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The best cards for earning American Express Membership Rewards

American express membership rewards transfer partners, how to transfer amex membership rewards points, the best amex membership rewards transfer partners, other options, what to know about transferring amex points to partners, amex transfer partners: full list of airlines and hotels for 2024.

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• American Express Membership Rewards points are among the most valuable card rewards you can earn. 
• You'll usually get the most value from Amex points by transferring them to airline and hotel partners.
• Airline partners like Air Canada and Virgin Atlantic can help you get the best value on first-class award flights. 
• Read Insider's guide to the best travel rewards credit cards .

When it comes to transferable credit card rewards points , you might automatically think of Chase Ultimate Rewards ® or Capital One miles . But the American Express Membership Rewards program was one of the first points currencies to allow folks with associated credit cards to convert their hard-earned rewards into miles and points with various airline and hotel partners.

In fact, the Amex Membership Rewards program debuted way back in 1991 with just seven US airline partners. Today, Membership Rewards works with 17 frequent flyer programs and three hotel loyalty programs. Those numbers are impressive in and of themselves – consider, Chase has just 14 partners total, and Citi ThankYou Rewards has 16.

What sets Amex apart even more, however, is the excellent quality of its partners, and the myriad redemption opportunities they represent.

Here is a comprehensive guide to American Express transfer partners and how to get the most value from your points when taking advantage of them.

We're focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won't be worth it if you're paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it's important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.

Limited time offer: Earn 10X Membership Rewards® Points at restaurants worldwide for three months, on up to $25,000 in purchases when eligible card member refers a friend and the friend applies by May 22, 2024 and gets the card (terms apply). Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 per calendar year) and on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. Earn 1X Points on other purchases.

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Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® points

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• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Long list of travel benefits, including airport lounge access and complimentary elite status with Hilton and Marriott (enrollment required)
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Annual statement credits with Saks and Uber
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Bonus categories leave something to be desired
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. One of the highest annual fees among premium travel cards

If you want as many premium travel perks as possible, The Platinum Card® from American Express could be the right card for you. The annual fee is high, but you get a long list of benefits such as airport lounge access, travel statement credits, complimentary hotel elite status, and more.

• Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card®, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.
• Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
• $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card®. Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Plus Up Benefits are excluded.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card®.
• $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only. Terms Apply.
• $300 Equinox Credit: Get up to $300 back in statement credits per calendar year on an Equinox membership, or an Equinox club membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you pay with your Platinum Card®. Enrollment required. Visit https://platinum.equinox.com/ to enroll.
• $189 CLEAR® Plus Credit: Breeze through security with CLEAR Plus at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues nationwide and get up to $189 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Platinum Card®. Learn more.
• $100 Global Entry Credit: Receive either a $100 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card®. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
• Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card®. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
• $300 SoulCycle At-Home Bike Credit: Get a $300 statement credit for the purchase of a SoulCycle at-home bike with your Platinum Card®. An Equinox+ subscription is required to purchase a SoulCycle at-home bike and access SoulCycle content. Must charge full price of bike in one transaction. Shipping available in the contiguous U.S. only. Enrollment Required.
• Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Platinum Card® to your Resy profile.
• $695 annual fee.
• Terms Apply.

Before you can redeem Amex points, you've actually got to earn them. Only a handful of Amex cards – both business and personal – rack up Membership Rewards points. Other Amex rewards cards earn either cash back, hotel points with programs including Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy , or airline miles with programs such as Delta SkyMiles .

The following personal American Express cards earn Membership Rewards points: 

And the following business cards earn Amex Membership Rewards points:

Now for a quick rundown of the current lineup of Amex Membership Rewards transfer partners.

You can transfer your Amex points to all of the following airline and hotel partners. Points transfer to many of these instantaneously, though some transactions might take a few business days to process.

Most transfer ratios are 1 Membership Rewards point to 1 airline mile or hotel point, but those that vary have been noted.

Once you start looking into booking awards using partner miles or points, your next step will be to actually transfer your Amex points to a partner program.

In order to do so, log in to your Amex account online. Click on the "Rewards" tab, and you should see your points balance and various options including one with an arrow that says, "Transfer Points." You will be redirected to a page that lists the various partner programs and the current conversion ratios.

Before you can initiate a transfer, you must link your Membership Rewards account to your various frequent flyer and hotel accounts. Doing so is as simple as clicking on the partner you want to use, then entering your credit card's security code and four-digit ID as well as your account number with the partner. Once you link accounts, you should be able to transfer whenever you like.

One thing to keep in mind: American Express also periodically offers transfer bonuses that tend to range from 20% to 40% to various partners. It's worth checking on available transfer bonuses from time to time, or taking advantage of ones you come across in order to get even more value from your points.

Before you get too overwhelmed with the number of transfer partners and all the points possibilities, here are the nine that deserve the most attention, with some examples of what makes them such fantastic options.

Just a quick note on some of the numbers, airlines, flight cabins, and routes cited here: These are accurate as of the time of publication, but are subject to any fleet and network changes individual airlines make, as well as government-imposed travel restrictions.

Air Canada Aeroplan

Air Canada Aeroplan has had a few ups and downs in recent years, including being spun off then reacquired by Air Canada. In late 2020, the airline introduced several major changes, but its award charts have not changed much, so its points have largely retained their value. Thus, Aeroplan remains one of the best frequent flyer programs for those who want to redeem their Amex points for flights on Star Alliance carriers such as United, Lufthansa, SWISS, and EVA Air.

Aeroplan's new award formula includes 10 distance-based charts for travel within and between four regions: North America, Atlantic, Pacific, South America.

Yes, it's a bit convoluted. In general, though, economy flight redemptions are a solid bet, and you should keep your eye out for specific premium award opportunities – especially in light of the fact that Aeroplan has eliminated fuel surcharges that used to range into the thousands of dollars.

Here are three possibilities based on both the distances of specific routes and the partner airlines you can fly:

• You only need 55,000 points each way for business class on ANA from either Vancouver or Seattle to Tokyo Haneda. For comparison, United would charge you 88,000 MileagePlus miles.
• Likewise, business class on Lufthansa or SWISS between Europe and several airports in the eastern US should cost just 60,000 Aeroplan points but would require 77,000 United miles.
• Finally, thanks to that same distance-based formula, you can book coach tickets between the West Coast of the US and Canada and Hawaii starting at 12,500 points each way versus 22,500 United miles – that's nearly twice as many miles!

Air France-KLM Flying Blue

Flying Blue is the mileage program of numerous airlines including not only Air France and KLM, but also carriers like Kenya Airways and TAROM. Members can also redeem their miles for flights on SkyTeam partners like Delta, Aeromexico, and Korean Air, among other partners.

Though Flying Blue levies hundreds of dollars in fuel surcharges for flights to and from Europe, there are still a couple of reasons to recommend the program.

First, it offers monthly rotating "Promo Rewards" with discounts of 20% to 50% off award pricing between certain cities and regions. In real terms, that means rewards for under 11,000 miles each way between North America and Europe in economy, or 28,750 miles in business class — if you can find them. Those numbers are hard to beat.

But even on a regular basis, Flying Blue members seem to have a lot more access to premium awards on both Air France and KLM than they would with other programs, such as Delta SkyMiles.

ANA Mileage Club

Getting back to Star Alliance for a moment, you can find some phenomenal possibilities by transferring your miles to All Nippon Airways' underrated frequent flyer program.

Without getting too bogged down in the details, Mileage Club does have a few important restrictions. Awards must be booked round-trip, though there's some flexibility thanks to open-jaw and stopover allowances. But the real beauty of the program is just how few miles you need even for the most premium experiences in the skies.

For example, you would need just 88,000 miles round-trip to fly business class on airlines like SAS and TAP Portugal between North America and Europe. Want to bump it up to first class on an airline like Lufthansa? That'll cost you 165,000 miles round-trip. Sure, that's still a lot of miles, but it's a far cry from the 242,000 miles United would charge you.

You could fly from North America to most of Asia for 85,000 to 95,000 miles round-trip in business class on Star Alliance carriers like Asiana or EVA, or 150,000 to 180,000 in first class. Yes, that's a lot of miles, but is still around half what other airlines' frequent flyer programs would charge.

Interested in taking either United's new services between Newark and either Cape Town or Johannesburg? You would need just 104,000 miles round-trip in business class with ANA, versus 176,000 United miles, or 170,000 Aeroplan miles.

British Airways Executive Club

Thanks to a distance-based award formula that can result in exorbitant pricing for long-haul flights in premium cabins, some folks might shy away from transferring Amex points to British Airways . However, Executive Club has offered some of the most frequent transfer bonuses of any Amex partner, and is still an excellent choice for certain short-haul awards (flights that are about three hours or less).

Flying from the West Coast of the US to Hawaii will only cost you 13,000 Avios each way in economy on either American Airlines or Alaska Airlines, versus 15,000 to 22,500 using either of those carriers' miles. Likewise, using Avios to book shorter flights within Asia on Cathay Pacific, within Australia on Qantas, or from Miami or Dallas to the Caribbean on American Airlines can be a good way to save money on routes that can be expensive to book using cash.

You can also get from Los Angeles or San Francisco to Tokyo for just 27,750 miles each way in economy on JAL, or from Boston to Dublin on Aer Lingus for just 13,000 miles each way at off-peak times. Keep in mind that you can transfer Avios between British Airways Executive Club, Aer Lingus AerClub, and Iberia Plus for even more options, including some with lower surcharges on flights to and from Europe.

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

While this Hong Kong-based airline's award chart won't be for everyone, if you're positively raking in the Amex points thanks to bonuses and spending, you might want to splurge with a few redemptions.

Like American Airlines AAdvantage , Asia Miles will charge you 70,000 miles each way in business class or 110,000 miles in first between the West Coast of the US (and Canada) and Hong Kong. The reason you might want to use Asia Miles instead of AAdvantage (or Alaska Mileage Plan miles, for that matter), is that it's easier to come by award space using the airline's own frequent flyer program rather than a partner, and unlike American and Alaska, you can transfer points from Amex as well as other card programs.

Another great premium possibility is to use 75,000 Asia Miles each way for Qatar Airways' outstanding business class between its hub at Doha and certain destinations within the US, including Boston, Chicago, New York-JFK, and Philadelphia.

Delta SkyMiles

Although Delta has made drastic changes to its award program over the past decade, it's still one of Amex's standout transfer partners for a number of reasons. First, it's the largest US carrier on the list, it's part of SkyTeam, and it also boasts non-alliance partners like Virgin Atlantic, so you can use Delta SkyMiles in a variety of ways.

That said, Delta has done its best lately to peg the value of SkyMiles to about 1 cent each, especially for awards on Delta itself. So use your Amex points for cheaper economy tickets that can cost as little as 5,000 miles each, or simply to top up your account with a few thousand miles here and there for specific tickets you are certain you will need to book in the near future (especially if that bumps you up from economy to business class).

Etihad Guest

Due to a clunky online interface and the fact that you have to call customer service to book awards on partner airlines, you might want to avoid Etihad Guest in general, unless you can pinpoint a few specific awards.

However, the carrier has a lot of interesting airline partners, including American Airlines, Air New Zealand, ANA, Korean Air, and Royal Air Maroc, among others. The airline also offers occasional award sales, bringing the price of some tickets down even further.

In general, though, here are two great awards you could consider transferring Amex points for:

• First, you can snag a one-way, one-segment business-class ticket on Royal Air Maroc, including between the US and Morocco, for just 44,000 miles.
• Second, Etihad makes first-class award space much more easily available to its own mileage program members than those of partners, including American Airlines AAdvantage. So if you want a shot at one of Etihad's fabulous first-class suites between Abu Dhabi and either the US or Europe, you'll probably want to start hoarding Amex points for a transfer to Etihad Guest.

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

Singapore Airlines partners with several of the other major transferable points programs, including Chase Ultimate Rewards,   Citi ThankYou Rewards , and Capital One , so before you transfer Amex points, consider what other options you have. That said, there are a few redemption sweet spots to be aware of.

