The Ultimate Guide to Amex Canada Transfer Partners

Amex Canada transfer partners are what make American Express Membership Rewards one of the most flexible loyalty programs in the country. You can move points from eligible Amex Canada credit cards to 5 airline programs and 2 hotel programs, including Aeroplan.

Before you convert, you'll want to review the point values to ensure you're getting the most for them.

This article lists all your transfer partner options and shows the transfer rate, so you can make an informed decision about which option best fits your preferences.

What are Amex Canada transfer partners?

Put simply, Amex Canada transfer partners are rewards programs in Canada that accept the transfer of Amex Membership Points.

There's a lot to love about the American Express Rewards program. Purchases made with an Amex card earn you points towards travel, cash back, hotel stays, and more. But if you're a member of another loyalty program – say, Aeroplan – and want to boost your points, Amex allows you to transfer points to partner programs.

Beware: Not all point transfers give you equal value.

All Amex Canada transfer partners

The Amex Canada transfer partners currently include 5 airlines and 2 hotel groups. We looked at the transfer rates and restrictions of each to help you decide whether transferring your Amex Rewards points is worth it.

Air Canada Aeroplan

Transfer rate: 1:1

Read our guide: Air Canada's Aeroplan Rewards Program

Aeroplan might be one of the most widely recognized transfer partners for Amex. It gives you a straight transfer of points and access to Star Alliance, an extensive network of airlines serving 190 countries.

Of all the transfer partner options, Aeroplan gives you the best value when you redeem points for flights – up to 1.75 cents per point (CPP). This makes it our top transfer pick.

We do want to point out that while Aeroplan points values have recently decreased, Aeroplan remains your best option for moving your Amex points.

Air France KLM Flying Blue

Transfer rate: 1:1

Read our guide: Your Guide to Air France KLM Flying Blue

Flying Blue reward members can transfer points at an equal rate, and the points retain good value when used for flights. Air France is a major international airline, as is KLM – Air France flies to nearly 1,000 destinations and KLM to roughly 160.

Our research shows reward flights valued at up to 2.89 CPP.

Note that it can take up to 3 days to transfer points.

British Airways Club

Transfer rate: 1:1

Read our guide: Your Guide to the British Airways Club

Like Aeroplan, you can transfer your Amex points 1:1 for the British Airways Club points. While it can take up to 5 days for your transfer to be completed, 1,000 Membership Points will give you 1,000 Avios.

BA points are worth an average of 2.5 CPP when redeemed for flights on British Airways, according to our research – and as a oneworld alliance member, you should have lots of flight options.

Cathay Pacific

Transfer rate: 1:0.75

Read our guide: Your Guide to Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

If you frequently fly in Asia, you may already be a Cathay Pacific Asia Miles member. Cathay Pacific flies directly to 2 Canadian cities — Toronto and Vancouver — and, thanks to partner airline connections, reaches 14+ Canadian cities in total. Internationally, Cathay has a huge network of over 200 destinations.

You will lose some immediate point value when you transfer Amex points, and it may take up to 5 days for the transfer to go through. But, if you use your Cathay points towards flights, their value holds up well: you'll get an average of 2.9 CPP.

Delta SkyMiles

Transfer rate: 1:0.75

Read our guide: Your Guide to the Delta SkyMiles Program

Your points will lose 25% of their value when you transfer them to Delta SkyMiles, but SkyMiles are worth an average of 2.32 CPP when used towards vacation packages and a respectable 2 CPP when used for flights.

Delta has an extensive airline network, and it only takes around 30 minutes to transfer Amex points.

Hilton Honors

Transfer rate: 1:1

Read our guide: How to Maximize the Hilton Honors Program

At first glance, the Hilton Honors program might look like a good transfer program – after all, it's a 1:1 ratio, and you'll have hundreds of properties to choose from.

Unfortunately, the most you'll get for your points is a value of 0.58 CPP with Hilton Honors. Luckily, if you book with the Amex Hotel Collection instead, you'll retain a value of 1 CPP – and trust us, you won't be short on hotel options.

Marriott Bonvoy

Transfer rate: 5:6

Read our guide: How to Maximize the Marriott Bonvoy Rewards Program

Marriott Bonvoy is the only partner on our list that gives you more points for what you transfer – 20% more, to be exact. But Marriott Bonvoy points are worth significantly less than Amex ones, offering just 0.97 CPP on average for hotel stays.

As we suggest above, if you want to use your Amex Membership Points for accommodation, you're best to look at options in the Amex Hotel Collection – or even use Pay with Points to cover the cost of the hotel charged to your credit card, which offers a value of 1 CPP.

How to transfer Amex Membership Points

Here are the steps to follow if you want to exchange your Membership points with Amex Canada transfer partners:

• Log in to your Amex rewards account.
• Click on the "Use Points" tab.
• Scroll down to "Transfer Points" to pull up your current options.

At this point, you'll see the various transfer partners, each with a brief description, plus a helpful calculator that lets you estimate how much your Amex points are worth after the transfer.

Should you transfer your Amex Membership Rewards to partner programs?

If you're booking flights and already participate in an airline rewards program, you'll often get a better deal by transferring your Amex Membership Rewards to that loyalty program.

The math has changed slightly on whether you should book travel using the Amex Fixed Point Travel program.

It's now the best option for redeeming points, since you'll get a steady 1.75 CPP. On the other hand, transferring points to a partner program (specifically Aeroplan) only gives you 1.6 CPP.

If you do choose to transfer points, be sure to give yourself enough time for the transaction to process before you confirm a booking.

Can you transfer Canadian Membership Rewards to U.S. partners?

The short answer is no, you can't make a straight transfer of points from your Canadian card to an Amex U.S. partner. This is because Amex in Canada is issued by a completely different banking entity.

That said, there is a workaround if you're set on transferring your Canadian points to access Amex's U.S. partners – but you must also hold a U.S. Amex card. First, call the customer service number on the back of your Canadian card and request an international points transfer. They'll use the current exchange rate, so you may not get a 1:1 transfer.

You can only complete 1 international transfer every 12 months, and the process can take up to 2 weeks to complete.

FAQ

What are the Amex transfer partners in Canada?

In Canada, the Amex transfer partners include 2 hotel programs and 5 airline programs. Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy are the hotel programs. The airline programs are Aeroplan, British Airways Executive Club, Delta SkyMiles, Cathay Pacific, and Air France/KLM Flying Blue.

Which are the best Amex transfer partners?

Even with a recent drop in value, Aeroplan is the best of the Amex Canada transfer partners. To squeeze the most value from your Aeroplan points, be sure to book a flight during the off-season, where you're more likely to hit the higher end of the range of what your points are worth.

How do I decide which are the best transfer partners for my American Express points?

To decide which Amex Canada transfer partner is best for you, consider what you want to get out of your points. If you're hoping to book flights, narrow down the airlines you may want to fly with. Then, see which rewards programs they participate in and transfer your points to the program, if possible.

How many Amex airline partners are there?

American Express currently partners with 5 airline programs: Aeroplan, British Airways Executive Club, Delta SkyMiles, Cathay Pacific, and Air France/KLM Flying Blue. Amex Canada also allows members to transfer to 2 hotel programs, which are Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy.

Are the Amex U.S. transfer partners different from the Canadian partners?

Yes, those with U.S.-based Amex cards can transfer to 10 airlines or 3 hotels—the same Canadian options plus Radisson Rewards, Emirates Skywards, Malaysia Airlines Enrich, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, SAS EuroBonus, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.