Several times a year, Amex pays you extra miles to move points to a specific airline — 15% to 40% on top, free. Used well, a bonus is the single easiest discount in the points world. Used badly, it's how people strand six figures of points in a program they'll never redeem.
Live right now (as of June 10, 2026): Amex → Air France-KLM Flying Blue is running a +20% bonus — 100,000 points become 120,000 Flying Blue miles. Flying Blue is one of the best programs for business class to Europe, so this is a genuinely strong window.
Model it on the map →The mechanics
During a promo window (typically a few weeks), transfers to the featured program post with a bonus: at +25%, 100,000 Membership Rewards points become 125,000 miles. The bonus applies automatically; no enrollment. Windows and targets are announced inside your Amex account — there's no published calendar.
Who gets bonuses (the pattern)
History isn't a promise, but it rhymes:
- Frequent fliers of the promo circuit: Air France–KLM Flying Blue (several times a year, usually 25%), Virgin Atlantic, British Airways and the Avios family (20–40%)
- Occasional: Aeromexico, Etihad, Iberia separately from BA
- Almost never: Air Canada Aeroplan, ANA, Singapore KrisFlyer — the highest-value 1:1 partners rarely need to discount
The real math
A bonus is a discount on the award, not a reason to transfer. The arithmetic that matters:
| Scenario | Points needed (60k award) |
|---|---|
| No bonus | 60,000 |
| +25% bonus | 48,000 |
| +40% bonus | ~42,900 |
Stack a +25% Flying Blue bonus on a Promo Reward and Europe business class can dip under 40k Amex points one-way — about as good as paid premium-cabin travel gets. The Europe guide covers the base prices.
The mistake
Never transfer speculatively because a bonus is expiring. Miles sitting in an airline account can be devalued overnight, can expire, and can't move back. A 25% bonus into a program where you have no specific award in mind isn't a 25% gain — it's a one-way door with a souvenir. The only correct sequence: find the award space first, confirm the price, then transfer (with the bonus if you're lucky, without it if you're not).
Corollary: a bonus to a weak program is still weak. Aeromexico at 1:1.6 plus a bonus sounds spectacular and still usually loses to a plain 1:1 Aeroplan transfer, because the miles themselves are worth so much less.
Model it on the map: the calculator has a bonus dropdown — set your balance, pick +25%, and watch every program's output update.
Try it with a 25% bonus →Bonus percentages and windows are program-specific promotions and change without notice. Check the transfer page inside your Amex account for live offers before moving points.