How Long do AMEX Membership Rewards Points Transfers Take?

How Long Do AMEX Membership Rewards Points Transfers Take?

 

How long do AMEX Membership Rewards points transfers take? TravelSort reader Craig writes “How long do AMEX Membership Rewards points transfers to airline partners such as Delta take? I thought most transfers were instant, but it's been 5 hours since I transferred points and no miles yet in my Delta SkyMiles account.”

AMEX Membership Rewards has 19 airline and hotel transfer partners, although some are more useful transfer partners than others (bolded below). While most transfers are 1:1, that is if you transfer 1000 AMEX Membership Rewards points you receive 1000 frequent flyer miles or hotel points, some are not, so I've included those details as well.

 

AMEX Membership Rewards Transfer Partners, Transfer Ratio and Transfer Times

Transfer Partner Transfer Ratio Official AMEX Transfer Time Typical Transfer Time
Aeromexico 1000:1000 Up to 14 days 2-12 days
Air Canada Aeroplan 1000:1000 Up to 48 hours Instant
Air France Flying Blue 1000:1000 Up to 48 hours Instant
Alitalia Millemiglia 1000:1000 Up to 48 hours Instant
ANA 1000:1000 Up to 7 days 2-3 days
British Airways  250:200 Up to 48 hours Instant
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles 1000:1000 Up to 90 days 1 day to 1 week
Delta SkyMiles 1000:1000 Up to 48 hours Instant
El Al 1000:20 Up to 48 hours Instant
Emirates Skywards 1000:1000 Up to 48 hours Instant
Hawaiian Airlines 1000:1000 Up to 48 hours Instant
Iberia 250:200 Up to 7 days 1-3 days
JetBlue True Blue 250:200 Up to 48 hours Instant
Singapore KrisFlyer 1000:1000 Up to 7 days 1-2 days
Virgin America Elevate 200:100 Up to 48 hours Instant
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club 1000:1000 Up to 48 hours 1-2 days
Choice Privileges 1000:1000 Up to 48 hours Instant
Hilton HHonors 1000:1500 Up to 24 hours Instant
SPG  1000:333 Up to 48 hours Instant

 

FAQ

Why am I Being Charged an Excise Tax Fee? 

AMEX Membership Rewards charges an excise tax offset fee of $0.0006 per point, maximum fee of $99, to offset the federal excise tax AMEX pays when you transfer points to a U.S. based frequent flyer program. As such, the excise tax fee applies to transfers to:

  • Delta SkyMiles
  • Hawaiian Airlines
  • JetBlue True Blue
  • Virgin America Elevate

 

Can Airline Frequent Flyer Miles be Transferred to AMEX Membership Rewards Points?

No; airline miles can't be transferred into AMEX Membership Rewards points, and points transfers (except in the limited circumstance of fraud or inadvertent transfer to an account that isn't yours) cannot be reversed. So double check the account you're transferring to, in order to ensure it's the correct frequent flyer account.


What If My AMEX Points Don't Transfer Instantly to a Program Where They Should?

Call AMEX Membership Rewards at 800-297-3276 to double check that you didn't inadvertently transfer them to a different account than you thought you did.

 

Help! I Did Transfer Them to a Wrong Account, Which Isn't Mine!

If this happens to you, call AMEX Membership Rewards at the number above to have it corrected. Note that this can take 4-5 business days.

 

How long has it taken for your recent AMEX Membership Rewards points transfers to partners?

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