American Express Membership Rewards points transfer to 16 airline programs. Three of them deserve most of your points, four share a single currency, and a few will quietly take 20% off the top. Here's the whole roster, tiered.
First, the ground rules. Transfers are one-way and irreversible — once points become airline miles, there's no undo. Most partners convert at 1:1, but ratios range from a generous-looking 1:1.6 down to a punishing 1:0.8. And the ratio is never the whole story: what matters is what the miles buy on the other side.
Tier 1 — Transfer here first
Air Canada Aeroplan (1:1, Star Alliance)
The workhorse. A fixed partner chart prices North America → Europe business class around 60–70k points one-way on Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian, TAP, Turkish, United and more — with free stopovers and no fuel surcharges on most partners. Aeroplan also books carriers outside Star Alliance entirely: Emirates, Etihad, Cathay Pacific, and (since February 2026) ITA Airways. If you hold one balance for flexibility, hold this one.
Air France–KLM Flying Blue (1:1, SkyTeam)
Europe business class from roughly 50–60k one-way on Air France or KLM, with monthly Promo Rewards that discount specific routes further. Flying Blue also receives Amex transfer bonuses more often than nearly any other partner — 25–30% promos appear several times a year, which effectively drops a 60k award to 48k points.
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (1:1, SkyTeam)
The cross-alliance specialist. Good pricing on Delta One to London, plus two famous backdoors: it books ANA (Star Alliance) at rates that, even after devaluations, often undercut everyone else — and El Al, which belongs to no alliance at all. Caveat: its partner list is narrower than full SkyTeam, so confirm your exact route is bookable before transferring.
Tier 2 — The Avios family
Four Amex partners — British Airways, Iberia, Qatar Airways, and Aer Lingus — all run on Avios, and balances move between them at 1:1. Same currency, different prices: the trick is booking each flight through whichever program charges least. Iberia off-peak business to Madrid is a classic sweet spot; Qatar's Qsuite is the aspirational play; BA-operated long-haul carries heavy surcharges, so use BA's program for short partner hops instead. The full breakdown is in our Avios guide.
Tier 3 — Specialists worth knowing
| Program | Ratio | The one thing it's for |
|---|---|---|
| ANA Mileage Club | 1:1 | Outstanding round-trip premium-cabin pricing — but round-trip only, and transfers can take days |
| Singapore KrisFlyer | 1:1 | Singapore's own first and business class, which it rarely releases to partners |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 1:1 | Star Alliance awards with no fuel surcharges; periodic mile sales |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | 1:1 (500-pt blocks) | The only program that books El Al as a standard award, plus the Emirates JV |
| Cathay Pacific | 1:0.8 | Cathay's own premium cabins to Asia — accept the haircut only for those |
Tier 4 — Read the fine print
Aeromexico (1:1.6) looks like the best deal on the page and usually isn't — the miles are worth far less each, so the bonus ratio rarely beats a clean 1:1 transfer elsewhere.
Delta SkyMiles (1:1) charges an excise-tax offset fee on top — 60¢ per 1,000 points, capped at $99 — and prices awards dynamically, which usually means expensively.
Emirates Skywards (1:0.8) loses a fifth in transit and prices its own awards dynamically. Its quiet superpower: Skywards miles can be spent on easyJet and Jet2 across 600+ European routes — occasionally useful for intra-Europe positioning.
JetBlue (1:0.8 + the excise fee) takes the haircut and the fee. Hard to recommend for anything beyond emptying a small remainder balance.
See it instead: the interactive map shows all 16 partners, every airline each one books, and exactly what your balance becomes — including transfer bonuses.
Open the points map →The full table
| Program | Alliance | Amex ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Star Alliance | 1:1 |
| Air France–KLM Flying Blue | SkyTeam | 1:1 |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | SkyTeam | 1:1 |
| British Airways Club | Oneworld | 1:1 (Avios) |
| Iberia Club | Oneworld | 1:1 (Avios) |
| Qatar Privilege Club | Oneworld | 1:1 (Avios) |
| Aer Lingus AerClub | None | 1:1 (Avios) |
| ANA Mileage Club | Star Alliance | 1:1 |
| Singapore KrisFlyer | Star Alliance | 1:1 |
| Avianca LifeMiles | Star Alliance | 1:1 |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | Oneworld | 1:1 |
| Delta SkyMiles | SkyTeam | 1:1 + fee |
| Aeromexico Rewards | SkyTeam | 1:1.6 |
| Cathay Pacific | Oneworld | 1:0.8 |
| Emirates Skywards | None | 1:0.8 |
| JetBlue TrueBlue | None | 1:0.8 + fee |
This list covers airlines. Amex points also move to hotel programs, including Hilton at 1:2 and Marriott at 1:1. For when that makes sense at the top end, see which luxury hotels are worth your Amex points.
Ratios current as of the October 27, 2026 Amex transfer page, which no longer lists Etihad Guest (it appeared on earlier versions of this list). Always confirm award space and pricing inside the airline program before transferring — transfers can't be reversed, and program rules change without notice.