American Express Membership Rewards Adds Qantas as Its 19th Airline Transfer Partner
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
American Express Membership Rewards points are already one of the most valuable transferable currencies in TPG valuations due to the wide range of valuable transfer partners. And now, MR points just got a little more valuable with the addition of a new 1:1 airline transfer partner: Qantas.
As discovered Friday morning by Dan's Deals, the Oneworld airline was added to the list of transfer partners on the Membership Rewards website:
While Membership Rewards typically requires members to transfer points to partners in increments of 1,000 MR points, you can transfer points from Membership Rewards to Qantas in increments of 500 points. That can be especially helpful for when you need to top off your Qantas account for a redemption.
Even better, in TPG testing, the points are transferring immediately from Membership Rewards to Qantas.
This addition makes 22 transfer partners of American Express Membership Rewards -- 19 airline programs and 3 hotel programs. TPG currently values Membership Rewards points at 2 cents apiece, but he doesn't have a valuation of Qantas Points (yet).
This adds a fourth option for accumulating or topping off your Qantas account. Membership Rewards joins Citi ThankYou Points (1:1 ratio, 2-day transfer), Marriott Bonvoy (3:1 ratio, <48-hour transfer time) and Capital One (2:1.5 ratio, 24-hour transfer time).
How to Transfer Miles
As noted above, you can transfer Membership Rewards points to Qantas in increments of 500 points at a 1:1 rate. But first, you'll need to link your Qantas account to Membership Rewards before you can transfer. I was able to instantly link my accounts.
For the test, I chose the minimum transfer of 500 points:
When I initiated the transfer, I received the following message:
We are processing your points transfer to Qantas Frequent Flyer. For Qantas, transfers normally occur immediately, but please allow up to 48 hours.
By the time that I logged out of my Qantas loyalty account and logged back in, the points had already posted -- confirming that the transfer was indeed immediate:
How to Earn Membership Rewards Points
If you're excited about this new transfer partner, there are currently some lucrative ways of earning Membership Rewards points:
- The Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on the Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Plus, earn 10x points on eligible purchases on the Card at restaurants worldwide and when you Shop Small in the U.S., on up to $25,000 in combined purchases, during your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- American Express® Gold Card: 60,000 Membership Rewards points welcome bonus for spending $4,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. Plus earn 4x points at restaurants and at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases; then 1x) and 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 120,000 points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of card membership. Additionally, earn 5x points on flights and prepaid hotels on American Express Travel.
TPG featured card
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| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Delta SkyClub access when flying Delta
- Annual companion ticket for travel on Delta (upon renewal)
- Ability to earn MQDs through spending
- Various statement credits for eligible purchases
Cons
- Steep annual fee of $650
- Other Delta cobranded cards offer superior earning categories
- Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 04/01/2026.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you’ll receive four One-Time Guest Passes each Medallion Year so you can share the experience with family and friends when traveling Delta together.
- Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. and select international locations (as set forth on the Centurion Lounge Website), Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. (see the Centurion Lounge Website for more information on Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge availability), and Escape Lounges when flying on a Delta flight booked with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. § To access Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 90 minutes of their departing flight (including layovers). To access The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 3 hours of their departing flight. Effective July 8, 2026, during a layover, Card Members must arrive within 5 hours of the connecting flight.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
- Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
- $240 Resy Credit: When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card for eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants, you can earn up to $20 each month in statement credits. Enrollment required.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- With your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, receive upgrade priority over others with the same Medallion tier, product and fare experience purchased, and Million Miler milestone when you fly with Delta.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees