Transfer Amex Points Fast: Instant Partners & Workarounds

American Express Membership Rewards are wildly popular because they’re flexible, fast, and global. You can send your points to over 20 airline and hotel partners (many at a 1:1 rate and often instantly). Plus, you can catch transfer bonuses now and then for extra value, and you can rack them up fast with bonus categories on Amex cards. When award seats don’t line up, you still have outs — Pay With Points, broad partner coverage across Star Alliance/SkyTeam/oneworld via partners, points that don’t expire while your account is open, and the ability to combine balances across your own MR cards. If you’re here to figure out how to transfer Amex points to airlines and hotels, to a spouse, and how long it all takes, this guide will give you quick answers and some tips, so you don’t lose points or time.

Quick Answers

Can I transfer Amex Points to Another Person?

If you’re asking, “Can I transfer Amex points to another person?”, the short answer is: you can’t move Membership Rewards (MR) points into someone else’s MR account. Unlike some ecosystems (e.g., Chase allows household transfers), Amex doesn’t allow inter-person MR transfers.

But there is a legit way to get your points into another person’s airline or hotel account—by making that person an additional card member (authorized user) on your Amex account and then transferring your points to their loyalty account after a short waiting period.

You can only transfer MR points to a partner program in your own name or in an additional card member’s name (AU/employee card). The AU must have been on your account at least 90 days before you can link and transfer to their partner account. Don’t add an AU today and expect to transfer tomorrow.

Add likely recipients (spouse/partner) now so you’re ready when award space pops. 

The 3 Legit Ways to Share Membership Rewards Value

1) Transfer to an authorized user’s airline/hotel account

• Add your spouse/partner/family member as an Additional Card Member on any MR-earning card.
• After 90 days, link their frequent flyer/guest account on the Amex “Transfer Points” page and move points across. Names must match. 

2) Transfer to your airline/hotel account and book for them

Most airline and hotel programs let you redeem for anyone. Often this is the simplest path: transfer MR to your frequent flyer account, then issue a ticket in their name.

3) Skip transfers—just book travel with your points

Use Amex Travel / Pay With Points to buy flights for another person. It’s not always the highest value, but it avoids transfer rules/fees.

Step-by-Step: How to Transfer Amex Points to Another Person (the Right Way)

1. Add them as an Additional Card Member
   • In your Amex account, add an AU (you’ll need legal name, address, DOB; SSN can be provided within 60 days). 
2. Wait 90 days
   • Amex requires the AU card be issued for 90+ days before you can link their airline/hotel account to your MR profile. 
3. Link their loyalty account
   • Go to Membership Rewards → Transfer Points, pick a partner (e.g., Air France/KLM, Virgin Atlantic, Hilton, etc.), and choose the AU’s name from the drop-down when linking. (Names must match exactly.) 
4. Transfer only what you’ll use
   • Transfers are one-way and non-reversible. Send points when you’ve found award space, not “just in case.” 

You cannot move MR points to another person’s MR account — only to their partner program once they’re an AU. (Amex states this explicitly.) 

Alternatives to AU Transfers (Sometimes Even Easier)

Even without AU setup, you can “share” value by moving MR to programs that allow pooling or family transfers, then combining balances there:

• Transfer MR to your airline/hotel account and book an award in their name (allowed by most programs).
• Use programs with family pooling after transferring to your account—e.g., JetBlue TrueBlue Points Pooling (up to 7 people, free) or Aeroplan Family Sharing (up to 8, free).

Transfer Partners, Ratios & Typical Timelines

Airlines

See the tables below to find out how many airline miles you get for each Amex Membership Rewards point transferred. Most partner programs operate on a 1:1 basis (10,000 Amex points = 10,000 airline miles). The exception is AeroMéxico with a 1:1.6 ratio, meaning 10,000 Amex points = 16,000 AeroMéxico miles. This looks like a bonus, but AeroMéxico’s limited route network and low reward availability mean that this “bonus” rarely translates into real value.

Virgin Atlantic’s slower processing is particularly important because it’s one of the best partners for booking Delta flights. You need to factor in this delay when planning time-sensitive bookings.

* The excise tax fee ($0.0006/point, capped at $99) applies exclusively to U.S.-based airline partners: Delta, Hawaiian, and JetBlue. This federal tax on mileage transactions adds $6 per 10,000 points transferred or $60 per 100,000 points. International carriers and hotel programs are exempt. If you’re targeting a Delta flight, sometimes it’s cheaper (and fee-free) to book Delta space via a non-U.S. partner like Air France–KLM or Virgin Atlantic — assuming award pricing is favorable.

