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AMEX Tutorial: How to Transfer American Express Membership Rewards Points

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AMEX Tutorial: How to Transfer American Express Membership Rewards Points
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American Express Membership Rewards Cards

It is possible to transfer your American Express Membership Rewards points to certain popular loyalty programs.

This feature allows you to transfer your points to the most convenient program for you, free of charge.

As of January 2026, transfers to Flying Blue are at a 1:1 ratio, allowing you to accumulate miles faster for your award tickets.

American Express Membership Rewards Cards – For Consumers

Here are the four American Express Membership Rewards cards for consumers:

Our credit card selection
Credit cardAnnual feeWelcome offer
American Express Cobalt® Card
Apply Now
Annual fee$191.88Welcome offer
Up to 15,000 points
Apply Now
American Express® Green Card
Apply Now
Annual fee$0Welcome offer
10,000 points
Apply Now
American Express Platinum Card®
Apply Now
Annual fee$799Welcome offer
Up to 100,000 points
Apply Now
American Express® Gold Rewards Card
Apply Now
Annual fee$250Welcome offer
Up to 60,000 points
Apply Now

American Express Membership Rewards Cards – For Small Business

Here are the 3 American Express Membership Rewards cards for Small Business:

Our credit card selection
Credit cardAnnual feeWelcome offer
Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Apply Now
Annual fee$799Welcome offer
Up to 120,000 points
Apply Now
American Express® Business Gold Rewards Card®
Apply Now
Annual fee$199Welcome offer
Up to 70,000 points
Apply Now

Membership Rewards transfer partners

Airline partners

American Express Canada partners with 5 airline loyalty programs. Here’s a list of each, with transfer rate and duration:

Aeroplan

1,000 Membership Rewards points
=
1,000 points Aeroplan
–
Instant or up to 30 minutes

British Airways Club

1,000 Membership Rewards points
=
1,000 Avios miles
–
5 business days

Delta SkyMiles

1,000 Membership Rewards points
=
750 SkyMiles miles
–
Up to 30 minutes

Air France KLM Flying Blue

1,000 Membership Rewards Points
=
1,000 Flying Blue miles (as of January 2026)
–
3 business days

Asia Miles – Cathay Pacific

1,000 Membership Rewards points
=
750 Asia miles
–
5 working days

Hotel partners

American Express Canada partners with 3 hotel group loyalty programs. Here’s a list of each, with transfer rate and duration:

Marriott Bonvoy: The ultimate guide to Marriott Bonvoy - amex bonvoy

Marriott Bonvoy

1,000 Membership Rewards points
=
1,200 Marriott Bonvoy points
–
Instant or up to 48 hours

Guide: Save On Hotels With Points - amex hilton

Hilton Honors

1,000 Membership Rewards points
=
1,000 Hilton Honors points
–
5 business days

ALL Accor Live Limitless

1,000 Membership Rewards points
=
500 ALL Accor Reward points
–
Instant or up to 48 hours

Transferring Membership Rewards, step by step

Discover step-by-step how to transfer American Express Membership Rewards points to other loyalty programs.

1- Login to your online account

First, you’ll need to log in to your American Express online account.

Click on « View and Redeem Points« .

AMEX Tutorial: How to Transfer American Express Membership Rewards Points - Amex exchange Membership Rewards points

2- Go to the Membership Rewards section

You will then be taken to the Membership Rewards program page.

If you have multiple cards linked to the same American Express online account, make sure the correct Membership Rewards account is selected.

If applicable, click on »Switch Account » and choose the account from which you want to transfer.

AMEX Tutorial: How to Transfer American Express Membership Rewards Points - Put Amex Account

3 – Go to the page of participating loyalty programs

Then, in the Use Points section, choose Transfer Points.

AMEX Tutorial: How to Transfer American Express Membership Rewards Points - Transfer Amex Points

The full partner list is displayed, airline and hotel programs together: Aeroplan, Air France KLM Flying Blue, British Airways Club, Cathay Pacific, Marriott Bonvoy, ALL Accor, Delta SkyMiles and Hilton Honors.