Economy awards between North America and Hawaii on either United or Air Canada are priced at a reasonable 19,500 miles each way, while flying business class within North America on either of those carriers is 26,000 miles each way.

But the real reason you might want to transfer Amex points to KrisFlyer is to redeem them for business- or first-class flights on Singapore Airlines itself, since the airline is very stingy with releasing award space to partners.

Sure, flights cost a lot of miles – flying business class on the world's current longest flight from Newark to Singapore will set you back 111,500 miles each way, or first class from New York-JFK to Frankfurt will require 97,000 miles — but spending some time in the lap of luxury could well be worth it.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points are useful for partner award flights, some of which you can book for fewer points compared to other programs. The program will soon become more useful, as Virgin Atlantic will join the SkyTeam alliance in 2023 .

Among the best examples are using just 50,000 miles to fly Delta One Suites between the US and Europe (except the UK), or 60,000 miles between the US and Asia – a bargain considering you'd need at least 85,000 Delta SkyMiles for either option. You might also want to use 90,000 to 95,000 of them to fly ANA's gorgeous new business-class suites round-trip between the US or Europe and Japan, or 110,000 to 120,000 miles to fly first class.

Now that we've gotten the best partners out of the way, here are the details on the rest and why might or might not want to transfer your hard-earned Amex points to them.

Aer Lingus AerClub: In reality, Aer Lingus AerClub is linked to British Airways Executive Club, so it's relatively easy to transfer your Avios between accounts, but why add another layer of complexity to your rewards strategy? Aeromexico Club Premier: Although the transfer ratio to Aeromexico might seem favorable, and there are sometimes transfer bonuses, the Club Premier award chart lacks any truly great redemption opportunities. Avianca LifeMiles: While this program offers some fabulous award opportunities on Avianca's Star Alliance partners, its booking engine is not the most reliable, and its customer service reps can be hard to reach.  Emirates Skywards: Emirates reduced the sky-high fuel surcharges it once tacked onto its award tickets, but mileage prices are still astronomical, especially for sought-after seats in first and business class. Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles: While this program can come in handy specifically for tickets within Hawaii and between the islands and the US mainland, you might be better off simply getting one of Hawaiian Airlines' co-branded credit cards to enjoy extra earnings and perks. Iberia Plus: Another partner linked to British Airways Avios, Iberia's mileage program is a great way to save on fuel surcharges, and does have some excellent award options between the US and Europe, including certain business-class tickets that cost as few as 34,000 Avios. However, its search engine can be hard to use, and customer service is almost non-existent, so do your homework before transferring Amex points here. JetBlue TrueBlue: Folks can get a lot of value from TrueBlue points for flights on JetBlue, but the conversion ratio of 5 Amex points to 4 TrueBlue points takes it out of the running as a truly great transfer partner. Qantas Frequent Flyer: You might find some good deals redeeming Qantas miles for expensive flights on the airline's own metal within Australia and the South Pacific, but award prices for flights beyond that are jaw-droppingly high for the most part.

Choice Privileges: Booking some budget stays in the near future? Choice points could come in handy, but are unlikely to be a frequent transfer option for more aspirational travelers. Hilton Honors: Amex points convert to Hilton Honors points at a 1:2 ratio, which is great on the surface. But if you're interested in Hilton stays and perks, you should probably apply for a co-branded Hilton card instead . For instance, the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is currently offering 150,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the card within your first six months of card membership, and it confers automatic top-tier Hilton Honors Diamond elite status , statement credits at Hilton Resorts and on certain eligible stays at Waldorf Astoria and Conrad properties, plus a free night reward each account year. Marriott Bonvoy: Considering the paltry 1:1 conversion ratio and Marriott's excellent stable of co-branded credit cards , you might want to avoid Amex transfers and instead apply for a product like the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card . It's currently offering new cardholders 5 Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first three months from your account opening, plus benefits like automatic Gold elite status, 6 points per dollar on eligible Marriott purchases, 3 points per dollar on dining, gas, and groceries (on up to $6,000 in combined purchases each year), and 2 points per dollar on other eligible purchases.

American Express Membership Rewards points are among the most valuable and versatile travel rewards out there. That's thanks not only to the sheer number of airline and hotel loyalty programs cardholders can transfer their points to, but also to the variety of excellent redemption opportunities available.

The key to optimizing Membership Rewards points is to pick a credit card that will earn the most of them on the things you tend to purchase most frequently. And then, on the other side of the travel rewards equation, you will want to focus on just a few of the transfer partners with the best redemption opportunities for your needs and goals.

Once you pinpoint the right card and the right partners, you should be able to make strategic transfers and enjoy excellent award flights and hotel stays.

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.

Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews, or recommendations expressed in this article are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Read our editorial standards .

Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.

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How to Transfer AmEx Membership Rewards Points to Airlines and Hotels

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1. Link your airline or hotel account

2. transfer membership rewards points to airlines and hotels.

You've diligently used your American Express card and saved up the Membership Rewards points needed for that trip you want to book. The next step is transferring points to airline and hotel loyalty programs so you can book the trip.

Whether it's your first time transferring points or you're experienced with points and miles, how to transfer Membership Rewards points to airlines and hotels may not be a straightforward process. Unlike when transferring other bank points, AmEx requires that you verify card details. You'll also need to link your loyalty accounts in a separate process before initiating the transfer.

But, no need to worry. We've got a comprehensive step-by-step guide to walk you through the process of how to transfer AmEx Membership Rewards points to airlines and hotels.

AmEx Membership Rewards points transfer partners and rates

American Express Membership Rewards currently transfer to 20 airline and hotel loyalty programs . Membership Rewards points transfer to 17 of these airline and hotel partners at a 1:1 transfer rate.

Aer Lingus (1:1 ratio).

AeroMexico (1:1.6 ratio).

Air Canada. (1:1 ratio).

Air France/KLM (1:1 ratio).

ANA (1:1 ratio).

Avianca (1:1 ratio).

British Airways (1:1 ratio).

Cathay Pacific (1:1 ratio)

Delta Air Lines (1:1 ratio).

Emirates (1:1 ratio).

Etihad Airways (1:1 ratio).

Hawaiian Airlines (1:1 ratio).

Iberia Plus (1:1 ratio).

JetBlue Airways (2.5:2 ratio).

Qantas (1:1 ratio).

Qatar Airways (1:1 ratio).

Singapore Airlines (1:1 ratio).

Virgin Atlantic Airways (1:1 ratio).

Choice Hotels (1:1 ratio).

Hilton Hotels & Resorts (1:2 ratio).

Marriott Hotels & Resorts (1:1 ratio).

For details on transfer ratios, see AmEx's website .

Based on user reports and various travel sites, point transfers are often immediate for most of these partners. AmEx itself shares that transfer times can typically take 48 hours, with actual posting to the new account delayed at times. The partners that most often have a one to two (or more) day wait for transfers are AeroMexico, ANA, Asia Miles, Iberia or Singapore.

» Learn more: The best airline and hotel rewards loyalty programs this year

Tips before transferring Membership Rewards points

Before we show you how to transfer Membership Rewards points to airlines and hotels, here's a few tips to consider before transferring points.

Check award availability first

American Express point transfers are one-way and irreversible. And airline and hotel loyalty programs can devalue loyalty programs without notice. So, it's best practice to wait until you're ready to book an award flight or reward stay before transferring points.

Check ahead of the transfer that the flight or hotel stay you want is currently bookable with points. For programs with dynamic pricing, checking award rates will also let you figure out how many points you'll need to transfer.

Since most Membership Rewards point transfers are instant, your points or miles should be ready to go soon after you check availability. If you’re looking to book on a program known for longer transfer times, just make sure to account for that time in your planning.

Figure out which transfer partner is best

If you're planning to book a Delta award flight, you might assume that transferring Membership Rewards points to Delta SkyMiles is your best option. And it might be. However, it's worth checking other options.

You can use Flying Blue miles , Virgin Atlantic points , or even AeroMexico Club Premier points to book Delta award flights. All three of these loyalty programs are also Membership Rewards transfer partners. And you might be able to save points by booking through alternative programs .

For example, for a business class award flight from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Paris, Delta can charge 310,000 SkyMiles per person. However, you can pay just 50,000 Virgin Atlantic points for the same flight.

» Learn more: When to use credit card points and when to transfer them to airlines

How to transfer Membership Rewards points to airlines and hotels

Now that we've gone over some dos and don'ts, let's go through the step-by-step process of how to transfer Membership Rewards points to airlines and hotels.

First, you'll need to log into your American Express account. As a shortcut, use this link to log into your account and auto-direct to the transfer points page. Or you can log into your AmEx account and then use this link to open the transfer points page.

Next, you'll need to link your Membership Rewards account with your airline or hotel loyalty program account. Once connected, accounts will remain linked unless you manually unlink them. For ease in future transfers, you may want to link all of your loyalty programs at the same time.

Click on the program you want to link to start the linking process. Once selected, you'll find the transfer rate and how many points or miles you can transfer to the hotel or airline partner.

Scroll down and select which card holder's loyalty program you want to link. In addition to linking your own loyalty program accounts, you can also link loyalty program accounts held by an additional card member. However, you'll need to wait at least 90 days after adding the additional card member before you can link their loyalty program accounts — likely to reduce fraudulent transfers.

Note that the cardmember's name must match the name on the airline or hotel account. So, if you've changed your name, double-check that your name matches in both accounts before submitting the link request.

Next, you'll need to verify your AmEx card. You have the option to use any AmEx card that's linked to your account to verify your account. Choose that card from the list and enter both the four-digit code and the three-digit code on the card.

Last but certainly not least, enter your loyalty program account number. Then click "Link account."

If successful, AmEx will display a confirmation page — but only for 15 seconds before it redirects to the transfer points page.

Now that you have linked your accounts, it's time to transfer points. From the Transfer Points page, click "Transfer points" for the specific airline or hotel to which you want to transfer points.

On the next screen, confirm that you're transferring points to the correct card member. It also can't hurt to double-check that the loyalty program account number is accurate.

Next, enter the number of points you want to transfer or the number of miles you wish to receive. Just note that transfers must be in increments of 1,000 points.

Then, you'll need to verify your AmEx card. Again, you can use any card that's linked to this AmEx account login. Select the card you want to verify from the list, enter the four-digit code on the front and the three-digit code on the back of the card.

For transfers to U.S. airline programs , you'll need to pay an "excise tax offset fee" before you can transfer points. AmEx charges a fee of $0.0006 per point up to a maximum fee of $99. You can use Membership Rewards points to cover this fee. However, you'll only get half a cent per point in value, and there are much more valuable uses of Membership Rewards points.

Finally, read and accept the terms and conditions. Then, click the "confirm & transfer points" button to initiate the transfer.

» Learn more: How much are your airline miles and hotel points worth this year?

If you're transferring Membership Rewards points

To transfer Membership Rewards points to airlines and hotels, you will need an American Express card, your loyalty program account number and some patience. The process to link your accounts and then transfer points can take some time, so you may want to set aside some time to link several accounts at once to save the hassle later.

Before you transfer points, ensure that there's award availability for the flight or hotel you want. And a little work checking alternative transfer programs may yield a much cheaper award redemption.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024 , including those best for:

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

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The Best Ways To Fly to Europe With Points & Miles [Step-by-Step]

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Paris in the spring.

Spain’s Costa del Sol in the summer.

Christmas markets in Germany.

No matter what time of year it is, there is always a great reason to travel to Europe!

If you book award tickets to Europe with miles and points, you can use all that vacation money you saved to enjoy the destination.

Let’s take a look at some of the best ways to book award flights to Europe.

Best Programs To Use To Book Flights

When you search for paid flights to Europe from the U.S., you will find a huge variety of options. From low-cost carriers to some of the world’s best first class products , there really is something for everyone. Just make sure you’re up to date regarding ETIAS and visiting Schengen countries in Europe before you book your ticket.

If you live on the East Coast, maybe you can handle the flight in economy class and save some of your points for another day.

But if you live on the West Coast, perhaps a lie-flat bed is a little more important so you can hit the ground running when you arrive at your destination.

