Are you an American Express cardholder wondering what to do with your accumulated points? Have you considered transferring those points to airlines? Transfering your AmEx points to airline travel partners is one of the most effective ways to get good value out of your rewards. However, navigating the transfer systems can be very difficult for anyone without lots of experience with credit cards. In this blog post, we will give you a straightforward guide for how to transfer your points from American Express to any airline travel partner.

But first, what is the benefit of transferring your points to airlines instead of booking straight with AmEx?

1. Unlocking Flexibility and Variety

One of the primary benefits of transferring American Express points to airlines is the flexibility it offers. With a variety of airline partners to choose from, you can find the perfect match for your travel needs beyond just what is offered in the AmEx travel portal. Instead of being limited to booking flights directly through American Express, you instead gain access to an extensive network of partners, including major airlines such as Delta, JetBlue, and Emirates. This opens up a world of choices and ensures that you can find the best option to suit your preferences and travel plans.

2. Supercharging the Value of Your Points

Another compelling reason to transfer American Express points to airlines is the significant increase in value that you can get by transferring. Using points for merchandise, gift cards, or cash-back options often offers a painfully low point redemption rate; instead, transfer them to your favorite airline to get maximum value for your hard-earned points. Airline loyalty programs typically have dynamic award charts that enable you to get more bang for your buck. By leveraging these partnerships, you can score incredible deals and upgrades that would have otherwise been unattainable! Plus, airlines often offer bonus miles when you transfer your points, further boosting the value of each point you transfer.

American Express also has some pretty incredible options for airline travel partners:

Overall, transferring your American Express points to airline travel partners is one of the best ways to get great value for your spending. Now that we’ve got the background information on why you should transfer your points, let’s jump into the guide:

How to Transfer American Express Rewards Points to Airline Partners

1. First, decide which airline you want to transfer your points to. As we mentioned above, American Express has an incredible selection of transfer partners to choose from (including Delta, JetBlue, Virgin Atlantic/Red, and more). As you’re deciding, make sure to check for any specific point transfer bonuses—occasionally, American Express will offer an additional 25-30% bonus on any points you transfer to specific airlines, which is an exceptional way to guarantee you’re getting more value for your points!

Once you have chosen the airline you want to transfer to, find your airline rewards number (or create one with the airline’s website if you do not have one yet)—save this number, as we will need it later.

2. On the American Express dashboard, click on “Explore Rewards” or the “Rewards and Benefits” tab to access the AmEx rewards portal. From here, you can see how many points you’ve earned in the calendar year, how many total points American Express you have accumulated, and if there are any special point transfer bonuses.

3. Scroll down to the “Ready to Redeem?” section of the page and click on “Transfer Points“ and then “View All” in the bottom right corner. This will take you to the Transfer Partner Hub.

4. Once on the Transfer Partner hub, scroll down until you find the airline you want to transfer your American Express points to and click the “Show Details” button to the right of that airline This will bring up information on the minimum/maximum point transfer amount for that airline, the transfer increments (normally ~1000 points), and the estimated point transfer time.

As well, you will now see a box to enter your airline account number that we got in step number 1. Enter this number (or a combination of letters and numbers depending on the airline) and click “Continue”. For the example in the images below, we will link our Aer Lingus account number.

One important note, the estimated transfer time is normally massively overestimated, and most transfers go through in less than 5 minutes. For some airlines like Delta, points transfers often go through in less than a few seconds!

5. Fill in the CSC/any other security questions American Express asks you. American Express should tell you that your airline account is now linked to your credit card account! From there, just enter however many points you want to transfer using the scale and click “Review”. If everything looks good, click confirm and your points will be transferred! Just remember that any points you send can never be sent back: once the points become airline miles, you cannot move them back to American Express!

It is important to know that certain US airlines (Delta, Hawaiian, and JetBlue) charge an excise tax offset fee when transferring credit card points. For instance, Delta is known to charge an excise tax offset fee of $0.0006 per point (with a maximum fee of $99), so if you transfer 50,000 points, you’ll pay a $30 fee. While you will have the option to pay this fee in either cash or AmEx points, it is vital that you pay this fee with dollars instead of points, as the redemption offers for paying this fee with points are horrendous.

To repeat, never pay this fee with points!

Congratulations! You just linked your accounts and transferred your points from American Express to the airline. Whenever you want to transfer more points, all you have to do is go back to the airline in the travel hub and choose how many points you want to transfer (you don’t need to relink them every time). This process is also the exact same for transferring to other travel partners, such as hotel chains.

Summary

Overall, transferring American Express rewards points to travel partners is one of the best uses of your points. With a plethora of flight providers to choose from, you can get great use out of your points. AmEx transfers to at least one member of all the major airline alliances (SkyTeam, Star Alliance, and OneWorld), so you can be sure you’re getting the best possible flight coverage with your point purchases.

Now that you’ve got your points transferred, make sure to check out our guides to the best airlines to fly from Boston, Austin, Los Angeles, and Puerto Rico! As well, if you have a Chase credit card and Ultimate Rewards points, make sure to explore our tutorial for combining your American Express and Chase points. Finally, if you’re new to credit cards, we have compiled a guide of our 8 most important tips to make the most of your credit cards!

If you have any other questions about transferring your American Express points to one of the airline travel partners, make sure to leave a comment below!