American Express has added a new transfer partner to the Membership Rewards program users. Members can now transfer points at a 1:1 ratio to Avianca LifeMiles, with a minimum of 1,000 points. Avianca is already a transfer partner of Citi ThankYou points at the same 1:1 transfer rate. Other acquisition sources include frequent point sales and the Avianca co-branded card offering up to 60,000 miles.
Avianca is an interesting program because they don’t charge fuel surcharges or close in fees. Feel free to share some of your favorite sweet spots with the program in the comments below. It will be interesting to see if American Express ever offers a transfer bonus to Avianca. I’d recommend holding off transferring until you have an immediate use just in case they do add a transfer bonus in the future (plus it’s always better to hold flexible points). A full list of Membership Rewards transfer partners can be viewed below:
| American Express Membership Rewards Transfer Partners | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Airline Partners (1:1 Unless Otherwise Noted) | |||
| Delta SkyMiles | AeroMexico Club Premier (1:1) | Air Canada Aeroplan | KLM/AirFrane Flying Blue |
| Alitalia MilleMiglia Club | ANA | Asia Miles | British Airways Avios |
| Emirates | EL AL Israel Airlines (50:1) | Frontier | Hawaiian Airlines |
| Iberia Plus | jetBlue (1.25:1) | Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | Qantas |
| Virgin atlantic flying club | Etihad | Aer Lingus | Avianca Lifemiles |
| Hotel Partners (1:1 unless otherwise noted) | |||
| Choice Privileges | Hilton Hhonors (1:2) | Marriott (1:1) |
Hat tip to Dans Deals