We realize that many factors go into determining the best flight for a specific route, or even for a specific passenger: do you prefer lie-flat seats, great food, a friendly crew, or all of the above?

Choosing the best airline for you comes down to evaluating your personal preferences.

Below, we show you some of the best options for using your points for economy class, business class, and first class flights. No matter how you like to fly, we have you covered!

Hot Tip: We mainly discuss round-trip award prices, but keep in mind that many airline loyalty programs will let you book one-way award tickets for half the number of miles.

United Airlines’ MileagePlus program is one of the most popular ways to book award flights to Europe thanks to its extensive reach via the Star Alliance network.

MileagePlus is a fairly straightforward program that is easy to understand and use . Many of its partners are available to search for award space and book on the United site.

If you select Flexible Dates when doing your search, you can see a month-long calendar of award availability all at once. This makes finding award space much easier.

Although its mileage rates for award tickets to Europe are not the absolute best you can find, United has several things going for it. Specifically, the following are true:

• United miles are super easy to redeem
• No (or very low) fuel surcharges
• Great starter program for miles and points

Hot Tip:  If you’re interested in learning more, don’t miss our in-depth United Airlines review ! 

You’ll notice that United charges more miles for partner flights than for its own flights , so you’ll want to make that consideration when thinking about which airline to fly on.

United doesn’t offer a first class product outside of North America, so if you have your mind set on flying first class, your main choice is Lufthansa .

Be prepared, though, as first class awards with Lufthansa are almost always not bookable until ~15 days before the departure date.

SWISS Air doesn’t make its first class available to partners . In fact, you’ll need top-tier elite status with SWISS Air to make these award bookings at all.

Also, nearly all European-focused Star Alliance partners such as Brussels Airlines, LOT Polish, and Turkish Airlines do not have first class.

The tradeoff when booking first class with a partner is that while it will cost a big chunk of miles, United will not hit you with carrier-imposed surcharges. This can save you over $500 in fees when you book Lufthansa first class , as other airline loyalty programs will pass those charges onto you.

If you want to fly in coach, however, choosing to fly with United or its partners doesn’t matter; it will cost the same amount of miles either way.

The following Star Alliance members and United partners operate flights between the U.S. and Europe — and are therefore bookable with your United miles :

• Aegean Airlines
• Austrian Airlines
• Brussels Airlines
• Croatia Airlines
• LOT Polish Airlines
• Scandinavian Airlines (SAS)
• Singapore Airlines
• TAP Air Portugal
• Turkish Airlines
• United Airlines

Here is the United MileagePlus award chart for round-trip flights (one-way tickets will cost half the miles):

Here are some fantastic routes you can book with United miles:

• Boston (BOS) – Dublin (DUB) round-trip in Aer Lingus business class for 154,000 United miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
• Chicago (ORD) – Vienna (VIE) round-trip in Austrian Airlines business class for 154,000 United miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
• Miami (MIA) – Zurich (ZRH) one-way in SWISS Air business class for 77,000 United miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
• New York (JFK) – Frankfurt (FRA) one-way in Lufthansa first class for 121,000 United miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees

Follow these instructions to book your award flight using United miles:

• Visit United’s homepage .
• Check off the box that says Book with miles , fill out the search box’s fields, and click  Find flights .
• Locate a flight that works for your plans, redeem your United miles, and pay for taxes and fees using a credit card.

Earning United Airlines MileagePlus Miles

In addition to earning miles when flying with United Airlines and its partners , you can transfer miles into the program from Bilt Rewards , Chase Ultimate Rewards , and Marriott Bonvoy .

Bilt and Chase transfer instantly at a 1:1 ratio.

Marriott Bonvoy transfers in around 3 business days, and it also has an improved transfer ratio of 3:1.1 instead of the standard 3:1 ratio.

If you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, you will receive 22,000 United miles plus a 25% bonus, increasing your total to 27,000 miles for 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points!

Hot Tip: Check out our guide to the best Chase United credit cards where we compare the benefits and perks of United’s co-branded cards.

ANA Mileage Club offers some seriously unbeatable round-trip redemption rates for business class flights ! For the most part, it blows the competition out of the water in terms of value for your miles.

It doesn’t charge fuel surcharges on some airlines, so you can choose to fly ANA to minimize your out-of-pocket cost.

Here’s how flights to/from North America and Europe price out (round-trip):

In general, the best airlines to book with low fuel surcharges are Turkish Airlines, LOT Polish, SAS, and United Airlines .

Here are a few amazing routes you can book:

• Atlanta (ATL) – Istanbul (IST) round-trip in Turkish business class for 88,000 ANA miles + ~$532 in taxes and fees
• Chicago (ORD) – Paris (CDG) round-trip in United Polaris class for 88,000 ANA miles + ~$11 in taxes and fees
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Warsaw (WAW) round-trip in LOT Polish business class for 88,000 ANA miles + ~$601 in taxes and fees
• Newark (EWR) – Copenhagen (CPH) round-trip in SAS business class for 88,000 ANA miles + ~$20 in taxes and fees
• Washington, D.C. (IAD) – London (LHR) round-trip in United Polaris class for 88,000 ANA miles + ~$11 in taxes and fees

ANA is a pretty easy program to redeem miles with. You can make bookings completely online using its award search engine. However, we recommend doing your initial search on United’s website:

• Go to United’s homepage and perform your award search.
• Write down the flight details and schedule.
• Go to ANA’s U.S. website .
• Click  Award Booking in the search box.
• Log into your ANA account. On the redirected page, enter your search details. Click  Search.
• Choose the flight that matches your desired booking. Redeem your ANA miles and use a credit card for taxes and fees.

Earning ANA Mileage Club Miles

There are 2 transfer partners for ANA miles: American Express Membership Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.

Amex transfers at a 1:1 ratio, while Marriott Bonvoy transfers at a 3:1 ratio with 5,000 ANA bonus miles after each 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy point transfer !

Amex takes 2 to 3 business days to transfer, while Marriott Bonvoy takes closer to 7 business days.

Recommended American Express Cards (Personal)

The Platinum Card ® from American Express

The Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.

When it comes to cards that offer top-notch benefits, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better card out there than The Platinum Card ® from American Express.

Make no mistake — the Amex Platinum card  is a premium card with a premium price tag. With amazing benefits like best-in-class airport lounge access , hotel elite status, and tremendous value in annual statement credits, it can easily prove to be one of the most lucrative cards in your wallet year after year.

• The best airport lounge access out of any card (by far) — enjoy access to over 1,400 worldwide lounges, including the luxurious Amex Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges, Plaza Premium Lounges, and many more!
• 5x points per dollar spent on flights purchased directly with the airline or with AmexTravel.com (up to $500,000 per year)
• 5x points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked with AmexTravel.com
• Annual and monthly statement credits upon enrollment ( airline credit, Uber Cash credit, Saks Fifth Avenue credit, streaming credit, prepaid hotel credit on eligible stays, Walmart+ credit, CLEAR credit, and Equinox credit )
• TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit
• Access to American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts
• Access to Amex International Airline Program
• No foreign transaction fees ( rates and fees )
• $695 annual fee ( rates and fees )
• Airline credit does not cover airfare (only incidentals like checked bags)
• Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards ® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card ® , Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.
• Earn 5X Membership Rewards ® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards ® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
• $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts ® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card ® . The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card ® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card ® . Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Plus Up Benefits are excluded.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card ® .
• $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only. Terms Apply.
• $300 Equinox Credit: Get up to $300 back in statement credits per calendar year on an Equinox membership, or an Equinox club membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you pay with your Platinum Card ® . Enrollment required. Visit https://platinum.equinox.com/ to enroll.
• $189 CLEAR ® Plus Credit: Breeze through security with CLEAR Plus at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues nationwide and get up to $189 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Platinum Card ® . Learn more.
• $100 Global Entry Credit: Receive either a $100 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck ® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card ® . Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
• Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card ® . That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
• $300 SoulCycle At-Home Bike Credit: Get a $300 statement credit for the purchase of a SoulCycle at-home bike with your Platinum Card ® . An Equinox+ subscription is required to purchase a SoulCycle at-home bike and access SoulCycle content. Must charge full price of bike in one transaction. Shipping available in the contiguous U.S. only. Enrollment Required.
• Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Platinum Card ® to your Resy profile.
• $695 annual fee.
• Terms Apply.

Financial Snapshot

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• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

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American Express ® Gold Card

This is the best card for food lovers who dine out at restaurants (worldwide), order take-out and want big rewards at U.S. supermarkets!

The American Express ® Gold Card  is a game-changer.

With this card, you can earn 4x Membership Rewards points at restaurants and you’ll also earn 4x Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1x.

There isn’t another card on the market that offers a 1-2 punch like this. Of course, there are several other benefits of the Gold Card as well, including extra monthly dining rewards and more.

• 4x points per dollar at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
• 4x points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets, up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases; and 1x thereafter
• 3x points per dollar on flights purchased directly from airlines or at Amex Travel
• Up to $120 annual dining credit: up to $10 monthly statement credit when you pay with the Amex Gold card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com , Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations
• Up to $120 in annual Uber Cash : get $10 monthly in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S. when you add your Gold Card to your Uber account
• No foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees )
• Access to Amex’s The Hotel Collection
• Access to American Express transfer partners
• $250 annual fee (see rates and fees )
• No lounge access
• Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards ® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Earn 4X Membership Rewards ® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and earn 4X Membership Rewards ® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X).
• Earn 3X Membership Rewards ® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
• $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year.
• $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings and earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express ® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required.
• Get a $100 experience credit with a minimum two-night stay when you book The Hotel Collection through American Express Travel. Experience credit varies by property.
• Choose the color that suits your style. Gold or Rose Gold.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees.
• Annual Fee is $250.
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Business Owner?  Check out our article on the best  Amex business cards  that earn Membership Rewards.

Hot Tip: For more ways to earn ANA miles, check out our in-depth guide on how to earn a lot of ANA miles .

Air Canada’s Aeroplan program  is one of our favorite ways to fly to Europe.

On a high level, Air Canada Aeroplan is an easy program to use. It has access to the Star Alliance network, and the number of Aeroplan points required for a flight is quite reasonable.

Unlike many airline loyalty programs, Air Canada uses a distance-based award chart for flights from North America to the Atlantic region , which includes all of Europe:

Hot Tip: Aeroplan allows stopovers , even on one-way flights, for an additional 5,000 points. Better yet, these stopovers are bookable 100% online! If you’re not able to see the availability you want, give Aeroplan a call at 800-361-5373 .

Of its Star Alliance partners that fly to Europe from the U.S., Air Canada does not add fuel surcharges to award flights .

As a result, you can fly on airlines such as SWISS Air, Lufthansa, and Austrian Airlines without having to worry about paying hundreds of dollars out of pocket!

Here are some great example routes you can book:

• Chicago (ORD) – Zurich (ZRH) one-way in SWISS Air business class for 70,000 Aeroplan points + ~$41 in taxes and fees
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Frankfurt (FRA)  one-way in Lufthansa first class for 100,000 Aeroplan points + ~$41 in taxes and fees
• Miami (MIA) – Copenhagen (CPH) one-way in SAS business class for 70,000 Aeroplan points + ~$41 in taxes and fees
• New York (JFK) – Brussels (BRU) one-way in Brussels Airlines business class for 60,000 Aeroplan points + ~$41 in taxes and fees
• San Francisco (SFO) – Lisbon (LIS) one-way in TAP Air Portugal business class for 70,000 Aeroplan points + ~$41 in taxes and fees

Follow these steps to book your flight using Aeroplan points:

• Visit the Aeroplan website .
• In the top-right corner, click  Sign in and log into your account.
• On the homepage, you’ll see a search box. Toggle the slider that says  Book with points Aeroplan.
• Fill in the search box, perform the search, and find your desired flight option.
• If you wish to add a stopover to your trip, you can book your stopover online or call Aeroplan at 800-361-5373 to book your ticket.

Earning Air Canada Aeroplan Points

In addition to earning Aeroplan points by flying Air Canada and its partners, you can transfer points into the program from American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One Miles , Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy.

