American Express is offering some card members a terrific 40% or 50% transfer bonus from Membership Rewards to British Airways or Iberia Avios. With this bonus, 1,000 Membership Rewards points will get you either 1,400 or 1,500 British Airways Avios. Even though this bonus appears to be only for British Airways Avios and not Iberia or Aer Lingus, it’s possible to move your points from one to another (see: How to transfer Avios between Aer Lingus, BA, and Iberia).
This bonus, combined with the ability to move points to Iberia, can make for some great value redemptions – including transatlantic business class for less than 25,000 Membership Rewards points each way (though keep in mind that you must transfer in increments of 1K).
The Deal
- Targeted 40% or 50% transfer bonus when transferring Amex Membership Rewards points to British Airways Avios.
Key Terms
- End date: There is no listed end date for this targeted bonus.
I’m guessing that it will end byJune 30, 2019. Offer ended 6/16/2019.
- Must transfer in 1,000 point increments
Quick Thoughts
This is an awesome bonus for anyone with a halfway decent redemption in mind. We previously reported on better-than-average availability in Iberia business class from New York or Chicago to Madrid, which costs just 34,000 Avios one-way during off-peak times in Iberia’s program (note: Miami to Madrid costs a bit more but is still very reasonable). With the transfer bonus, that’s the equivalent of just under 24,300 Membership Rewards points each way. That’s a great deal for transatlantic business class travel with low fuel surcharges (~$100 total ex-US and around $135 ex-Spain).
Shorthaul flights can also be an outstanding bargain with this transfer bonus. The British Airways chart starts at 6,000 miles each way for flights under 650 miles, or 7500 miles each way for flights that start or end in the US. Those who fly with connections can do better with Iberia, as the shortest round trip itineraries can cost as few as 11,000 Iberia Avios, though note that you will have to book round trip if booking American Airlines flights (and AA flights booked with Iberia Avios are totally nonrefundable and non-changeable, so you’ll want to book with British Airways if you need flexibility).
Of course, some routes aren’t a deal and if you intend to fly through London on BA, fuel surcharges can be ridiculous. But there is definite value to be had in this bonus. As always, we have added it to our list of Current point transfer bonuses.
For some inspiration as to how to use your Avios, see these posts:
- From 11K RT on American: A sweet spot for North American flight redemptions
- Hacking Avios
- Searching for business class sweet-spots in Iberia’s OneWorld award chart
Previous transfer bonuses from Amex to Avios
This post has been updated. It was previously published under the title “40% transfer bonus to British Airways or Iberia Avios” regarding a public transfer bonus that expired November 15, 2018:
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