American Express Membership Rewards transfer partners in Canada, including ALL Accor

5- Choose a program to which to transfer your points

You have two options:

  • either you already have an account number with the loyalty program (Aeroplan, Marriott Bonvoy, etc.) = enter your membership number
  • either you do not have an account and would like American Express to open one for you = option B

Option A: add your existing membership number

This is the option we prefer, as you have control over opening the account. You will immediately know your loyalty number and password.

You will need to add your existing account number to the transfer.

AMEX Tutorial: How to Transfer American Express Membership Rewards Points - amex transfer 13 fr

Option B: ask American Express to open an account for you

We strongly prefer option A: by letting American Express open a loyalty program account for you, you will often have to wait a few days.

If you want to go with this option, here are the steps:

AMEX Tutorial: How to Transfer American Express Membership Rewards Points - amex transfer 14 fr

6- Transfer your Membership Rewards points

Then, once your account has been added, you will be able to transfer your Membership Rewards in 3 steps:

AMEX Tutorial: How to Transfer American Express Membership Rewards Points - amex transfer 12 fr

To transfer your Membership Rewards points, you will need to indicate:

  • The amount of Membership Rewards points to be transferred
  • Security information related to one of your American Express cards (4 digits on the front + 3 digits CSC in the back)
AMEX Tutorial: How to Transfer American Express Membership Rewards Points - amex transfer 10 fr

A verification screen will display to show you:

  • the number of Membership Rewards points transferred
  • the number of points obtained for the partner loyalty program
AMEX Tutorial: How to Transfer American Express Membership Rewards Points - amex transfer 17 en

Once the transfer is complete, you’ll see a confirmation screen with your new points balance.

AMEX Tutorial: How to Transfer American Express Membership Rewards Points - amex transfer 18 fr

Check the status of your points transfers

To view a list of your Membership Rewards transfers, go to « Your Points Account » and click on « My Rewards ».

You will then see this summary.

AMEX Tutorial: How to Transfer American Express Membership Rewards Points - amex transfer 15 en 1

Maximize your Amex Privilege Points with the right transfers

Transferring American Express Membership Rewards points to partner programs such as Aeroplan, Flying Blue or Marriott Bonvoy is one of the best strategies for optimizing your rewards.

Thus, you can convert your Membership Rewards Points into flight tickets, hotel stays, or other rewards programs not available in Canada.

For Canadians, transfers to Flying Blue are now at a 1:1 ratio as of January 2026, allowing you to accumulate miles faster for your award tickets.

Pay particular attention to the transfer bonus promotions for Marriott Bonvoy, which usually occur twice a year.

If you would rather earn Marriott Bonvoy points directly instead of transferring them, the Marriott Bonvoy American Express cards regularly run bonus welcome offers.

Since July 2026, ALL Accor Live Limitless has been the third hotel transfer partner, at a ratio of 1,000 Membership Rewards points for 500 Reward points, in increments of 100 points. Etihad Guest, meanwhile, left the list on June 20, 2026. Here are all the details about the Amex and ALL Accor partnership.

ALL Accor also works as a bridge to airline miles: the program converts its Reward points into some thirty frequent flyer programs. The detour loses value in most cases, except with Qantas Frequent Flyer, where 2,000 Reward points become 2,500 Qantas points. At the end of the chain, 1,000 Membership Rewards points are worth 625 Qantas points via ALL Accor, versus 400 via Marriott Bonvoy. The full math is in our guide to points transfer programs in Canada.

American Express® Gold Rewards Card

American ExpressAmex Membership Rewards
Annual fee
$250
Our valuation
$1,020

Milesopedia first-year estimateFirst-year valueWelcome bonus$1,020Total$1,020Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.

Welcome offer
Up to 60,000 points
Apply Now

on American Express's website

Apply with confidence — no impact on your credit scoreApply with confidenceCheck whether your application will be approved before you submit it, with no impact on your credit score*When you apply for a personal American Express Credit Card, we will tell you whether you are eligible without affecting your credit score. So you can apply with confidence.*Instant decisions are only available for consumer Card applications (also called “personal Cards”).

Earn up to 60,000 Membership Rewards points with this welcome offer for the American Express Gold Rewards Card. That’s a value of $600 toward travel or any purchase charged to the Card:

  • 5,000 Membership Rewards points per month when you charge $1,000 in net purchases to your Card, for 12 months (a total of 60,000 points in the first year).

