You'll Soon Be Able to Transfer Amex Points to Aer Lingus
What makes American Express Membership Rewards points so valuable is the flexibility they provide. Right now, you can transfer them to 16 frequent flyer programs, and two hotel partners. And soon, that roster of airlines will be even greater.
Beginning later in August, Membership Rewards-earning cardholders will be able to transfer their points directly to AerClub, the loyalty program of Aer Lingus. As with the other Avios programs that Amex points can be transferred to, the transfers will be at a 1:1 ratio, and in increments in 1,000 points.
Because Aer Lingus' AerClub uses a distance-based award chart, the new program could offer US-based travelers the opportunity for some valuable redemptions. For instance, based on the award chart, you can fly from New York (JFK), Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD) or Toronto (YYZ) to Dublin (DUB) in the off-peak season for just 13,000 Avios one-way in economy (20,000 one-way in peak season) or 50,000 Avios one-way in business (60,000 one-way in peak season). Plus, unlike British Airways, Aer Lingus doesn't charge outrageous fuel surcharges for awards.
With the addition of Aer Lingus, Amex cardholders who earn Membership Rewards points will have the option to transfer points to 17 airline partners and two hotel partners. Airline partners include: Aer Lingus AerClub (as of later this month), Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Alitalia MilleMiglia, All Nippon Airways Mileage Club, British Airways Executive Club, Cathay Pacifc Asia Miles, Delta SkyMiles, El Al Matmid, Emirates Skywards, Etihad Guest, Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles, Iberia Plus, JetBlue TrueBlue, Singapore KrisFlyer and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. Hotel partners include Choice Privileges and Hilton Honors.
Aer Lingus will be the newest airline partner for Membership Rewards since Etihad Guest was launched in 2016. It's always been possible to transfer points to the British Airways Avios program, and then transfer British Airways Avios to AerClub, but with the new direct transfer, redemptions will be simpler.
As a reminder, AerClub is also a 1:1 transfer partner of the Chase Ultimate Rewards program. While AerClub has some fantastic sweet spots, as always, we never recommend transferring points or miles until you have a specific redemption in mind.
