American Express points are flexible and powerful and can be used to book award flights on some of the best airlines. But if you’re wondering how to transfer your Amex points to airline partners, don’t worry. I’ve got you covered! Here’s the ultimate step-by-step guide on how to make it happen, with a few tips along the way.
Why Transfer Amex Points to an Airline Partner?
First off, let’s talk about why you’d want to transfer points instead of booking through Amex Travel portal. By transferring points, you can often find amazing deals and higher-value redemptions, especially in business and first class. You might be able to snag a round-trip ticket for less than half the points it’d cost to book through Amex’s own portal.
Plus, Amex has a solid list of partners, including airlines like Delta, British Airways, and Singapore Airlines, each with unique routes and availability. You’ve got options!
Step 1: Create Loyalty Accounts and Link them to your Amex Account
To transfer your American Express points to an airline, you must first create airline frequent flyer loyalty accounts. I go over how to do that here. Once you have made your frequent flyer accounts, you must link them to your Amex account.
To do this, you will click “Rewards and Benefits,” then click “Earn and Redeem,” and then click “Transfer Points.”
Then, you’ll be shown a list of all of American Express airline travel partners. Next to each airline, you will see a box titled “Show Details.” Click this and you will then be prompted to enter your frequent flyer account number. That’s it! Now your accounts are linked!
Pro Tip: Some frequent flyer accounts need to be open for a few days before Amex allows you to transfer points. So, if this is a last-minute plan, double-check that your frequent flyer account is set up and linked before transferring!
Step 2: Make Sure You’re Ready to Transfer
Once you transfer points to an airline, you can’t transfer them back. That means you want to be sure about your travel plans AND ensure the airlines have award availability on your desired travel days. So, the first thing I do is check the airline’s award availability. You will log in to the airline’s website, search for the flight you want, and ensure it’s bookable with miles before transferring your points.
Let’s say I want to fly from New York to Madrid in business class. To do this, I’m going to log in to my British Airways account and click “Book a Flight with Avios”
Then, I’m going to start plugging in dates. Remember, it can be tricky to find award availability, especially in premium cabins. This is why flexibility with your dates and even your departure city is vital.
I worked through many dates until I found award availability in business class. Great! Now that I have confirmed award availability, I will move on to step three.
- A Helpful Hint: Be mindful of transfer times. Amex will typically let you know how long the transfer might take. Some airlines are almost instant (like Delta or Aeroplan), while others can take up to 48 hours. There is always a chance that the flight you have your eyes on can disappear in the time it takes for your Amex points to transfer to the airline.
Step 3: Transfer your Points
Now for the exciting part! Head to the Amex website and back to the transfer points page.
I will find British Airways on the list of travel partners and enter the number of points I want to transfer. In this case, I see on the British Airways page that the flight I want costs 34,000 points. So, I want to transfer that exactly. Remember, once you hit transfer, these points are no longer in your Amex account; it’s a one-way street. So, only transfer if you are sure there is award availability.
- A Helpful Hint: Most airlines only let you transfer in 1000-point increments. Sometimes, you will find a reward flight not in a 1000-point increment (for example, 62,500). In this case, you would need to transfer 63,000 points.
Step 4: Book your Flight!
Once you have clicked “Confirm Transfer,” your points will be on their way! I have found that almost all points transfer nearly instantly. I like to log out of my airline account, refresh the page, and then log back in to see if the points have landed. You’re ready to book once you see your points reflected in your airline’s balance!
Quick Recap:
Check Award Availability: Before you transfer, make sure the flight you want is available.
Log in to Amex and Link Your Account if you haven’t already.
Select Your Airline and Enter Points: Choose your airline partner and transfer the points you need.
Book Your Flight: As soon as the points arrive in your frequent flyer account, go ahead and book that trip!
Final Thoughts
Transferring Amex points to airline partners is one of the best ways to maximize their value, especially for international and business-class travel. It’s a fairly straightforward process that can become a game-changer for your travel plans. So go ahead, find that perfect flight, and turn those points into your dream adventure!
