The story has been updated.
American Express Membership rewards are one of my favorites.
Membership rewards have given me a lot of money. I use these points to fly everything from first class to domestic hops at the last moment. Without my membership rewards, many of these trips would not have been possible.
I am not the only one who finds membership rewards very useful.
Membership rewards and Chase Ultimate rewards are the most rewarding points currency at 2 cents per point, according to the latest valuations. It is possible to get even more value out of your points by using transfer partners.
In this article, we will look at some of the best ways to redeem your membership rewards points. We will look at how to stretch your points for the best travel experience, from ultra-high-end business class redemptions to domestic flights around the U.S.
You can transfer your way to your next destination by using the free TPG App.
You need to earn membership rewards points before we start. Welcome offers on the issuer's top credit cards are the best way to get this done quickly.
You can earn even more Amex points when you buy or sell a house using a participating agent and when you shop through Rakuten.
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Let's look at the best ways to use membership rewards points.
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Transfer partners are the best way to use your American Express points. The program has partnerships with 20 airlines. You have the option to transfer your points to other hotels.
If you redeem your points with a transfer partner, you will get a better redemption value. Amex Travel only allows you to redeem for flights at a 1 cent per point value, while transfers can give you much higher values.
Membership rewards transfers can take up to 48 hours, but most of the time it is instantaneous. Check out our guide to membership rewards transfer times.
For maximum value, American Express Membership rewards points can be redeemed.
Although it isn't a member of any of the major alliances, it has non-alliance airline partnerships that give excellent value. One of the best ways to save money is to book American Airlines-operated flights at prices similar to what American charged before it was devaluing.
International business and first class flights on American are the best deals. There is a look at the award chart for flights leaving North America.
If you book directly with American, the rates are usually much higher. You can use 30,000 miles to book a one-way ticket from any U.S. city to any Latin American city. There are many cities in Central America.
You can get 50,000 points for flying to Europe in business class. You can get cheap access to American's large European route network if you buy this ticket. This includes some of the world's largest cities.
You can get a good deal on American's premium transcontinental first and business class from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport and San Francisco International Airport. The San Francisco route is operated by American with a first class cabin. You can get this for 32,500 points when you book with the airline.
The best strategies for guest miles are related.
Another example of an airline using individual partnerships is Virgin Atlantic.
Delta and ANA are the best value partners for Virgin Atlantic.
How to find and book Virgin Atlantic partners.
Virgin Atlantic kept 50,000 point flights from the U.S. to Europe in Delta One business class despite decreasing its Delta award chart. All Delta tickets from the US are subject to this pricing.
You can fly Delta from the U.S. to a European destination. It is cheaper to transfer points to Delta Skymiles for the same award ticket.
This flight from New York to Switzerland costs 50,000 points and $5.60 in taxes.
The flight cost 215,000 Delta Skymiles and $5.60 on the same day.
You should always check Virgin Atlantic before booking a Delta One ticket. It is cheaper than Delta and other Sky Team programs on these routes.
There are many ways to redeem Virgin Atlantic points.
Virgin Atlantic's ANA award chart is one of the best sweet spot redemptions in the world. Round-trip prices are shown in the chart.
You can fly from Los Angeles or San Francisco to Tokyo's Narita International Airport or Haneda International Airport in ANA first class for less than 100,000 miles. Some airlines give you a 50% discount on one-way tickets.
It's easy to get more than 10 cents per point in value if you buy ANA first class tickets.
You can fly from other U.S. cities for a great deal. Business class can be booked for 90,000-95,000 miles. You can book a one-way ticket at half the mileage cost.
This trick can be used to book a mini-round-the-world trip. When you leave a city and return to another, it's called this. It's possible to book JFK to HND as your outbound flight and HND to LHR as your return flight. This itinerary is worth just over a hundred thousand points.
The room is ANA's new business class on the plane.
It is easy to see why Hawaii is a favorite destination for travelers. The islands have it all from Honolulu to Maui to Kona. If you transfer your Membership Reward points to Singapore Airlines Krisflyer, you can book flights to the islands.
Alaskan flights with these miles should be booked by those on the west coast. The two airlines have a non-alliance partnership that allows them to fly to Hawaii from a number of cities.
You can get 13,500 Krisflyer miles for a one-way flight to any Hawaiian islands. Singapore doesn't allow you to book Alaska flights with stops, so you're restricted to booking flights from one of Alaska's hub airports. To book these awards, you need to call in.
