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Amex Transfer Partners

Updated: Mar 19, 2024, 1:45am

Table of Contents

How to earn membership rewards, amex airline transfer partners, membership rewards best airline transfer partners, all other membership rewards airline transfer partners, amex hotel transfer partners, all membership rewards hotel partners, amex transfer bonuses, how to transfer amex points to travel partners, how to use amex points, frequently asked questions (faqs).

American Express Membership Rewards has an extensive list of airline and hotel transfer partners. Transferring credit card points to travel partners is often the best way to maximize their value, and no program offers more options than Membership Rewards. Below we detail how to earn and redeem your Membership Rewards points with Amex’s transfer partners.

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Regular Spending

Amex cards reward you with points on your spending, depending on the category of merchant and the type of card. Most cards earn additional points in specific categories and provide one Membership Rewards point per dollar on everything else.

Some popular bonus categories on Amex cards include travel (5 points per dollar with  The Platinum Card® from American Express ), restaurants and takeout (4 points per dollar with the American Express® Gold Card ), or transit (3 points per dollar with the American Express® Green Card* ). Rewards from regular spending are the core rewards from Amex products.

Qualifying new card members can earn a welcome bonus on most Membership Rewards cards.

Earning the welcome bonus requires spending a certain amount of money on the card within the first few months (typically three to six) of opening your account. Our reviews of the current lineup of Amex cards can help you to select the one that is the best fit for you.

Amex welcome bonuses can only be earned once per card per lifetime, so if you have previously had the Amex card that you’re applying for you will not be eligible for the welcome bonus.

For many cards, the welcome bonus alone is enough to be redeemed for a flight with multiple airlines. This can provide a big boost as you start to build your Membership Rewards balance.

Refer-a-Friend

Existing Amex cardholders can often earn additional Membership Rewards by referring friends and family for Amex cards. Depending on the card, the person making the referral will be eligible for a bonus of 5,000 to 20,000 or more Membership Rewards. The person receiving the offer may also be eligible for a higher welcome bonus than what is publicly offered, making it a great deal for both.

Referral bonuses may be considered taxable income , which cuts into their value slightly, but they are still attractive if you have family or friends interested in an Amex card.

Amex Offers

Head to the Amex website to participate in the Amex Offers program. Partner merchants may offer bonus Membership Rewards points, cash back or additional perks when you enroll in the offer and pay with your card. If you see an offer you may be able to use, simply click to active the offer before making your purchase.

These offers change regularly, so it may be a good idea to check the website often. You never know when your favourite vendor may appear with the perfect offer.

Membership Rewards can be transferred to any of 17 airline partner programs. While points can always be redeemed for flights on the airline operating the program, there are also a myriad of options for awards with the airline’s alliance and codeshare partners. This creates more opportunities to stretch your Membership Rewards points a little further around the globe.

For each transfer partner below, we have mentioned a few highlights of each program and mentioned some potential redemption options that the typical reader may find interesting.

Air Canada Aeroplan Points

Transfer Ratio : 1:1 Minimum Transfer : 1,000 Transfer Increment : 1,000 Alliance : Star Alliance

Air Canada’s Aeroplan program  offers a fantastic worldwide network through its own flights and those of its Star Alliance partners. Connecting flights through Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal allow you to book from the U.S. to international destinations.

Aeroplan redemption prices are determined by a combination of a zone-based system and a distance-based one. On longer routes, it may be possible to find a lower award price through another transfer partner.

One of the best features of Aeroplan’s program is the ability to add a stopover on an one-way trip for 5,000 extra Aeroplan points. Though no stopovers are allowed in Canada or the U.S., this feature can help you add an extra destination for a low cost.

Air France/KLM Flying Blue Miles

Transfer Ratio : 1:1 Minimum Transfer : 1,000 Transfer Increment : 1,000 Alliance : SkyTeam

Flying Blue is the joint loyalty program of Air France/KLM, two airlines with an extensive worldwide network. Unlike Avios, where multiple airlines operate separate programs under the same name, Flying Blue points are stored in a single account for both airlines.

The Flying Blue program uses a dynamic pricing model, so award ticket prices will vary. It’s worth checking the cost of your intended route and specific dates in advance before transferring Membership Rewards points to the program.

To potentially save up to 50% of the cost of your flight, you should keep an eye on the Flying Blue Promo Rewards program. This program offers discounted award redemptions and is a great way to stretch your miles. Deals from the U.S. to Europe are relatively frequent, so keep an eye out for your home airport.

British Airways Executive Club Avios

Transfer Ratio : 1:1 Minimum Transfer : 1,000 Transfer Increment : 1,000 Alliance : Oneworld

For both its own flights and those of its Oneworld partners, British Airways Executive Club charges for award tickets based on the distance flown. This can lead to some attractive deals on short flights that are expensive to buy with cash.

British Airways has a reputation for charging high taxes and fees on award flights, but they massively reduced many of these costs in late 2022. While you’ll still be subject to some surcharges, they are more in line with other European airlines now. It might be worth checking rates for your dates if you previously wrote them off, especially since award space on their flights can be plentiful.

Aer Lingus Aerclub Avios

Transfer Ratio : 1:1 Minimum Transfer : 1,000 Transfer Increment : 1,000 Alliance : None, but has codeshare agreements with some Oneworld and Star Alliance airlines

As Ireland’s second-largest airline (after low-cost carrier Ryanair), Aer Lingus operates an extensive network of flights within Europe from its Dublin hub. However the airline’s long-haul network to North America and beyond is relatively limited. Luckily, its partner airlines help expand its reach beyond Europe.

Aer Lingus, British Airways and Iberia are owned by the International Airlines Group (IAG), along with Vueling and LEVEL. While you can earn and redeem points known as “Avios” in multiple, separate airlines, it is generally possible to transfer points from one airline’s program to another interchangeably. Each of these programs has different redemption costs and rules but Forbes Advisor’s guide to maximizing Avios can help you choose the best option for your trip.

Within Aer Lingus AerClub itself, one popular redemption is for an economy one-way flight between the northeastern U.S. and Ireland for as few as 13,000 Avios plus taxes and fees.

Aeromexico Rewards

Transfer Ratio : 1:1.6 Minimum Transfer : 1,000 Transfer Increment : 1,000 Alliance : SkyTeam

Aeromexico is the flag carrier of its namesake country and offers a wide variety of flights from the U.S. to Latin America as well as many flights from their hub in Mexico City to destinations worldwide. Despite a solid route network, its award program leaves something to be desired. The website doesn’t always return all available award flights and it can be difficult to find a helpful agent when calling to book. If you can book an award for a similar price with another Membership Rewards partner, we’d recommend trying someone else.

ANA Mileage Club Miles

ANA Mileage Club award tickets can allow for some creative routings across the airline and its Star Alliance partners. It uses a zone-based award chart. Additionally, seasonality impacts price when flying solely on All Nippon Airways.

Stopovers (visiting an additional city on the way to your final destination) and open-jaws (returning from a different city than you initially traveled to) are permitted on award tickets. This may allow you to visit additional cities on longer trips for no additional cost. However, ANA only offers round-trip award tickets, so you will need to return to the region where you started.

Avianca LifeMiles

Transferring your Membership Rewards to Avianca’s LifeMiles program can be an excellent option for U.S.-based frequent flyers. Regional flights may cost 7,500 LifeMiles or less. This can be useful for flying to smaller airports on Avianca’s Star Alliance partner United Airlines. United flies to many vacation destinations and smaller airports like Aspen (ASE) and West Yellowstone (WYS) that are often very expensive to buy with cash.

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

Oneworld Member Cathay Pacific is based in Hong Kong and operates an extensive long-haul network. It is the best Oneworld carrier for flights to Mainland China and is also a convenient choice for flying from the U.S. to Hong Kong.

Learning Cathay’s program takes some effort because there are different award prices and rules depending on if you’re flying Cathay Pacific, a partner, multiple partners or any combination thereof. Their “Oneworld Multi-Carrier Award” tickets are similar to a round-the-world ticket, but without the typical requirements to cross an ocean or fly in a particular direction.

Delta Air Lines SkyMiles

Delta SkyMiles can be a high-value program with a variety of redemptions for you to put your Membership Rewards points to work. Its own enormous network stretches to every continent except Antarctica, and its SkyTeam partners help it reach even more corners of the globe.

Delta’s pricing is dynamic meaning that award costs vary depending on demand for a particular flight and date. The airline’s search engine provides a convenient way to search for the cheapest dates on Delta and its partners. Staying flexible with your exact travel dates and booking well in advance will help you secure the best deal.

Emirates Skywards Miles

Transfer Ratio : 1:1 Minimum Transfer : 1,000 Transfer Increment : 1,000 Alliance : None

The Emirates Skywards program can provide excellent value and flexibility when redeeming your Amex Membership Rewards. While Emirates is not part of one of the major alliances, it has a partnership with Flydubai, Qantas and codeshares with a large number of airlines.

The  Emirates Miles Calculator  can help you figure out the cost of your routing and compare to other possible transfer partners. It may not always have the lowest prices compared to other award options, but they offer unique routes and the prospect of additional award space to get you to where you want to be—comfortably and efficiently.

Etihad Guest Miles

Etihad Guest is the rewards program of Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways. Award tickets flying on Etihad itself are often expensive, so it can be a good idea to redeem these awards on its  partner airlines . These partners include American Airlines, ANA and Royal Air Maroc, and awards may be cheaper than if you booked with the airline itself. Unfortunately, it is not currently possible to book award tickets on partner airlines online. You will need to search for award availability on another site, then call Etihad to book the ticket.

Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles

Hawaiian Airlines has a small but convenient network connecting its namesake state to major airports in the continental U.S. It also makes a logical connecting point for some destinations in the South Pacific. However, HawaiianMiles may not be the best price for your next vacation. The airline uses a  simple award chart , but with flights to the West Coast starting at 17,500 miles each way, it’s not always the cheapest option.

Iberia Plus Avios

Iberia Plus is a separate loyalty program from the other IAG-owned airlines, but also calls its points Avios. Avios can be transferred and combined between your accounts with each airline.

Iberia uses a similar distance-based award chart to the other Avios-earning programs, with peak and off-peak seasons determining the price of the ticket. Their off-peak tickets can have low mileage requirements as well as reasonable fees, making it a potentially valuable transfer option.

JetBlue TrueBlue Points

Transfer Ratio : 1:0.8 (250:200) Minimum Transfer : 250 Transfer Increment : 250 Alliance : None

JetBlue’s TrueBlue program ties the value of points to the cash price of the ticket, which makes it impossible to find redemptions with outsized value. However, they offer a wide selection of routes across the U.S. and to Europe and you may find good reward redemptions by using Membership Rewards to top off your existing balance with TrueBlue.

JetBlue is not part of any of the three airline alliances, but TrueBlue points can be redeemed on some American Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines flights. However, it may be a better choice to transfer your Membership Rewards points to Hawaiian Airlines directly rather than booking through JetBlue, depending on the cost of the ticket.

Qantas Frequent Flyer Points

Transfer Ratio : 1:1 Minimum Transfer : 500 Transfer Increment : 500 Alliance : Oneworld

Australia-based Qantas has a well-loved frequent flyer program, with prices determined by distance. In addition to redeeming miles for Qantas or Oneworld flights, they also have access to award inventory on non-alliance partners like Fiji Airways and El Al Israel. Generally speaking, nonstop flights are usually the best-priced awards since connecting flights are priced as two additive awards.

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Miles

Singapore Airlines is known for its high-quality long-haul flights, but as a Star Alliance member, the redemption options span the globe. When booking a full price award ticket (known as an Advantage Award), a stopover of up to 30 days is permitted in each direction, meaning you could have an opportunity to visit Singapore for free on your way to your next vacation.

One advantage to transferring your points to KrisFlyer is the airline’s low-cost redemptions for domestic flights on United Airlines. A round-trip business class ticket within North America costs a fixed 52,000 miles. With United, the same flight could cost that much—or more— each way .

Virgin Atlantic FlyingClub Virgin Points

Majority owned by Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, Virgin Atlantic is known for its distinctive livery and customer service. Transferring Membership Rewards to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points can be lucrative, especially flying on off-peak dates. There are low redemption rates for economy and premium economy . You’ll also find sweet spots flying internationally on partner airlines.

American Express offers the opportunity to transfer your Membership Rewards points to three different hotel loyalty programs. Relative to the cost of paying cash for a night’s stay, it is often a less attractive deal than the airline partners mentioned above.

Choice Privileges Rewards Points

Transfer Ratio : 1:1 Minimum Transfer : 1,000 Transfer Increment : 1,000

Choice Hotels, a popular worldwide chain of discount hotels, is the owner of brands including Quality Inn, EconoLodge and Cambria Hotels. Redeeming Membership Rewards points for nights in its hotels is rarely the best value compared to paying cash. Always check your options before transferring points.

Hilton Honors Points

Transfer Ratio : 1:2 Minimum Transfer : 1,000 Transfer Increment : 1,000

Hilton’s Honors program prices its awards based on demand for the particular hotel and date, but can be a better deal if you are traveling outside of the peak season. You will receive 2,000 Hilton Honors points for each 1,000 Membership Rewards transferred, but this is often not enough to overcome the high price of award nights at Hilton properties. Similar to Choice Hotels, double check your options for paying cash versus redeeming points to ensure you’re getting a fair value from your Membership Rewards.

Marriott Bonvoy Points

Marriott’s Bonvoy loyalty program is shared across the group’s various brands, including Ritz-Carlton, Sheraton, Westin and several more. Bonvoy has moved to a dynamic pricing model where redemption prices are based on demand.

Like the other hotel transfer partners for Membership Rewards, there’s no guarantee that using Membership Rewards for Marriott will be a strong redemption. However, transferring a handful of points could be worthwhile if you need just a few more points for a free night at one of Marriott’s properties.

Amex routinely offers transfer bonuses that provide a boost of 10% to 50% more miles when transferring Membership Rewards to an eligible partner during a promotion. For example, the same 1,000 Membership Rewards Points could convert (during a promotion) to 1,250 Avios at British Airways with a 25% bonus, reducing the cost of your next trip and maximizing your rewards.

Other flexible points programs also offer transfer bonuses from time to time, but American Express tends to have one or more offers nearly every month.

Transfering your Amex Membership Rewards Points to partner airlines is simple and straightforward. After navigating to the  points transfer page  and logging into your account, you will be able to see a list of transfer partners, including any transfer bonuses that may be available. After adding your loyalty program number to link your accounts, you are a few clicks away from transferring the chosen number of Membership Rewards to your partner of choice.

For each partner Amex notes the typical transfer time, but it can often be faster. For many transfer partners, the loyalty points or miles will appear in your airline account instantly, allowing you to book immediately.

Transferring Amex points to travel partners is usually the most valuable way to use Membership Rewards. That’s because these transfers can ultimately lead to values of more than 1 cent per point. Other redemptions, such as making a reservation through AmexTravel.com, top out at exactly 1 cent per point and many options are worth even less. That said, you have the flexibility to use Amex points to cover card charges, redeem for gift cards or even purchase merchandise.

Assuming you’ve decided to transfer your Amex points to a travel partner, get some inspiration on the best ways to use Membership Rewards for travel.

Can I transfer Amex points to someone else?

No, you cannot transfer Amex points to someone else. All Membership Rewards will remain in the name of the primary cardholder. Additionally, you can only transfer Membership Rewards to a frequent flyer account in the same name as a card member.

Should I use Amex travel or transfer to partners?

It is usually better to transfer your Membership Rewards to travel partners and book through their loyalty program instead of paying with points for reservations booked through American Express Travel. Often, transferring points will lead to better redemption values of over 1 cent per point so there is the possibility to extract more value from the same points.

If you are not going to get at least 1 cent per point by transferring miles, you’ll be better off making your reservations on AmexTravel.com and paying with points.

One other exception: if you hold  The Business Platinum Card® from American Express , you can get a 35% rebate when paying with points for eligible flights booked through American Express Travel. That also increases the value of your points and may be the better use of Membership Rewards on some fares.

How can I combine Amex points?

If you have multiple Membership Rewards-earning cards under the same login online, American Express will automatically combine your Amex points for you. This will make it easier to make redemptions since you can pull from the entire pool of points available.

