How to Transfer Amex Points to American Airlines Miles

Are you looking to figure out if you can transfer Amex points to American Airlines Miles? Amex points are extremely versatile and can be used strategically in a variety of ways. While American Airlines is not a direct parter of American Express’s Membership Rewards program, there are plenty of ways that you can still book an American Airlines flight with Amex points. In this article, I’ll be going over those loopholes and how you can transfer Amex points to American Airlines.

How to Earn Amex Points

Amex points can be earned with a variety of different credit cards. Some of the most common credit cards you can earn Amex points with are American Express Green, American Express Gold, and American Express Platinum.

These credit cards all come with differing signing bonuses and rates that they award points. Here are some of the most common ones.

American Express Platinum Card Membership Rewards Points

The American Express Platinum card allows you to earn points at the highest rate out of any of the American Express cards but also comes with the highest annual fee, $695 per year. It also comes with other perks and benefits such as $200 incidental airline credit, Priority Pass lounge access, $240 digital entertainment credit, and more which I’ll cover in a future article. This card earns Amex membership rewards points at the following rates:

• 5x points on flights or with American Express Travel
• 5x points on travel booked on AmexTravel.com
• 1x points on everything else
• 25,000 bonus points after spending $2000 in the first six months

American Express Gold Card Membership Rewards Points

This is my personal favorite. With a $250 annual fee, you get $10 per month in dining credit with qualifying restaurants and $10 per month in Uber/Uber Eats credit. Those credits themselves give you $240 for the year which is basically the annual fee! Here’s how you can earn Amex points with the Amex Gold card:

• 4x points on restaurants worldwide, takeout and delivery in the U.S.
• 4x points on grocery stores on up to $25,000 spend per year
• 3x points on flights booked directly on airlines or on AmexTravel.com
• 1x points on everything else
• 60,000 bonus points after spending $4000 in the first six months (90,000 bonus points with my link here!)

American Express Green Card Membership Rewards Points

This card is the cheapest out of the standard three American Express membership point earning cards sitting at a $150 annual fee.

• 3x points on restaurants, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.
• 3x points on transit
• 3x points on travel
• 1x points on everything else
• 40,000 bonus membership rewards points after spending $2,000 on your card in the first six months.

American Express Everyday Preferred Card Membership Rewards Points

This card has a $95 annual fee and can also earn you Amex membership rewards points.

• 3x points on groceries at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year, then 1x)
• 2x points on gas at U.S. gas stations
• 1x points on everything else
• 10,000 bonus membership rewards points after spending $2,000 on your card in the first six months.

American Express Everyday Card Membership Rewards Points

This is a no annual fee card that you can earn Amex Membership points with. Here are the rates at which you can earn points with this card:

• 2x points on groceries at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year, then 1x)
• 1x points on everything else
• Use your card 20 or more times in one billing period and get 20% more points for that entire period
• 10,000 bonus membership rewards points after spending $2,000 on your card in the first six months

There are a variety of other cards available that also offer Amex points, I encourage you to check them out!

Redeeming American Express Membership Rewards Points

There are a variety of ways you can redeem your American Express membership rewards points. You can redeem them for statement credit, flights, hotels, and more. In general, redeeming Amex points by transferring to one of their 19 airlines partners or 3 hotel partners will give you the best return on your points. In this article, I’ll specifically be going over how you can redeem flights when you transfer Amex points to American Airlines.

Transfer Amex Points to American Airlines Miles

Amex points don’t directly transfer to American Airlines miles. You can’t directly transfer American Express points to American Airlines. In order to be able to transfer Amex points to partner airlines, you’ll have to create a frequent flyer account with each of the respective airlines.

American Airlines Has Travel Partners With American Express Points

This means that while you can’t transfer Amex points to American Airlines directly, you can transfer the Amex points to an American Airlines partner and book a flight through their website. American Airlines has five partners with American Express that you can currently use to book flights with. These are:

1. British Airways
2. Qantas Airways
3. Iberia Plus
4. Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
5. Etihad Airways

Booking American Airlines Flights with Amex Membership Points

It’s easy to book American Airlines flights with Amex membership points if you know how! There are currently five ways that you can do this with Amex points, which I go over below.

Booking American Airlines Flights With British Airways

Even though both American Airlines and British Airways are part of the Oneworld alliance, you can’t transfer miles between them. Here is how you can book an American Airlines flight with British Airways miles.

1. Create a British Airways Executive Club account. It’s free!
2. Click the “Book a flight with Avios” option after you’re logged in.
3. Select your departure airport and destination airport and search for flights!

It’s easier to search for the specific flight that you’re looking for on American Airlines’ own flight portal and then search for that same one on British Airways. Be aware that it may not be an option to book a flight that you found on American Airlines with British Airways Avios because there’s always a specific number of seats reserved for partner airlines.

Booking American Airlines Flights With Qantas Airways

Another option for booking American Airlines flights with Amex points is by transferring points to Qantas Airways. Booking American Airlines flights with Qantas Airways points will save you a significant amount of money because Qantas Airways has many surcharges for things such as gas.

Here’s how to book an American Airlines flight with Qantas Airways points.

1. Transfer your American Express membership rewards points to Qantas Airways. This is a 1:1 conversion ratio and happens instantly.
2. Go to the Qantas Frequent Flyer and create an account and/or login.
3. Enter your travel destinations and route.
4. Search and select your flights for points.

Booking American Airlines Flights With Iberia Plus

One way to transfer Amex points to American Airlines is by moving those points to Iberia Plus. Iberia Airlines is a part of the Oneworld alliance, which American Airlines is also a part of, which allows for this sort of cross booking.

Below is the miles redemption chart when booking an American Airlines flight with Iberia Group.

Here’s how to book an American Airlines flight with Iberia Plus points.

1. Create an account with Iberia Plus.
2. Transfer Amex points to Iberia Plus. This is a 1:1 transfer ratio but may take up to 48 hours to process.
3. Go on Iberia’s direct website to book a flight for American Airlines.

Booking American Airlines Flights With Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

You can also transfer your Amex points to Cathay Pacific Asia miles to book flights with American Airlines. This process however is not as straightforward as you’ll have to call or chat with an agent. The process is as follows:

1. Transfer Amex points to Cathay Pacific. This is a 1:1 conversion ratio but may take up to 48 hours to process so plan accordingly.
2. Search for available rewards flights on the American Airlines website for your itinerary. You should click the “Redeem Miles” checkbox when booking a flight here.
3. Check with a Cathay Pacific agent via chat or phone to see if that flight is available to book with Cathay Pacific Asia miles.

Booking American Airlines Flights With Etihad Airways

American Airlines is a partner with Etihad Airways, which means that you can book American Airlines flights through the Etihad portal. Transfer your Amex points to Etihad Guest and book your American Airlines flight with miles at Etihad Airways. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Search for flights on American Airlines and
2. Transfer Amex points to Etihad Airways. This conversion is a 1:1 ratio and happens instantly, no wait required!
3. Call an agent at Etihad Airways to book the flight. Currently, there is no way you can book American Airlines flights with Etihad online.

Summary of How to Transfer Amex Points to American Airlines

While transferring Amex points to American Airlines is not entirely straightforward, it’s still very much possible to book an American Airlines ticket for free with Amex points. Try these methods out if you’re looking to book a flight with American Airlines!

Did you enjoy this article about how to transfer Amex points to American Airlines? Read more articles like it here. And remember to subscribe to be notified of the latest content!

Sharing is caring!