【July 28, 2026 update】 Added hotel partner The Leading Hotels of the World Leaders Club. The transfer ratio is 4:1.
Further reading: Independent hotel groups around the world: LHW
U.S. American Express Membership Rewards is one of the major U.S. bank currencies. It earns quickly, spends flexibly, has a long list of airline and hotel partners, and the points can be worth a lot.
A comparison of common U.S. bank currencies and their airline/hotel transfer ratios is here:
🇺🇸 U.S. credit-card points to airline miles and hotel points
Earning points
1.1 Amex credit cards: welcome offers + spend
U.S. Amex cards earn Membership Rewards from welcome offers and everyday spend.
Personal cards
Typical welcome offer: 80,000–175,000 points; 5x on airfare, 5x on Amex Travel, 1x elsewhere.
Typical welcome offer: 60,000–100,000 points; 4x dining and groceries, 3x airfare and Amex Travel, 1x elsewhere.
Typical welcome offer: 40,000–60,000 points; 3x travel, transit, and dining, 1x elsewhere.
A few personal cards that are no longer open for applications:
- Amex EveryDay Preferred Credit Card
- Amex EveryDay Credit Card
- Blue from American Express
Business cards
Typical welcome offer: 150,000–250,000 points; 5x airfare and Amex Travel, 1.5x on large purchases, 1x elsewhere.
- Business Gold Card
Typical welcome offer: 100,000–200,000 points; 4x on your top spend categories, 3x Amex Travel, 1x elsewhere.
- Business Green Rewards Card
Typical welcome offer: 25,000 points; 1x on everything.
- Blue Business Plus Card
Typical welcome offer: 15,000 points; 2x on the first $50,000 of spend each year, then 1x.
Corporate cards
- Corporate Platinum Card from American Express
- American Express Corporate Gold Card
- American Express Corporate Green Card
1.2 Amex checking: account opening + spend
American Express personal and business checking accounts can earn MR from opening bonuses and everyday debit spend.
No monthly fee, currently 1.00% APY, 1 point per $2 of debit purchases, no minimum balance.
Current welcome offer: 30,000 MR.
No monthly fee, currently 1.30% APY, 1 point per $2 of debit purchases.
1.3 Amex Offers
Most Amex Offers pay as a statement credit. Some merchant promotions pay MR instead, for example:
1.4 Referral program
When you hold an MR card, the matching referral offer usually pays MR.
1.5 Retention offers
MR cards usually carry a meaningful annual fee. After you talk to customer service, there is a decent chance of a retention offer as a fee offset. Typical forms: MR posted outright, or MR after a spend requirement.
1.6 Rakuten.com cash back
The U.S. has no shortage of shopping portals. Rakuten.com can convert cash back 1:1 into MR. The post below covers the portal and how to earn MR instead of cash:
🇺🇸 U.S. shopping portals【$40 for a Rakuten signup】
1.7 Transferring MR from other countries
Amex can move MR across countries. Between Canada and the U.S., it is no longer as generous as the old FX-based rate. Right now, Canadian MR to U.S. MR follows the exchange rate, but U.S. MR to Canadian MR is 1:1.
1.8 Other ways
From time to time there are bonuses for adding an authorized user, upgrading a lower-tier card, or signing up for Pay Over Time. Those can dump extra MR into the pool.
Using points
Cashing MR out is a waste. Transferring to airline partners and booking award tickets is where the value shows up.
Strong programs include Air Canada Aeroplan, Hawaiian (then on to Alaska), Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Cathay Pacific, Avianca LifeMiles, and British Airways Avios. Around 70,000–100,000 points can cover a North America–China business-class award. ANA now sells one-way awards, so transferring to ANA is a solid option too.
2.1 Airline transfers
Transfers to U.S. airlines can incur a fee, capped at USD 99 per transfer. Foreign airlines do not charge that fee.
The U.S. credit-card transfer roundup already has the table:
| Airline Partner | Transfer Ratio |
|---|---|
| Aer Lingus AerClub | 1:1 |
| Aeromexico Club Premier | 1:1.6 |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | 1:1 |
| Air France/KLM Flying Blue | 1:1 |
| ANA Mileage Club | 1:1 |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 1:1 |
| British Airways Executive Club | 1:1 |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 1:0.8 |
| Delta Air Lines SkyMiles | 1:1 |
| Emirates Skywards | 1:1 |
| Etihad Guest | 1:1 |
| 1:1 | |
| Iberia Plus | 1:1 |
| JetBlue TrueBlue | 1:0.8 (250:200) |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | 1:1 |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 1:1 |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 1:1 |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 1:1 |
Ratios go on sale from time to time. Watch the airline-promo post on the homepage for the latest.
- From March 1, 2026, Cathay transfers drop from 1:1 to 5:4.
- From June 30, 2025, Hawaiian transfers ended.
2.2 Hotel transfers
| Hotel Partner | Transfer Ratio |
|---|---|
| Choice Privileges | 1:1 |
| Hilton Honors | 1:2 |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 1:1 |
| Leaders Club, LHW | 4:1 |
Ratios go on sale from time to time. Watch the hotel-promo post on the homepage for the latest.
2.3 Redeeming for “cash”
“Cash” here covers using points at checkout, gift cards, statement credits, depositing into a checking account, or paying for travel with points. Value usually lands around 0.6–1.1 cpp.
The official calculator 🔗 lists the cash-out value by card and account.
This blog does not recommend using points this way.
Other notes
- MR from every source lands in the same pool
- Welcome offers are limited; you generally get one per card
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