You can also transfer your points to airline partners such as Aeroplan, Avios (British Airways, Qatar Airways, Finnair), Flying Blue, and hotel partners (Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors).

For example, with this welcome offer, if you decide to transfer your Membership Rewards points to a partner loyalty program, you would have the choice of earning up to :

  • 60,000 Aeroplan points
  • 60,000 Avios
  • 60,000 Flying Blue Miles
  • 72,000 Marriott Bonvoy points

With this Card, you get many benefits like:

  • $100 annual travel credit
  • Priority Pass membership and 4 complimentary Plaza Premium visits per year
  • $50 NEXUS credit

You earn 2 points per dollar for travel purchases, and at:

  • gas stations
  • grocery stores
  • drugstores

And 1 point per dollar everywhere else.

Like all American Express Canada Cards, there is no minimum income requirement.

Legal

American Express is not responsible for maintaining or controlling the accuracy of the information published on this website. For full and up-to-date product information, click on the Apply now link. Terms and conditions apply.

Annual fee

Primary card$250
Additional card$50

Annual income required

Individual$0
Household$0

Conversion fees

2.5%

Earning rate

  • 2xPharmacy
  • 2xGas & EV
  • 2xTravel
  • 2xGroceries
  • 1xAll spending

Value

1st Year Value$1,555
2nd Year Value$589

Transfer partners

  • AeroplanAirline
  • British Airways ClubAirline
  • Cathay Asia MilesAirline
  • Etihad GuestAirline
  • Flying BlueAirline
  • Hilton HonorsHotel
  • Marriott BonvoyHotel

Card benefits

Airport lounge access$160

Travel insurance

Travel medical (under 55)Up to $5,000,000 / 15 days
Travel medical (55-64)Up to $5,000,000 / 15 days
Trip CancellationUp to $1,500
Trip InterruptionUp to $1,500
Delayed BaggageUp to $500
Lost BaggageUp to $500
Flight DelayUp to $500
Hotel BurglaryUp to $500
Travel AccidentUp to $500,000

Purchase protection

Purchase ProtectionIncluded
Extended Warranty+1 years
Auto Rental Collision (primary)Up to $85,000 / 48 days

Which partner programs can I use to transfer my American Express Membership Rewards Points?

American Express Canada allows you to transfer your Membership Rewards Points to several popular partner programs, including:

  • Aeroplan
  • Flying Blue (Air France/KLM) – new 1:1 ratio as of January 2026
  • Delta SkyMiles
  • British Airways Avios
  • Asia Miles – Cathay Pacific
  • Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors and ALL Accor Live Limitless for hotel programs

How to transfer my Membership Rewards Points to Flying Blue?

Log in to your American Express online account, click on « View and Redeem », then select Flying Blue. Ensure the correct Membership Rewards account is selected if you have multiple linked cards. As of January 2026, transfers to Flying Blue are at a 1:1 ratio, allowing you to accumulate miles faster for your award tickets.

How long does the transfer of Membership Rewards Points take?

The processing time depends on the partner program:

  • Flying Blue: generally 3 business days
  • Aeroplan: instant or up to 30 minutes
  • British Airways Avios: 5 business days
  • Delta SkyMiles: up to 30 minutes
  • Asia Miles: 5 business days
  • Marriott Bonvoy: instant or up to 48 hours
  • Hilton Honors: 5 business days
  • ALL Accor Live Limitless: instant or up to 48 hours

Tips for maximizing my Membership Rewards Points?

Prioritize transfers to Flying Blue at a 1:1 ratio for Canadians if you are planning award tickets.

Watch for transfer bonus promotions, especially for Marriott Bonvoy, which usually occur twice a year.

Ensure you select the correct Membership Rewards account if you have multiple Amex cards.

Combine your transfers with Flying Blue Promo Rewards offers to reduce the number of miles required for your tickets.

Go further with American Express Membership Rewards

To maximize your Membership Rewards earning, check our complete American Express Membership Rewards program guide and our best American Express Membership Rewards credit cards ranking, updated monthly by the Milesopedia team.

Our featured card

American Express Cobalt® Card

American ExpressAmex Membership Rewards
Annual fee
$191.88
Our valuation
$255

Milesopedia first-year estimateFirst-year valueWelcome bonus$255Total$255Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.