If you're based elsewhere in the country, you can book a flight with United Airlines. You'll pay 19,500 points for a one-way economy ticket or 39,00 points for a business class ticket. The flights from Newark, Chicago and Washington D.C. to Honolulu are included.
If you book one of the long flights from the Midwest or East Coast, you'll get a great deal. Wide-body aircraft are used for these flights. If you want to read a review of Newark to Honolulu in United First, you can check it out.
There are ways to get to Hawaii.
Two of the world's longest flights are operated by Singapore Airlines. It's an excellent way to travel to one of Asia's most modern big cities and connect to other countries.
You don't want to spend 18 hours in an uncomfortable seat, so use your membership rewards to fly business class.
There is a small price to pay for comfort on a long flight.
You can expect excellent service and food. The seat is completely lie-flat and has a full selection of entertainment options. It's like a five-star hotel room and restaurant that takes you around the world.
The world's longest flight has business class on it.
One of the best options for booking premium-cabin award flights to Europe is to use the distance-based award chart from Iberia.
There are two things to keep in mind. Sweet spots are likely to be between individual city pairs. This is not the same as a zone-based award chart, where the sweet spots cover flights between all cities that are in the same region.
You will want to stick to the shortest flight you can find because you will be punished for taking connecting routes. You might have to take a domestic positioning flight to get your award ticket.
Some incredible values can be found in the award chart for the flights to and from Madrid. The prices are for one-way awards.
| Destination to/from Madrid | Blue class / economy | Premium economy | Business | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-peak | Peak | Off-peak | Peak | Off-peak | Peak | |
| New York | 17,000 / 22,000 | 20,000 / 28,000 | 25,000 | 35,000 | 34,000 | 50,000 |
| Chicago | 21,250 / 27,750 | 25,000 / 35,000 | 31,750 | 43,750 | 42,500 | 62,500 |
| Boston | 17,000 / 22,000 | 20,000 / 28,000 | 25,000 | 35,000 | 34,000 | 50,000 |
| Miami | 21,250 / 27,750 | 25,000 / 35,000 | 31,750 | 43,750 | 42,500 | 62,500 |
| Los Angeles | 25,550 / 30,000 | 32,500 / 42,000 | 38,250 | 52,500 | 51,000 | 75,000 |
| San Francisco | 25,550 / 30,000 | 32,500 / 42,000 | 38,250 | 52,500 | 51,000 | 75,000 |
Business class flights are cheaper off-peak. You can fly from New York-JFK and Boston to Madrid for just 34,000 Avios in economy, 50,000 in premium economy and 68,000 in businessclass. Those are round trip prices. It is an absolute steal that most airlines charge 50,000 to 60,000 miles for a one-way business class flight. The flights from Los Angeles or San Francisco to Madrid are cheap.
Booking these awards through Iberia will save you points and help you avoid taxes and fees. If you book the same round-trip business class award from JFK to Madrid using British Airways, you would pay the same amount of money but have to pay more in taxes and fees. The cost of booking through Iberia is $21.
There is a guide to American Express Membership rewards.
One way to get to Europe is to transfer points to ANA Mileage Club.
You can book any Star Alliance partner with these miles, but they add fuel surcharges to their tickets. If you want to keep taxes and fees low, you should stay with United. Low-surcharge carriers like Air Canada and LOT Polish Airlines can be booked with you.
A round-trip business class flight from the U.S. to Europe costs just 88,000 miles. It is just over what most other Star Alliance carriers charge for one-way tickets. Adding a stop on another airline will allow you to see two European cities on a single trip. If your connecting flight is in business class, it's worth it.
You can get a basic round-trip redemption from New York to Lisbon for 88,000 points and just over $55 in taxes and fees if you want it.
You can add a stop in New York and then continue on to Madrid. You can return via Lisbon for 88,000 points. Depending on the itinerary you book taxes and fees can go up or down.
If you maximize your included stopover, you can get a solid deal when you book low-fuel surcharge carriers to Europe.
Booking award tickets for your family is something that should be done before.
Transferring your points to Aeromexico Club premier will allow you to book round-the-world tickets on SkyTeam carriers. You can sample a lot of SkyTeam carriers while visiting multiple cities on different continents. Aeromexico's round-the-world pass pricing is reasonable, but there are a few restrictions to keep in mind.
You'll pay 224,000 Aeromexico points in economy or 352,000 in business class. Membership rewards can be used to transfer to Aeromexico. Membership rewards points can be used for economy and business class passes. If you are doing a true round-the-world trip, the extra points are worth it.