For most travelers, focus on these five

1. Aeroplan – Best for North America and flexible Star Alliance awards
2. Air France/KLM Flying Blue – Monthly sales make European business class affordable
3. Virgin Atlantic – Best for Delta domestic flights and ANA to Japan
4. British Airways/Iberia – Good for short flights and using the distance-based chart strategically
5. Avianca – When you need to avoid fuel surcharges on European airlines

Transfer Amex Points to Delta (SkyMiles)

Here’s everything you need to know before moving American Express Membership Rewards → Delta SkyMiles.

• Ratio: 1:1 (1,000 MR → 1,000 SkyMiles)
• Speed: Usually instant (occasionally a short delay)
• Fee: Amex excise tax offset fee on U.S. airline transfers: $0.0006 per point (max $99). Examples:
  • 50,000 MR → $30 fee;
  • 200,000 MR → $99 fee (cap reached)
• Minimums: 1,000-point increments
• Name rule: Delta account must match the primary MR holder or an authorized user (AU) who’s been on your account 90+ days

Step-by-step

1. Find seats first. SkyMiles pricing is fully dynamic — secure the award you want or verify wide space.
2. Link Delta in your Amex profile. (If transferring to a spouse/partner, make sure they’re an AU added 90+ days ago and link their Delta account.)
3. Transfer only what you’ll use. Transfers are one-way, non-reversible.
4. Book immediately once miles land.

When to consider alternatives? If you want to avoid Amex’s excise fee, remember it only applies to U.S. airlines — so booking a Delta-operated flight through a non-U.S. partner can sidestep it. Check Air France–KLM Flying Blue and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, which often price the same Delta routes competitively and without the fee. If cash fares are cheap, run the numbers against Pay With Points in Amex Travel (especially strong if you hold Business Platinum and qualify for the 35% rebate). And if plans might change, keep your MR untransferred — partner miles are sticky, so flexibility favors waiting.

Always run a “price triangle” by checking Delta, Virgin Atlantic, and Flying Blue for the same flight —award costs can differ dramatically. If you’re moving a large balance, note the $99 excise-fee cap (hit around 165,000 MR); it can be smarter to transfer the full amount you need in one shot. For transfers to another person’s Delta account, ensure the exact name match and that they’ve been an authorized user for 90+ days, or the link won’t work. Finally, screenshot award space before you transfer — if seats vanish, you’ll know exactly what changed.

Hotel

Below is a list of hotel programs that are available for transfer.

I’ll explain why using these hotel transfer partners is often a bad idea as well as when—if at all—you should utilize them. The Fundamental Issue with Hotel Transfers:

• In general, airline miles are worth more than hotel points.
• Hotel award nights have set monetary values (the precise cost of the stay is displayed).
• Hotels frequently provide discounts and sales, which make cash reservations competitive.
• Your Amex points are effectively devalued by transfer percentages, which are frequently awful.

To see why, let’s examine a few examples:

Choice Privileges (1:1 ratio)

Choice Hotels operates budget brands like Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, Clarion, and Econo Lodge. These are typically $60–250/night properties.

For a free stay at the Comfort InnComfort Inn Downtown Nashville – Music City Center (normally 20,000-40,000 points/night), you need to transfer 35,000 Amex points → 35,000 Choice points. This Comfort Inn hotel costs $186 cash per night.

So you’re using 35,000 Amex points (worth $700+ if transferred to airlines for premium cabin flights at 2¢/point) to save $186.

When to consider it — almost never. The only scenario: you’re staying at a Choice property in an expensive area during a major event (like a resort town during peak season) where the cash rate is $200+ but the award rate is still 15,000 points. Even then, you’re getting maybe 1.3¢/point value — still poor compared to airline uses.

Hilton Honors (1:2 ratio)

A typical mid-tier Hilton (like a Hampton Inn & Suites Nashville-Downtown) costs 60,000–80,000 Hilton points per night. Transfer 30,000 Amex points → 60,000 Hilton points → one $207 night = 0.35¢/point value. That same night costs $168–297 cash.

That’s catastrophically bad compared to airline transfers, where you routinely get 1.5–3¢/point.