Amex, Bilt, Capital One, and Chase transfer almost instantly at a 1:1 ratio, while Marriott Bonvoy transfers in 5 business days at a 3:1 ratio.

For every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points you transfer to Aeroplan in a single transaction, you’ll get 5,000 extra Aeroplan points.

Recommended Capital One Cards

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Get 2x miles plus some of the most flexible redemptions offered by a travel credit card!

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card   is one of the most popular rewards cards on the market. It’s perfect for anyone in search of a great welcome offer, high rewards rates, and flexible redemption options.

Frequent travelers with excellent credit may benefit from this credit card that offers a lot of bells and whistles. And it offers easy-to-understand rewards earning and redemption.

• 5x miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• 2x miles per $1 on all other purchases
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit
• No foreign transaction fees ( rates & fees )
• Access to Capital One transfer partners
• $95 annual fee ( rates & fees )
• Limited elite benefits
• Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
• Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
• Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
• Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
• Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck ®
• Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
• Enrich every hotel stay from the Lifestyle Collection with a suite of cardholder benefits, like a $50 experience credit, room upgrades, and more
• Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
• APR: 19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)

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Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture X card is an excellent option for travelers looking for an all-in-one premium credit card.

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is the premium Capital One travel rewards card on the block.

Points and miles fans will be surprised to see that the Capital One Venture X card packs quite the punch when it comes to bookings made through Capital One, all while offering the lowest annual fee among premium credit cards.

Depending on your travel goals and preferences, the Capital One Venture X card could very well end up being your go-to card in your wallet.

• 10x miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars purchased through Capital One Travel
• 5x miles per $1 on flights purchased through Capital One Travel
• $300 annual travel credit on bookings made through Capital One Travel
• Unlimited complimentary access for cardholder and 2 guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
• 10,000 bonus miles awarded on your account anniversary each year
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit
• Add authorized users for no additional annual fee ( rates & fees )
• $395 annual fee ( rates & fees )
• Does not offer bonus categories for flights or hotel purchases made directly with the airline or hotel group, the preferred booking method for those looking to earn elite status
• Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
• Receive a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
• Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
• Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
• Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
• Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
• Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
• Elevate every hotel stay from the Premier or Lifestyle Collections with a suite of cardholder benefits, like an experience credit, room upgrades, and more
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Recommended Aeroplan ® Credit Card

Aeroplan ® Credit Card

The Aeroplan card is a great option for Air Canada flyers looking to earn more points and receive automatic elite status.

Flyers based in the U.S. may think they wouldn’t have a need for a card like the Aeroplan ® Credit Card , it might be much better suited for you than you think.

Not only does Air Canada offer fantastic award redemptions, but adding the card to your wallet makes the program even more rewarding by offering elite status, more points, travel coverage, and more. Let’s take a closer look and see why the Aeroplan card might make a lot of sense for you.

• 3x points per $1 on Air Canada purchases, at grocery stores, and dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery services)
• 500 bonus points for every $2,000 you spend in a calendar month (up to a maximum of 1,500 bonus points)
• Receive Aeroplan 25K status for the remainder of the calendar year, plus the following calendar year, and continue to extend it beyond that by spending $15,000 on the card per calendar year
• Free first checked bag for you and up to 8 traveling companions
• Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS fee credit
• Preferred pricing on award tickets
• No foreign transaction fees
• $95 annual fee
• Does not earn transferable rewards
• Earn 60,000 bonus points
• Earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
• $95 Annual Fee
• Redeem points for both international and domestic flights with the Aeroplan ® Credit Card.
• Fly to another continent and travel the world with the Aeroplan ® Credit Card.
• Earn 3X points for each dollar spent at grocery stores, on dining at restaurants, and Air Canada directly. Earn 1X point for each dollar spent on all other purchases.
• 500 bonus points for every $2,000 you spend in a calendar month - up to 1,500 points per month.
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• APR: 21.74% - 28.74% Variable
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Bottom Line: Several airlines fly routes between the U.S. and Europe. Aeroplan has enhanced redemption value because it does not pass on any fuel surcharges on partner flights, which lends a huge helping hand for most Star Alliance airlines.

LifeMiles is the loyalty program of Avianca. There are tons of great ways to redeem LifeMiles, and one of the best ways is either in business or first class to Europe.

LifeMiles has a Star Alliance award chart, and it prices awards based on regions. It does not allow stopovers, but it never levies fuel surcharges. This is an easy way to save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on fuel surcharges !

Additionally, it periodically offers Promo Awards that can discount your flights up to 48%!

Economy class tickets are 30,000 miles, business costs 63,000 miles, and first class is 87,000 miles. Keep in mind that these prices are one-way prices .

Taxes and fees will be around $30 to $50 each way — what a steal!

And since Avianca is a Star Alliance partner, you can book Star Alliance flights to Europe.

You pretty much have to book with its online search engine. It can be clunky at times, especially with connecting flights or flights with 2 or more stops. If you’re booking nonstop flights, you shouldn’t have any issues.

Here are some of our favorite LifeMiles redemptions you can make to Europe:

• Houston (IAH) – Frankfurt (FRA) one-way in Lufthansa first class for 87,000 LifeMiles + ~$52 in taxes and fees
• Los Angeles (LAX) – London (LHR) one-way in United Polaris class for 63,000 LifeMiles + ~$52 in taxes and fees
• New York (JFK) – Vienna (VIE)  one-way in Austrian Airlines business class for 63,000 LifeMiles + ~$52 in taxes and fees
• San Francisco (SFO) – Zurich (ZRH) one-way in SWISS Air business class for 63,000 LifeMiles + ~$52 in taxes and fees
• Toronto (YYZ) – Munich (MUC) one-way in Lufthansa business class for 63,000 LifeMiles + ~$52 in taxes and fees

Once you’re ready to make your booking, follow these instructions:

• Go to the LifeMiles website .
• Adjust the language to  English by clicking the flag icon in the top-right corner.
• Click  Log In .
• Click  Travel on the top banner of the homepage.
• Fill in your flight details and click  Find Flights .
• Choose the desired travel date(s).
• Select an option that you like, redeem your LifeMiles, enter your travelers’ information, and use a credit card for taxes and fees.

Avianca’s phone staff can be difficult to work with, so you’re pretty much out of luck if you can’t find the flight you want using its online award search.

Earning Avianca LifeMiles

Avianca LifeMiles is a transfer partner with American Express Membership Rewards,  Brex Rewards , Capital One Miles,  Citi ThankYou Rewards , and Marriott Bonvoy.

Amex, Brex, Capital One, and Citi transfer at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly (Brex may take up to 1 business day).

Marriott Bonvoy transfers at a 3:1 ratio, so for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points transferred in a single transaction, you would get 20,000 LifeMiles.

Lastly, you can buy LifeMiles . There are frequent sales of pretty ridiculous bonus amounts — up to 200% bonus miles on top of your purchase.

These sales make purchasing miles very tempting, seeing as how you can fly first class for around $1,000!

Recommended Citi Cards

Citi Premier ® Card

Frequent flyers will enjoy 3x ThankYou Points at restaurants, gas stations, supermarkets, air travel, and hotels.

The Citi Premier ® Card is an excellent option for anyone looking for an all-around travel rewards credit card. The card helps you earn points fast with great 3x bonus categories such as restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, airfare, and hotels. Plus, it offers access to airline and hotel transfer partners, doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, and has a reasonable annual fee!

• 3x points at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, airfare, and hotel purchases
• Access to Citi transfer partners
• Annual hotel credit
• Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou ® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 ThankYou ® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through June 30, 2024.
• Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Other Hotels
• Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets
• Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
• Annual Hotel Savings Benefit
• 60,000 ThankYou ® Points are redeemable for $600 in gift cards redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com
• No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
• No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases
• APR: 21.24% - 29.24% Variable

Citi ThankYou Rewards

• Benefits of the Citi Premier
• Authorized User Benefits of the Citi Premier
• Chase Sapphire Preferred Card vs. Citi Premier Card [Detailed Comparison]
• Best Citi Credit Cards
• Best Virtual Credit Cards

Asiana Airlines’ Asiana Club is what we’d consider an intermediate-to-advanced method for using points. Some of its redemption rates will blow your mind, but booking your award involves several additional steps.

Specifically, flying first class one-way from North America to Europe only costs 50,000 Asiana miles, and business is 40,000 miles!

We believe the best deal is first class for only 10,000 miles more. Yes, you will be paying fuel surcharges, but it may be worth it considering the points you would be saving. 

Asiana Airlines is also a Star Alliance partner, so you can book all of the Star Alliance partners listed in the above sections.

Since there are very few Star Alliance partners that operate a first class cabin to Europe, we think the best use of Asiana miles is Lufthansa first class.

You’ll need to pay for surcharges on all partners, so prepare for that. Check out some of our favorite ways to redeem Asiana miles for flights to Europe:

• Chicago (ORD) – Frankfurt (FRA) one-way in Lufthansa first class for 50,000 Asiana miles + ~$800 in taxes and fees
• Miami (MIA) – Warsaw (WAW) one-way in LOT Polish business class for 40,000 Asiana miles + ~$250 in taxes and fees
• New York (JFK) – Frankfurt (FRA)  one-way in Lufthansa first class for 50,000 Asiana miles + ~$800 in taxes and fees
• Newark (EWR) – Tel Aviv (TLV) one-way in United Polaris class for 40,000 Asiana miles + ~$10 in taxes and fees
• San Francisco (SFO) – Frankfurt (FRA) one-way in Lufthansa first class for 50,000 Asiana miles + ~$800 in taxes and fees
• Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Istanbul (IST) one-way in Turkish Airlines business class for 40,000 Asiana miles + ~$300 in taxes and fees

The process for redeeming Asiana miles is a bit more complex:

• Find award availability using United’s website .
• Write down all of the relevant flight details.
• Call Asiana Club at 800-227-4262 and feed your flight details to the live agent after explaining that you’d like to book a Star Alliance award flight using Asiana miles.
• Confirm the ticket over the phone, redeem your Asiana miles, and use a credit card for taxes and fees.

Earning Asiana Miles

Unfortunately, this is where the main drawback of Asiana Airlines comes in.

Asiana Club is transfer partners with just 1 points currency: Marriott Bonvoy.

Marriott Bonvoy transfers at a 3:1 ratio to Asiana Club with a bonus of 5,000 Asiana miles when you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points to Asiana all at once. This makes it more difficult to earn Asiana miles .

Recommended Marriott Bonvoy Cards

We explore the large number of Marriott credit cards available in our detailed guide.

Air France-KLM’s Flying Blue loyalty program can be a great way to book award flights to Europe, especially when it runs Promo Rewards.

With connecting flights routing through either Amsterdam (AMS) or Paris (CDG) and being bookable on either airline, Flying Blue has some of the best award availability on its own flights between the U.S. and Europe.

Air France has variable award pricing, and the best thing you can do is use Flying Blue’s award calculator and search for the lowest-level award availability.

You cannot book first class awards with Air France or KLM — you must earn elite status with Flying Blue. Since not many of us earn the required status, that means most of us can’t book first class awards, so we are leaving it out of the discussion here.

Perhaps the best part of the Flying Blue program is that it has  Promo Rewards . These awards are available for a special selection of destinations and are offered for a reduced number of miles — between 25% and 50% off what would normally be required for an award flight! Promo Rewards change every month and are limited in terms of availability, when you can book, and what airlines you can fly. If your schedule is flexible or you can book a trip closer to when it takes place, these Promo Rewards can be great options.

Air France and KLM are members of the SkyTeam alliance and also partner with additional airlines. You can use Flying Blue miles to book flights on any of the following airlines between the U.S. and Europe:

• Czech Airlines
• Delta Air Lines
• ITA Airways

Flying Blue adds carrier-imposed surcharges on its award redemptions, but depending on the routing, it often isn’t that bad.

Of course, as with any program, these surcharges are significantly higher for premium cabins. When booking an award, you will need to look at the charges and decide if it is still a good enough value.

For those partners that aren’t bookable on the Flying Blue site, you can check where to search them and then book awards by phone with either Air France or KLM.

