Do American Express points transfer to American Airlines?

You can only transfer Amex points to two U.S.-based airline programs: Delta SkyMiles and JetBlue TrueBlue. However, by taking advantage of airline partnerships, you can use Amex points to book award flights with other major carriers, including United Airlines, American Airlines and Alaska Airlines.



No, as of March 2026, American Express Membership Rewards points do not directly transfer to American Airlines AAdvantage miles. This is due to a long-standing exclusive partnership between American Airlines and Barclays/Citi for their credit card products. To move points to American Airlines, you must use an indirect "workaround." The most common method in 2026 is transferring Amex points to Marriott Bonvoy at a 1:1 ratio, and then transferring those Marriott points to American Airlines at a 3:1 ratio. Alternatively, you can use your Amex points to book American Airlines flights directly through the Amex Travel portal, though this treats points like cash (usually 1 cent per point) rather than a 1:1 mileage transfer. For travelers seeking direct 1:1 airline transfers in the Oneworld alliance, Amex points are better suited for British Airways, Iberia, or Qatar Airways, all of which use the Avios currency and can be used to book "award seats" on American Airlines flights.

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There is no fee for using Membership Rewards® points for travel at amextravel.com, but there is a service charge for any airline tickets purchased.

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While 200K Amex points will typically only give you about $2,000 in value when you shop for flights in the Amex travel portal, you can sometimes find Business or First Class flights — that can normally cost over $10,000 — for only 200K points, when transferred to a frequent flyer program.

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For each conversion of points into the Frequent Flyer program of a U.S. airline, a fee of $0.0006 per point, with a maximum fee of $99, will be charged to your Card account. We charge this fee to offset the federal excise tax we must pay on such conversions.

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When it comes to air miles, a balance of 300,000 points opens up a world of destinations, from the beaches of the Seychelles to the buzz of San Francisco. Transfer your points to Avios to enjoy two return business class flights to some of British Airways most coveted US destinations.

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