Welcome offer
Up to 15,000 points
Apply Now

on American Express's website

Apply with confidence — no impact on your credit scoreApply with confidenceCheck whether your application will be approved before you submit it, with no impact on your credit score*When you apply for a personal American Express Credit Card, we will tell you whether you are eligible without affecting your credit score. So you can apply with confidence.*Instant decisions are only available for consumer Card applications (also called “personal Cards”).

The American Express Cobalt® Card is the best credit card from American Express, whether you want points for travel or cash back.

American Express Cobalt® Card welcome offer

The welcome bonus is paid out monthly over your first 12 months. You earn 1,250 Membership Rewards points for each monthly billing period in which you charge $750 in net purchases to your card, in any category (1X, 2X, 3X or 5X). That adds up to 15,000 Membership Rewards points over the year, a welcome offer we value at $255.

Earning the full bonus means $9,000 in net purchases spread across 12 monthly billing periods. This offer rewards steady monthly spending rather than one large purchase.

You can use these points as statement credits on everyday or travel purchases, at the same rate either way: 1,000 points = $10.

You can also transfer them to Aeroplan, Avios (British Airways and Qatar Airways), Flying Blue, Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honors. With the full welcome bonus, that is a choice between:

  • 15,000 Aeroplan points
  • 15,000 Avios points
  • 15,000 Flying Blue Miles
  • 18,000 Marriott Bonvoy points

If hotel points are what you are after, our ultimate guide to Marriott Bonvoy and our complete map of Marriott Bonvoy hotels by category show what those points can actually buy.

American Express Cobalt® Card benefits

Here is what the card gives you, starting with the benefits cardholders use most.

  • 5X points on eligible eats and drinks in Canada: groceries, restaurants and bars, home food delivery and convenience stores. A spend cap applies.
  • 3X points on eligible streaming subscriptions in Canada.
  • 2X points on eligible gas, public transit and ride sharing purchases in Canada.
  • 1 additional point on eligible hotel and car rental bookings made through American Express Travel Online.
  • 1X point per dollar on everything else, with no category restrictions.
  • Points that hold the same value either way: 1,000 points = $10 as a statement credit, or a 1:1 transfer to several airline and hotel loyalty programs.
  • No minimum income requirement, as with every American Express Canada card.
  • Additional cards at no extra cost: the first and every other supplementary card is $0.
  • The Hotel Collection: a room upgrade when available, 12pm check-in and late check-out when available, and up to $100 USD in hotel credit on amenities charged to the room for a stay of two or more consecutive nights, booked through American Express Travel.
  • Front Of The Line® presale and reserved tickets for concerts and theatre performances, plus offers and events curated for cardmembers through Amex Experiences.
  • A soft credit check before you apply: you can see whether you will be approved with no impact to your credit score. This applies to American Express personal card applications.

To see how it compares with the rest of the line-up, read our round-up of the best credit cards from American Express in Canada.

The 5X categories and where they apply

The 5X rate is the reason most people carry this card. In Canada it covers four kinds of merchants:

  • Groceries: Metro, IGA, Sobeys, Super C, Safeway, Whole Foods.
  • Restaurants and bars: sit-down meals, takeout and drinks.
  • Home food delivery.
  • Convenience stores: Couche-Tard, 7-Eleven.

The 2X rate covers gas stations such as Esso, Shell and Petro-Canada, along with public transit and ride sharing.

With the American Express Cobalt® Card, you earn between 1 and 5 points per dollar:

Category Points per dollar
Grocery (Metro, IGA, Sobeys, Super C, etc.) 5
Home food delivery 5
Restaurants and bars 5
Convenience stores 5
Streaming services 3
Service station 2
Transport 2
Travel 1
Other 1

That works out to a 1 to 5% return on those purchases. For example, if you spend $1,000 per month across groceries, restaurants and food delivery, you earn $50 back per month, or $600 per year from that category alone. Transfer the points to a program such as Aeroplan instead and the return can be higher.

You can also stack these categories with the hundreds of stores that offer 5x points.

American Express Cobalt® Card insurance coverage

The card comes with a broad insurance package. The amounts below are the coverage limits; conditions, age limits and exclusions are set out in the certificate of insurance linked in the Insurance section above.