If your Amex accounts are under separate logins but have the same name listed as the primary card member, you may still be able to combine points. Call American Express at the number on the back of your card to have your accounts linked and combine Amex points.

Unfortunately, you cannot combine Amex points between accounts in two separate names. So, for example, if you and a partner or spouse have separate Membership Rewards accounts, you cannot combine these points and will have to treat them as separate balances.

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Cole’s travel addiction started in college, when he made long overland trips to Africa and Central Asia during summer breaks. Today he uses his free time to plan trips and work remotely around the globe. Lately he has combined his passion for travel with a newfound interest in mountaineering.

Becky Pokora is an avid traveler with a particular love for the outdoors. She's always looking for new ways to make travel easier, more memorable, and more affordable, particularly by using miles and points.

Ultimate Guide to American Express Canada Transfer Partners

Quentin Tsang Mar 20, 2024 / American Express / Leave a comment

Miles & Points

by [author_plus] | Published Oct 30, 2023 | Edited [modified_date]

American Express

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Categorized: Miles & Points

American Express Membership Rewards (MR) points are one of the most valuable points currencies that we can earn in Canada. While they can be used for statement credits (cash back), redeemed for travel through the American Express Travel Portal, or gift cards and merchandise, we can unlock the most value when we transfer MR points to American Express’s Transfer Partners. 

Let’s talk about these Transfer Partners and how we can use them to maximize the value of our hard-earned Membership Rewards points!

What Are American Express Canada Transfer Partners?

American Express Transfer Partners are points and miles loyalty programs where we can exchange our Membership Rewards points for their respective currencies at various rates. Essentially, this allows us to use our MR points to redeem flights or hotels directly with loyalty programs, rather than being restricted to the American Express Travel Portal. 

More importantly, this gives us the potential to break the fixed value of 1 cent per point that American Express limits on their points when we use it directly with them, making every Membership Rewards point go further than before. 

However, not all American Express credit cards have access to these transfer partners – only cards that earn Membership Rewards points have this ability. American Express’s consumer portfolio of MR earning credit cards includes the American Express Green card , the American Express Cobalt card , the American Express Gold card , and the American Express Platinum card .

On the other hand, American Express’s business portfolio of MR earning credit cards includes the American Express Business Platinum card , American Express Business Gold card , and the American Express Business Edge card .

American Express Canada currently has 6 airline and 2 hotel transfer partners, all of which transfer Membership Rewards points at slightly different ratios. We’ll go over each of them and show you which ones offer the best bang for your buck (or more accurately, your point!).

All American Express Transfer Partners

Let’s go over all of American Express Canada’s Transfer Partners. However, if you’re ever in a rush to check what Transfer Partners are available for American Express Canada, or any other transferable points currencies, check out our new Miles & Points Transfer Partner Tool , where we outline all points transfer ratios and up-to-date transfer bonuses!

Air Canada Aeroplan

Air Canada Aeroplan is one of the most valuable points currency in the game and consistently ranks as one of our top transfer partners for Membership Rewards points. Points transfer at a ratio of 1:1, meaning 1 MR point will yield 1 Aeroplan point. 

Air Canada has the most flights to and from all major Canadian airports and has destinations all around the world. They are also part of the Star Alliance – this means that your Aeroplan points can be used to book flights from Air Canada’s partner airlines. Sure, you can book Air Canada Signature Class , but you can also fly several other renowned products, such as Lufthansa First Class .

Additionally, with the abundant number of Aeroplan co-branded credit cards that unlock additional travel benefits when booking with Aeroplan points, it’s easy to see why we love transferring our Membership Rewards points to Aeroplan for amazing travel experiences!

Air France/KLM Flying Blue

Flying Blue is the loyalty program of both Air France and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Points transfer at a ratio of 4:3 – in more simple math, 1 MR point will transfer to 0.75 Flying Blue miles. 

The most attractive part of the Flying Blue loyalty program is their Flying Blue Promo Rewards . These promotions are offered monthly and offer up to 50% discounts on their award tickets redeemed directly with Flying Blue miles. If a monthly promotion catches your eye, it may make sense to take advantage and transfer some Membership Rewards points over to Flying Blue!

As a note, some routes have moderate fuel surcharge fees, so be sure to double-check the complete cost, both miles and dollars, before transferring your MR points!

British Airways Avios

British Airways Avios is another one of our favorites here at Frugal Flyer. Points transfer at a ratio of 1:1, meaning that 1 MR point will turn into 1 Avios point. 

Since British Airways is part of the OneWorld alliance, there are many carriers that you can book redemption flights on. While carrier surcharge fees are quite high when redeeming for flights operated by British Airways, our favorite use for transferring Membership Rewards points to Avios miles is to book Qatar Airways QSuites , either by booking through British Airways, or by transferring to Qatar Airways Avios.

If you are looking to travel with a partner via British Airways, you can also take advantage of the British Airways Household Account to earn towards your next redemption even quicker.

If you are booking with British Airways, you can also redeem Avios on US-originating flights with American Airlines to avoid pesky fuel surcharge fees. There are also several best ways to redeem British Airways Avios for business class flights if you are looking for ideas for your next vacation.

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

Cathay Pacific is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, and as such, mainly serves destinations in Asia. Points transfer at a ratio of 4:3, meaning that 1 MR point will give you 0.75 Asia Miles. 

As a personal anecdote, Cathay Asia Miles is my parent’s favorite loyalty program because they take advantage of their fixed flight award chart (rare these days!) to fly to and from their home city of Hong Kong for 38,000 Asia Miles.

While the Cathay Pacific Asia Miles program is great for getting you to Asia (pun intended), Membership Rewards points are not the strongest transfer partner to the program. Instead, consider using RBC Avion Points , typically earned from the RBC Avion Visa Infinite card , to transfer to Asia Miles, as they offer a more favorable 1:1 transfer ratio.

Delta SkyMiles

Delta SkyMiles are less popular in Canada but still have some unique value propositions if used correctly. Points transfer at a ratio of 4:3, meaning 1 MR point will get you 0.75 SkyMiles. 

While international flights with Delta offer less-than-ideal prices, SkyMiles shines when flying within North America. Specifically, flights within the US have great value. For example, going from New York to Chicago costs only 6,000 points and $6 USD in fees!

This makes Delta a great choice to visit multiple destinations in the US when visiting our neighbor to the South. 

How about getting to the US? Well, SkyMiles also has a good answer for that. To get from Vancouver to Los Angeles, it only costs us 11,500 SkyMiles, which isn’t bad at all.

Delta is a partner airline to WestJet, which offers many domestic Canadian flights and transborder routes to and from Canada and the US. If you don’t collect WestJet Rewards from the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard or RBC Avion Points, SkyMiles can unlock some of WestJets destinations to and from Canadian airports.

Additionally, if you are looking to splurge, Delta Business Class when traveling internationally can be quite the treat.

Etihad Guest

Etihad Airways is the flagship carrier of the United Arab Emirates. It isn’t a very popular loyalty program in Canada, as it is hard to earn points with and only operates flights out of Toronto-Pearson International Airport. Points transfer at a ratio of 4:3 – 1 MR point yields 0.75 Etihad Guest points. 

Unfortunately, it’s going to be quite difficult to extract value from Etihad Guest in Canada (or the US, as it only serves Boston, Chicago, New York, and Washington). With much better partners available, Etihad Guest ranks low on our list of Transfer Partners.

Hilton Honors

While not as big of a footprint as Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Hotels, and its Hilton Honors loyalty program are a close second and have hotels everywhere around the world. Points transfer at a ratio of 1:1 from Membership Rewards points to Hilton Honors points, but again, we generally do not recommend transferring MR points to hotel programs. 

If you’re looking to earn Hilton Honors points, consider starting your US credit card journey with one of the American Express US Hilton Honors credit cards ! That’s how I booked a recent stay in Chicago at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel – the birthplace of the brownie!

Marriott Bonvoy

Odds are that you have stayed, or will stay, in a Marriott Bonvoy hotel in your lifetime, as it is the largest hotel chain in the world. One of American Express Canada’s two hotel transfer partners, transferring 5 Membership Rewards points will yield 6 Marriott Bonvoy points. 

As a general rule of thumb, we do not recommend that you transfer MR points to any hotel loyalty program unless it is to do a small top-up of your points for an upcoming stay. Instead, check out the American Express Marriott Bonvoy card or American Express Marriott Bonvoy Business card to earn a great welcome bonus plus Marriott Bonvoy points on all purchases.

Additionally, both of these cards earn an annual Marriott free night certificate each year worth 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points adding even more value.

Why Should We Use Transfer Partners?

When you first applied for your American Express MR-earning credit card, you’ve probably seen a tagline along the lines of “Earn up to 30,000 points, worth up to $300.” That gives us a valuation of 1 cent per point.  However, if you’ve read our guide to the American Express Membership Rewards loyalty program , you’ll notice that we value Membership Rewards points at 2.2 cents per point. 

You might be asking, “How are these two valuations so different?” 

Using Transfer Partners allows us to unlock the full potential of Membership Rewards points and exceed the default 1 cent per point valuation that American Express gives us.  Here’s an example of how I got over 11 cents per point by transferring my MR points to Aeroplan:

My partner and I have always wanted to go to Greece and luckily, we both were able to get some time off at the end of October and beginning of November. This being our first overseas trip together in quite some time, we wanted to travel in style in business class, but as you can imagine, pigs would have to fly before we paid over $9,000 CAD per ticket! Luckily, being the Frugal Flyer that I am, I decided to look at redeeming a flight using Aeroplan points.

A flexible reward ticket from Toronto to Athens turned out to be 81,100 Aeroplan points – $9550 cash fare, divided by 81,100 points, gives us an over 11 cents per point valuation! 

However, we didn’t have enough Aeroplan points in our accounts when we were looking to book two tickets. Luckily, American Express Membership Rewards points transfer 1:1 to Aeroplan points, so without hesitation, we transferred points and once they appeared almost instantly we booked our flights! 

Disclaimer: you won’t always get over 11 cents per point. I would say that we were pretty lucky getting such a high cent per point value for our MR/Aeroplan points. However, we believe that you will routinely get over 2 cents if you decide to transfer Membership Rewards points to Aeroplan.

Which American Express Canada Transfer Partners Are Best?

When determining the best transfer partners, we have 2 guidelines:

• American Express Membership Reward points must transfer at least 1:1 to the respective loyalty program for the best value. 
• Hotel loyalty programs are generally not recommended. 

This leaves us with a few main options for where you should consider transferring your Membership Rewards points.

The Best: Air Canada Aeroplan

In our opinion, Air Canada Aeroplan is the strongest American Express Canada Transfer Partner. As Canadians, this is a no-brainer – Air Canada has the most flights from all major Canadian airports to destinations all across the world. 

Aeroplan is also one of the strongest loyalty programs in the points and miles game and offers great redemptions with Air Canada and its partner airlines. My trip later this year to Greece is evidence of how powerful transferring MR points to Aeroplan can be!

Another Good Option: British Airways Avios

British Airways Avios also has the potential to be one of the better transfer partners. If you can avoid the fuel surcharge fees, transferring Membership Rewards points to Avios can unlock great redemptions. Additionally, by linking your British Airways Prestige Club and Qatar Airways Prestige Club Accounts , your British Airways Avios can transfer 1:1 to Qatar Airways Avios to book the prestigious QSuites product.

Several other popular options are also available to be booked with Avios including Aer Lingus Business Class and Japan Airlines Business Class , albeit with higher taxes and fees.

Keep in mind that RBC Avion points also transfer to British Airways Avios, and you can earn points with spending with the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite card . Thus, we recommend that you channel your points earned with RBC to Avios points while reserving American Express Membership Rewards points for partners that are not available anywhere else.

An Unlikely Contender: Air France/KLM Flying Blue

Lastly, an argument can be made for Air France/KLM Flying Blue to be one of the stronger transfer partners, even though it has a 1 MR point to 0.75 Flying Blue miles transfer rate. If you are able to take advantage of the Flying Blue Monthly Promos and get a 25-50% discount on reward redemptions, this brings the effective transfer ratio from 1:1-1.25.

However, on flights outside of these monthly promos, Flying Blue can fall short and we do not recommend transferring your Membership Rewards points.

American Express Canada Transfer Partners are the best way to get the most value out of your hard-earned Membership Rewards points. You can regularly get value over the 1 cent per point valuation that American Express gives it by default, and use them to book amazing flights for a fraction of the price! Be sure to check out our Miles & Points Transfer Partner tool before you transfer any points to get up-to-date information about transfer rates and any transfer bonuses!

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• American Express Membership Rewards points are among the most valuable card rewards you can earn. 
• You'll usually get the most value from Amex points by transferring them to airline and hotel partners.
• Airline partners like Air Canada and Virgin Atlantic can help you get the best value on first-class award flights. 
• Read Insider's guide to the best travel rewards credit cards .

When it comes to transferable credit card rewards points , you might automatically think of Chase Ultimate Rewards ® or Capital One miles . But the American Express Membership Rewards program was one of the first points currencies to allow folks with associated credit cards to convert their hard-earned rewards into miles and points with various airline and hotel partners.

In fact, the Amex Membership Rewards program debuted way back in 1991 with just seven US airline partners. Today, Membership Rewards works with 17 frequent flyer programs and three hotel loyalty programs. Those numbers are impressive in and of themselves – consider, Chase has just 14 partners total, and Citi ThankYou Rewards has 16.

What sets Amex apart even more, however, is the excellent quality of its partners, and the myriad redemption opportunities they represent.

Here is a comprehensive guide to American Express transfer partners and how to get the most value from your points when taking advantage of them.

We're focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won't be worth it if you're paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it's important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.

Limited time offer: Earn 10X Membership Rewards® Points at restaurants worldwide for three months, on up to $25,000 in purchases when eligible card member refers a friend and the friend applies by May 22, 2024 and gets the card (terms apply). Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 per calendar year) and on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. Earn 1X Points on other purchases.

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Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® points

Good to Excellent

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Long list of travel benefits, including airport lounge access and complimentary elite status with Hilton and Marriott (enrollment required)
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Annual statement credits with Saks and Uber
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Bonus categories leave something to be desired
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. One of the highest annual fees among premium travel cards

If you want as many premium travel perks as possible, The Platinum Card® from American Express could be the right card for you. The annual fee is high, but you get a long list of benefits such as airport lounge access, travel statement credits, complimentary hotel elite status, and more.

• Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card®, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.
• Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
• $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card®. Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Plus Up Benefits are excluded.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card®.
• $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only. Terms Apply.
• $300 Equinox Credit: Get up to $300 back in statement credits per calendar year on an Equinox membership, or an Equinox club membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you pay with your Platinum Card®. Enrollment required. Visit https://platinum.equinox.com/ to enroll.
• $189 CLEAR® Plus Credit: Breeze through security with CLEAR Plus at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues nationwide and get up to $189 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Platinum Card®. Learn more.
• $100 Global Entry Credit: Receive either a $100 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card®. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
• Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card®. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
• $300 SoulCycle At-Home Bike Credit: Get a $300 statement credit for the purchase of a SoulCycle at-home bike with your Platinum Card®. An Equinox+ subscription is required to purchase a SoulCycle at-home bike and access SoulCycle content. Must charge full price of bike in one transaction. Shipping available in the contiguous U.S. only. Enrollment Required.
• Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Platinum Card® to your Resy profile.
• $695 annual fee.
• Terms Apply.

Before you can redeem Amex points, you've actually got to earn them. Only a handful of Amex cards – both business and personal – rack up Membership Rewards points. Other Amex rewards cards earn either cash back, hotel points with programs including Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy , or airline miles with programs such as Delta SkyMiles .

The following personal American Express cards earn Membership Rewards points: 

And the following business cards earn Amex Membership Rewards points:

Now for a quick rundown of the current lineup of Amex Membership Rewards transfer partners.

You can transfer your Amex points to all of the following airline and hotel partners. Points transfer to many of these instantaneously, though some transactions might take a few business days to process.

Most transfer ratios are 1 Membership Rewards point to 1 airline mile or hotel point, but those that vary have been noted.

Once you start looking into booking awards using partner miles or points, your next step will be to actually transfer your Amex points to a partner program.

