The travel guide to Amex Membership Rewards points: Part 2 – How to transfer points

You get lots of travel flexibility with Amex Membership Rewards points. That’s because if you don’t have set travel plans for a future trip, these transferable points give you the option to choose from multiple airline and hotel partners when the time comes.

Those of us in the miles & points hobby know earning transferable points, like Amex Membership Rewards points, is one of the best ways to earn free travel. This can mean a first class adventure around-the-world, a family trip to Europe, or so many other options. And it’s easy to earn Amex Membership Rewards points from some of the best American Express cards.

The Amex Membership Rewards points program has many direct airline and hotel partners. Plus, you’ll get access to other indirect partners as well. And we’ll show you how quick and easy it is to link your loyalty accounts to Amex and transfer Amex Membership Rewards points to travel partners.

The Ultimate Guide to American Express Membership Rewards Points:

• Part 1 – Transfer partners
• Part 2 – How to transfer points
• Part 3 – Best ways to fly within the continental U.S.
• Part 4 – Best ways to fly to Hawaii
• Part 5 – Best ways to fly to Canada & Alaska
• Part 6 – Best ways to fly to Caribbean & Mexico
• Part 7 – Best ways to fly to Europe
• Part 8 – Best ways to fly to India & Middle East
• Part 9 – Africa
• Part 10 – South America

Cards that earn transferable Amex Membership Rewards points

You can earn Amex Membership Rewards points with the following cards:

Link airline & hotel loyalty accounts

Before you transfer Amex Membership Rewards points to your loyalty accounts, you’ll need to link your airline or hotel account.

This only takes a few minutes. We recommend linking all of your airline and hotel loyalty accounts, even if you don’t have immediate plans to transfer points.

Because sometimes it can take a day or two to verify your accounts. So by linking your accounts sooner rather than later, you’ll be ready to transfer points when the time comes.

Here’s how you can link your accounts:

Step 1.  Log-in to your Amex account

First, log-in to your Amex account. On the account summary page of any of your Amex Membership Rewards cards, you’ll see your total points.

Underneath the points balance, click “Explore Rewards”.

On the next screen, click “Transfer Points” and then “View All”.

Step 2.  Select program to link

Next, you can select from any of the 22 airline and hotel transfer partners. As an example, I selected Singapore Airlines.

Here’s a look at the transfer ratios and estimated transfer times for each of the airline partners:

Here’s a look at the transfer ratios and estimated transfer times for each of the hotel partners:

Step 3.  Enter loyalty account information

The next step is to verify your Amex account by entering your credit card information. If you have multiple Amex cards, you can just choose one and enter the required details. You can link loyalty accounts in your name or in the name of an authorized cardholder.

At this step, you’ll also enter your airline or hotel loyalty number. This will let Amex know where to transfer the points!

Step 5.  Confirm account is linked

You’re ready to begin transferring points! You’ll see a confirmation indicating your airline or hotel account is now linked to your Amex Membership Rewards account.

Transfer Amex Membership Rewards points

After your account is linked and verified, you can begin transferring points. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1.  Find your linked account

On the Amex Membership Rewards page, you can see linked loyalty programs under “Your loyalty programs”.

Step 2.  Select airline or hotel to transfer points

Earlier, I linked my Singapore Airlines account. So that’s what shows in the list of linked loyalty programs. To transfer points, you can click at the bottom of the linked loyalty account.

Step 3.  Enter number of points

The next step is to enter the number of points you’d like to transfer to the airline or hotel partner.

As an example, I entered 1,000 Amex Membership Rewards points, which will transfer to 1,000 Singapore Airlines miles.

Similar to before, you’ll also have to enter your credit card information to verify it’s you.

Keep in mind, after you click “Confirm & Transfer Points”, your points will be debited from your Amex Membership Rewards balance. You will not be able to get them back to your Amex Membership Rewards account.

Remember, if you’re transferring points to a U.S. airline, you’ll have to pay an excise fee.

Step 4.  Confirm your transfer

You’ll get a confirmation message that your points are being transferred to the airline or hotel partner.

Remember, the time it takes to transfer to each partner can vary. In this case, Amex says I should see the points in my Singapore Airlines account within 3 to 7 business days.

Bottom line

To transfer Amex Membership Rewards points to any of the 22 airline and hotel partners, you’ll first need to link your accounts. I recommend linking all of your loyalty accounts to Amex so you can save time when you decide to transfer points in the future.

After your accounts are linked, you can transfer points in a few quick steps. Just remember, all transfers are final. So after your points are moved to an airline or hotel partner, you will not be able to get them back to your Amex account.

And if you’re looking to earn more Amex Membership Rewards points, check out our post about the best American Express cards.