American Express Membership Rewards points transfer to 17 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 |
| Etihad Guest | 1:1 | Etihad's own cabins and a reciprocal deal that books American Airlines |
| 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 17 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 Plus | 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 |
| Etihad Guest | None | 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 |
Ratios current as of the June 2026 Amex transfer page. Always confirm award space and pricing inside the airline program before transferring — transfers can't be reversed, and program rules change without notice.