In order to do so, log in to your Amex account online. Click on the "Rewards" tab, and you should see your points balance and various options including one with an arrow that says, "Transfer Points." You will be redirected to a page that lists the various partner programs and the current conversion ratios.

Before you can initiate a transfer, you must link your Membership Rewards account to your various frequent flyer and hotel accounts. Doing so is as simple as clicking on the partner you want to use, then entering your credit card's security code and four-digit ID as well as your account number with the partner. Once you link accounts, you should be able to transfer whenever you like.

One thing to keep in mind: American Express also periodically offers transfer bonuses that tend to range from 20% to 40% to various partners. It's worth checking on available transfer bonuses from time to time, or taking advantage of ones you come across in order to get even more value from your points.

Before you get too overwhelmed with the number of transfer partners and all the points possibilities, here are the nine that deserve the most attention, with some examples of what makes them such fantastic options.

Just a quick note on some of the numbers, airlines, flight cabins, and routes cited here: These are accurate as of the time of publication, but are subject to any fleet and network changes individual airlines make, as well as government-imposed travel restrictions.

Air Canada Aeroplan

Air Canada Aeroplan has had a few ups and downs in recent years, including being spun off then reacquired by Air Canada. In late 2020, the airline introduced several major changes, but its award charts have not changed much, so its points have largely retained their value. Thus, Aeroplan remains one of the best frequent flyer programs for those who want to redeem their Amex points for flights on Star Alliance carriers such as United, Lufthansa, SWISS, and EVA Air.

Aeroplan's new award formula includes 10 distance-based charts for travel within and between four regions: North America, Atlantic, Pacific, South America.

Yes, it's a bit convoluted. In general, though, economy flight redemptions are a solid bet, and you should keep your eye out for specific premium award opportunities – especially in light of the fact that Aeroplan has eliminated fuel surcharges that used to range into the thousands of dollars.

Here are three possibilities based on both the distances of specific routes and the partner airlines you can fly:

• You only need 55,000 points each way for business class on ANA from either Vancouver or Seattle to Tokyo Haneda. For comparison, United would charge you 88,000 MileagePlus miles.
• Likewise, business class on Lufthansa or SWISS between Europe and several airports in the eastern US should cost just 60,000 Aeroplan points but would require 77,000 United miles.
• Finally, thanks to that same distance-based formula, you can book coach tickets between the West Coast of the US and Canada and Hawaii starting at 12,500 points each way versus 22,500 United miles – that's nearly twice as many miles!

Air France-KLM Flying Blue

Flying Blue is the mileage program of numerous airlines including not only Air France and KLM, but also carriers like Kenya Airways and TAROM. Members can also redeem their miles for flights on SkyTeam partners like Delta, Aeromexico, and Korean Air, among other partners.

Though Flying Blue levies hundreds of dollars in fuel surcharges for flights to and from Europe, there are still a couple of reasons to recommend the program.

First, it offers monthly rotating "Promo Rewards" with discounts of 20% to 50% off award pricing between certain cities and regions. In real terms, that means rewards for under 11,000 miles each way between North America and Europe in economy, or 28,750 miles in business class — if you can find them. Those numbers are hard to beat.

But even on a regular basis, Flying Blue members seem to have a lot more access to premium awards on both Air France and KLM than they would with other programs, such as Delta SkyMiles.

ANA Mileage Club

Getting back to Star Alliance for a moment, you can find some phenomenal possibilities by transferring your miles to All Nippon Airways' underrated frequent flyer program.

Without getting too bogged down in the details, Mileage Club does have a few important restrictions. Awards must be booked round-trip, though there's some flexibility thanks to open-jaw and stopover allowances. But the real beauty of the program is just how few miles you need even for the most premium experiences in the skies.

For example, you would need just 88,000 miles round-trip to fly business class on airlines like SAS and TAP Portugal between North America and Europe. Want to bump it up to first class on an airline like Lufthansa? That'll cost you 165,000 miles round-trip. Sure, that's still a lot of miles, but it's a far cry from the 242,000 miles United would charge you.

You could fly from North America to most of Asia for 85,000 to 95,000 miles round-trip in business class on Star Alliance carriers like Asiana or EVA, or 150,000 to 180,000 in first class. Yes, that's a lot of miles, but is still around half what other airlines' frequent flyer programs would charge.

Interested in taking either United's new services between Newark and either Cape Town or Johannesburg? You would need just 104,000 miles round-trip in business class with ANA, versus 176,000 United miles, or 170,000 Aeroplan miles.

British Airways Executive Club

Thanks to a distance-based award formula that can result in exorbitant pricing for long-haul flights in premium cabins, some folks might shy away from transferring Amex points to British Airways . However, Executive Club has offered some of the most frequent transfer bonuses of any Amex partner, and is still an excellent choice for certain short-haul awards (flights that are about three hours or less).

Flying from the West Coast of the US to Hawaii will only cost you 13,000 Avios each way in economy on either American Airlines or Alaska Airlines, versus 15,000 to 22,500 using either of those carriers' miles. Likewise, using Avios to book shorter flights within Asia on Cathay Pacific, within Australia on Qantas, or from Miami or Dallas to the Caribbean on American Airlines can be a good way to save money on routes that can be expensive to book using cash.

You can also get from Los Angeles or San Francisco to Tokyo for just 27,750 miles each way in economy on JAL, or from Boston to Dublin on Aer Lingus for just 13,000 miles each way at off-peak times. Keep in mind that you can transfer Avios between British Airways Executive Club, Aer Lingus AerClub, and Iberia Plus for even more options, including some with lower surcharges on flights to and from Europe.

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

While this Hong Kong-based airline's award chart won't be for everyone, if you're positively raking in the Amex points thanks to bonuses and spending, you might want to splurge with a few redemptions.

Like American Airlines AAdvantage , Asia Miles will charge you 70,000 miles each way in business class or 110,000 miles in first between the West Coast of the US (and Canada) and Hong Kong. The reason you might want to use Asia Miles instead of AAdvantage (or Alaska Mileage Plan miles, for that matter), is that it's easier to come by award space using the airline's own frequent flyer program rather than a partner, and unlike American and Alaska, you can transfer points from Amex as well as other card programs.

Another great premium possibility is to use 75,000 Asia Miles each way for Qatar Airways' outstanding business class between its hub at Doha and certain destinations within the US, including Boston, Chicago, New York-JFK, and Philadelphia.

Delta SkyMiles

Although Delta has made drastic changes to its award program over the past decade, it's still one of Amex's standout transfer partners for a number of reasons. First, it's the largest US carrier on the list, it's part of SkyTeam, and it also boasts non-alliance partners like Virgin Atlantic, so you can use Delta SkyMiles in a variety of ways.

That said, Delta has done its best lately to peg the value of SkyMiles to about 1 cent each, especially for awards on Delta itself. So use your Amex points for cheaper economy tickets that can cost as little as 5,000 miles each, or simply to top up your account with a few thousand miles here and there for specific tickets you are certain you will need to book in the near future (especially if that bumps you up from economy to business class).

Etihad Guest

Due to a clunky online interface and the fact that you have to call customer service to book awards on partner airlines, you might want to avoid Etihad Guest in general, unless you can pinpoint a few specific awards.

However, the carrier has a lot of interesting airline partners, including American Airlines, Air New Zealand, ANA, Korean Air, and Royal Air Maroc, among others. The airline also offers occasional award sales, bringing the price of some tickets down even further.

In general, though, here are two great awards you could consider transferring Amex points for:

• First, you can snag a one-way, one-segment business-class ticket on Royal Air Maroc, including between the US and Morocco, for just 44,000 miles.
• Second, Etihad makes first-class award space much more easily available to its own mileage program members than those of partners, including American Airlines AAdvantage. So if you want a shot at one of Etihad's fabulous first-class suites between Abu Dhabi and either the US or Europe, you'll probably want to start hoarding Amex points for a transfer to Etihad Guest.

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

Singapore Airlines partners with several of the other major transferable points programs, including Chase Ultimate Rewards,   Citi ThankYou Rewards , and Capital One , so before you transfer Amex points, consider what other options you have. That said, there are a few redemption sweet spots to be aware of.

Economy awards between North America and Hawaii on either United or Air Canada are priced at a reasonable 19,500 miles each way, while flying business class within North America on either of those carriers is 26,000 miles each way.

But the real reason you might want to transfer Amex points to KrisFlyer is to redeem them for business- or first-class flights on Singapore Airlines itself, since the airline is very stingy with releasing award space to partners.

Sure, flights cost a lot of miles – flying business class on the world's current longest flight from Newark to Singapore will set you back 111,500 miles each way, or first class from New York-JFK to Frankfurt will require 97,000 miles — but spending some time in the lap of luxury could well be worth it.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points are useful for partner award flights, some of which you can book for fewer points compared to other programs. The program will soon become more useful, as Virgin Atlantic will join the SkyTeam alliance in 2023 .

Among the best examples are using just 50,000 miles to fly Delta One Suites between the US and Europe (except the UK), or 60,000 miles between the US and Asia – a bargain considering you'd need at least 85,000 Delta SkyMiles for either option. You might also want to use 90,000 to 95,000 of them to fly ANA's gorgeous new business-class suites round-trip between the US or Europe and Japan, or 110,000 to 120,000 miles to fly first class.

Now that we've gotten the best partners out of the way, here are the details on the rest and why might or might not want to transfer your hard-earned Amex points to them.

Aer Lingus AerClub: In reality, Aer Lingus AerClub is linked to British Airways Executive Club, so it's relatively easy to transfer your Avios between accounts, but why add another layer of complexity to your rewards strategy? Aeromexico Club Premier: Although the transfer ratio to Aeromexico might seem favorable, and there are sometimes transfer bonuses, the Club Premier award chart lacks any truly great redemption opportunities. Avianca LifeMiles: While this program offers some fabulous award opportunities on Avianca's Star Alliance partners, its booking engine is not the most reliable, and its customer service reps can be hard to reach.  Emirates Skywards: Emirates reduced the sky-high fuel surcharges it once tacked onto its award tickets, but mileage prices are still astronomical, especially for sought-after seats in first and business class. Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles: While this program can come in handy specifically for tickets within Hawaii and between the islands and the US mainland, you might be better off simply getting one of Hawaiian Airlines' co-branded credit cards to enjoy extra earnings and perks. Iberia Plus: Another partner linked to British Airways Avios, Iberia's mileage program is a great way to save on fuel surcharges, and does have some excellent award options between the US and Europe, including certain business-class tickets that cost as few as 34,000 Avios. However, its search engine can be hard to use, and customer service is almost non-existent, so do your homework before transferring Amex points here. JetBlue TrueBlue: Folks can get a lot of value from TrueBlue points for flights on JetBlue, but the conversion ratio of 5 Amex points to 4 TrueBlue points takes it out of the running as a truly great transfer partner. Qantas Frequent Flyer: You might find some good deals redeeming Qantas miles for expensive flights on the airline's own metal within Australia and the South Pacific, but award prices for flights beyond that are jaw-droppingly high for the most part.

Choice Privileges: Booking some budget stays in the near future? Choice points could come in handy, but are unlikely to be a frequent transfer option for more aspirational travelers. Hilton Honors: Amex points convert to Hilton Honors points at a 1:2 ratio, which is great on the surface. But if you're interested in Hilton stays and perks, you should probably apply for a co-branded Hilton card instead . For instance, the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is currently offering 150,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the card within your first six months of card membership, and it confers automatic top-tier Hilton Honors Diamond elite status , statement credits at Hilton Resorts and on certain eligible stays at Waldorf Astoria and Conrad properties, plus a free night reward each account year. Marriott Bonvoy: Considering the paltry 1:1 conversion ratio and Marriott's excellent stable of co-branded credit cards , you might want to avoid Amex transfers and instead apply for a product like the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card . It's currently offering new cardholders 5 Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first three months from your account opening, plus benefits like automatic Gold elite status, 6 points per dollar on eligible Marriott purchases, 3 points per dollar on dining, gas, and groceries (on up to $6,000 in combined purchases each year), and 2 points per dollar on other eligible purchases.

American Express Membership Rewards points are among the most valuable and versatile travel rewards out there. That's thanks not only to the sheer number of airline and hotel loyalty programs cardholders can transfer their points to, but also to the variety of excellent redemption opportunities available.

The key to optimizing Membership Rewards points is to pick a credit card that will earn the most of them on the things you tend to purchase most frequently. And then, on the other side of the travel rewards equation, you will want to focus on just a few of the transfer partners with the best redemption opportunities for your needs and goals.

Once you pinpoint the right card and the right partners, you should be able to make strategic transfers and enjoy excellent award flights and hotel stays.

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.

Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews, or recommendations expressed in this article are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Read our editorial standards .

Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.

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Best ways to redeem Amex points on Star Alliance airlines

Update : Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here .

American Express Membership Rewards points regularly appear as one of the most valuable currencies in TPG's monthly valuation , thanks in large part to the incredible flexibility of these points.

Not only can you transfer points to airlines in all three of the major alliances (Oneworld, SkyTeam, and Star Alliance), but you have multiple transfer options to choose from within each alliance. However, determining which transfer partner to use within a single alliance can be a bit tricky.

We've already explored this topic for Oneworld and SkyTeam carriers, so we'll wrap up this series with a look at how to get the best deal when redeeming Amex points for travel on Star Alliance airlines .

Here, we'll give you an overview of each worthwhile Star Alliance partner — this includes an overview of the award chart, stopover rules, fees and more. Plus, we'll show you a few sample bookings with prices.

If you're looking for tips to redeem your Amex points with other alliances, check out the following articles:

• Best ways to redeem Amex points on SkyTeam airlines
• Best ways to redeem Amex points on Oneworld airlines

For more TPG news delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter .

Earning Amex Membership Rewards points

The best way to quickly rack up a large number of Membership Rewards points is through welcome bonuses on the issuer's top credit cards. Some of the best current offers include (terms apply):

• The Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on the card in the first six months of card membership.
• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 120,000 bonus points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of card membership. Terms apply.
• American Express® Gold Card: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new card within the first six months of account opening.

These cards also offer lucrative bonuses on different categories of purchases, allowing you to boost your balances even further with your everyday spending.

You may also consider a card like The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, which earns 2x points per dollar on the first $50,000 in purchases each calendar year (then 1x).

Related: Choosing the best American Express credit card for you

Redeeming Amex Membership Rewards points

Although Amex gives you the option to redeem your points directly through the Amex Travel portal, you will almost always get more value by transferring them to a partner airline, especially for awards in premium classes.

You'll also want to keep in mind that not all Membership Rewards transfers are immediate , so make sure you leave yourself enough time to book. When it comes to Star Alliance partners, Singapore Airlines Krisflyer and ANA Mileage Club can take 24 and 48 hours to transfer, respectively.

Related: Redeeming American Express Membership Rewards for maximum value

Let's dive into some of the best ways to book Star Alliance airlines using your Amex points.

Air Canada Aeroplan

Air Canada recently reacquired the Aeroplan loyalty program and later announced huge plans to revamp the program .

Last November, these changes finally launched, bringing a completely revamped the program with a new award chart, amazing stopover rules and family points pooling . It also removed fuel surcharges , making booking awards on Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa and other high-fee carriers much more affordable.

Aeroplan awards are priced based on region and distance. The airline splits the world into four regions: North America, South America, Atlantic and Pacific.

Each region pair has its own award chart that's broken down by distance. Each distance category has standard award pricing, except for Air Canada awards. These are priced at the low-end of the spectrum for awards with Saver space, while other awards may be more expensive.

You can maximize these redemptions by taking advantage of Aeroplan's generous routing and stopover rules. We have an entire article dedicated to this , but in short, you can add a stopover to any one-way ticket for 5,000 miles (as it's not wholly within the U.S. or Canada). This means you can book something like Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) to Frankfurt (FRA) to Dubai (DXB) and stopover in Frankfurt for as long as you'd like.

Note that stopovers add to the trip's total mileage, so longer itineraries will cost more miles. It's also worth noting that Air Canada adds a $39 CAD partner booking fee — equal to roughly $30.50 — to each ticket booked with a partner.