When booking a round-the-world ticket with Aeromexico, be aware of the restrictions.
There is a lot of flexibility in how you plan out your trip. You can take a route through Europe and Asia before returning to the U.S. via Hawaii.
You can see eight cities while flying some of Sky Team's best business class products. If you want to book this, you have to use your SkyTeam search tool. Call Aeromexico to get the award.
Aeromexico passes on fuel surcharge to carriers. You can look for the YQ line on the flight's pricing breakdown if you search for it. You might be responsible for paying taxes and other fees levied by Aeromexico.
Aeromexico's business class on the 787-9 was reviewed.
The Choice Privileges program is worth a look, even though it is less well-known than Marriott andHilton. Membership rewards can be transferred to Choice Privileges with awards starting at just 8000 points per night.
Choice has brands and properties in many countries. You can book a stay at the Econo Lodge with 8,000 points per night. If other hotels are out of your budget, it is a nice option.
Outside of major cities, the company has hotels. 10,000 points per night can be used to book the Comfort Inn in Gurnee, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. It's a good option for a stop on a road trip.
It gets more exciting when you travel outside. A few properties in Tokyo can be booked for 8000 points per night. The hotel is located in the central part of Tokyo. The rooms are close to public transit.
Choice has higher end options as well. You can spend 20,000 points for a Hotel Christiania Teater. There are unique rooms, a beautiful lobby, and a central location at this hotel, which makes it easy to get around. Do your own research to see if paying with points is a good idea.
There are paid stays and co branded cards that can be used to earn Hilton points. If you're just short points for an award booking, we don't recommend transferring membership rewards to the hotel.
The Points Guy did not collect the information for the hotelier's card. The card issuer did not review or provide the card details on this page.
I often choose IHG and Choice hotels even though they have limited perks.
You don't have to travel halfway around the world to redeem yourself. If you want a good deal on domestic flights, you have a lot of options. Three of the major airline alliances have transfer partners for domestic flights. You can book with the Big 3 U.S. airlines.
British Airways is the best place to book domestic flights. Short and mid-haul domestic flights are the award chart's best spots for Oneworld flyers.
It is possible to book flights that are 1,151 miles or less. If cash flights are expensive, this is a good way to use your points. Think of travel times like holidays and conferences.
You'll pay more for connecting flights if you pay per leg. Most of the time, you should only useAvios to book flights. If you have LifeMiles, SkyMiles or American AAdvantage miles, you should book flights with them.
British Airways is important to you.
Avianca is a Star Alliance member. There are some great deals to be had if you book with your LifeMiles.
You will pay a predictable price for your flights if the program keeps a standard award chart. The US is divided into three regions. On the United partner page, you can see the regions and flight prices.
There is a hidden tier that is reserved for short flights like Newark to Pittsburgh. It's important to have a low-cost points option in your back pocket because these routes can get expensive at the last minute.
Solid deals can be scored on long flights. Mid-haul flights such as Chicago to Philadelphia and Newark will cost you 7,500 LifeMiles. If cash tickets are expensive, 10,000 LifeMiles or 12,500 LifeMiles one-way is still a great deal.
Domestic first class isn't bad. The flight from Newark to Austin is 15,000 LifeMiles one-way, which is less than an economy ticket.
There are three reasons your family needs LifeMiles.
Membership rewards points can be transferred to Delta SkyMiles. The airline has dynamic pricing that changes by route, date and when you search. Domestic flights are a good way to get value from the program.
It costs as little as 4,500 SkyMiles to fly from Chicago to Detroit. If cash fares are expensive, this is a great deal.
Great deals can be found on long intercontinental flights. The flight from New York to Los Angeles costs just 9000 SkyMiles in basic economy and 12,000 in standard economy. One of the longest domestic flights in the U.S. is redeemed by this.
It is time to start earning Amex points now that you know how to maximize them. There are some of the best Membership Reward earning cards for businesses and individuals.
Membership rewards can be used to cover everything from first class airfare to a road trip hotel. You can use the examples listed in the article as inspiration for your next trip. You will spend less money out of pocket because you will have a better experience.
Click here to find the Amex Platinum card's rates and fees. Click here to find the Amex Gold card's rates and fees. Click here to find the Amex Business Platinum card's rates and fees.
The additional reporting was done by Victoria Walker and ChrisDong.
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