Here are some of our favorite redemptions you can make:

• Atlanta (ATL) – Frankfurt (FRA) one-way in Delta One for 53,000 Flying Blue miles + ~$730 in taxes and fees
• Chicago (ORD) – Paris (CDG) one-way in Air France business class for 58,000 Flying Blue miles + ~$298 in taxes and fees
• Houston (IAH) – Amsterdam (AMS) one-way in KLM business class for 72,000 Flying Blue miles + ~$310 in taxes and fees
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Rome (FCO) one-way in ITA business class for 53,000 Flying Blue miles + ~$325 in taxes and fees

To book your flights, follow these steps:

• Visit Air France’s U.S. website .
• Log into your Flying Blue account.
• Click  Book with Miles .
• Fill in the search box, and click Search flights .
• Choose the desired flight, enter the travelers’ personal information, use your Flying Blue miles, and supply a credit card to pay for any taxes and fees.

Earning Flying Blue Miles

In addition to earning miles when flying with Air France, KLM, and their partners, you can transfer points into the program from American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Brex Rewards, Capital One Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy.

Amex, Bilt, Brex, Capital One, Chase, and Citi all transfer at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly.

Marriott Bonvoy transfers at a 3:1 ratio in 3 business days. Also, when you transfer 60,000 points in a single transaction, you’ll get a bonus of 5,000 Flying Blue miles.

Having all of these transfer partners really makes it easy to earn enough miles for your trip!

For more recommendations, read our post on how to earn lots of Flying Blue miles .

Recommended Chase Cards

Chase Sapphire Preferred ® Card

A fantastic travel card with a huge welcome offer, good benefits, and perks for a moderate annual fee.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred ® card is one of the best travel rewards cards on the market. Its bonus categories include travel, dining, online grocery purchases, and streaming services, which gives you the opportunity to earn lots of bonus points on these purchases.

Additionally, it offers flexible point redemption options, no foreign transaction fees, and excellent travel insurance coverage including primary car rental insurance . With benefits like these, it’s easy to see why this card is an excellent choice for any traveler.

• 5x points on all travel booked via the Chase Travel portal
• 5x points on select Peloton purchases over $150 (through March 31, 2025)
• 5x points on Lyft purchases (through March 31, 2025)
• 3x points on dining purchases, online grocery purchases, and select streaming services
• 2x points on all other travel worldwide
• $50 annual credit on hotel stays booked through the Chase Travel portal
• 6 months of complimentary Instacart+ (activate by July 31, 2024), plus up to $15 in statement credits each quarter through July 2024
• Excellent travel and car rental insurance
• 10% annual bonus points
• No foreign transaction fees
• 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs like United MileagePlus and World of Hyatt
• $95 annual fee
• No elite benefits like airport lounge access or hotel elite status
• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
• Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
• Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
• Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024.
• APR: 21.49%-28.49% Variable

Chase Ultimate Rewards

• The Chase Sapphire Preferred 80k or 100k Bonus Offer
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• Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Score Requirements
• Military Benefits of the Chase Sapphire Preferred
• Chase Freedom Unlimited vs Sapphire Preferred
• Chase Sapphire Preferred vs Reserve
• Amex Gold vs Chase Sapphire Preferred

Chase Sapphire Reserve ®

A top player in the high-end premium travel credit card space that earns 3x points on travel and dining while offering top luxury perks.

If you’re looking for an all-around excellent travel rewards card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve ®  is one of the best options out there.

The card combines elite travel benefits and perks like airport lounge access , with excellent point earning and redemption options.  Plus it offers top-notch travel insurance protections to keep you covered whether you’re at home or on the road.

Don’t forget the $300 annual travel credit which really helps to reduce the annual fee!

• 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase TravelSM immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually
• 10x points on Lyft purchases March 31, 2025
• 10x points on Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $250 through March 31, 2025
• 5x points on airfare booked through Chase Travel SM
• 3x points on all other travel and dining purchases; 1x point on all other purchases
• $300 annual travel credit
• Priority Pass airport lounge access
• TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, or NEXUS credit
• Access to Chase Luxury Hotel and Resort Collection
• Rental car elite status with National and Avis
• $550 annual fee
• Does not offer any sort of hotel elite status
• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
• $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
• Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
• Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $900 toward travel.
• 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
• Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select and up to $100 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck ®
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more
• APR: 22.49%-29.49% Variable
• Chase Sapphire Reserve 100k Bonus Offer
• Chase Sapphire Reserve Benefits
• Chase Sapphire Reserve Airport Lounge Access
• Chase Sapphire Reserve Travel Insurance Benefits
• Chase Sapphire Reserve Military Benefits
• Amex Gold vs Chase Sapphire Reserve

Business Owner?  Read our article on the best  Chase business cards  that earn Ultimate Rewards.

Although Delta SkyMiles uses variable award pricing and has removed its award chart, there is still good value to be had utilizing Delta SkyMiles to book flights to Europe.

Delta Air Lines is the flagship U.S. SkyTeam partner, so it makes sense that it’s a must-use for U.S.-based travelers.

Its online booking system is very robust, partner award rates are reasonable, and there are tons of ways to earn SkyMiles .

Delta’s award pricing system is very complicated for flights on its own metal. For partner flights, though, it’s usually a set price to Europe:

You won’t pay for fuel surcharges except for flights originating in Europe.

The best part about Delta’s online award search is that you can search using a flexible date and 5-week search! This will allow you to save tons of time when looking for award availability, so you can book awards quickly and completely online.

Check out some great example redemptions to make:

• Atlanta (ATL) – Amsterdam (AMS) one-way in KLM business class from 120,000 Delta SkyMiles
• Detroit (DTW) – Amsterdam (AMS) one-way in Delta One business class from 120,000 Delta SkyMiles
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Moscow (SVO) one-way in Aeroflot business class from 120,000 Delta SkyMiles
• Miami (MIA) – Madrid (MAD) one-way in Air Europa business class from 120,000 Delta SkyMiles
• New York (JFK) – Milan (MXP) one-way in ITA business class from 120,000 Delta SkyMiles

Here’s how to book your flights using Delta SkyMiles:

• Visit Delta’s website .
• At the top of the page, you’ll see a search box.
• Populate the search details, and click  Shop with Miles . Click  Advanced Search and choose Delta One  if you’re looking for business class award flights.
• Find the flights you like, redeem your SkyMiles, and enter your credit card information for taxes and fees.

Earning Delta SkyMiles

There are loads of ways to earn Delta SkyMiles , but Delta is a transfer partner with American Express Membership Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.

There are also a bunch of different co-branded Delta credit cards from American Express that can give you a huge boost in SkyMiles, especially from the welcome bonuses!

Hot Tip: Need some help finding award space? Use this guide to search for SkyTeam award availability .

Though Korean Air SKYPASS is sort of strange with its requirements for booking awards for other passengers, it’s still hugely worth it to save tons of miles.

We love Korean Air because of 1 main reason: redemption rates .

There are a few rules you must follow to book awards, such as booking round-trip awards for SkyTeam partners.

Other than that, the only hiccup is for booking other passengers. You can get around this by creating a Korean Air SKYPASS account for each passenger.

Here’s what Korean Air SKYPASS charges for round-trip flights to Europe:

You’ll be responsible for fuel surcharges regardless of which airline you fly.

Here are the partners you can book directly online (the others you’ll need to call to book):

• China Airlines
• China Eastern
• China Southern
• Garuda Indonesia

Here are some great example routes you can book with Korean Air miles:

• Boston (BOS) – Paris (CDG) round-trip in Air France business class for 80,000 Korean Air miles + ~$1,817 in taxes and fees
• Detroit (DTW) – London (LHR) round-trip in Delta business class for 80,000 Korean Air miles + ~$1,972 in taxes and fees
• Miami (MIA) – Rome (FCO) round-trip in ITA business class for 80,000 Korean Air miles + ~$1,712 in taxes and fees
• San Francisco (SFO) – Amsterdam (AMS) round-trip in KLM business class for 80,000 Korean Air miles + ~$1,739 in taxes and fees

Once you’re ready to book, you can follow these instructions:

• Use Delta  or Air France’s website to find award availability.
• Write down the flight numbers.
• Call Korean Air SKYPASS at 800-438-5000  and feed the agent the flight details to make a SkyTeam award booking.
• Pay with your SKYPASS miles and use a credit card for taxes and fees.

Earning Korean Air Miles

Unfortunately, Korean Air is only a transfer partner with Marriott Bonvoy. Marriott transfers to Korean Air at a 3:1 ratio.

There are a few other ways to earn Korean Air miles , including the co-branded U.S. Bank credit cards that earn SKYPASS miles directly.

American Airlines’ AAdvantage program can help you book award tickets on its own flights, as well as on several of its Oneworld alliance partners.

It has an easy-to-read award chart, so you will always know the saver award price for the flights you are trying to book.

One great thing about the AAdvantage program is that it offers off-peak awards for economy travel to certain regions at certain times of the year.

These are discounted redemption rates and include flights on its partners as well as on its own planes.

Hot Tip: The off-peak awards date ranges will vary, and the best way to find out is to visit AA’s flight award chart . Then, click on  Details on award travel to see the off-peak travel dates.

Of American’s partners, you can fly between Europe and the U.S. on American, British Airways, Finnair, and Iberia.

Taxes and fees on some American Airlines awards can be quite high. In addition, it adds carrier-imposed surcharges to award flights on British Airways and Iberia.

The surcharges aren’t as bad on Iberia as they are on British Airways, but you should still keep an eye on them. If you can find availability on other airlines instead, you can save a significant amount of money when booking your awards.

For more information, check out our guide to the best ways to search for Oneworld award availability .

Hot Tip: Check American Airlines’ region definitions to confirm that your destination falls within the European region.

Here are some great routes you can book using AAdvantage miles:

• Dallas (DFW) – Paris (CDG) one-way in American Airlines business class for 57,500 AA miles + ~$15 in taxes and fees
• Miami (MIA) – Helsinki (HEL) one-way in Finnair business class one-way in American Airlines business class for 57,500 AA miles + ~$6 in taxes and fees
• New York (JFK) – Madrid (MAD) one-way in Iberia business class for 57,500 AA miles + ~$200 in taxes and fees
• San Diego (SAN) – London (LHR) one-way in British Airways business class for 57,500 AA miles + ~$350 in taxes and fees

Check out the following directions to book your Europe flights using AAdvantage miles:

• Visit the American Airlines website .
• You’ll see a search box on the homepage. Check off the box that says  Redeem miles .
• Fill out the search box and click  Search.
• Find your desired flight.
• Enter the traveler details, pay with AAdvantage miles, and use a credit card for any taxes and fees incurred.

Earning American Airlines AAdvantage Miles

In addition to earning AAdvantage miles by flying American Airlines and its partners, you can transfer miles into the program from Bilt Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.

Bilt Rewards points transfer at a 1:1 almost instantly.

Marriott Bonvoy transfers to AAdvantage at a 3:1 ratio in 2 business days.

We’ve also covered many other ways to earn lots of American miles, which include signing up and using various co-branded credit cards .

Tips and Tricks

Wherever you are headed in the world, when booking award tickets, you may run into a few unexpected snags.

Every segment may not be available, fees on the ticket may be very high, or maybe there just aren’t enough available seats.

Here are a few tips and tricks to help make your life easier when booking flights to Europe with points.

In Europe, certain airports are much more expensive to fly through than others. Avoiding the more expensive airports can save you as much as a few hundred dollars on your trip!

When searching for award space, be sure to look at a couple of routes to see the difference in taxes and fees . By adjusting the departure or even the connection location, you can sometimes cut costs significantly.

The U.K., for example, adds a hefty Air Passenger Duty (APD) onto each ticket departing the U.K. and flying over 2,000 miles. This fee is a whopping £180 per person (approximately $195) if you are flying in a premium cabin.

But avoiding this fee is easy! Just make sure your return from Europe doesn’t depart from the U.K. If you want to visit London , simply add in a few days in another country before your return to the U.S.

