American Express Membership Rewards points can be converted into airline miles and hotel rewards points with a hefty list of partners. This is mostly at a 1:1 ratio meaning that 1,000 AMEX points will give you 1,000 points or miles with the partner program.
AMEX transfer partners
American Express Membership Rewards points can be transferred to the following airline and hotel partners:
Excise Tax offset fee
When transferring to a U.S. airline frequent flyer program, American Express will charge you an Excise Tax Offset fee of $0.0006 cents per point transferred. This means that for every 10,000 points you transfer, you will be charged $6.
You can also pay the fee using Membership Rewards Points at a value of 0.5 cents per point (not recommended). You will be charged the Excise Tax Offset Fee for transferring points to the following U.S.-based airlines:
- Delta Airlines
- JetBlue Airlines
- Hawaiian Airlines
The maximum amount AMEX will charge you is $99 per transfer which comes from transferring 165,000 Membership Rewards Points. This is not a large fee, but something you should take note of.
AMEX points to Delta SkyMiles
American Express is the only major credit card partner of the Delta SkyMiles program. This means if you're loyal to Delta, you will want to heavy consider the Membership Rewards program over other flexible travel rewards programs.
Every 1,000 Membership Rewards points you transfer to your Delta account will give you 1,000 Delta SkyMiles. Another perk of the Membership Rewards program is that you can book travel on Delta through AMEX Travel and still receive full credit towards Delta Medallion Status.
The big benefit of this (outside of having another way to book your travel) is that if you have the The Business Platinum Card® from American Express you can get a 35% point rebate on these bookings. This can sometimes save you a good amount of points when compared to transferring your rewards to Delta and booking through them.
AMEX points to Hilton Honors
Hilton is another notable partner of American Express. Membership Rewards points can be transferred to Hilton Honors at a 1:2 ratio meaning that every 1,000 AMEX points you transfer will give you 2,000 Hilton Honors points. This is a pretty solid transfer ratio which makes the Membership Rewards program an excellent option for Hilton travelers.
Hilton's own co-branded credit cards are top-notch and should be the main goto when building your balance of Hilton Honors points, but it doesn't hurt to have the Membership Rewards program as a back up to top off your account in the case that you're a few points shy of a redemption.
AMEX points to Hawaiian miles
American Express Membership Rewards is the only major credit card transfer partner of the Hawaiian Airlines Hawaiian Miles program. Every 1,000 AMEX points you transfer will give you 1,000 Hawaiian miles. So if you're looking to book trips via Hawaiian to get to Hawaii or Asia, the Membership Rewards program is a great choice.
Calculator: AMEX points transfer
Use our AMEX points transfer calculator to calculate the conversion of Membership Rewards points into airline miles and hotel points AMEX's travel partners.
How to earn AMEX points
Membership Rewards points are earned using American Express Membership Rewards credit cards. For every eligible $1 you spend, you will earn at least 1 Membership Rewards points plus any bonus points the card offers for spending in select categories.
Membership Rewards points can also be earned using Rakuten Rewards if you have at least one Membership Rewards-point earning credit card.
Membership Rewards credit cards
American Express offers a large handful of credit cards that earn Membership Rewards points. Here are those cards:
- Earn 5X points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (up to $500,000, then 1X)
- Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel
- Earn 1X points on all other eligible purchases
- Global Airport Lounge Access including Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Club Lounges (when flying Delta), Airspace Lounges, Escape Lounges, and Priority Pass Lounges
- Over $1,400 in annual credits which includes airline incidentals, Uber Cash, digital entertainment, Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection, and more
- Enroll in complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status and Hilton Honors Gold status
- Terms Apply
- $695 annual fee (See Rates and Fees)
- Card Value & AMEX Platinum Points Calculator
- Earn 4X points at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year (then 1X)
- Earn 4X points at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year (then 1X)
- Earn 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X points on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X points on all other purchases
- Receive over $400 in annual credits each year
- Terms Apply
- $325 annual fee (See Rates and Fees)
- Card Value & AMEX Gold Points Calculator
- Earn 5X points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com
- Earn 1.5X points (that’s an extra half point per dollar) on each eligible purchase at US construction material, hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers, and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more, on up to $2 million per Card Account per calendar year. Purchases eligible for multiple additional point bonuses will only receive the highest eligible bonus
- Earn 1X points on all other eligible purchases
- Global Airport Lounge Access including Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Club Lounges (when flying Delta), Airspace Lounges, Escape Lounges, and Priority Pass Lounges
- Over $1,400 in annual credits which includes Dell, Adobe, Indeed, CLEAR, and more
- Get 35% points back when you redeem points for all or part of an eligible flight booked with AMEX Travel
- Enroll in complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status and Hilton Honors Gold status
- Terms Apply
- $695 annual fee (See Rates and Fees)
- Card Value & Business Platinum Points Calculator
- Earn 4X points on the 2 select categories where your business spent the most each billing cycle, on up to $150,000 per year (then 1X)
- Earn 3X points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on AmexTravel.com
- Earn 1X points on all other purchases
- Terms Apply
- $375 annual fee (See Rates and Fees)
- Card Value & Rewards Calculator
- Earn 2X points on the first $50,000 in purchases per year, then 1 point per dollar thereafter
- Terms Apply
- $0 annual fee (See Rates and Fees)
- Card Value & Rewards Calculator
You can also earn Membership Rewards points using:
- American Express® Green Card
- American Express EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card
- American Express EveryDay® Credit Card
- Business Green Rewards Card from American Express
Rakuten Rewards
Rakuten Rewards is an online cash back shopping rewards website that hosts thousands of affiliate links. When you make a purchases using those links, Rakuten makes a commission and they share a small percentage of that with you, the user.
As an American Express Membership Rewards credit cardholder, Rakuten Rewards members are able to choose to earn Membership Rewards points in lieu of cash back. If you normally redeem AMEX points for 1 cent or more, this is the better option by a landslide.
Rakuten has deals and sales on a weekly basis that can earn you as much as 10 points per $1 or more with top retailers worldwide. I highly suggest signing up for an account since it's free — it's literally free cash back/points for doing what you would normally do anyway.
Sign up through The Point Calculator and receive bonus cash back (or Membership Rewards points) the first time you use the site: Sign up for free.
FAQs
Are American Express Points transferable?
Yes. American Express Membership Rewards Points can be transferred to over 15 partners which consists of airline and hotel rewards programs.
How do I transfer AMEX Points?
American Express Points can be transferred through the Membership Rewards portal.
What hotels can you transfer AMEX Points to?
Membership Rewards Points can be transferred to Marriott Bonvoy (1:1), Hilton Honors (1:2), and Choice Privileges (1:1).
Which airlines accept AMEX Membership Rewards points?
Membership Rewards Points can be used to book travel through American Express Travel at a value of 1 cent per point. This means that you can use them towards a flight on any airline that you find in the portal.
We've run the calculations and checked them twice — here are the credit cards that consistently provide outstanding value to our users:
- Best flexible travel card: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Best overall value year after year: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- Best for high cash back: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
- Best for lounge access & luxury travel: The Platinum Card® from American Express
- Best for business travel rewards: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
- Best for heavy business spend: Capital One Spark Cash Plus