Why is Hilton Honors a partner of AMEX? The answer is simple: Hilton has over 7,000 properties worldwide and often runs promotions. Therefore, this partnership exists for the sake of choice, not profit.

If there is any justification for transferring points, it is during promotional offers and transfer bonuses (usually up to 50%). But even with a 50% bonus, you get about 0.8–1 cent per point, which is still worse than most airlines. 

What else you should know: Hilton allows you to transfer points between any members for free. So if you have Hilton points and want to transfer them to someone else: Transfer Amex → your Hilton account Transfer Hilton → their Hilton account (free, instant, no restrictions). 

Marriott Bonvoy (3:1 ratio)

For transferring 30,000 Amex points, you only get 10,000 Marriott points. A Category 5 Marriott hotel (mid-range, such as Courtyard or Residence Inn) costs 35,000 Marriott points during the off-peak season. So you’re using 105,000 Amex points (worth $2,100+ in premium airline awards) to save $170. That’s 0.16 cents per point — absolutely terrible.

The only theoretical scenario that could somehow justify the transfer is if you are 8,000 Marriott points short of a free stay at a luxury hotel during a major event where the cost of accommodation is over $800, and the cost of the award stay remains standard at 50,000 points. You transfer 24,000 Amex points to get the 8,000 Marriott points you need, valuing those Amex points at ~1.1 cents each (not great, but acceptable given the specific circumstances).

In almost every scenario, you’re better off:

1. Keeping your Amex points
2. Booking the hotel with cash or the Amex Travel portal (where you get 1¢/point baseline, 1.25¢/point with Platinum Card)
3. Saving the untransferred points for airline awards worth 2–3¢/point

How to make a transfer is explained in detail in the video tutorial from ThriftyTraveler.

When To Wait for a Transfer Bonus (and When Not To)

Amex occasionally runs limited-time transfer bonuses (e.g., +20–30% to select partners). Waiting can be smart — if the award you want is plentiful. If availability is tight or volatile, book at the base rate rather than miss the seat. 

You can see all current offers with a transfer bonus through your Amex account control panel or on other third-party resources, such as Frequentmiler.

Best-Use Playbook by Scenario

U.S. → Europe (business): Check Flying Blue Promo Awards first; compare Virgin Atlantic for Delta-operated flights; weigh surcharges on BA/IB. (Transfer is usually instant to AF/KL/VS; book as soon as space appears.) 

U.S. → Japan/Asia: ANA is exceptional value — but transfers take 2–4 business days, so target dates with wide space or flexibility. Otherwise, look at Aeroplan or Flying Blue. 

Domestic U.S. on Delta: For Delta flights under 500 miles, default to Virgin Atlantic (7,500 points saves money and avoids the fee). For other routes, check Delta SkyMiles pricing, then immediately compare Virgin Atlantic’s distance-based chart and Flying Blue’s dynamic price. Transfer to whichever offers the best total value after factoring in Delta’s $0.0006/point fee. The five minutes of comparison routinely save $20–$100 per ticket.

“Before You Transfer” Checklist

Transferring before confirming bookable award space ranks as the single most expensive mistake — always search the destination program’s website for specific available flights before moving points.

So, we have compiled a checklist to help you avoid wasting your AMEX points.

1. I confirmed award space and pricing on the partner site.
2. I considered non-U.S. partners to skip the fee (if booking Delta/JetBlue). 
3. My AU has been on my MR account for 90+ days (if transferring to their account). 
4. I know the posting time (instant vs hours vs ANA 2–4 days). 
5. I’m okay with transfers being final under partner rules.

Conclusions

Before transferring Membership Rewards to any partner, check four important things: confirmed availability of awards at the expected price, price comparisons across different partners (especially for Delta flights, where Virgin Atlantic and Flying Blue offer alternative options with no commission), knowledge of the terms of current transfer bonuses if your route and partner match, and accurate calculation of total costs, including excise tax for US airlines. Keep an eye on active transfer bonuses.

Establishing an authorized user structure beforehand offers continuous flexibility for travelers who regularly reserve awards for partners or family. Since the required 90-day waiting period from the date the card is issued cannot be shortened or waived, add them to your Membership Rewards card right away rather than waiting until you need the transfer option. To prevent rejection because of a name mismatch when linking accounts, make sure their loyalty accounts use their exact legal name as it appears on the Amex card.