You’ll get to see another place, and it could save you a lot of money (especially if you are traveling with several passengers). Here you can see what we mean:

In this first example, we are looking at a one-way flight from London to New York. You can see that in economy class, the taxes and fees on an American Airlines-operated flight are $188.

In business class, the fees are $631 on a British Airways-operated flight. This larger amount is partially because British Airways adds hefty carrier-imposed surcharges to its flights, and partially because of the U.K. Air Passenger Duty. Now let’s look at flights on the same day from Paris.

You can see above that the taxes and fees are significantly less for these flights on the same operators out of Paris.

The American Airlines coach flight’s fee drops to $87, and the British Airways business class flight drops to $389.

You may notice that the business class flight does not decrease by the entire amount of the U.K. Air Passenger Duty — this is because there are 2 flights on British Airways with this award, so there are added carrier-imposed surcharges.

London and Paris were used in these examples because they are well-known cities, and it was easy to find award space on the same day on multiple carriers.

You should know, however, that Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) is one of the more expensive airports in continental Europe to fly out of.

By looking at other European cities (especially Istanbul, Oslo, Stockholm, and Warsaw), you can often get the taxes and fees to drop even further than what we have shown.

One of the great parts of award travel to Europe is that you don’t necessarily need to find available flights to the exact place you want to go.

Europe has a combination of multiple low-cost carriers and excellent rail service. Together, these mean it’s easy and fairly inexpensive to hop between cities.

Want to go to Munich but can only find availability to Frankfurt ? No problem. Grab a cheap Eurowings flight, hop on a Deutsche Bahn train, or even buy a Eurail Pass  and you’ll be there later that day. Maybe even add a night or 2 in Frankfurt and see what the city has to offer.

This same idea works with cities all over Europe, so be sure to stay flexible when choosing your flight destinations.

A general issue for award travel (not just on flights to Europe) comes into play when you are traveling with multiple people in your party.

Looking for a single ticket? You’re in luck — those are much easier to find.

Traveling as a couple, a family of 4, or an even larger group? Finding award tickets for everyone in your party can be tough.

When traveling with a large party, you generally want to start searching for award seats right when the schedule opens for booking. However, even if you do this, there often won’t be enough seats for a larger group. This is where it helps to be a little flexible.

If possible, splitting up your group will give you a better chance of all flying on award tickets.

Splitting up could mean that part of your group flies on the next flight on the same day, or it could mean part of the group even flies on a different day.

If you have miles available with airlines in different alliances, your choices increase. Sometimes you can even find award seats with 2 different alliances that arrive at your destination within minutes of each other. That way you can meet up before even leaving the airport!

Obviously, splitting up the group isn’t an ideal situation, but it could mean you can all experience an amazing business class product.

In other cases, it could mean that you can all get to a top destination during peak times. It’s up to you whether finding award seats is worth flying separately.

Europe is a fantastic destination for your travels from the U.S. For those who are new to traveling, you can find many of the comforts of home and plenty of people who speak English.

If you are a history buff, you will love strolling through the cobbled alleyways and visiting the historic castles and churches scattered throughout the countryside. If you are a foodie, it’s hard to beat the amazing cuisine served in France and Italy.

Europe has something for everyone — with so many airlines flying between the U.S. and Europe, it should be easy for you to book your next flight using miles and points.

The question simply becomes whether you want to fly in a premium cabin or in coach, and which airline miles you will use to make your booking. Happy traveling!

The information regarding the United Club℠ Business Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer. The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Bold ® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer. The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless ® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer. The information regarding the Citi ® / AAdvantage ® Platinum Select ® World Elite™ Mastercard ® was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card ® from American Express, click here . For rates and fees of the American Express ® Gold Card, click  here . For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express ® Card, click here . For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant ® American Express ® card, click here . For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles ® Gold American Express Card, click here . For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles ® Platinum American Express Card, click here . For rates and fees of Delta SkyMiles ® Reserve American Express Card, click here .

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best way to fly to europe with points and miles.

There are many great programs you can utilize, but some of our favorites are United, ANA, and Air Canada. Others include Avianca LifeMiles, Asiana Club, Flying Blue, Delta SkyMiles, Korean Air SKYPASS, and American Airlines AAdvantage.

How many points does it take to fly to Europe?

It can take as few as 50,000 miles for a round-trip flight in economy, while the cheapest business class flights will cost 80,000 to 90,000 points round-trip. It also depends on what airlines you’re flying on.

What's the cheapest way to fly to Europe?

The cheapest way to fly to Europe using points is likely by taking advantage of Promo Rewards on Air France-KLM Flying Blue if you can get 50% off your economy award ticket.

For business class, the cheapest way to fly is probably using 80,000 Korean Air miles round-trip. Lastly, for first class, the cheapest way to fly is by using 50,000 Asiana miles one-way aboard Lufthansa first class.

How many United miles does it take to fly to Europe?

If you want to fly on United Airlines by redeeming United miles, you can redeem around 60,000 United miles for round-trip economy and as few as 120,000 miles for round-trip business class.

If you want to book an award flight on a partner like SWISS Air or Lufthansa, you can expect to redeem 66,000 United miles for round-trip economy, 154,000 United miles for round-trip business, and 242,000 United miles for round-trip first class.

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About Stephen Au

Stephen is an established voice in the credit card space, with over 70 to his name. His work has been in publications like The Washington Post, and his Au Points and Awards Consulting Services is used by hundreds of clients.

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Best Travel Credit Cards of May 2024

14 best travel credit cards of 2024, best overall: chase sapphire preferred® card.

Why we chose it: The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is an affordable option fit for beginners and experienced travelers. For a reasonable $95 annual fee, you get generous perks, including high bonus rewards, intro bonus, annual hotel credit and bonus anniversary points. Plus points can be redeemed for 25% more value toward travel through Chase Travel. Read our Chase Sapphire Preferred review .

• Earns flexible rewards that transfer to airline and hotel partners
• Get 25% more value when redeeming for travel booked through Chase Travel
• Generous welcome offer and bonus categories
• No intro APR
• No luxury travel perks like airport lounge access

Best for Travel Rewards: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Why we chose it: The Chase Sapphire Reserve is one of the best premium travel cards thanks in large part to the generous rewards and outsized redemption value. On top of travel credits, lounge access and other airport perks, the card rakes in flexible Chase Ultimate Rewards points in a range of bonus categories. Plus cardholders get 50% more value when redeeming points for travel through Chase. Read our Chase Sapphire Reserve review .

• Comes with luxury travel benefits
• Generous welcome bonus and earning rates
• Get 50% more value for travel when redeeming points for travel through Chase Travel
• No intro APR offer
• $550 annual fee and $75 annual fee per authorized user
• Earns just 1X points on regular purchases

Best Premium Value: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Capital one venture x rewards credit card.

Why we chose it: The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offers enhanced travel perks for a lower annual fee than other premium cards. For $395 per year, users get a $300 annual travel credit, a credit of up to $100 for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership, Priority Pass Select membership, access to Capital One airport lounges and more. Read our Capital One Venture X review .

• Comes with robust travel benefits
• Generous minimum earning rate of 2X miles on all other purchases
• Earns flexible miles that transfer to partners
• Transfer partners aren’t as good as some competing programs
• $300 annual travel credit must be used through Capital One Travel
• Fewer rewards bonus categories than some other premium cards

Best for Luxury Perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Why we chose it: The Platinum Card from American Express is best for luxury perks since, in our view, it comes with the most extensive list of credits and features. This includes the broadest airport lounge membership possible, airline fee credit for incidental fees and automatic Gold status with Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy. Cardholders also earn a very generous welcome bonus and heightened rewards on eligible travel purchases. Read our Amex Platinum Card review .

• Comes with the best airport lounge membership available
• More than $1,500 in annual statement and merchant credits available
• Earns flexible Amex Membership Rewards points
• $695 annual fee and $195 annual fee for each additional Platinum Card ( see rates and fees )
• Earns just 1X points on other eligible non-category purchases
• Statement credits may be difficult to use

Best for Flat-Rate Rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Capital one venture rewards credit card.

After spending $4,000 in first 3 months from account opening

Why we chose it: The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card comes with a promising flat rewards rate of unlimited 2X miles on all purchases and unlimited 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. This card also earns flexible miles that can be used for multiple purposes like travel statement credits, gift cards , travel bookings through Capital One or miles transfers to Capital One airline and hotel partners. Read our Capital One Venture Rewards card review .

• Earns impressive flat-rate rewards
• Miles come with flexible redemption options

Best With No Annual Fee: Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card

Wells fargo autograph℠ card.

After spending $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months

Why we chose it: For no annual fee, the Wells Fargo Autograph Card comes with a solid sign-up bonus and earns an unlimited 3X points on travel, gas, transit, restaurants, popular streaming services and phone plans, and 1X points on other eligible purchases. Read our Wells Fargo Autograph review .

• No annual fee required
• Earns 3X points in six popular categories
• Intro APR on purchases
• No transfer partners
• Few travel-specific benefits

Best Overall Hotel Card: World of Hyatt Credit Card

World of hyatt credit card.

Earn 30,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 more by earning 2 bonus points total per $1 spent in the first six months from account opening on purchases that normally earn 1 bonus point, on up to $15,000 spent.

Why we chose it: The World of Hyatt Credit Card is packed full of features. It offers an annual free night certificate each year after your cardmember anniversary, five elite qualifying nights per year just for having the card and a way to spend toward additional elite nights and an additional free night certificate each year.

• Category 1-4 free night certificate annually after your cardmember anniversary
• Earns two nights toward elite status for every $5,000 spent on the card
• Trip cancellation/interruption insurance, baggage delay insurance and lost luggage reimbursement
• Full welcome bonus requires costly spending
• Lackluster earnings outside of Hyatt stays
• Lower overall point value on hotel stays than some competing cards

Best for Budget-Friendly Delta Loyalists: Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card

Why we chose it: The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card offers excellent value for its $150 ongoing annual fee. The card’s first free checked bag benefit applies to you and up to eight other people in your same reservation. When redeeming miles for Delta flights, you’ll receive a 15% off discount when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. You’ll also get a $200 Delta flight credit when you spend $10,000 on the card in a calendar year. Finally, you can receive an annual statement credit of up to $100 when you use your card book hotel nights through Delta Stays bookings on delta.com. Read our Delta SkyMiles Gold review .

• Free first checked bag for you and up to eight other people on your reservation
• 15% off Award Travel when using miles on Delta flights (through delta.com and the Fly Delta app)
• $0 introductory annual fee for the first year (then $150)
• Earns only 2X miles on Delta purchases
• No ability to earn Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQDs) using the card
• $200 Delta flight credit requires $10,000 in spending on the card in a calendar year

Best for Business Travel Rewards: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Why we chose it: The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card earns generous rewards on travel and in a range of popular business categories. Plus cardholders can earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases within three months of account opening. Read our Ink Business Preferred review .

• Earns flexible Chase Ultimate rewards points
• Get 25% more value when booking travel with points through Chase Travel
• Earns 3X points in popular eligible business categories (on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases each account anniversary year, then 1X points)
• Bonus category spending caps limit rewards potential
• Earns just 1X points on all other regular purchases

Best for Business With No Annual Fee: The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

Why we chose it: For no annual fee, the Blue Business Plus Credit Card offers 2X points on up to $50,000 spent in purchases each year, then 1X points on other purchases. Plus rewards earned fall within the flexible American Express Membership Rewards program. Read our Blue Business Plus card review .

• Earns Amex Membership Rewards points
• Get 2X points on the first $50,000 spent in purchases each year (then 1X points)
• Earns just 1X points after $50,000 in spending each year
• Small welcome bonus
• Limited travel-specific benefits

Best for Everyday Spending: Citi Premier® Card

Citi premier® card.

After spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com

Why we chose it: The Citi Premier Card offers a robust selection of bonus rewards categories. Not only do cardholders earn a generous sign-up bonus, but they also earn 3X points on restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel and hotels. All other purchases earn 1X points. Cardholders can also earn 10X points on hotels and car rentals booked through the Citi Travel portal (through June 30, 2024). Read our Citi Premier review .

