The deepest airline partner list of any program — and the least forgiving application rules. What the points are worth, which cards earn them, all 20 partners, and the bonus rule you only get one shot at.
Reviewed September 20, 2026 · written by Justin RasmussenAmex has the deepest airline partner list of the four big programs: 16 airlines and 4 hotel programs, including several — ANA, Avianca LifeMiles, Qatar Privilege Club, Qantas — that Chase doesn't offer at all. If your travel goals involve international business class, this is usually the program that gets you there.
The trade-off is that Amex is the least forgiving issuer on application rules. Take a welcome bonus on the wrong card and you have spent it permanently.
| How you redeemSAME 100,000 POINTS | Typical valuePER POINT | What that's worth |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer to an airline partner, good award | 1.8¢ – 2.2¢+ | $1,800 – $2,200+ |
| Amex Travel, flights | 1.0¢ | $1,000 |
| Amex Travel, hotels and cars | 0.7¢ | $700 |
| Gift cards | ≈1.0¢ | ≈$1,000 |
| Statement credit | 0.6¢ | $600 |
Ranges reflect typical outcomes booking for clients, not guarantees. The statement-credit figure is Amex's published rate and is the clearest illustration of why these points exist to be transferred. Reviewed September 20, 2026.
Amex's premium cards are credit-heavy: large annual fees offset by a stack of statement credits you have to actively use. That works beautifully for some people and terribly for others. Be honest about whether you'll remember to use a monthly dining credit before you pay for one.
| Card | Annual fee | What it earns | Transfers? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Gold business | Moderate | 4x in your top two eligible categories each billing cycle — advertising, shipping, gas, restaurants, tech — up to an annual cap | Yes |
| Amex Gold personal | Moderate | 4x at US supermarkets and restaurants worldwide (caps apply), 3x on flights | Yes |
| Blue Business Plus business | None | 2x on every purchase up to an annual cap, then 1x — and it keeps your points alive for free | Yes |
| Business Platinum business | High | 5x on flights and prepaid hotels through Amex Travel, plus purchase rebates | Yes |
| Amex Platinum personal | High | 5x on flights booked direct or through Amex Travel; the widest lounge access in the market | Yes |
Earning rates and caps change; confirm current terms on the issuer's page before applying. Reviewed September 20, 2026.
This guide is about how the program works, not which card to apply for. Welcome offers change constantly, so they live in one place and one place only — kept current, with an honest note on each link about whether I earn anything from it.
| Airline partner16 TOTAL | Ratio | Alliance | Typical speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Canada Aeroplan | 1:1 | Star Alliance | Up to 48 hrs |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | 1:1 | SkyTeam | Up to 48 hrs |
| ANA Mileage Club | 1:1 | Star Alliance | Up to 4 days |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 1:1 | Star Alliance | Up to 72 hrs |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 1:1 | SkyTeam | Up to 48 hrs |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 1:1 | Oneworld | Up to 48 hrs |
| British Airways Club | 1:1 | Oneworld | Up to 48 hrs |
| Iberia Plus | 1:1 | Oneworld | Up to 48 hrs |
| Aer Lingus AerClub | 1:1 | — | Up to 48 hrs |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | 1:1 | Oneworld | Up to 48 hrs |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 1:1 | Star Alliance | Up to 48 hrs |
| Delta SkyMiles | 1:1 | SkyTeam | Up to 48 hrs |
| Aeromexico Rewards | 1:1.6 | SkyTeam | Up to 48 hrs |
| Cathay | 5:4 | Oneworld | Up to 48 hrs |
| Emirates Skywards | 5:4 | — | Up to 48 hrs |
| JetBlue TrueBlue | 1:0.8 | — | Up to 48 hrs |
| Hotel partner4 TOTAL | Ratio | Typical speed | My read |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marriott Bonvoy | 1:1 | Up to 48 hrs | Occasionally, on a long stay |
| Choice Privileges | 1:1 | Up to 48 hrs | Niche, but real value at the right property |
| Hilton Honors | 1:2 | Up to 24 hrs | The ratio flatters it — check the night first |
| Leading Hotels of the World | 4:1 | Up to 72 hrs | Avoid |
Partner list and ratios verified September 20, 2026 against Amex's published transfer terms and Upgraded Points' partner tracker. Minimum transfer is generally 1,000 points, with lower minimums on JetBlue and Qantas. Transfers to US airline programs incur an excise tax offset of about 0.06 cents per point, capped at $99 per transaction. All transfers are one-way and irreversible.
The practical consequence: with Chase, a mistake costs you two years. With Amex, a mistake costs you forever. If you take the Gold bonus during a mediocre offer period and a record offer appears eighteen months later, you don't get a second bite.
ANA prices round-trip Star Alliance awards on a published chart that is materially cheaper than booking the same seat through United or Aeroplan. The catches are real: awards must be round-trip, and transfers take up to four days, so this is a plan-ahead redemption rather than a grab-it-today one.
LifeMiles doesn't pass along carrier-imposed surcharges, which can save several hundred dollars in cash on a transatlantic business-class ticket compared with the same seat booked through a partner that does. Transfers are fast. The program's website is genuinely frustrating, which is part of why the awards stay available.
Virgin runs transfer bonuses from Amex more often than any other partner, and its partner award pricing rewards people who check rather than assume. Worth a look whenever you see a bonus announced.
The same rotating 25–50% discounts that make Flying Blue useful with Chase points, available here too. If your dates are flexible, this is the lowest-effort way to get outsized value to Europe.
Getting 1.6 miles per point is the best headline ratio on the airline list, and Aeromexico is a SkyTeam member with reasonable pricing to Mexico and Latin America. It is niche, but if you're heading that direction it deserves a search before you write it off.
No, not while you hold at least one Membership Rewards-earning card in good standing. Close your last MR card and any remaining balance is forfeited — so transfer out or downgrade to a no-fee MR card such as the Blue Business Plus before you cancel.
Amex will generally pay you a welcome bonus only once per card product, ever. Closing the card and reapplying years later usually does not reset it. This is why the order you apply in matters more with Amex than with any other issuer — a bonus you take today is a bonus you can never take again.
That is the excise tax offset Amex charges on transfers to US-based airline programs — roughly 0.06 cents per point, capped at $99 per transaction. It is small, but it means topping off a Delta account with a huge transfer has a real cost attached.
Usually not, despite the headline. You get two Hilton points per Membership Rewards point, but Hilton award nights often price at levels where each Hilton point is worth well under half a cent. Do the arithmetic on the specific night before assuming a 2x ratio means 2x value.
Amex generally caps you at around five credit cards, with a separate and higher ceiling for its charge cards. Amex also applies a 2/90 rule — approvals for at most two cards in any 90-day window. Both limits combine personal and business products.
For most of the business owners I work with, the Business Gold is the better starting point than the Business Platinum — it earns 4x in the two categories you spend most in, and the fee is a fraction of the Platinum's. The Blue Business Plus is the no-fee card that makes the whole setup work, because it earns transferable points at 2x on everything.
Who wrote this. I’m Justin Rasmussen — a residential contractor in southeast Minnesota who has run my business spend through points for 15 years and now books award travel and cruises for clients full time. Everything here reflects how I actually book, not a rewrite of a press release. Program terms change constantly; this page was last reviewed on September 20, 2026 and I re-check it whenever a partner or ratio moves. More about me →
Most people end up holding cards from two of these four. Knowing which two is the whole game.
With Amex, application order is permanent. One hour of planning is worth more here than in any other program.
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