Travel insurance

  • Emergency medical: up to $5,000,000 for the first 15 days of a trip.
  • Travel accident: accidental death and dismemberment of up to $250,000 for you, your spouse and dependent children under age 23 when travelling on a common carrier (plane, train, bus or ship) and the tickets are charged to your card. Supplementary cardholders and their families are covered too.
  • Flight delay: up to $500 for necessary hotel, meal and sundry expenses bought within 48 hours when you are delayed or denied boarding for four hours or more and no other transportation is available. This $500 is an aggregate limit per occurrence, shared with missed connection and delayed baggage coverage.
  • Delayed baggage: up to $500 for essential clothing and sundries bought within four days when your outbound luggage is delayed six hours or more. This $500 is an aggregate limit per occurrence, shared with missed connection and flight delay coverage.
  • Lost or stolen baggage: up to $500 per occurrence for all insured persons combined, for checked or carry-on baggage and personal effects in transit, when the airline tickets are charged to your card. Within that limit, jewellery is capped at $300 per occurrence and golf clubs, including golf bags, at $250 per occurrence.
  • Hotel and motel burglary: up to $500 against the loss of most personal items if your hotel or motel is burglarized, when the stay is charged to your card.

Rental car insurance

Theft and damage coverage is included for a rental car with an MSRP, for its model year, of up to $85,000 excluding all taxes, for rentals of up to 48 days. To use it, decline the Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) or any similar option from the rental company and charge the full rental to your card. There is no cost for this coverage, and it replaces the daily insurance the rental company charges, usually $16 to $23 per day.

Mobile device insurance

Your device is covered for up to $1,000 per occurrence when it is charged to the card, for up to two years from the date of purchase. The payout is based on the depreciated value of the device, which falls by 2% of the purchase price for every completed month, less a 10% deductible. Theft and accidental damage coverage starts on the 91st day after purchase, because the first 90 days are covered by purchase protection.

Purchase protection and extended warranty

Eligible items charged to your card are insured against accidental physical damage or theft for 90 days from the purchase date, up to $1,000 per occurrence for all items combined. The card also extends the original manufacturer’s warranty by up to one additional year on eligible items, with indemnification limited to $10,000 per insured item and $25,000 per Cardmember per policy year for all items combined.

American Express Cobalt® Card fees

  • Card fee: $15.99 per month, which equals $191.88 per year, for residents outside Quebec. Quebec residents are billed $191.88 per year.
  • Additional cards: $0.
  • Purchase interest rate: 21.99%.
  • Cash advance interest rate: 21.99%.
  • Foreign transaction fee: 2.5%.
  • Minimum income required: none.

Because the fee is billed monthly rather than in one annual charge, you can stop and restart the cost in step with how much you are actually using the card.

Legal

American Express is not responsible for maintaining or monitoring the accuracy of information on this website. For full details and current product information, click the Apply Now link. If you apply and get approved for an American Express Card, we may receive compensation from American Express, which can be in the form of monetary payment.

Annual fee

Primary card$191.88
Additional card$0

Annual income required

Individual$0
Household$0

Conversion fees

2.5%

Earning rate

  • 5xRestaurants
  • 5xGroceries
  • 5xConvenience
  • 3xStreaming
  • 2xTransit
  • 2xGas & EV
  • 1xAll spending

Value

1st Year Value$1,828
2nd Year Value$799

Transfer partners

  • AeroplanAirline
  • British Airways ClubAirline
  • Cathay Asia MilesAirline
  • Etihad GuestAirline
  • Flying BlueAirline
  • Hilton HonorsHotel
  • Marriott BonvoyHotel

Travel insurance

Travel medical (under 55)Up to $5,000,000 / 15 days
Travel medical (55-64)Up to $5,000,000 / 15 days
Delayed BaggageUp to $500
Lost BaggageUp to $500
Flight DelayUp to $500
Hotel BurglaryUp to $500
Travel AccidentUp to $250,000

Purchase protection

Purchase ProtectionUp to $1,000 / 90 days
Extended Warranty+1 years
Mobile DeviceUp to $1,000 / 2 years
Auto Rental Collision (primary)Up to $85,000 / 48 days

Our editorial integrity

Our reviews and rankings are based on an objective assessment. Advertisers do not influence our content. We may receive compensation through some links; our analysis and opinions remain independent.