Related: Pros and cons of the new Air Canada Aeroplan loyalty program

Example Air Canada Aeroplan bookings

So, how does Aeroplan's pricing stack up? It's pretty good for many awards — especially when you factor in the lack of fuel surcharges.

For example, this Lufthansa flight from New York-JFK to Frankfurt (FRA) costs 60,000 miles and $55.54 in taxes and fees in business class. The flight is just under 4,000 miles, so it falls into the lowest Atlantic pricing tier. Again, you can maximize this ticket with a stopover for 5,000 additional miles, but longer tickets may cost more miles.

Flights to Asia can be a great deal too. For example, this 6,469-mile flight from San Francisco (SFO) to Taipei (TPE) is only 75,000 miles with $55.50 in taxes and fees.

South America is similarly priced to European awards. You can fly from Houston (IAH) to Sao Paulo (GRU) — a 4,902-mile flight — for 60,000 miles and $55.50 in taxes and fees.

Flights to Central America fall under the North America award chart, and there are some solid deals to be had. A flight from Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) to Panama City costs 12,500 miles in economy and 25,000 in business class. Both flights are subject to $57.10 in taxes and fees.

You'll also find great deals on some domestic U.S. award tickets too. Short-haul flights that are 500 miles or less cost just 6,000 Aeroplan miles in economy. Those between 501 and 1,500 miles cost 10,000 miles, which can also be a reasonable deal. Unfortunately, these tickets are still subject to the partner booking fee.

Related: Why Air Canada's promise to not remove award charts is such a big deal

When to transfer Membership Rewards points to Aeroplan

While Aeroplan offers good pricing on most awards, it isn't the best program across the board. That said, some of the perks of the program make it intriguing when booking certain types of tickets. Here's when you'll want to transfer Membership Rewards points to Air Canada Aeroplan:

• Booking tickets with high fuel surcharges: Some Star Alliance partners pass fuel surcharges on to the traveler. So if the price is right, you'll want to book your Austrian, Lufthansa, LOT Polish, Turkish and SWISS tickets with Aeroplan points.
• Tickets with stopovers: Aeroplan offers the most flexible routing and stopover rules of any Membership Rewards' Star Alliance transfer partners. Remember, you can add a stopover to each one-way ticket for 5,000 miles apiece. The restrictions are loose, so you can use this to score some excellent awards.
• East Coast to Europe: Flights from North America to the Atlantic zone under 4,000 miles cost a reasonable 35,000 and 60,000 miles in economy and business class, respectively. This value is increased even further if you can add a stopover and stay under the 4,000-mile limit.
• Flights under 500 miles: 6,000 miles one-way is — most of the time — your best bet for sub-500 mile flights.
• Flights to East Asia: Most flights from the U.S. to East and Southeast Asia can be booked for 55,000 or 75,000 miles in business class. The best deals are sub-5,000 mile flights from Seattle (SEA) and Vancouver (YVR) to Tokyo-Haneda (HND) on ANA.

Related: How to avoid fuel surcharges on award travel

Avianca LifeMiles

Over the last few years, Avianca LifeMiles has risen from relative obscurity to quickly become one of the most popular Star Alliance loyalty programs out there. While Avianca's customer service leaves a lot to be desired, its award chart has some hidden gems , including some great Star Alliance options.

Like Air Canada, the program also doesn't pass on fuel surcharges on award tickets (unlike several other members of this list). Unfortunately, it also has a $25 partner booking fee.

The program has a traditional zone-based award chart. The award chart is pretty standard, but it's worth noting that the U.S. and Europe are split up into three zones, but this doesn't always affect pricing. The cost of flying from U.S. 1, 2 and 3 to Europe 2 and 3 is the same price across the board. You will, however, save points by flying U.S. 1 to Europe 1.

Here's a look at the LifeMiles award chart at the time of writing this article. There's a lot of data here, so check out the full award chart (with zone definitions) on the LifeMiles website for more info. Scroll to the "How to Redeem" section and click the "Review Now" button for the PDF.

LifeMiles usually offers the best deal on domestic Star Alliance award tickets . That said, it doesn't always follow the pricing listed in the above award chart. Sometimes you'll find that awards actually price lower than what's listed here.

Take Newark (EWR) to Pittsburgh (PIT), for example — this ticket should cost 7,500 miles in economy. Instead, it actually costs 6,500 miles, saving you a cool 1,000 miles on your booking.

You can reduce the cost of connecting award tickets by flying the shorter leg in economy class. For example, a flight from Washington-Dulles (IAD) to Prague (PRG) via Brussels (BRU) costs 63,000 miles if all legs are in business class. This price drops to 58,620 miles if you fly Brussels to Prague in economy class.

You can also mix and match cash and miles at some very attractive rates through Avianca's program. In some cases, this can work out quite well. This flight from Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) to Frankfurt (FRA) costs 63,000 miles. Alternatively, you can use 26,000 miles and $611.64 (after the partner booking fee) for the same ticket — a steep discount over booking wholly with cash.

Unfortunately, LifeMiles doesn't allow stopovers, so it's hard to maximize connecting flights.

Example Avianca LifeMiles bookings

So, how does LifeMiles' pricing stack up to the competition? Here's a look at some sample bookings to various regions around the world.

Starting with Europe, you'll find that a one-way ticket from the U.S. to the majority of Europe costs 63,000 miles in business class, 30,000 in economy and 87,000 in first class. Again, you can reduce the cost of connecting tickets by adding a leg in economy.

The exception to this rule is flights from U.S. 1 to Europe 1. U.S. 1 is largely made up of the East Coast. Meanwhile, Europe 1 is comprised of Scandinavia (including Denmark and Iceland), Russia, Ireland and the U.K. These routes cost 20,000 miles in economy, 60,000 in business and 87,000 in first. Interestingly enough, you can connect in Europe 2 or 3 to a Europe 1 country for the same cost. The price drops even lower on mixed cabin itineraries.

Tickets to Asia are a pretty solid deal, too — especially when compared to Aeroplan. A long-haul flight from New York-JFK to Seoul (ICN) costs just 37,000 miles in economy and 75,000 in business class. Flights to Central and South Asia cost marginally more miles at 78,000 miles in business class. Economy awards to these regions vary based on where you depart in the U.S.

Unfortunately, flights to Central America aren't a great deal. This Copa flight from New York-JFK to Panama City (PTY) flight costs 17,500 and 30,000 miles. This is more expensive than Aeroplan and other programs on this list, so you'll generally want to skip it.

That said, flights to South America are quite reasonable. This flight from Miami (MIA) to Sao Paulo (GIG) via Bogota (BOG) is just 50,000 miles in business class and 25,000 in economy. This is a solid deal on this route, especially when you consider business class prices with other Star Alliance partners. You cannot book this as a mixed-class award since Avianca operates it.

We've already discussed domestic deals with Avianca. Generally, you'll find the best deals on short-haul routes that price below the 7,500-mile award chart tier. That said, you can find solid transcontinental deals too. For example, this United flight from New York-JFK to Los Angeles (LAX) costs 12,500 miles in economy and 25,000 in business class.

When to transfer Membership Rewards points to LifeMiles

LifeMiles is one of the most powerful Membership Rewards transfer partners — here's when to book with them:

• Domestic flights over 500 miles: Domestic over 500 miles are best booked with Avianca LifeMiles — especially when you can find a deal not listed on the award chart. Flights shorter than this can be booked with Aeroplan for fewer points.
• Flights to Europe with fuel surcharges: You'll generally find the best deal in terms of surcharges and miles with LifeMiles. This is especially true when flying from U.S. zone 1 to Europe zone 1 and using mixed-cabin awards to connect tickets. These flights can be booked for as little as 53,440 miles with minimal taxes and fees.
• One-way flights to Asia: Generally, you'll find the best deal on one-way flights from the U.S. to Asia with LifeMiles. That said, you'll get a better deal on round-trip flights with ANA Mileage Club.
• First-class flights: True international first class is slowly being phased out, but carriers like Thai Airways and Lufthansa continue to offer it. You'll generally find the best deals on these tickets when booking with Avianca. For example, you can book Lufthansa first class from the U.S. to Europe for 87,000 miles.
• Discounting a cash fare: Don't want to use all your miles on a single booking? The Miles + Cash option is great if you have 40% of the miles required for a redemption. This feature lets you buy miles for as low as 1.5 cents apiece to top up for a booking, giving you major discounts overpaying for a cash ticket.

Related: Everything you need to know about Avianca LifeMiles

Singapore KrisFlyer

The Singapore KrisFlyer program has undergone several changes in the last few years . While these were mostly devaluations, the program did add a few minor improvements (like the ability to book some partner awards online).

You should definitely take some time to understand the KrisFlyer program; in addition to Amex Membership Rewards, it's also a direct transfer partner of the other major transferable points currencies ( Chase Ultimate Rewards , Citi ThankYou Rewards , Capital One and Marriott Bonvoy ). As you're about to see, the program has access to awards that other Star Alliance programs typically do not.

Singapore uses a separate award chart for flights on its own metal and for flights on Star Alliance partners. Currently, the program doesn't release premium cabin award space to partners with the rare exception of Alaska Airlines. So if you're looking to hop on the world's longest flight from Newark (EWR) to Singapore (SIN) or experience the carrier's award-winning Suites first class , you'll need to book with Krisflyer.

Both the Singapore Airlines and partner award chart are standard and zone-based. The Singapore award chart (PDF link) is pretty reasonable when you consider the standard of service you get on Singapore Airlines flights. Thankfully, no fuel surcharges are levied on Singapore Airlines, so you can fly for minimal taxes and fees.

Krisflyer has two types of award tickets: Saver and Advantage. Saver tickets are cheaper but generally have less award space. In addition, you can add one stopover to a round-trip Saver award ticket for $100. As a point of reference, a one-way flight from Newark to Singapore costs 99,000 miles in business class.

Advantage tickets are easier to find but are significantly more expensive. The same Newark to Singapore ticket costs a whopping 140,000 miles one-way in business class, but you can add a stopover on a one-way ticket. We recommend staying away from these tickets when possible.

Unfortunately, Singapore's Saver award space can be hard to come by. You can check out our guide on how to waitlist a Singapore award , but one important thing to note is that you must have all the miles in your account to proceed. This means that if you transfer points to KrisFlyer and your waitlist request doesn't clear, the miles will be stuck there for a future redemption.

The airline's Star Alliance partner award chart (PDF link) is less exciting. On some awards — like flights from the U.S. to Asia — you'll pay more when flying on a partner instead of on Singapore Airlines. Here's a look at the chart:

One downside to booking partner awards with Singapore Airlines is that the carrier passes on fuel surcharges. So when booking tickets with Swiss, Lufthansa and other high-surcharge carriers, you may have to pay over $700 in taxes and fees on a one-way business class booking. Thankfully, United awards do not have fuel surcharges.

One last thing: point transfers to Singapore Airlines take at least a day to process, so you'll want to call and get Singapore Airlines to hold your award ticket before initiating a transfer .

Related: Maximizing Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer partner awards

Example Singapore Airlines Krisflyer bookings

Singapore Airlines has higher redemption rates than Aeroplan and LifeMiles for most awards. For example, a one-way flight from the U.S. to Europe costs 72,000 miles in business class. However, this can be worth it if you fly on one of Singapore's fifth-freedom routes from the U.S. to Europe. This includes New York-JFK to Frankfurt (FRA) and Houston (IAH) to Manchester (MAN) . Service on these flights is far better than you'll find on a U.S. or European carrier.

The New York to Frankfurt route is equipped with Singapore Suites first class. You can book this for 86,000 miles, which is a great deal for a first-class flight to Europe.

Flights from the U.S. to Asia aren't the best deal, but they can be worthwhile on Singapore-operated flights. Going beyond its ultra-long-haul flights, you can fly from San Francisco (SFO) to Hong Kong (HKG) and Los Angeles (LAX) to Tokyo-Narita (NRT) with Singapore Airlines. These flights cost 89,000 and 92,000 miles, respectively, in business class.

Direct flights to Singapore cost 99,000 miles in business class from Newark and 95,000 miles from San Francisco and Los Angeles. These flights do not operate a first-class cabin.

As discussed, partner flights generally cost more than Singapore-operated flights. A United flight from Los Angeles to Tokyo-Haneda (HND) costs 115,000 miles in business class. Similarly, a United flight from San Francisco to Singapore costs 105,500 miles one-way in business class.

That said, it's worth noting that partner flights to Europe cost the same as a flight operated by Singapore Airlines. That said, booking with select partners will levy large fuel surcharges.

In terms of partner flights, flying to South America from the U.S. will set you back 30,000 miles in economy and 57,500 miles in business class. This is a better deal than Aeroplan but is more expensive than booking with Avianca LifeMiles.

Transcontinental flights on United cost 23,000 miles one-way in business class and 12,500 in economy. This makes booking transcontinental business class with Krisflyer slightly cheaper than booking with LifeMiles.

One of the best Krisflyer deals is booking tickets from the mainland U.S. to Hawaii. These flights cost 34,500 miles one-way in business class and 17,500 in economy. This includes connecting tickets and long-haul routes from Newark, Washington and Chicago. You'll also pay the same amount for flights from the U.S. to Central America.

When to transfer Membership Rewards points to Krisflyer

As you can see, Singapore Airlines is a mixed bag. For the most part, you'll only want to book the following awards by transferring Membership Rewards to Krisflyer:

• Singapore Airlines premium cabin awards: You don't have any other option for these awards — Singapore's premium cabin awards can only be booked with Krisflyer miles. Thankfully, you can score a good deal on most flights compared to booking an alternate carrier with another currency. Make sure to check out the carrier's network of fifth-freedom routes the next time you head to Europe or Asia.
• Transcontinental business class: Krisflyer offers the best deal on transcontinental business class flights in United Polaris business class .
• Mainland U.S. to Hawaii: You can't beat Krisflyer's pricing on flights to Hawaii. In our opinion, 34,500 miles from the East Coast to Hawaii in business class is an excellent deal.

Related: Watch TPG U.K. review all four classes on Singapore Airlines' A380

ANA Mileage Club

ANA Mileage Club uses a zone-based award chart and offers a few sweet-spot redemptions worth evaluating. However, there are a couple of important limitations to keep in mind: you can only book round-trip awards and ANA imposes fuel surcharges on many partner tickets.

Like Singapore, ANA has separate award charts for its own flights and partner flights. There are excellent deals to be had on the ANA award chart too.

Let's start with a simple one: round-trip flights between the U.S. and Japan on ANA metal. Prices vary by season, as shown below:

These are excellent deals across the board — especially round-trip first class for as little as 150,000 miles (though it's possible to do even better on these flights, as we'll see a little bit later).

The prices only go up marginally if you're flying between the U.S. and Southeast Asia, with economy flights ranging from 55,000 to 70,000 miles, business class ranging from 100,000 to 115,000 miles, and first class ranging from 195,000 to 210,000 miles (all for round-trip pricing). In each case, these numbers aren't much more than what United would charge you for a one-way award ticket on the same flight.

ANA's partner award chart uses the same zone classifications at different price levels, and depending on the routing, you may be able to get some terrific value. For example, round-trip awards from the U.S. to Europe clock in at just 55,000 miles in economy or 88,000 miles in business. Unfortunately, the round-trip restriction and hefty surcharges on many partners may make this tough to swing, but if you can make it work, it's a terrific redemption.

One last thing: you can add stopovers to all your ANA Mileage Club bookings. You're entitled to one stopover per round-trip ticket, effectively letting you see two cities for the price of one. Just note that you cannot have more than two transfers (layovers) on the outbound or inbound portion of the ticket.

Example ANA Mileage Club bookings

ANA Mileage Club has the lowest mileage cost for most round-trip awards, but you'll need to keep an eye out for fuel surcharges.

For example, this round-trip flight from New York-JFK to Geneva (GVA) on SWISS costs 88,000 miles round-trip in business class. Unfortunately, however, it has a huge $1,529.15 in taxes and fees attached.

At the same time, a United flight from Newark to Geneva costs the same 88,000 miles round-trip in business class but only passes along $52.95 in taxes and fees. This is because United doesn't add fuel surcharges to its award tickets.

We already discussed pricing ANA awards in the section above, so let's look at partner flights to Asia. You'll want to stick to partners like Asiana and EVA Air, who do not add high fuel surcharges to their award tickets.

