MileValue is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
Note: Some of the offers mentioned below may have changed or are no longer be available. You can view current offers here.
Through January 14, you can transfer 1,000 Membership Rewards to 1,300 Avios. The transfer are hard-coded into the Membership Rewards transfer page, meaning you don’t have to know any special codes.
All my posts about Avios are contained here: milevalue.com/category/avios. The one-sentence cliff notes are to use Avios for direct itineraries, ideally short flights, and do what you can to avoid the nasty surcharges.
Incredible redemptions include 12,500 + $2.50 oneway from the west coast to Hawaii, 7,500 Avios and $33 from Johannesburg to Capetown, and 4,500 Avios +$2.50 on any American flight under 650 miles.
Here is a list of Avios redemptions from three cities:
Avios bookings of AA economy grant priority AAccess to security.
I won’t transfer speculatively because Avios transfer bonuses are frequent and this year has seen 50% and 40%. But this is currently the best value for Membership Rewards.
Hat Tip One Mile at a Time
Just getting started in the world of points and miles? The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best card for you to start with.
With a bonus of 60,000 points after $4,000 spend in the first 3 months, 5x points on travel booked through the Chase Travel℠ and 3x points on restaurants, streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), this card truly cannot be beat for getting started!
Editorial Disclaimer: The editorial content is not provided or commissioned by the credit card issuers. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of the credit card issuers, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuers.
The comments section below is not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all questions are answered.
One of the major benefits to me is the possibility of using Avios for unexpected last-minute flights on AA, since there are no close-in fees. Earlier this year I unexpectedly needed to fly domestically with 24 hours notice due to a death in the family. My choices were:
9k Avios
25k AAdvantage miles plus a close-in booking fee
$600 cash
Great value with Avios.