American Express and the Amex Membership Rewards program is 1 of 5 transferable point programs. Capital One, Chase, Citi, and Marriott are the other 4 transferable point programs.
In the case of American Express, there are 15 airlines and 3 hotel partners. Not all airline partners are created equal, so you’ll want to use the partners that provide the most value. Generally speaking, Aeroplan, ANA, Avianca, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Etihad, Iberia, Singapore Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic offer the most value.
In short, Amex Membership Rewards are points that you want to earn. The ability to transfer points directly to airline partners will help you to unlock a ton of value.
Credit Cards To Earn Amex Membership Rewards
American Express has a number of personal and business credit cards that earn points directly with your spend. By aligning your spend with the bonus point earning categories, you’ll have a continuous flow of points to use.
The Amex Platinum (Learn More Here), Amex Gold (Learn More Here), and Amex EveryDay Preferred are personal credit cards to consider. The Platinum is great to use to book flights and for lounge access. The Gold is great for restaurants and groceries, and the Preferred is great for groceries and gas.
The Amex Business Platinum (Learn More Here) and Amex Blue Business Plus (Learn More Here) are business credit cards you should check out. The Platinum is great to use to book flights and for lounge access. The Business Plus is great for non-bonus category spend like Amazon.
All in all, the best way to earn Amex Membership Rewards points is to use credit cards that have bonus categories where you spend money.
Air Canada Aeroplan
Aeroplan is our first Star Alliance member that can be one of the top Amex airline transfer partners for flights to Europe. You can book business class flights to Europe 1 (Vienna, Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Barcelona, London, et. al) for 110,000 Aeroplan miles round-trip. For 115,000 Aeroplan miles, you can book flights to Europe 2 (Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Poland, Turkey, et. al).
Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, LOT Polish, Lufthansa, SAS, Swiss Air Lines, TAP Portugal, and Turkish Airlines offer flights between the US and Europe. The key when booking these flights is to check the taxes and fees. Airlines like Lufthansa and Swiss will have substantial taxes and fees.
Search for Star Alliance flights first on United, confirm the same availability on Aeroplan, book the flight on Aeroplan, and then pay the taxes and fees.
ANA Mileage Club
Japan-based ANA may not be a program you’d think to use for flights to Europe but it should be. The reason is because you can book business class flights between the US to Europe for 88,000 miles round-trip.
ANA is our second Star Alliance member to consider. The airlines that fly between the US and Europe are the same as the ones mentioned in the Aeroplan section. ANA, like Aeroplan, passes on fuel surcharges. So the taxes and fees are important to consider when booking an award flight.
Search for Star Alliance flights on United, confirm the same availability on ANA, book the flight on ANA, and then pay the taxes and fees.
Avianca Lifemiles
Colombia-based Avianca is our third Star Alliance airline you should consider using for flights between the US to Europe. For 63,000 Avianca Lifemiles, you can book a one-way business class flight. Another option to consider is booking a one-way first class flight for 87,000 LifeMiles.
The airline partners in the Aeroplan section will be the ones offering flights between the US and Europe. The main difference when using Avianca versus Aeroplan and ANA is that fuel surcharges are not passed on. This means that you can fly airlines like Lufthansa with very few dollars out of pocket.
Search for Star Alliance flights first on United, confirm the same availability on LifeMiles.com, book the flight on LifeMiles.com, and then pay the taxes and fees. If you’re looking to fly Lufthansa first class, award availability isn’t released until 14 days from the departure date.
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific is our first Oneworld airline partner that can be used for flights to Europe. One of the best uses of Cathay Pacific Asia Miles is to fly British Airways with reduced fuel surcharges. Business class will be 100,000+ miles round-trip on British Airways.
American Airlines, British Airways, Finnair, and Iberia are the Oneworld airline partners that offer flights between the US and Europe. The award rates on these partners will not be as competitive as what you can find elsewhere. With that said, British Airways flights will likely make the most sense to book.
Search for Oneworld flights on British Airways, confirm the same availability on AsiaMiles.com, book the flight on AsiaMiles.com, and then pay the taxes and fees. American Airlines award flights require you to call Cathay Pacific at 866-892-2598 to book the flight.
Etihad Guest
UAE-based Etihad is our only non-alliance member that is one of the best programs to use for flights to Europe. You can book an American Airlines business class flight to Europe for 100,000 miles round-trip. You can also book a Brussels Airlines flight for 88,000 miles round-trip.
Etihad has individual airline partnerships so you’ll want to look at American Airlines and Brussels Airlines for flights to Europe. American Airlines award flights may make more sense to book. The reason is because the taxes and fees on Brussels Airlines flights will be substantially more.
Search for American Airlines flights on British Airways, call Etihad at 877-690-0767 to book the flight, and then pay the taxes and fees over the phone. The process is the same to book Brussels Airlines flights. The only difference is that you’ll search for flights on United Airlines.
Iberia Avios
Spain-based Iberia is our second Oneworld airline partner that can be used to book flights to Europe. With as few as 68,000 Iberia Avios (miles), you can book a round-trip business class Iberia flight during off-peak travel dates. 100,000+ Iberia Avios will allow you to book an American Airlines round-trip business class flight.
There are a number of Oneworld airline partners that fly between the US and Europe. With that said, American Airlines and Iberia offer the most value. If you can fly Iberia during off-peak season, you will be able to fly transatlantic at extremely competitive pricing.
Search for American Airlines and Iberia award flights on Iberia, book the flight on Iberia, and then pay the taxes and fees.
Singapore Airlines
Singapore-based Singapore Airlines and its KrisFlyer miles are what you’ll need to book a Singapore Airlines business or first class award flight. For award flights to Europe, you can book a round-trip business class for 144,000 KrisFlyer miles.
Another way to use KrisFlyer miles is book a Star Alliance partner flight. As mentioned in the Aeroplan section, the Star Alliance has partners offering flights between the US and Europe. You’ll want to book economy flights as business and first class do not have competitive award rates.
Search for Singapore Airlines business and first class on Singapore Airlines, book the flight on Singapore Airlines, and then pay the taxes and fees.
Virgin Atlantic
UK-based Virgin Atlantic is an excellent program for those looking to fly Delta between the US and Europe. With 100,00 Flying Club miles, you can book a round-trip business class flight on Delta.
Virgin Atlantic has individual partnerships with airlines similar to Alaska Airlines and Etihad. With that said, Delta will be the best partner to use to fly to Europe.
Search for Delta flights on Virgin Atlantic, book the flight on Virgin Atlantic, and then pay the taxes and fees. Another option is to search for saver level Delta flights on Delta, call Virgin Atlantic at 800-365-9500 to book the flight, and then pay the taxes and fees.
Conclusion on Amex Membership Rewards:
Amex Membership Rewards are a valuable currency because of the value you receive when booking flights with its partner airlines. For those looking to fly to Europe, you have 8 airline partners to choose from giving you plenty of options.
Which Amex airline partners do you recommend for flights between the US and Europe? Please let me know in the comments or by sending me an email on my contact page.
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