On this business class Asiana flight from New York-JFK to Seoul (ICN), you'll pay 95,000 miles and under $350 in taxes and fees round-trip. Note that you could save miles by booking an ANA ticket via Japan during off-peak dates, but this route is far more convenient.

One oddity of the ANA award chart is that it loops Central and South America into the same region. You'll pay 55,000 and 88,000 miles for an economy or business class round-trip ticket, respectively, between these regions and the U.S. This is a solid deal for flights to South America but lackluster for Central American flights.

Thankfully, most U.S. to South America flights are operated by Avianca, Copa or United; these airlines do not add substantial fuel surcharges to their tickets. You can use them to score an excellent deal on flights to Brazil and other South American countries in business class.

Another good way to use ANA miles is on trips to Australia and New Zealand. If you don't mind flying through Japan, you can book this Los Angeles (LAX) to Sydney (SYD) flight for just 115,000 miles and under $200 in taxes and fees during off-peak dates. A nonstop award on United would cost 120,000 ANA miles round-trip.

Finally, you'll want to avoid using ANA miles to book domestic U.S. tickets. All domestic tickets cost 30,000 miles round-trip in economy and 55,000 in business class — even on short routes. You'll always get a better deal by booking domestic awards with Avianca LifeMiles.

Related: How to book a round-trip business-class award to Europe for just 88,000 miles

ANA Mileage Club is great for booking round-the-world tickets

Further, ANA is one of the few airlines to still offer a "round the world" redemption option , and even better, it uses a lucrative distance-based award chart. The rules are relatively simple:

• Travel must continue in an east or west direction.
• A maximum of eight stopovers is permitted (maximum three in Europe and four in Japan).
• Travel must touch all three ANA mileage zones.
• Travel must originate and end in the same zone.

The mileage zones for the purpose of this redemption are as follows: 1) North America, Central America, South America and Hawaii; 2) Europe, Middle East and Africa; and 3) Japan, South Korea, China, Southeast Asia, South Asia and Southwest Pacific. Round the world awards cost the following amounts:

You can get pretty creative with this, building an all-business-class journey from Los Angeles to Tokyo-Narita, on to Singapore, Addis Ababa (ADD), Frankfurt (FRA) and then ending in New York-JFK for only 125,000 miles plus taxes and fees.

That's a lot of time in business class for a relatively small number of miles!

Related: How I booked a round-the-world ticket in business class for 170,000 miles

When to transfer Membership Rewards points to ANA Mileage Club

ANA Mileage Club is best-in-class for booking these awards:

• Flights with low fuel surcharges: This is broad, but barring flights to Central America, you'll almost always get the best points deal when booking round-trip awards with ANA Mileage Club. That said, avoid carriers with high fuel surcharges like Lufthansa and SWISS. These high fees can eat into your award value.
• United business class flights to Europe: If you can find United Polaris business class award space to Europe, book it with ANA miles. These flights are just 88,000 miles round-trip with very low taxes and fees.
• Flights to Japan: ANA's award chart offers excellent deals on first and business class flights to Japan. You can further maximize by booking during off-peak dates and adding a free stopover.
• Flights to South America: ANA Mileage Club has one of the best redemption rates to South America at just 88,000 miles round-trip in business class.
• Round-the-world trips: ANA has the best award chart for round-the-world trips on Star Alliance carriers. Take advantage of this on your next multi-stop journey.
• Round trip tickets with a stopover: If you're planning a stopover on your way to a final destination, it's hard to beat ANA miles. You can stopover in your destination region or in another logical region on your way to/from your final destination. This means you can stop in Frankfurt on your way to Casablanca, but not Hong Kong on your way to London.

Related: The best ways to travel to Japan with points and miles

Etihad Guest

The hidden value of the Etihad Guest loyalty program is very similar to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. Since neither airline is a part of a major alliance (yet), they've instead struck up partnerships with individual airlines that range from not worth mentioning to very lucrative.

In the case of Etihad, there are three specific partners worth highlighting: ANA, Asiana and Air Canada. Etihad uses a distance-based award chart for both of these airlines, and stopovers are permitted.

Before we look at specifics, note that you can't book these awards online. Instead, use your favorite Star Alliance search engine to find award space and call Etihad Guest to book.

Booking ANA awards with Etihad Guest

Let's start with ANA. Here's a look at the award chart — all prices shown are for one-way awards:

If you were to take the shortest route from the U.S. to Japan and fly San Francisco (SFO) to Tokyo on ANA, a one-way ticket would cost 37,000 miles in economy or 63,000 in business class. If you built in a stopover in Tokyo before continuing to somewhere like Shanghai, you'd only pay 43,000 miles one-way in economy or 78,000 miles in business class.

The real value comes when booking short-haul routes. For example, you can book Tokyo-Haneda (HND) to Seoul (ICN) for just 8,000 miles in economy. This can be useful if you want to book a flight at the last minute or during a special event when tickets are expensive.

With that in mind, it's worth comparing the cost of using ANA Mileage Club, Etihad Guest and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (more on that soon) miles when booking ANA flights from the U.S to Japan. Depending on your origin, destination and the time you fly, you may be able to save miles by picking one partner over another.

Booking Asiana awards with Etihad Guest

Etihad Guest's Asiana award chart is a little less exciting than the ANA award chart. Here's a look:

You can score an excellent deal on Asiana's nonstop flight from Honolulu (HNL) to Seoul using this award chart. This 4,557-mile flight costs just 29,000 miles in economy and 48,000 in business class with minimal taxes and fees. This can be a great way to travel from Hawaii to Asia in one of Asia's least-known business class products .

The carrier also flies to Seoul from San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles (LAX), Seattle (SEA) and New York-JFK. The former three destinations cost 35,000 miles one-way in economy and 59,000 miles in business class. The New York flight costs 53,000 miles in economy and 88,000 in business class.

If you're looking for a one-way flight from the West Coast to Seoul, you can get a solid deal with this award chart. That said, we recommend staying away from the New York redemption as you can get a better deal with other carriers.

Like ANA, you can also score a good deal on short-haul flights with Asiana's Etihad Guest award chart. Flights 1,000 miles or shorter cost just 6,000 miles in economy and 10,000 in business class.

Booking Air Canada awards with Etihad Guest

Etihad and Air Canada started a non-alliance partnership in 2020 and immediately launched reciprocal mileage earning and redeeming.

Here's the current award chart as of the time of writing:

Generally, you'll only want to use Etihad's Air Canada Canada award chart to book short-haul tickets.

Flights 500 miles or shorter cost just 5,000 miles in economy. This includes routes like New York-LaGuardia (LGA) and Detroit (DTW) to Toronto (YYZ) and Seattle (SEA) and Portland (PDX) to Vancouver (YVR). These routes can get expensive, so this is a great backup option to have.

Other than that, you can score a better deal using other Star Alliance partners.

Related: The 6 best airline award chart sweet spots

Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles are some of the most underrated out there, but they can be a great value for Star Alliance partner redemptions. Virgin Atlantic has redemption agreements with several Star Alliance airlines, including Singapore, Air New Zealand, South African Airways and ANA.

The only partner with reasonable pricing is ANA — and it might be one of the greatest points and miles deals out there. While one-way redemptions aren't allowed, the chart below shows the cost for round-trip awards on ANA:

That's right; a round-trip ANA first-class award from the U.S. to Japan will only cost 110,000 to 120,000 points, depending on your departure city. And ANA business-class awards will be either 90,000 or 95,000 points round-trip. This is an easy way to score cheap flights on a five-star airline that puts a laughably high sticker price on its premium cabins , and when you factor in frequent Amex transfer bonuses , the deal just gets better.

Like Etihad Guest, you can only book these tickets over the phone.

Related: Using Virgin Atlantic miles for mini round-the-world trips with ANA

Bottom line

When we talk about the flexibility that makes transferable points so valuable, it's more than just the ability to pick an alternate routing if you can't find award space. This also extends to programs you can use to book an award on the exact same flight(s). By being strategic, you can realize some significant savings in terms of money (taxes and fees), miles or both.

Here, we showed you the best ways to use your Membership Rewards points on Star Alliance flights. Remember, the American Express Membership Rewards program offers several solid ways to book just about any Star Alliance award you can find. Taking the time to pick your transfer partner carefully can result in a much less costly trip.

Feature photo by Bjoern Wylezich/Shutterstock

Additional reporting by Ethan Steinberg

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The Best AmEx Transfer Partners — and Those to Avoid

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Earning credit card rewards seems like a simple process, right? You make purchases with your card, then you’re awarded points. But what happens when it comes time to spend them? American Express Membership Rewards feature 20 different transfer partners, and not all of them will give you good value.

Here's a look at the best AmEx transfer partners, the value that they provide and which ones you should avoid.

The best AmEx transfer partners

Most of the time, your points will transfer over to American Express travel partners at a 1:1 ratio, meaning that one AmEx point becomes one hotel or airline point. We’ve noted exceptions below. Just keep in mind that NerdWallet currently values AmEx points at 2.8 cents each when transferred to partners, so always make sure you are getting a good value. Here are some of the best AmEx transfer partners:

» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now

Air Canada Aeroplan

Air Canada’s Aeroplan program underwent an overhaul in late 2020, doing away with fuel surcharges on flights and adding the ability to book stopovers for 5,000 points. As a member of the world’s largest airline alliance, Star Alliance , Air Canada has 25 partners where you can redeem your Aeroplan points.

Decent award pricing on saver-level seats will get you to Europe in business class for 60,000 points, making this one of AmEx’s most valuable transfer partners.

For these reasons, among others, Aeroplan points sits near the top of our NerdWallet valuations at a rate of 1.4 cents per point .

ANA Mileage Club

Another member of Star Alliance, ANA is known for its generous partner award chart. Although it’s hampered by the need to book round-trip flights, you can still find your way to and from Europe in business class for a total of 88,000 miles. This is industry-leading, which is one of the reasons ANA miles are our most highly valued with a rate of 2.8 cents per point and one of the best airlines to transfer AmEx points.

» Learn more: Your guide to the ANA Mileage Club

Avianca Lifemiles

As the flag carrier for Colombia, Avianca Airlines is notorious for its clunky website and poor customer service. However, thanks to its generous reward redemptions, we’ve valued Lifemiles at a rate of 1.2 cents per point .

While this is lower than the value we give AmEx points, Avianca is bolstered by the fact that you can book mixed-cabin itineraries on flights. This allows you to save miles on short-haul routes so you can enjoy yourself when it really matters.

Delta Air Lines SkyMiles

Although Delta doesn’t have a ton of sweet spots, it occasionally offers flash sales that’ll give you outsized value for your SkyMiles . And unlike other airlines, you can redeem miles for basic economy flights, thus dropping the costs of your redemptions even lower. If you’re flexible, you can score deals such as Los Angeles to Orlando for as little as 15,000 miles roundtrip, making our valuation of SkyMiles 1.2 cents per point .

» Learn more: Your guide to earning Delta Air Lines SkyMiles

on American Express' website

• 3 points per $1 on eligible travel purchases.

• 3 points per $1 on restaurants worldwide.

• 1 point per $1 on other purchases.

Terms apply.

• 4 points per $1 at restaurant plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.

• 4 points per $1 at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 in purchases per year).

• 3 points per $1 on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel.

• 1 point per $1 on other eligible purchases.

• 5 points per $1 on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel, on up to $500,000 spent per year.

• 5 points per $1 on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.

• 2 points per $1 on the first $50,000 in purchases each calendar year.

• 1 point per $1 on purchases above $50,000 in a calendar year.

» See more options: Best American Express cards

• Up to $189 per year in statement credit when you use the card to pay for your Clear membership fee.

• Up to $100 per year in statement credit when you purchase LoungeBuddy passes with your card.

• $120 annual dining credit (available as $10 monthly credits on purchases from select partners).

• Up to $120 a year in Uber Cash ($10 per month).

• Access to more than 1,300 airport lounges worldwide, including AmEx's own Centurion Lounges and Delta Sky Clubs (when flying Delta).

• Credit for the application fee for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry.

• Hundreds of dollars a year in credits for travel, shopping and entertainment. These include up to $200 a year for incidental fees on an airline you choose, up to $240 for digital entertainment from select providers, and up to $200 a year for Uber. See terms for details.

• Ability to earn American Express Membership Rewards points for a $0 annual fee.

• 0% intro APR on Purchases for 12 months, and then the ongoing APR of 18.49%-26.49% Variable APR .

• Terms apply.

Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.

Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.

Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.

Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within your first 3 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.

All information about the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by NerdWallet. The American Express® Green Card is no longer available through NerdWallet. To view rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card , see this page . To view rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express , see this page . To view rates and fees of The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express , see this page .

Decent AmEx transfer partners

British airways avios.

We don’t value British Airways Avios very highly — they’re worth 1 cent per point. However, British Airways uses a distance-based award chart that shines during short-haul flights.

Avios are also interchangeable with programs from Aer Lingus, Iberia Plus and Qatar Airways. Combined, these programs have transfer partnerships with all the major transferable points currencies, making them exceedingly easy to earn.

Aer Lingus joins the group of decent transfer partners thanks to its interchangeability with other Avios programs. It also boasts the opportunity to fly from the East Coast to Dublin for 13,000 miles one way, making this sweet spot one of the most valuable for crossing the Atlantic.

Air France-KLM Flying Blue

We value Air France-KLM Flying Blue miles at 1.2 cents each thanks to their usability as a member of SkyTeam, where you’ll find flights with partners such as Delta Air Lines, Czech Airlines and Aeromexico. Notably, you can redeem 55,000 miles for a one-way flight in business class to Europe, though you’ll usually be subject to some higher-than-average fees.

» Learn more: The complete guide to Air France-KLM Flying Blue

Emirates Skywards

Emirates Skywards miles are ranked at a value of 0.6 cent per point . Although the airline keeps increasing fuel surcharges, it has also limited the amount of award inventory partners can access. This means that if you’re looking to book its coveted first-class seats, you’ll need to do so directly with the airline or with Qantas Airways.

Etihad Guest

Emirati airline Etihad has maintained the same partner award chart for years, meaning you can get your hands on quite a few sweet spots for redemptions. This includes options with partner American Airlines, with premium transcontinental routes that include lay-flat beds. Using Etihad miles will score you a seat on these Flagship Business routings for 25,000 miles one way.

Iberia Plus Avios

As with Aer Lingus, Qatar Airways and British Airways, Iberia’s Avios can be exchanged interchangeably between these programs. Although Iberia is not a super well-known airline, it does maintain a sweet spot in transatlantic business class by charging as little as 34,000 miles one way for a ticket.

Qantas Airways

Like other airlines, Qantas uses a distance-based award chart for flights, which means you’ll find your best value on short-haul routings. Perhaps the best use of Qantas points is flying with partner Air Tahiti Nui from Los Angeles, where a one-way ticket in economy will cost just 25,200 points.

Singapore Airlines

As a member of Star Alliance, Singapore Airlines has access to flights from carriers such as United Airlines, Air Canada, Lufthansa and Swiss. While Singapore has recently devalued its award charts, we still value its miles at 1.5 cents each thanks to its decent redemptions on partner airlines, among other reasons.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Virgin Atlantic is another SkyTeam member. For this, we give Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points a value of 1.8 cents each . Perhaps its best sweet spot is the ability to book business class awards with ANA for 45,000 miles one way.

» Learn more: The guide to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

The worst AmEx transfer partners

AmEx points transfer over to AeroMexico at a 1:1.6 ratio, meaning 1,000 AmEx points becomes 1,600 AeroMexico points. Despite this, AeroMexico has no discernible sweet spots and booking award tickets is best done over the phone.

Cathay Pacific

Embattled airline Cathay Pacific has had a rough few years, cutting its route network significantly amid various issues. Despite this, you can still use your Asia Miles to book a round-the-world ticket for good value if you’re up for the challenge.

» Learn more: Cathay Pacific — what to know

Choice Hotels

The first hotel featured on this list, Choice Hotels makes a poor transfer partner of AmEx, especially since it partners with Citi ThankYou points to give you double the value for your points while it only transfers with AmEx at a 1:1 ratio.