• Earns flexible rewards for travel
• Generous 3X earning rate in five popular categories
• Elevated rate on eligible travel purchases via Citi Travel through June 2024

Best for Travel Rewards on Dining: American Express® Gold Card

Why We Chose It: The American Express Gold Card might be the ultimate dining card for travelers. It offers 4X Membership Rewards points at restaurants worldwide—that’s the most points you’re likely to earn without jumping through hoops like making dining purchases through a portal. Read our Amex Gold card review .

• 4X Membership Rewards points at restaurants worldwide (plus on takeout and delivery in the U.S.)
• 4X points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per year in purchases (then 1X points)
• Up to $120 in Uber Cash annually
• Steep $250 annual fee
• Poor redemption value beyond airfare
• U.S. supermarket bonus rewards are capped at $25,000 in spending each year

Best for Travel and Transit: American Express® Green Card

American express® green card.

After spending $3,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership

Why We Chose It: The American Express Green Card offers 3X Membership Rewards points on almost every type of eligible travel and transit expense. If you prefer to earn travel rewards and want a single card to consolidate your expenses on, the Amex Green Card is likely your best choice.

• Earns 3X points on a wide variety of eligible travel and transit, plus at restaurants worldwide
• Earns transferable Membership Rewards points
• Offers trip delay insurance*, baggage insurance plan* and car rental loss and damage insurance*
• $150 annual fee
• Limited cash redemption options
• No introductory APR

Related Articles

• Best Rewards Credit Cards
• How To Choose a Credit Card
• How Many Credit Cards Should I Have?

A Closer Look at the Best Travel Cards

Best overall: chase sapphire preferred card.

Why we love this card: The Chase Sapphire Preferred earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points that transfer to airline and hotel partners like British Airways, Southwest Rapid Rewards and World of Hyatt, yet cardholders can also get 25% more value when redeeming points for travel through Chase.

Other reasons to love this card include its exceptional welcome offer (earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening, worth $750 redeemed through Chase Travel) and earning rates: 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel; 5X points on Lyft rides (through March 31, 2025); 3X points on dining, online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs) and select streaming services; 2X points on general travel; and 1X points on all other purchases.

Who should have this in their wallet: The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is ideal for consumers who want to earn flexible travel rewards they can redeem in more than one way without having to pay hundreds of dollars toward an annual fee each year. That said, the fact you can redeem points for cash back, statement credits, gift cards and merchandise means the Sapphire Preferred can also work as a cash back credit card.

Other cards to consider: If you want a travel credit card with perks like airport lounge access or annual travel credits, you’ll have to be willing to pay a higher annual fee. In that case, you can consider cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.

Read our review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred

Best for Travel Rewards: Chase Sapphire Reserve

Why we love this card: The Chase Sapphire Reserve starts new customers off with a welcome offer to earn 60,000 bonus points when they spend $4,000 within three months of account opening, and they also earn 10X points on hotels and rental cars booked through Chase; 10X points on Chase Dining purchases with Ultimate Rewards; 5X points on flights booked through Chase Travel; 5X points on Lyft rides (through March 31, 2025); 3X points on dining and general travel purchases (not purchased through Chase); and 1X points on everything else. Rewards on travel are after the $300 travel credit is spent each year.

Premium perks that come with the card include a $300 annual travel credit, an application fee credit for Global Entry, NEXUS or TSA PreCheck membership, Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership and a suite of premium travel insurance benefits.

Who should have this in their wallet: The Sapphire Reserve is for frequent travelers who want to earn flexible rewards they can use for direct travel bookings through Chase or point transfers to airlines and hotels. The ideal cardholder also wants luxury travel benefits like airport lounge access and annual travel credits.

Other cards to consider: For a more affordable premium travel card, consider the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. But for more extensive lounge access and the chance to earn more credits, look into the Amex Platinum Card.

Read our review of the Chase Sapphire Reserve

Best for Premium Value: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Why we love this card: Despite the fact this card charges just $395 per year, it comes with a $300 annual travel credit, a fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership, Priority Pass Select membership, access to Capital One airport lounges and more. Users also earn flexible Capital One miles that can be redeemed for travel through Capital One Travel, used for gift cards, merchandise and travel statement credits or transferred to Capital One airline or hotel partners. Rewards include 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel and 2X miles on all other purchases.

Who should have this in their wallet: The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is for people who can utilize its airline and hotel partners or want to use their miles to book travel directly through Capital One. Individuals who want a card with airport lounge access at the lowest possible cost can also consider this premium travel credit card.

Other cards to consider: If you research Capital One airline and hotel partners and like what you see but want to pay a lower annual fee each year, you should also consider the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card ($95 annual fee). If you want airport lounge access and other premium benefits, however, you should check out the Amex Platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve .

Read our review of the Capital One Venture X

Best for Luxury Perks: The Platinum Card from American Express

Why we love this card: The Platinum Card from American Express has so many perks and statement credits it’s hard to keep track. For example, cardholders get more than $1,500 in statement and merchant credit offers with the card, plus the broadest airport lounge membership possible (Global Lounge Collection), Gold status with Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy with enrollment, access to Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts and plenty of other luxury travel perks.

Cardholders also earn a generous welcome bonus (earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new card in the first six months of card membership), plus 5X points on up to $500,000 spent each calendar year on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel, 5X points on eligible prepaid hotels booked via American Express Travel and 1X points on all other purchases.

Who should have this in their wallet: The Platinum Card from American Express is best for frequent travelers who can use most of its statement credit offers and benefits each year. Individuals who fly a lot and want access to the most airport lounges worldwide will also love the fact they can enter Priority Pass lounges, Amex Centurion lounges and even Delta Sky Clubs when they fly with Delta Air Lines. This card also works best for people who want to earn flexible points for travel that can be redeemed for airfare, hotel stays, car rentals and other travel in more than one way. After all, points earned with the card fall within the popular American Express Membership Rewards program.

Other cards to consider: If you want airport lounge access, consider premium travel credit cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve or the Capital One Venture X, which charge annual fees of $550 and $395, respectively. You can pay an even lower annual fee if you give up some luxury travel benefits and pick a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred or the Citi Premier.

Read our review of the Amex Platinum

Why we love this card: The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card earns a nice flat rewards rate of 2X unlimited miles on all purchases and 5X unlimited miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. Plus, miles can be redeemed for options like statement credits to offset travel, gift cards, travel through Capital One or transfers to airlines and hotels. While the annual fee is just $95, cardholders get perks like a fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership every four years.

Who should have this in their wallet: The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is ideal for frequent travelers who want some upgraded perks without paying more than $100 per year for their travel credit card. The card’s flat rewards rate also makes it a good choice for consumers who don’t want to keep track of confusing earning rates or bonus categories. Finally, this card works well for people who want to use their miles for travel but also want some flexibility in how they redeem them.

Other cards to consider: Several other flexible travel credit cards let users transfer rewards to airlines and hotels without paying more than $100 in annual fees each year. For example, you could consider the Citi Premier or the Chase Sapphire Preferred, which earn points in the Citi ThankYou Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards programs, respectively.

Read our Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card review

Best for No Annual Fee: Wells Fargo Autograph Card

Why we love this card: The Wells Fargo Autograph Card earns 3X points in so many bonus categories with no annual fee required. The welcome offer is also higher than other travel and cash back credit cards with no annual fee (30,000 bonus points when you spend $1,500 in purchases in the first three months), and rewards are fairly flexible. For example, you can redeem rewards with this card for travel, gift cards, statement credits or PayPal purchases. The card also has more benefits than one would think, including cellphone protection, auto rental coverage, travel and emergency assistance services and roadside dispatch.

Who should have this in their wallet: The Wells Fargo Autograph Card is best for people who want to earn rewards with no annual fee required, as well as those who want some flexibility when it comes to cashing in their rewards. The intro APR offer on purchases also makes this card a good option for people who want to earn rewards on a large purchase and then pay it down interest-free for the first year.

Other cards to consider: If you want to earn travel rewards with no annual fee required, several top cards can fit the bill. For example, you could also look at the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card, the Discover it® Miles and the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card.

Read our Wells Fargo Autograph Card review

Why we love this card: The World of Hyatt Credit Card offers 4X points on Hyatt hotels, an annual free night certificate and a second free night certificate once you spend $15,000 in a calendar year. The card also helps you earn elite status with Hyatt. You start out with World of Hyatt Discoverist status and five elite-qualifying night credits just for having the card, plus you earn two bonus elite night credits for every $5,000 you spend on the card. That’s plenty of value for a $95/year card.

Who should have this in their wallet: The World of Hyatt Credit Card is a great choice for anyone who stays at Hyatt hotels at least a few times a year. If you stay at Hyatt hotels occasionally and can make use of the annual category 1-4 free night, you’re likely to get value in excess of the card’s $95 annual fee. Those who stay at Hyatt hotels often enough to pursue Hyatt status will find that the card both helps boost their status and offers the best rewards value on Hyatt stays of any card.

Other cards to consider: If you want a credit card that offers a free night certificate, the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card also offer a free night annually each account anniversary just for having the cards.

Why we love this card: The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card comes with plenty of features and benefits. The card’s first checked bag free benefit applies to everyone in your reservation—up to eight companions—making it a great value for family travelers. The $100 Delta Stays credit offers easy value when you book a hotel stay through Delta Stays on delta.com and the $200 Delta Flight credit you’ll receive after spending $10,000 in a calendar year should be easy to use for loyal Delta flyers.

Who should have this in their wallet: Anyone who regularly checks bags on Delta and doesn’t already have Delta elite status should get the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card. The card will pay for itself in saved checked bag fees after just three round trips each year by our estimation.

Other cards to consider: If you’re pursuing Delta elite status, consider holding one of the airline’s more premium cards. The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card and the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card both earn the Medallion Qualifying Dollars you’ll need to earn frequent flyer status with Delta.

Best for Business Travel Rewards: Ink Business Preferred Credit Card

Why we love this card: The Ink Business Preferred Credit Card earns 3X points on up to $150,000 in spending each anniversary year in the following categories (then 1X points): shipping purchases; advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines; internet, cable and phone services; and travel. You earn 1X points on all other purchases.

Rewards fall within the Chase Ultimate Rewards program, so points can be redeemed for cash back, gift cards, merchandise, travel through Chase Travel (for 25% more value) or 1:1 point transfers to Chase airline and hotel partners. Benefits for business owners include free employee cards, primary auto rental coverage when renting a car for business purchases, cell phone protection, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, purchase protection, extended warranty protection and more.

Who should have this in their wallet: The Ink Business Preferred is for business owners who spend a lot in its bonus categories and want to earn travel rewards points they can use in more than one way. Many business owners also pair this card with the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve as their personal card since Chase lets users pool rewards in one account for convenience (and premium redemptions).

Other cards to consider: If the bonus categories don’t fit your spending, the no-annual-fee Amex Blue Business Plus offers a flat rate of 2X points on up to $50,000 in purchases each year, followed by 1X points.

Read our review of the Ink Business Preferred

Best for Business With No Annual Fee: Blue Business Plus Credit Card

Why we love this card: The Blue Business Plus Credit Card earns Amex Membership Rewards points with no annual fee required. While the welcome bonus is on the small side (earn 15,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $3,000 in purchases with the card in the first three months), cardholders can earn 2X points on up to $50,000 spent on purchases each year, then 1X points on other purchases.

Who should have this in their wallet: This business credit card is ideal for business owners who want to earn Amex points without paying an annual fee each year. Many consumers pair this card with a Membership Rewards card for consumers such as the Amex EveryDay, the American Express® Gold Card, and the American Express® Green Card.

Other cards to consider: There are few other business credit cards to consider if you want a card for travel with no annual fee that’s specifically for small businesses and entrepreneurs. However, you can consider consumer credit cards for travel with no annual fee required, including the Discover it® Miles and the Capital One VentureOne.

