Amex transfer bonus: 30% more points on Marriott transfers (targeted)

INSIDER SECRET: You can transfer your Amex points directly to the frequent-flyer account of anyone who is an authorized user on your Amex account, but that person will have to have been an authorized user for at least 90 days.

Amex is targeting accounts for a 30% transfer bonus to Marriott through Oct. 31, 2019. If you need to top off your Marriott account so you can make award reservations before peak and off-peak pricing is introduced on September 14, then this Amex transfer bonus is good news.

But for the most part, Amex Membership Rewards points transfers to Marriott aren’t the best option for your points because Marriott points aren’t as valuable as other partners, like Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Avianca or Etihad.

Current Amex Transfer Bonus Deals

Here is a list of the current Amex transfer bonuses which are targeted to cards that earn Amex Membership Rewards points, like the following:

Card   Welcome Bonus & Minimum Spending Requirements
Up to 75,000 Amex Membership Rewards points

50,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $10,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of opening your account, plus earn an extra 25,000 Amex Membership Rewards points after spending an additional $10,000 on qualifying purchases within the first 3 months of opening your account. Terms Apply.

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express No welcome bonus
The Platinum Card® from American Express

60,000 Amex Membership Rewards points after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of opening your account. Terms Apply.
American Express® Gold Card 35,000 Amex Membership Rewards points after spending $2,000 in the first 3 months of account opening. Terms Apply.
American Express® Business Gold Card Ends November 06 2019: Limited Time Offer- Earn up to $500 in statement credits by purchasing qualifying services with FedEx within the first 3 months of account opening. Terms Apply.
Business Green Rewards Card from American Express 5,000 Amex Membership Rewards points after your first purchase on the card within the first year of card membership. Terms Apply.
Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card from American Express
Card Image Not Available 15,000 Amex Membership Rewards points after spending $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of opening your account. Terms Apply.
Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express Card Image Not Available 10,000 Amex Membership Rewards points after spending $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of opening your account. Terms Apply.

The information for the Amex EveryDay Preferred Credit Card and Amex EveryDay Credit Card has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

To see which deals your Amex Membership Rewards account is eligible for follow these steps:

  1. Log into your Amex account
  2. Select one of your cards that earns Amex points
  3. Click “Explore Rewards”
  4. Then select “Transfer Points”
  5. To see all your transfer options click “View All”

Any transfer partner that is targeted for a bonus will have the offer listed, like this Marriott bonus my account has qualified for.

Marriott 30% Amex transfer bonus (targeted)

Expiration date: Oct. 31, 2019

Transfer ratio: 1,000:1,300

Good deal or not:

In most cases, transferring Amex points to Marriott isn’t the best option because Marriott points are usually worth ~0.7-0.9 per Amex point depending on the redemption. So unless you need to top off your Marriott account to book an award I would skip this one.

Avios 40% Amex transfer bonus to British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus

Expiration date: Oct. 1, 2019

Transfer ratio: 1,000:1,400

Good deal or not:

This transfer bonus applies to Iberia, British Airways and Aer Lingus. The biggest drawback with these frequent-flyer programs is the potentially high surcharges that get tacked onto award flights. However, there are ways to avoid or mitigate these fees. For example, you can book short-haul domestic American Airlines flights through British Airways and you’ll only pay $11.20 per round-trip ticket. Also, Iberia tends to have cheaper fees than British Airways for certain flights.

Even though all three programs use Avios points each one has a separate award chart. Some sweet spots include:

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Featured image by Jer123/Shutterstock.