Hawaiian Airlines Hawaiian Miles

We value Hawaiian Airlines miles at a solid 1.2 cents each , but still consider the airline to be a bad transfer partner. Without any good sweet spots to mention, you’ll be stuck using your AmEx points for half their value if you transfer to this airline.

» Learn more: Your guide to Hawaiian Airlines

Hilton Honors

AmEx points transfer to Hilton Honors points at a 1:2 ratio, so you’d think they’d be a good option — wouldn’t you? Sadly, no. We value Hilton points at just 0.5 cent per point , so you’d still be redeeming your AmEx points for just 1 cent each when transferring to Hilton. However, you can still get good value out of these transfers if you use your Hilton points exclusively for high-end hotels such as the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, where room rates are always more than $1,000 per night.

» Learn more: What to know about the Conrad Maldives

JetBlue TrueBlue

JetBlue runs its award program on a dynamic pricing system that’s tied to the cash price of your ticket. So while we value JetBlue TrueBlue points at 1.5 cents each , you’ll basically never get more value than that as the points required for a ticket directly correlate to its cost.

Marriott Bonvoy

The last option on this list, Marriott Bonvoy points make a poor transfer partner of American Express. The hotel program recently eliminated its fixed award chart in favor of dynamic pricing, which means your hotel costs can vary dramatically based on demand. Marriott points are valued at 0.8 cent and you can transfer AmEx points over at a 1:1 ratio.

If you want to redeem your AmEx points for good value

We’ve figured out the value of many different point programs. However, airline sweet spots and easy-to-earn miles may make some AmEx transfer partners better than others.

If you’re looking for good uses of your AmEx points, keep an eye out for these best transfer partners — and be sure to avoid those that’ll give you subpar value for your points.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024 , including those best for:

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

On a similar note...

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The Best Ways To Fly to Canada With Points and Miles [Step-by-Step]

Senior Content Contributor

486 Published Articles

Countries Visited: 24 U.S. States Visited: 22

Nonstop Flights Between the U.S. and Canada

Turkish airlines miles&smiles, singapore krisflyer, air canada aeroplan, delta skymiles, british airways executive club, cathay pacific asia miles, united mileageplus, final thoughts.

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Canada is one of the world’s most visited countries, and with such close proximity to the U.S., it should be one of your first choices for a vacation spot close to home. Fully vaccinated Americans with a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of arrival are now welcome to visit with no quarantine.

It doesn’t necessarily have the best beaches due to its colder climate, but it does have some jaw-droppingly beautiful scenery, fantastic culture, the northern lights, and adventure sports like skiing and snowboarding.

Whether you’re going to Canada for fishing season, ski season, poutine, French-Canadian culture, or some of the best hikes in the world, you’ll want to avoid paying out-of-pocket for your flights.

In this guide, we’ll show you all of the best ways you can fly to Canada with points and miles. Let’s get into it!

In general, since the U.S. and Canada are right next to each other geographically, you’ll see a ton of point-to-point routes being offered.

That being said, it would be an extremely difficult task to identify all of the nonstop routes between the U.S. and Canada.

Instead, we’ve identified the top international airports that operate nonstop flights between the U.S. and Canada:

• Calgary (YYC)
• Edmonton (YEG)
• Halifax (YHZ)
• Montréal (YUL)
• Ottawa (YOW)
• Québec City (YQB)
• Toronto (YYZ)
• Vancouver (YVR)
• Winnipeg (YWG)

Out of all these airports, there are a handful of major airlines that operate nonstop flights, and these airlines allow for award redemptions in economy or business class:

American Airlines

Delta Air Lines

United Airlines

You’ll notice we excluded WestJet, Flair Airlines, Porter Airlines, and others since they either do not offer award redemptions outright or premium cabin options are ineligible for award redemptions.

Here are all of the nonstop U.S.-Canada routes for each airline mentioned:

• Atlanta (ATL) – Toronto (YYZ)
• Austin (AUS) – Toronto (YYZ)
• Boston (BOS) – Montréal (YUL)
• Boston (BOS) – Toronto (YYZ)
• Chicago (ORD) – Montréal (YUL)
• Chicago (ORD) – Toronto (YYZ)
• Chicago (ORD) – Vancouver (YVR)
• Dallas (DFW) – Montréal (YUL)
• Dallas (DFW) -Toronto (YYZ)
• Denver (DEN) – Montréal (YUL)
• Denver (DEN) – Toronto (YYZ)
• Denver (DEN) – Vancouver (YVR)
• Fort Lauderdale (FLL) – Montréal (YUL)
• Fort Lauderdale (FLL) – Ottawa (YOW)
• Fort Lauderdale (FLL) – Québec City (YQB)
• Fort Lauderdale (FLL) – Toronto (YYZ)
• Houston (IAH) – Calgary (YYC)
• Houston (IAH) – Montréal (YUL)
• Houston (IAH) – Toronto (YYZ)
• Las Vegas (LAS) – Calgary (YYC)
• Las Vegas (LAS) – Montréal (YUL)
• Las Vegas (LAS) – Toronto (YYZ)
• Las Vegas (LAS) – Vancouver (YVR)
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Calgary (YYC)
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Montréal (YUL)
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Toronto (YYZ)
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Vancouver (YVR)
• Memphis (MEM) – Toronto (YYZ)
• Miami (MIA) – Montréal (YUL)
• Miami (MIA) – Ottawa (YOW)
• Miami (MIA) – Québec City (YQB)
• Miami (MIA) – Toronto (YYZ)
• Minneapolis (MSP) – Toronto (YYZ)
• Nashville (BNA) – Toronto (YYZ)
• Newark (EWR) – Calgary (YYC)
• Newark (EWR) – Montréal (YUL)
• Newark (EWR) – Toronto (YYZ)
• Newark (EWR) – Vancouver (YVR)
• New Orleans (MSY) – Toronto (YYZ)
• New York (LGA) – Montréal (YUL)
• New York (LGA) – Toronto (YYZ)
• Orlando (MCO) – Halifax (YHZ)
• Orlando (MCO) – Montréal (YUL)
• Orlando (MCO) – Ottawa (YOW)
• Orlando (MCO) – Québec City (YQB)
• Orlando (MCO) – Toronto (YYZ)
• Palm Springs (PSP) – Toronto (YYZ)
• Palm Springs (PSP) – Vancouver (YVR)
• Philadelphia (PHL) – Toronto (YYZ)
• Phoenix (PHX) – Calgary (YYC)
• Phoenix (PHX) – Montréal (YUL)
• Phoenix (PHX) – Toronto (YYZ)
• Phoenix (PHX) – Vancouver (YVR)
• Pittsburgh (PIT) – Toronto (YYZ)
• San Diego (SAN) – Toronto (YYZ)
• San Diego (SAN) – Vancouver (YVR)
• San Francisco (SFO) – Calgary (YYC)
• San Francisco (SFO) – Montréal (YUL)
• San Francisco (SFO) – Toronto (YYZ)
• San Francisco (SFO) – Vancouver (YVR)
• Seattle (SEA) – Toronto (YYZ)
• Tampa (TPA) – Halifax (YHZ)
• Tampa (TPA) – Montréal (YUL)
• Tampa (TPA) – Ottawa (YOW)
• Tampa (TPA) – Toronto (YYZ)
• Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Montréal (YUL)
• Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Toronto (YYZ)
• Dallas (DFW) – Calgary (YYC)
• Dallas (DFW) – Toronto (YYZ)
• Dallas (DFW) – Vancouver (YVR)
• New York (JFK) – Montréal (YUL)
• New York (JFK) – Toronto (YYZ)
• Philadelphia (PHL) – Montréal (YUL)
• Washington, D.C. (DCA) – Toronto (YYZ)
• Atlanta (ATL) – Montréal (YUL)
• Detroit (DTW) – Montréal (YUL)
• Detroit (DTW) – Toronto (YYZ)
• Minneapolis (MSP) – Calgary (YYC)
• Minneapolis (MSP) – Vancouver (YVR)
• Minneapolis (MSP) – Winnipeg (YWG)
• Salt Lake City (SLC) – Calgary (YYC)
• Salt Lake City (SLC) – Toronto (YYZ)
• Salt Lake City (SLC) – Vancouver (YVR)
• Seattle (SEA) – Vancouver (YVR)
• Chicago (ORD) – Calgary (YYC)
• Chicago (ORD) – Winnipeg (YWG)
• Denver (DEN) – Calgary (YYC)
• Denver (DEN) – Edmonton (YEG)
• Houston (IAH) – Edmonton (YEG)
• Houston (IAH) – Vancouver (YVR)
• Newark (EWR) – Halifax (YHZ)
• Newark (EWR) – Québec City (YQB)
• Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Ottawa (YOW)

You’ll notice that all 4 of the above airlines have diverse route networks. While there are other airlines like Alaska Airlines , Porter Airlines, and WestJet that offer nonstop flights, these airlines either do not permit business class awards or do not even offer a premium cabin product.

Bottom Line: In general, you should be optimizing your flight redemptions for the most convenient route, ideally nonstop flights only, unless you’re looking to book a premium-cabin lie-flat product worth going out of the way for, such as Air Canada’s lie-flat business class.

Best Programs for Booking Flights to Canada

Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles might not seem like a relevant loyalty program for flights to Canada, but what you’ll need to remember is that any Star Alliance loyalty program can book flights on other Star Alliance airlines.

And since each loyalty program constructs its mileage pricing program differently, you’ll often find that seemingly random programs have fantastic award prices.

This is especially true with Turkish Airlines miles because for flights within North America, you’ll pay according to this award chart:

In this case, we’d recommend booking flights on either Air Canada business class — here are some great example redemptions:

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in Air Canada business class for 15,000 Turkish Airlines miles + ~$78 in taxes and fees
• Newark (EWR) – Vancouver (YVR) one-way in Air Canada business class for 15,000 Turkish Airlines miles + ~$78 in taxes and fees
• San Francisco (SFO) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in Air Canada business class for 15,000 Turkish Airlines miles + ~$78 in taxes and fees

Because of how difficult it is to search for Star Alliance flights on Turkish Airlines’ website, we generally recommend finding availability on United.com first and then calling Turkish Airlines to book the ticket.

Here are the steps to do so:

• Visit United.com .
• Perform your desired award search and find a suitable Air Canada flight option.
• Call Turkish Airlines at 800-874-8875 and feed the agent your Air Canada flight details.
• Redeem your Turkish Airlines miles and pay for any taxes and fees using a credit card.

Earning Turkish Airlines Miles

Earning Turkish Airlines miles doesn’t require being a regular customer on Turkish Airlines flights.

Instead, Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles is transfer partners with 2 currencies: Citi ThankYou Rewards and Capital One Miles .

Citi and Capital One transfer at a 1:1 ratio in 1 to 2 business days.

Recommended Citi Cards

Citi Premier ® Card

Frequent flyers will enjoy 3x ThankYou Points at restaurants, gas stations, supermarkets, air travel, and hotels.

The Citi Premier ® Card is an excellent option for anyone looking for an all-around travel rewards credit card. The card helps you earn points fast with great 3x bonus categories such as restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, airfare, and hotels. Plus, it offers access to airline and hotel transfer partners, doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, and has a reasonable annual fee!

• 3x points at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, airfare, and hotel purchases
• Access to Citi transfer partners
• Annual hotel credit
• No foreign transaction fees
• $95 annual fee
• Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou ® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 ThankYou ® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through June 30, 2024.
• Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Other Hotels
• Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets
• Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
• Annual Hotel Savings Benefit
• 60,000 ThankYou ® Points are redeemable for $600 in gift cards redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com
• No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
• No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 21.24% - 29.24% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

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Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles has the best award chart for U.S.-Canada flights by a significant amount, but what if you don’t have Citi ThankYou Points or Capital One miles available to transfer?

Singapore KrisFlyer is the next-best option because as a fellow Star Alliance frequent flyer program, it also offers the ability to book Air Canada and United flights using KrisFlyer miles.

In this case, KrisFlyer charges 9,500 more miles for a one-way business class flight and 5,500 more miles for a one-way economy class flight than Turkish Airlines.

However, you’ll find out below that it’s much, much easier to earn Singapore Airlines miles .

Nevertheless, here are some fantastic sample redemptions you can make:

• Atlanta (ATL) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in Air Canada business class for 26,000 KrisFlyer miles + ~$78 in taxes and fees
• Boston (BOS) – Montréal (YUL) one-way in Air Canada business class for 26,000 KrisFlyer miles + ~$78 in taxes and fees
• Chicago (ORD) – Vancouver (YVR) one-way in Air Canada business class for 26,000 KrisFlyer miles + ~$78 in taxes and fees
• Denver (DEN) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in Air Canada business class for 26,000 KrisFlyer miles + ~$78 in taxes and fees
• Houston (IAH) – Calgary (YYC) one-way in Air Canada business class for 26,000 KrisFlyer miles + ~$78 in taxes and fees
• Las Vegas (LAS) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in Air Canada business class for 26,000 KrisFlyer miles + ~$78 in taxes and fees
• Memphis (MEM) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in Air Canada business class for 26,000 KrisFlyer miles + ~$78 in taxes and fees
• Miami (MIA) – Québec City (YQB) one-way in Air Canada business class for 26,000 KrisFlyer miles + ~$78 in taxes and fees
• Orlando (MCO) – Halifax (YHZ) one-way in Air Canada business class for 26,000 KrisFlyer miles + ~$78 in taxes and fees
• Palm Springs (PSP) – Vancouver (YVR) one-way in Air Canada business class for 26,000 KrisFlyer miles + ~$78 in taxes and fees
• San Francisco (SFO) – Calgary (YYC) one-way in Air Canada business class for 26,000 KrisFlyer miles + ~$78 in taxes and fees
• Tampa (TPA) – Ottawa (YOW) one-way in Air Canada business class for 26,000 KrisFlyer miles + ~$78 in taxes and fees

To be frank, because of how expansive Air Canada’s route network is, the possibilities are almost endless.

Once you’re ready to book, follow these steps:

• Find partner-level availability by searching on United.com .
• Any tickets that are Business Class Saver Awards should be bookable with KrisFlyer miles.
• Call Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer at 833-727-0118.
• Feed the agent your desired Air Canada flight information and book the ticket with KrisFlyer miles and a credit card for taxes and fees.

Earning Singapore KrisFlyer Miles

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles are among the easiest to earn because KrisFlyer is transfer partners with American Express Membership Rewards , Chase Ultimate Rewards , Citi ThankYou Rewards , Brex Rewards , Capital One Miles , and Marriott Bonvoy .

KrisFlyer receives transfers at a 1:1 ratio from Amex and Chase (1 to 2 business days), Citi (2 business days), Capital One (up to 36 hours), and Brex (up to 5 business days).

Marriott Bonvoy also transfers at a 3:1 ratio to KrisFlyer with a bonus of 5,000 miles when you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. Also, Marriott Bonvoy transfers take around 2 business days.

Recommended American Express Cards

The Platinum Card ® from American Express

The Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.

When it comes to cards that offer top-notch benefits, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better card out there than The Platinum Card ® from American Express.

Make no mistake — the Amex Platinum card  is a premium card with a premium price tag. With amazing benefits like best-in-class airport lounge access , hotel elite status, and tremendous value in annual statement credits, it can easily prove to be one of the most lucrative cards in your wallet year after year.

