You can transfer AMEX Membership Rewards Points to British Airways Avios with a 40% bonus. It's safe to say that anyone who transferred Membership Rewards points to Avios last week is probably not too happy, given how much has changed recently. Previously, AMEX points transferred to Avios at a 1.25:1 ratio.
Just a few days ago, that changed, and AMEX Membership Rewards points transfer to British Airways Avios 1:1. And now, with this 40% bonus, 1000 Membership Rewards points transfer to 1400 British Airways Avios. Here are the details:
- Additional Avios will be awarded at the time of the transfer
- Transfer until 9/17/17, 11:59pm MT
- Must transfer in increments of 250 Membership Rewards points
- Points transfers are final, and Avios may not be transferred back to Membership Rewards points
AMEX 40% Bonus for Transfers to Avios: Great for Some
There's no question this transfer bonus could be great news for those who have very large AMEX Membership Rewards balances and are planning a oneworld redemption, since this could mean using fewer miles than one would otherwise.
For example, take a
Cathay Pacific First Class JFK to HKG flight for 140K Avios vs. 110K AAdvantage miles. You could transfer 100K Membership Rewards points into 140K Avios, and use fewer miles than AAdvantage. Meanwhile, the award might not even be available via Alaska Airlines (if it is, it's just 70,000 miles). See
3 Reasons Alaska Miles Aren't Worth Earning.
Or take Tokyo to Hong Kong in
JAL Business Class for 20K Avios, one of the intra-Asia routes I highlighted in
A Good Use for Our British Airways Avios. That's just 14,500 Avios (taking into account you must transfer to Avios in increments of 250 Membership Rewards points). That's a good deal, considering that JAL business class roundtrips are often in the $1400 range, or $700 or more each way, which would mean getting almost 5 cents per Avios in value.
Why I Still Won't Be Transferring to British Airways with the 40% Bonus
Nevertheless, I currently don't have any plans to transfer AMEX Membership Rewards points to Avios even with this transfer bonus, for a couple reasons:
1. I don't have a short-term need for Avios, and don't like to transfer speculatively into airline miles unless I have a foreseeable short-term need; and
2. I value my AMEX Membership Rewards points, as they're harder for me to earn. Unlike those who stick mainly to one card, such as the AMEX Platinum, for all of their spend, most of my spend is determined by the category bonuses of my cards. And since Chase cards earn the best category bonuses, at least for my spending patterns, most of my earned points from spend are Ultimate Rewards points, earned at 3X-5X, vs. Membership Rewards points, at 2X.
Will you transfer AMEX Membership Rewards points to Avios with the 40% bonus? And if so, which award(s) do you plan to redeem for?
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