miles, consider economy at 57,000 miles round-trip.
The Brussels Airlines redemption has a couple of downsides to mention. The first downside is that you will need to call Etihad at +1 (0) 877-690-0767 to book an award. The second are the fuel surcharges. Based on a recent search, business class fuel surcharges came to ~$970 while economy came to $315.
I recommend searching for Brussels Airlines availability on united.com and then calling Etihad Guest Services to book your flight.
Non-stop Brussels Airlines from North America are:
- Toronto (YYZ) – Brussels (BRU)
- New York (JFK) – Brussels (BRU)
- Washington (IAD) – Brussels (BRU)
Conclusion
Earning American Express Membership Rewards points has been a recent focus of mine due to many of the high value redemptions in this article. From flying to Hawaii, Asia, and Europe in premium cabins at competitive rates, Membership Rewards should be a program to continue focusing on.