• The best airport lounge access out of any card (by far) — enjoy access to over 1,400 worldwide lounges, including the luxurious Amex Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges, Plaza Premium Lounges, and many more!
• 5x points per dollar spent on flights purchased directly with the airline or with AmexTravel.com (up to $500,000 per year)
• 5x points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked with AmexTravel.com
• Annual and monthly statement credits upon enrollment ( airline credit, Uber Cash credit, Saks Fifth Avenue credit, streaming credit, prepaid hotel credit on eligible stays, Walmart+ credit, CLEAR credit, and Equinox credit )
• TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit
• Access to American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts
• Access to Amex International Airline Program
• No foreign transaction fees ( rates and fees )
• $695 annual fee ( rates and fees )
• Airline credit does not cover airfare (only incidentals like checked bags)
• Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards ® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card ® , Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.
• Earn 5X Membership Rewards ® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards ® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
• $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts ® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card ® . The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card ® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card ® . Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Plus Up Benefits are excluded.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card ® .
• $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only. Terms Apply.
• $300 Equinox Credit: Get up to $300 back in statement credits per calendar year on an Equinox membership, or an Equinox club membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you pay with your Platinum Card ® . Enrollment required. Visit https://platinum.equinox.com/ to enroll.
• $189 CLEAR ® Plus Credit: Breeze through security with CLEAR Plus at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues nationwide and get up to $189 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Platinum Card ® . Learn more.
• $100 Global Entry Credit: Receive either a $100 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck ® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card ® . Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
• Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card ® . That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
• $300 SoulCycle At-Home Bike Credit: Get a $300 statement credit for the purchase of a SoulCycle at-home bike with your Platinum Card ® . An Equinox+ subscription is required to purchase a SoulCycle at-home bike and access SoulCycle content. Must charge full price of bike in one transaction. Shipping available in the contiguous U.S. only. Enrollment Required.
• Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Platinum Card ® to your Resy profile.
• $695 annual fee.
• Terms Apply.
• APR: See Pay Over Time APR
• Credit Cards

American Express Membership Rewards

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American Express ® Gold Card

This is the best card for food lovers who dine out at restaurants (worldwide), order take-out and want big rewards at U.S. supermarkets!

The American Express ® Gold Card  is a game-changer.

With this card, you can earn 4x Membership Rewards points at restaurants and you’ll also earn 4x Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1x.

There isn’t another card on the market that offers a 1-2 punch like this. Of course, there are several other benefits of the Gold Card as well, including extra monthly dining rewards and more.

• 4x points per dollar at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
• 4x points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets, up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases; and 1x thereafter
• 3x points per dollar on flights purchased directly from airlines or at Amex Travel
• Up to $120 annual dining credit: up to $10 monthly statement credit when you pay with the Amex Gold card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com , Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations
• Up to $120 in annual Uber Cash : get $10 monthly in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S. when you add your Gold Card to your Uber account
• No foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees )
• Access to Amex’s The Hotel Collection
• Access to American Express transfer partners
• $250 annual fee (see rates and fees )
• No lounge access
• Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards ® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Earn 4X Membership Rewards ® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and earn 4X Membership Rewards ® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X).
• Earn 3X Membership Rewards ® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
• $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year.
• $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings and earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express ® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required.
• Get a $100 experience credit with a minimum two-night stay when you book The Hotel Collection through American Express Travel. Experience credit varies by property.
• Choose the color that suits your style. Gold or Rose Gold.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees.
• Annual Fee is $250.
• Find the Amex Gold 75k or 90k Welcome Bonus Offer
• Benefits of the Amex Gold
• Upgrade Amex Gold to Amex Platinum
• Amex Gold Benefits for Military
• Amex Gold vs Blue Cash Preferred
• Amex Platinum vs Amex Gold
• Amex Gold vs Delta Gold

For flights to Canada, it only makes sense that we include Air Canada’s Aeroplan frequent flyer program in our discussion.

Because of how complicated Aeroplan is and the craziness of its award pricing structure, we’ve boiled down the award chart to flights within North America, which are priced based on the flight distance of your itinerary:

Aeroplan employs a range of prices, and the price is generally correlated with the revenue cost of the ticket.

Sure, it’s possible to find business class award tickets on the lower end of each range above, but this is absolutely more the exception than the norm.

For example, nonstop flights between Vancouver and Toronto are around 2,085 miles in flight distance, but you’ll find that the vast majority of these business class award tickets are around 50,000 to 60,000 points, which is very pricey.

Still, there’s 1 unique feature of Aeroplan that could make it a worthwhile program to consider, and that’s the ability to get access to Air Canada’s incredible Signature Suite airport lounges through an award ticket.

Specifically, if you book a Business Class Flexible Reward ticket, which may be slightly more expensive than a Saver award ticket, you’ll get access to this lounge. In fact, this is the only way to get access to the exclusive Signature Suite!

Not to mention that you can actually access much better award availability if you’re tied to certain dates and plans — both Turkish Airlines and Singapore KrisFlyer don’t have that option.

The cherry on top is that Air Canada flights can be booked 100% online with Aeroplan points:

• Visit Air Canada’s website .
• Hovering over the button in the top-right corner that says Sign in  and click  Sign in.
• Enter your Aeroplan number and password and log in.
• Toggle the slider that says Points in the homepage’s center search box.
• Choose One-way or Round-trip  or  One-way , enter your flight details, and click Find .
• Find your desired flight, redeem your Aeroplan points, and use a credit card to pay for taxes and fees.

Earning Air Canada Aeroplan Points

Air Canada Aeroplan has 4 transfer partners: Chase (1:1), Amex (1:1), Capital One (1:1), and Marriott Bonvoy (3:1 with a 5,000-point bonus when you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points to Aeroplan).

Transfers from Chase, Amex, and Capital One are almost instant. Transfers from Marriott Bonvoy take around 5 business days to complete.

Recommended Capital One Cards (Personal)

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Get 2x miles plus some of the most flexible redemptions offered by a travel credit card!

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card   is one of the most popular rewards cards on the market. It’s perfect for anyone in search of a great welcome offer, high rewards rates, and flexible redemption options.

Frequent travelers with excellent credit may benefit from this credit card that offers a lot of bells and whistles. And it offers easy-to-understand rewards earning and redemption.

• 5x miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• 2x miles per $1 on all other purchases
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit
• No foreign transaction fees ( rates & fees )
• Access to Capital One transfer partners
• $95 annual fee ( rates & fees )
• Limited elite benefits
• Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
• Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
• Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
• Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
• Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck ®
• Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
• Enrich every hotel stay from the Lifestyle Collection with a suite of cardholder benefits, like a $50 experience credit, room upgrades, and more
• Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
• APR: 19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)

Capital One Miles

• How To Find the 75k or 100k Bonus for the Capital One Venture
• Travel Insurance Benefits of the Capital One Venture
• Capital One Venture vs Venture X
• Capital One Venture Card vs. Capital One VentureOne Card [Detailed Comparison]
• Chase Sapphire Preferred vs Capital One Venture
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• Capital One vs. Citi Credit Cards – Which Is Best? [2024]
• Recommended Minimum Requirements for Capital One Credit Cards

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture X card is an excellent option for travelers looking for an all-in-one premium credit card.

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is the premium Capital One travel rewards card on the block.

Points and miles fans will be surprised to see that the Capital One Venture X card packs quite the punch when it comes to bookings made through Capital One, all while offering the lowest annual fee among premium credit cards.

Depending on your travel goals and preferences, the Capital One Venture X card could very well end up being your go-to card in your wallet.

• 10x miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars purchased through Capital One Travel
• 5x miles per $1 on flights purchased through Capital One Travel
• $300 annual travel credit on bookings made through Capital One Travel
• Unlimited complimentary access for cardholder and 2 guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
• 10,000 bonus miles awarded on your account anniversary each year
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit
• Add authorized users for no additional annual fee ( rates & fees )
• $395 annual fee ( rates & fees )
• Does not offer bonus categories for flights or hotel purchases made directly with the airline or hotel group, the preferred booking method for those looking to earn elite status
• Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
• Receive a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
• Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
• Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
• Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
• Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
• Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
• Elevate every hotel stay from the Premier or Lifestyle Collections with a suite of cardholder benefits, like an experience credit, room upgrades, and more
• Benefits of the Capital One Venture X Card
• Best Ways to Use Venture X Points
• Capital One Venture X Credit Score and Approval Odds
• Capital One Venture X Lounge Access
• Capital One Venture X Travel Insurance Benefits
• Capital One Venture X vs Chase Sapphire Reserve
• Best Credit Cards with Priority Access
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• Best Luxury and Premium Credit Cards
• Best Metal Credit Cards
• Choice Privileges Loyalty Program Review

Hot Tip: Check out our step-by-step guide on the best ways to book Air Canada business class with points .

Delta SkyMiles isn’t without its flaws. Although the airline itself is very popular among U.S. travelers, its frequent flyer program comes with incredibly high price tags, particularly for long-haul business class flights.

But the good news is that Delta SkyMiles has been structured to get you a minimum redemption value of around 1 cent per mile, which means you’ll never be liable for high redemption prices if your flight is affordable.

Usually, flights between the U.S. and Canada aboard Delta are relatively reasonable, unless you’re booking a last-minute flight and are a hub captive (e.g. Detroit or Minneapolis).

Delta doesn’t publish an award chart, so the only way to find out how much an award flight will cost is to try to search for it on Delta.com. Generally speaking, Delta  does have a Saver-level award for most of these flights, which gives you an idea of how much these award flights start at.

Here are some great example redemptions you can make with Delta SkyMiles:

• Atlanta (ATL) – Montréal (YUL) one-way in Delta first class for 31,500 Delta SkyMiles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
• Atlanta (ATL) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in Delta first class for 27,000 Delta SkyMiles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
• Detroit (DTW) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in Delta first class for 25,000 Delta SkyMiles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
• Minneapolis (MSP) – Calgary (YYC) one-way in Delta first class for 29,000 Delta SkyMiles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
• Minneapolis (MSP) – Winnipeg (YWG) one-way in Delta first class for 24,500 Delta SkyMiles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
• Salt Lake City (SLC) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in Delta first class for 40,000 Delta SkyMiles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees

Follow these steps to redeem Delta SkyMiles 100% online:

• Visit Delta’s homepage .
• Populate the search box at the top banner on the homepage. Check off the box that says  Shop with Miles  and click First Class under Best Fares For .
• Search for your flights.
• Find the best flight options, redeem your SkyMiles, and use a credit card to pay for taxes and fees.

Earning Delta SkyMiles

Delta SkyMiles are easy to earn, thanks to transfer partners in Amex Membership Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.

Amex transfers at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly, while Marriott Bonvoy transfers at a 3:1 ratio in 1 business day.

Also, there are many Delta-branded credit cards available, all issued exclusively by American Express, which earn SkyMiles directly.

Recommended Delta SkyMiles Cards (Personal)

Delta SkyMiles ® Gold American Express Card

This card provides bonus SkyMiles on all purchases, along with a free checked bag, priority boarding, and discounted award flights.

Frequent Delta flyers will love the Delta SkyMiles ® Gold American Express Card . The card offers great benefits that will help save you money, effectively mimics low-level elite status with Delta SkyMiles, and helps you earn miles even faster, all for a low annual fee. Let’s dive into the benefits to see if the Delta Gold card is a good fit for your needs.

• $100 Delta Stays Credit: You can earn up to $100 back annually on eligible prepaid Delta Stays bookings on delta.com .
• Receive a $200 Delta Flight Credit to use toward future travel after you spend $10,000 in purchases in a year.
• Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
• Bonus earning on Delta purchases and U.S. supermarket and worldwide restaurant purchases
• First checked bag free on Delta flights
• 20% back as a statement credit on in-flight purchases
• Moderate annual fee
• Earn rate for Delta flights is relatively low compared to other travel cards
• Earn 40,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Enjoy a $0 introductory Annual Fee for the first year, then $150.
• Delta SkyMiles ® Gold American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
• $200 Delta Flight Credit: After you spend $10,000 in purchases in a year, you can receive a $200 Delta Flight Credit to use toward future travel.
• Earn 2X Miles on Delta purchases, at U.S. Supermarkets and at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
• You can check your first bag free on Delta flights, saving up to $60 on a round-trip Delta flight per person. For a family of four that’s a potential savings of up to $240 per round-trip flight.
• Receive Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding on Delta flights; board early, stow your carry-on bag and settle in sooner.
• $100 Delta Stays Credit: Delta SkyMiles ® Gold American Express Card Members can earn up to $100 back annually on eligible prepaid Delta Stays bookings on delta.com.
• Take up to $50 off the cost of your flight for every 5,000 miles you redeem with Pay with Miles when you book on delta.com.
• Receive a 20% savings in the form of a statement credit on eligible Delta in-flight purchases after using your Card.
• With Send & Split ® , you can send money and split your Card purchases with any other Venmo or PayPal user, directly from the Amex App. Enroll today.
• APR: 20.99%-29.99% Variable
• Airline Credit Cards

Delta SkyMiles Frequent Flyer Program

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• Comparison of Amex Delta Credit Cards

Delta SkyMiles ® Platinum American Express Card

Frequent Delta travelers will enjoy this card's bonus categories, benefits, and ability to reach higher levels of elite status.

The Delta SkyMiles ® Platinum American Express Card can be a great option for those seeking additional ways to obtain a higher level of status — or to maintain their current status — with the airline.

A key feature of this card is the ability to earn bonus Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) that are essential for earning Delta status. This could help you get closer to earning a handful of valuable benefits with the airline.

• 3x SkyMiles per $1 spent on Delta purchases
• 3x SkyMiles per $1 spent on purchases made directly with hotels
• 2x SkyMiles per $1 spent at restaurants (including takeout and delivery) and U.S. supermarkets
• 1x SkyMile per $1 spent on all other eligible purchases
• Receive a Companion Certificate on Main Cabin domestic, Caribbean, or Central American roundtrip flights to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. Taxes and fees will apply.
• Receive $2,500 MQDs each year and get closer to Status with MQD Headstart.
• Complimentary first checked bag
• Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding
• $120 Resy Credit: Earn up to $10 per month in statement credits on eligible Resy purchases.
• $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month on U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers upon enrollment.
• Application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
• 20% back on inflight purchases
• $150 Delta Stays Credit: Earn up to $150 back annually on eligible prepaid Delta Stays bookings on delta.com.
• $350 annual fee ( rates & fees )
• Does not earn transferable rewards
• Earn 50,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Receive a Companion Certificate on Main Cabin domestic, Caribbean, or Central American roundtrip flights each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Ticket requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights and no more than $250 for roundtrip international flights (both for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
• Receive $2,500 Medallion ® Qualification Dollars each Medallion Qualification Year and get closer to Status with MQD Headstart.
• Delta SkyMiles ® Platinum American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
• Earn $1 Medallion ® Qualification Dollar for each $20 of purchases made on your Delta SkyMiles ® Platinum American Express Card in a calendar year and get a boost toward achieving Medallion Status for next Medallion Year.
• Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
• Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
• $120 Resy Credit: With the Delta SkyMiles ® Platinum American Express Card Resy Credit, earn up to $10 per month in statement credits on eligible Resy purchases using your enrolled Card.
• $120 Rideshare Credit: You can earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month on U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers after you pay with your Delta SkyMiles ® Platinum American Express Card. Enrollment Required.
• Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights.
• Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck ® : Receive $100 back for Global Entry or up to $85 back for TSA PreCheck ® after you apply through any Official Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
• Delta SkyMiles ® Platinum American Express Card Members with an eligible ticket will be added to the Complimentary Upgrade list, after Delta SkyMiles Medallion Members and Reserve Card Members.
• $350 Annual Fee.

Delta Air Lines SkyMiles

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• How To Get Delta Medallion Status

Delta SkyMiles ® Reserve American Express Card

Delta loyalists will love the fast track to Delta elite status, lounge access, baggage benefits, and upgrade priority with the Delta Reserve card.

The Delta SkyMiles ® Reserve American Express Card is a stellar option for frequent travelers who always fly with Delta thanks to its MQD Headstart towards status boost, lounge access, annual companion certificate, and many other great benefits.

Here is a full look at everything the Delta Reserve card can offer to you to help you decide whether the card deserves a place in your wallet.

• 3x SkyMiles per $1 on Delta purchases
• 1x SkyMile per $1 on all other eligible purchases
• Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights.
• Receive $2,500 MQM each year and get closer to Status with MQD Headstart.
• Receive a Companion Certificate on First Class, Delta Comfort+ ® , or Main Cabin domestic, Caribbean, or Central American roundtrip flights to select destinations each year after renewal.
• $240 Resy Credit: Earn up to $20 per month in statement credits on eligible Resy purchases upon enrollment.
• Application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.
• $200 Delta Stays Statement Credit: Earn up to $200 back in the form of a statement credit annually on eligible prepaid Delta Stays bookings on delta.com.
• Access to Complimentary Upgrades and Upgrade Priority
• Free checked bag
• $650 annual fee ( rates & fees )
• No bonus categories other than Delta purchases
• Earn 60,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Reserve your piece of history with the new limited edition Boeing 747 Delta SkyMiles ® Reserve American Express Card design.
• Enjoy complimentary access to the Delta Sky Club ® and bring up to two guests or immediate family members at a rate of $50 per person per visit when flying Delta. Effective 2/1/25, Reserve Card Members will receive 15 Visits per year to the Delta Sky Club; to earn an unlimited number of Visits each year starting on 2/1/25, the total eligible purchases on the Card must equal $75,000 or more between 1/1/24 and 12/31/24, and each calendar year thereafter.
• Receive four Delta Sky Club ® One-Time Guest Passes each year when you fly together on Delta. After that, you may bring up to two guests at a per-visit rate of $50 per person, per location.
• Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion ® Lounge when you book a Delta flight with your Reserve Card.
• Earn $1 Medallion ® Qualification Dollar for each $10 of purchases made on your Delta SkyMiles ® Reserve American Express Card in a calendar year and get a boost toward achieving elevated Medallion Status for next Medallion Year.
• Receive a Companion Certificate on First Class, Delta Comfort+ ® , or Main Cabin domestic, Caribbean, or Central American roundtrip flights each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Ticket requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights and no more than $250 for roundtrip international flights (both for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
• $240 Resy Credit: With the Delta SkyMiles ® Reserve American Express Card Resy Credit, earn up to $20 per month in statement credits on eligible Resy purchases using your enrolled Card.
• $120 Rideshare Credit: You can earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month on U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers after you pay with your Delta SkyMiles ® Reserve American Express Card. Enrollment Required.
• Delta SkyMiles ® Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
• With your Card receive upgrade priority over other Medallion Members within the same Medallion level and fare class.
• Delta SkyMiles ® Reserve American Express Card Members with an eligible ticket will be added to the Complimentary Upgrade list, after Delta SkyMiles Medallion Members.
• Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
• $650 Annual Fee.

Delta SkyMiles Airline Loyalty Program

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British Airways is a member of the Oneworld alliance , and it’s extremely handy for booking flights on American Airlines.

Currently, British Airways Executive Club has favorable award pricing for short-haul flights and terrible award pricing for long-haul flights.

Since flights between the U.S. and Canada are generally short-haul flights, you can access some great deals on American Airlines flights using British Airways Avios .

American Airlines flights don’t travel any further than 2,000 miles in flight distance, which is why we’ve included up to Zone 3 in this table above.

Also, Zone 1 Avios awards aren’t permitted within/to/from the U.S., even though there are flights within the U.S. that are 650 miles or shorter in distance.

Here are some great redemptions you can make on American Airlines with British Airways Avios:

• Chicago (ORD) – Montréal (YUL) one-way in American Airlines economy class for 9,000 British Airways Avios + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
• Dallas (DFW) – Calgary (YYC) one-way in American Airlines business class for 22,000 British Airways Avios + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
• Dallas (DFW) – Vancouver (YVR) one-way in American Airlines business class for 22,000 British Airways Avios + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
• Miami (MIA) – Montréal (YUL) one-way in American Airlines business class for 22,000 British Airways Avios + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
• Miami (MIA) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in American Airlines business class for 22,000 British Airways Avios + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
• New York (JFK) – Toronto (YYZ)  one-way in American Airlines business class for 22,000 British Airways Avios + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
• New York (LGA) – Montréal (YUL) one-way in American Airlines business class for 22,000 British Airways Avios + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
• New York (LGA) – Toronto (YYZ)  one-way in American Airlines business class for 22,000 British Airways Avios + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
• Philadelphia (PHL) – Montréal (YUL) one-way in American Airlines economy class for 9,000 British Airways Avios + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees

With British Airways Avios, you can book your American Airlines award flight completely online following these steps:

• Go to the British Airways homepage .
• Click Log in  in the top-right corner, enter your BA Executive Club account information, and log in.
• In the top banner under the Book area, click  Book a flight with Avios .
• Fill in the search form, and click  Get flights .
• Redeem your British Airways Avios, use a credit card for taxes and fees, and confirm your ticket.

Earning British Airways Avios

British Airways Executive Club is transfer partners with Chase, American Express, Capital One, and Marriott Bonvoy.

Amex, Capital One, and Chase transfer almost instantly at a 1:1 ratio.

Marriott Bonvoy transfers at a 3:1 ratio in approximately 5 business days. For every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points you transfer to British Airways, you’ll get an extra 5,000 Avios.

In addition, Chase is the co-branded credit card issuer of the British Airways Visa Signature ® Card  that earns British Airways Avios directly.

Recommended Marriott Bonvoy Cards

There are many Marriott credit cards available which we cover in our in-depth guide.

Even though Cathay Pacific Asia Miles redemptions to Canada are focused exclusively on American Airlines flights, just like British Airways Executive Club, we’re discussing Asia Miles as a backup if you can’t access British Airways Avios through transfer partners or co-branded cards.

In particular, if you have Citi ThankYou Rewards Points, Asia Miles will be a good redemption option for American Airlines flights.

Asia Miles allows you to price out award flights online , but there’s no specific award chart for American Airlines flights. Here’s the general award chart for American Airlines flights between the U.S. and Canada:

Here are some example redemptions you can book using Asia Miles on American Airlines:

• Boston (BOS) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in American Airlines business class for 20,000 Asia Miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
• Chicago (ORD) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in American Airlines business class for 20,000 Asia Miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
• Dallas (DFW) – Montréal (YUL) one-way in American Airlines business class for 30,000 Asia Miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
• Dallas (DFW) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in American Airlines business class for 30,000 Asia Miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
• Philadelphia (PHL) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in American Airlines business class for 20,000 Asia Miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
• Washington, D.C. (DCA) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in American Airlines business class for 20,000 Asia Miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees

Asia Miles reservations on American Airlines are best booked over the phone:

• Find American Airlines’ partner-level award space on British Airways’ or Qantas’ website.
• Call Asia Miles at 866-892-2598 and feed the agent your American Airlines flight information you’d like to book.
• Use Asia Miles to book the ticket and provide a credit card for all taxes and fees.

Earning Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles is currently transfer partners with Amex Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Capital One Miles, Brex Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy.

Amex transfers within a few hours and Citi transfers almost instantly, both at a 1:1 ratio. Brex transfers at a 1:1 ratio within 1 business day. Capital One transfers at a 1:1 ratio, which takes around 36 business hours.

Marriott Bonvoy transfers at a 3:1 ratio in 5 business days. There’s a bonus of 5,000 Asia Miles whenever you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points to Asia Miles.

Also, Cathay Pacific has a co-branded credit card that is issued by Synchrony Bank.

The very last program we’ll discuss is United MileagePlus . We’d generally recommend United MileagePlus if you need access to extra award availability and plan on booking a flight on United Airlines.

We would recommend using any of the Star Alliance programs above for Air Canada flights but using United MileagePlus for United flights is the best way to go.

That’s because United MileagePlus reserves most of its award availability for its own loyalty program members and very rarely releases adequate Saver-level award availability to warrant an investigation.

Here’s what United MileagePlus awards cost for United flights between the U.S. and Canada:

One thing you’ll inevitably notice is that the price charged in United miles will fluctuate a lot, thanks to United’s dynamic award pricing scheme.

Here are some great example redemptions you can make using United miles to fly to Canada:

• Chicago (ORD) – Vancouver (YVR)  one-way in United business class from 27,500 United miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
• Chicago (ORD) – Winnipeg (YWG) one-way in United business class from 27,500 United miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
• Denver (DEN) – Edmonton (YEG)  one-way in United business class from 27,500 United miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
• Houston (IAH) – Calgary (YYC)  one-way in United business class from 27,500 United miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
• Houston (IAH) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in United business class from 27,500 United miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
• Newark (EWR) – Halifax (YHZ)  one-way in United business class from 27,500 United miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
• Newark (EWR) – Québec City (YQB) one-way in United business class from 27,500 United miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
• San Francisco (SFO) – Toronto (YYZ)  one-way in United business class from 27,500 United miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
• Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Ottawa (YOW) one-way in United business class from 27,500 United miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees

Once you’re ready to book your flight, follow these instructions:

• Visit United’s homepage .
• Check off the box that says  Book with miles in the homepage’s search box.
• Fill in the search details, click  Find flights , and find a flight option you’d like to book.
• Click the option you’d like to book, redeem your United miles, and use a credit card to pay for taxes and fees.

Earning United MileagePlus Miles

United MileagePlus miles are easy to earn due to transfer partnerships with Chase Ultimate Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.

Chase transfers instantly at a 1:1 ratio while Marriott Bonvoy transfers in 3 business days at a 3:1.1 ratio. Plus, when you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, you will earn a bonus of 5,500 United miles added to your transferred amount.

Additionally, Chase has a suite of co-branded United MileagePlus credit cards  that will enable you to earn United miles directly.

Recommended United MileagePlus Cards

We cover the large number of United credit cards available in our detailed guide.

The best frequent flyer program to use to fly to Canada will ultimately depend on which airline and route you want to take to Canada.

If you want to book Air Canada business class in a lie-flat seat, one of the best ways to get maximum value is to redeem Turkish Airlines or KrisFlyer miles after finding partner-level availability.

And if you want to experience Air Canada’s Signature Lounge, you’ll have no choice but to redeem Aeroplan points, as this is the only way to access this experience with points and miles.

If you want to fly on Delta, one of the best ways to do so is by using Delta SkyMiles.

For American Airlines flights, consider using British Airways Avios or Cathay Pacific Asia Miles.

Lastly, if you’re looking at United flights, you’ll have a tough time finding availability on any partners — instead, redeem United MileagePlus miles to access better award availability.

The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Bold ® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer. The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless ® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer. The information regarding the United Club℠ Business Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card ® from American Express, click here . For rates and fees of the American Express ® Gold Card, click  here . For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles ® Gold American Express Card, click here . For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles ® Platinum American Express Card, click here . For rates and fees of Delta SkyMiles ® Reserve American Express Card, click here . For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express ® Card, click here . For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant ® American Express ® card, click here .

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best airline to fly to canada.

The best airline, in our opinion, to fly between the U.S. and Canada is Air Canada. That’s because Air Canada offers a true business class product that feels a lot like what you’d get on a long-haul flight.

We love Air Canada’s premium cabin product, so if you have a large budget, it’s hard to beat Air Canada.

Is American Airlines still flying to Canada?

Yes! American Airlines actually flies from Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, New York (LaGuardia and Kennedy), Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C (Reagan) to Canada.

Where does AA fly in Canada?

American Airlines flies to Calgary, Montréal, Toronto, and Vancouver.

How long is a flight to Canada?

A flight to Canada can be as short as an hour if you live in the northern part of the U.S. It can also be as long as 8+ hours if you’re flying from Hawaii to Canada nonstop.

A transcontinental flight between the U.S. and Canada should take around 4 to 5 hours each way.

What are the best ways to fly to Canada with points and miles?

We think the best ways to fly to Canada with points and miles are to redeem Turkish Airlines miles, Singapore KrisFlyer miles, Air Canada Aeroplan points, Delta SkyMiles, British Airways Avios, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, or United MileagePlus miles.

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About Stephen Au

Stephen is an established voice in the credit card space, with over 70 to his name. His work has been in publications like The Washington Post, and his Au Points and Awards Consulting Services is used by hundreds of clients.

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Tutorial: List of major points transfer programs in Canada

Not all reward points are transferable.

Generally speaking, airlines points ( Aeroplan British Airways Executive Club Avios, Delta Skymiles Flying Blue Flying Blue etc.) are not transferable. Once credited to your loyalty account, there’s no way out for these miles. So think twice before transferring your American Express Membership Rewards points or your Marriott Bonvoy points .

On the other hand, there are a number of other programs that we call “hybrid” reward point programs: these are programs where points can be used in the program in question or transferred to another loyalty program.

The most popular transferable points programs in Canada are:

American Express Membership Rewards

Rbc rewards, marriott bonvoy, best western rewards, points transfer partners.

In Canada, American Express Membership Rewards partners with various airline and hotel loyalty programs. This allows you to transfer your Membership Rewards into points or miles.

For Aeroplan and Delta Skymiles, the transfer is immediate. For the others, it usually takes between 5 and 7 days.

American Express Membership Rewards are considered THE most valuable points currency in Canada, thanks in part to their ability to be converted into many great programs.

However, not every conversion is worthwhile:

• British Airways Executive Club: The regular conversion rate is identical to the one for Aeroplan. However, several times a year, there is a 35-40% conversion bonus. I suggest you wait until then to transfer your Membership Rewards
• Hilton Honors: the conversion rate is really not interesting. This can be only useful for topping up a points balance to get a free room.
• Marriott Bonvoy: While the conversion rate remains generally attractive, I recommend that you prioritize accumulation via Marriott Bonvoy credit cards and, if necessary, supplement with one of the Membership Rewards credit cards, such as the American Express Cobalt ® Card .

Credit cards

Here is the list of Membership Rewards credit cards in Canada:

Here is a list of the top articles on Milesopedia about the Membership Rewards program:

With RBC Rewards, you have access to these transfer partners:

RBC Rewards points are useful for building up your WestJet Dollars, British Airways Executive Club Avios or Asia Miles balance.

• British Airways Executive Club : several times a year, there is a 35-40% conversion bonus . I suggest you wait until then to transfer your RBC points to Avios miles
• American AAdvantage : the conversion rate is not really interesting. This transfer should only be done to supplement an existing mileage balance.
• Hudson’s Bay Rewards : If you want to travel, Hudson’s Bay Rewards won’t take you far! I do not recommend this transfer.

The following is a list of RBC Rewards (Avion) credit cards that can be used to transfer points to airline partners:

Here is a list of the top articles from Milesopedia about the RBC Rewards program:

With Marriott Bonvoy, you can transfer your points into miles from various airline programs.

The transfer rate is generally 3:1 (30,000 Marriott points = 10,000 miles). And for every 60,000 points transferred, Marriott adds a bonus of 15,000 points (equivalent to 5,000 miles).

So 60,000 points = 25,000 miles (bringing the transfer rate to 2.4:1).

Note that Marriott Bonvoy and United have a special relationship: point transfers to United have a 10% bonus.

I often advise you to use loyalty program points ONLY for what they were originally intended for:

• hotel points for free hotel nights
• airline miles for airline tickets

However, it can be interesting to deal with Marriott Bonvoy to get miles, especially at certain times of the year by taking advantage of transfer bonuses ! Aeroplan and British Airways Executive Club run 3-4 annual promotions during which you can earn 25-30% more miles by converting your hotel points.

It’s also a good way to earn miles from foreign airline programs like United MileagePlus, Singapore KrisFlyer, Emirates Skywards, etc.

Here is the list of Marriott Bonvoy credit cards in Canada:

American Express Membership Rewards points can also be transferred to Marriott Bonvoy points at a 1:1.2 (or 5:6) rate.

So 50,000 Membership Rewards = 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.

If your goal is to go through the Marriott Bonvoy program to earn airline miles, the best credit card will be the American Express Cobalt ® Card .

With this card, you can earn 5 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent in some categories: grocery stores, convenience stores and restaurants. And in grocery and convenience stores, you can buy gift cards for many other retailers (SAQ, Amazon , Walmart, Ikea, etc.) to earn 5 points per dollar .

And since 5 Membership Rewards points = 6 Marriott Bonvoy points = 2 airline miles, that means that at these stores you earn 2 miles per dollar of purchase ! Which is incredible!

While there aren’t many promotions for transferring Membership Rewards points to airline points like Aeroplan, transfer bonuses to hotel programs are more common, usually once a year.

Here is the list of credit cards that earn Marriott Bonvoy Points in Canada:

Here is the list of the main articles from Milesopedia about the Marriott Bonvoy program:

With the Best Western Rewards program, you can redeem your points for airline partner miles . Let me warn you right away: the exchange rate is far from being the best.

However, if you have Best Western Rewards points that you don’t need, you might as well put them to use!

A minimum of 5,000 Best Western Rewards points is required to make a transfer.

Here is the list of the main posts on Milesopedia about the Best Western Rewards program:

Bottom Line

With these 4 programs, you can easily transfer your points to dozens of other loyalty programs and travel the world with your reward points!

Do you start with the points? With one of these five credit cards, you will earn transferable points:

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