Read our review of the Amex Blue Business Plus

Best for Everyday Spending: Citi Premier Card

Why we love this card: The Citi Premier Card is a solid choice as a top-of-wallet card due to its bonus category potential. The card earns 3X points on restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel and hotels; 10X points on hotels and car rentals booked through the Citi travel portal (through June 30, 2024); and 1X points on other purchases. While a $95 annual fee applies, benefits like a $100 annual hotel savings on a $500+ hotel stay booked with Citi Travel help make up for it. Also note that this card earns Citi ThankYou points that can be redeemed for gift cards, merchandise, travel through Citi or transfers to Citi ThankYou airline and hotel partners.

Who should have this in their wallet: The Citi Premier Card is best for people who want to earn 3X points in as many categories as possible, as well as those who want some flexibility in how they redeem their rewards. This card also works well for people who have a cash back credit card from Citi that they use for points pooling.

Other cards to consider: The Wells Fargo Autograph is another flexible credit card for travel that earns 3X points in a bunch of different categories, yet with no annual fee. If you want points that transfer to partners with an annual fee below $100 each year, consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred or even the Amex EveryDay.

Read our review of the Citi Premier Card

Best for Travel Rewards on Dining: American Express Gold Card

Why we love this card: Almost every rewards card that earns extra points for dining at any restaurant worldwide will give you at most three points per dollar. The Amex Gold Card gives you 4X points. If restaurants worldwide (plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.) is one of your biggest spending categories, this bonus to the amount of rewards you earn can really add up. Plus, the card offers respectable rewards of 4X points on up to $25,000 a calendar year at U.S. supermarkets (then 1X) and 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.

Who should have this card in their wallet: If you are invested in the Membership Rewards ecosystem and know how to use the points for high-value redemptions, the Amex Gold Card is a rewards powerhouse. The Gold card can earn you a great return on your worldwide restaurant spending and up to $25,000 of charges you make at U.S. supermarkets a calender year (4X points before cap, then 1X).

Other cards to consider: If you prefer earning travel rewards that are easier to use, the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve might be a better bet. Both cards earn 3X points on dining at restaurants—rewards that can be easily redeemed for cash back, travel or transferred to travel partners.

Best for Business Travel Expenses: American Express Green Card

Why we love this card: With the Amex Green Card, you’ll earn 3X Membership Rewards on core travel expenses like eligible airfare and hotels, but you’ll also earn increased rewards on most other eligible travel expenses like tours, cruises, travel purchases on third party websites, rideshare, tolls and dining at restaurants worldwide. If you’re after travel rewards, you can do pretty well carrying only the Amex Green Card when you travel.

Who should have this card in their wallet: The frequent traveler who wants a single card that offers a good rate of rewards on all of their travel purchases should carry the Amex Green Card. The card not only offers 3X Membership Rewards on almost every eligible purchase you’ll make on the road, but it also provides essential travel insurance protections.

Other cards to consider: If cash-like rewards on your travel is your preference, you can earn rewards on most of your travel and transit expenses with the Wells Fargo Autograph Card. You won’t get the travel protections that you will with the Green Card, but you will pay no annual fee for the card.

What Is a Travel Credit Card?

A travel credit card is a type of rewards credit card that offers points that can be redeemed for travel and other options. Many travel credit cards also offer travel-specific benefits that can apply in certain situations, such as free checked bags when flying with an airline or late checkout when staying with specific hotel brands.

While some travel credit cards earn airline miles for a specific airline or hotel points that work within a specific hotel loyalty program, other cards earn flexible travel rewards points that can be redeemed for several flexible options. Additional travel credit card benefits can also be included, such as trip cancellation and interruption insurance, auto rental coverage, roadside dispatch, automatic elite status, annual travel credits, airport lounge access and more.

How Do Travel Credit Cards Work?

How travel credit cards work depends on the type of card and the program its rewards fall in. However, all travel credit cards have certain things in common. For example:

• Travel credit cards tend to offer welcome bonuses when you meet a minimum spending requirement within a few months of account opening.
• You can earn travel rewards points (or miles) based on spending and the card’s earning structure.
• Some cards offer bonus points or miles in certain categories, while others do not.
• Travel credit card benefits (e.g. travel insurance, annual travel credits, airport lounge access, free checked bags, etc.) can apply, although these perks vary widely by card.
• Travel credit card annual fees range from $0 all the way up $695, and there are cards for consumers as well as businesses.

Other than the card amenities that apply specifically to travel, cards in this niche work like other types of credit cards. All travel credit cards give consumers a line of credit they can borrow against, and they can avoid credit card interest if they pay their statement balance in full by their payment due date. When consumers don’t pay their balance in full, they get charged interest based on the average daily balance and the card’s annual percentage rate (APR).

Types of Travel Credit Cards

As you decide on a travel credit card for your wallet, you should know about the types of cards that are out there. This can help you figure out which travel credit card is best for you based on the type of rewards you want to earn and the benefits you desire.

• General travel credit cards: Some cards are considered general travel credit cards because they earn bonus points or miles in multiple categories and let you redeem rewards for travel without offering a lot of travel-specific perks or benefits. Cards in this category do not let you transfer points to airline and hotel programs like flexible travel credit cards do.
• Flexible travel credit cards: Flexible travel credit cards fall within programs like Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards and Citi ThankYou Rewards, and they let you redeem rewards for travel through a portal or rewards transfers to airlines and hotels affiliated with the program. Premium cards in this category may also come with benefits like airport lounge access, annual travel credits and robust travel insurance protections.
• Co-branded airline cards: Co-branded airline credit cards are offered by card issuers alongside frequent flyer programs like American Airlines AAdvantage and Delta SkyMiles. Cards in this category earn miles that are redeemable for flights with the airline itself or its partners, and they can come with perks like free checked bags, priority boarding, airport lounge access and more.
• Co-branded hotel cards: Hotel brands like Hilton Honors and World of Hyatt also offer co-branded credit cards alongside major card issuers . Cards in this category earn hotel points that can be used for free award stays, suite upgrades and other on-site benefits, and they tend to come with perks like automatic elite status, early check-in and late checkout. Some premium hotel credit cards also come with annual travel credits and airport lounge membership.

How To Choose the Best Travel Credit Card

The best travel credit card for one person can be totally different for another, mostly because there are so many variables to keep in mind. Not only are there different types of travel rewards you can earn, but earning rates and cardholder perks and fees vary widely by product.

As you look for the right travel credit card for what you’re hoping to get in return, keep the following factors in mind.

Type of Rewards

First off, you’ll want to think over the type of travel rewards you want to earn, whether that’s flexible points, airline miles or hotel points. If you fly with a specific airline or stay with a specific brand of hotels often, you’ll have to weigh the pros and cons of earning rewards that are specific to that program versus earning flexible rewards that may or may not transfer to your favorite travel brands.

Redemption Options

Speaking of that, make sure you have a general idea of the redemption options available for the rewards you earn, and keep in mind that airline miles and hotel points tend to be more limited overall. If you want rewards that are as flexible as they can be, consider picking up a flexible travel credit card that lets you redeem rewards through a portal or transfer to a range of airline and hotel partners.

Cardholder Benefits

Also consider the perks you want to get with your credit card for travel, keeping in mind that some cards offer general benefits and others offer more specific perks. For example, airline credit cards tend to offer benefits like free checked bags and priority boarding, whereas hotel credit cards offer hotel-specific perks like entry-level elite status, early check-in and late checkout. Meanwhile, flexible travel credit cards tend to offer more general benefits like fee credits as reimbursement for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership or Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership.

Learn more about the benefits found with some of the best travel rewards cards:

• New Amex Delta SkyMiles benefits (and fees)
• Amex Platinum benefits
• Amex Gold Card benefits
• American Express® Business Gold Card benefits
• Chase Sapphire Reserve benefits
• Chase Sapphire Preferred benefits

Earning Rates

Also look at the earning rates travel credit cards offer and compare them to see which cards would net you the most in rewards over time. If you spend a lot of money in specific categories each month like gas, groceries or travel, it can help to look for cards that offer bonus points in these categories.

Welcome Offers

Consider travel credit card welcome bonuses and see which ones entice you the most. If a card has a high minimum spending requirement to earn a welcome bonus, make sure you can easily meet it with regular, organic spending and bills within the timeline required.

If you have to spend $4,000 on purchases within three months of account opening, for example, that breaks down to spending at least $1,334 on purchases each month for the first three consecutive months in a row after becoming a cardholder.

Travel Protections

Although you might be tempted to book your travel with your card that earns the greatest amount of rewards, you should also consider what travel protections your card provides. Many travel credit cards offer a suite of travel protections that can be far more valuable than a few marginal points if things go wrong. Here are a few of the essential travel protections that many travel cards offer.

• Trip delay insurance can cover incidental expenses and even an overnight stay if travel you book with your card is delayed significantly or overnight. Booking a trip with a card that offers this benefit can mean that you’re not out hundreds of dollars if you suddenly need to check into a hotel for an overnight flight delay.
• Auto rental collision damage waiver insurance can cover damage to or theft of a rental car you book using your card. Ideally, you’d rent a car using a card that offers primary insurance, which can provide protection without requiring you to make a claim to your personal auto insurance. Keep in mind that this benefit doesn’t cover liability and often doesn’t cover car-sharing services like Turo.
• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance may cover reimbursement of non-refundable prepaid travel expenses in the event that your trip gets interrupted or canceled for a covered reason. Which expenses this benefit covers vary widely by card—some cards only cover prepaid travel by common carrier, while others will cover expenses like tours and lodging booked through travel providers.

Finally, compare travel credit cards based on their annual fees, and make sure you feel comfortable with the annual fee you’re planning to pay. If a credit card for travel you’re considering charges an annual fee, look closely at its benefits and rewards to make sure you’re getting more value out of the card than its annual fee the first year. Also check for other fees like foreign transaction fees, but note that credit cards geared to travel usually don’t charge them.

You can also look at cards based on their variable interest rates and intro APR offers. That said, you’ll typically only want to get a travel credit card if you plan to pay off your purchases in full each month. If you carry a balance on your card or end up in long-term debt, the variable rates you pay will more than wipe out the rewards you earn.

What Are Your Points and Miles Worth?

How much points and miles are worth may not seem like a big consideration, but this is one of the most important factors to keep in mind as you compare card earning rates and redemption options. After all, some rewards points are worth considerably more than others, and some cards have different redemption rates depending on how you use your points.

Knowing how much your points are worth can help you decide if a travel credit card is the right fit for you. For example, Amex Membership Rewards points are worth an average of 1.19 cents per point according to Newsweek valuations. For maximum value, you’ll need to transfer your points to an airline partner.

Other Amex redemption options aren’t as valuable. You can redeem Amex points for airfare through AmexTravel.com at 1 cent per point. But points are only worth 0.6 cents per point if you redeem for statement credits and 0.7 cents per point for many travel redemptions through Amex Travel.

If cash back is your preferred redemption option, a cash back credit card is likely a better fit over an Amex travel card. And if you’re not booking flights through Amex travel or transferring to a high-value transfer partner, a different travel rewards card could give you better value when redeeming your rewards.

Also note that similar points from different programs can be worth varying amounts, and this can skew how generous the earning rates and welcome bonuses appear with different cards. For example, Hilton Honors points are worth an average of 0.41 cents each, whereas World of Hyatt points are worth 2.11 cents each based on our internal valuations.

*Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.

Frequently Asked Questions

What credit score do you need for the best travel credit cards.

Minimum credit score recommendations vary by card product and card issuer. But the best travel credit cards are geared toward individuals with good to excellent credit (or a FICO Score of 670 and up).

What Is the Best Credit Card for Travel Points?

The best credit card for travel rewards can vary based on the type of rewards, fees charged and perks included. However, some of the best travel credit cards on the market today include the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve and Capital One Venture X.

Do I Have To Pay Interest on a Credit Card?

Avoid interest completely on credit cards by paying your card’s statement balance in full by your card’s payment due date each month. Some cards also come with introductory APRs for purchases, balance transfers or both, yet this isn’t a common feature among credit cards for travel rewards.

The post Best Travel Credit Cards of May 2024 first appeared on Newsweek Vault .

Why I'm changing up my points and miles strategy for the rest of 2024

Before joining TPG in 2021, I was a newbie to the world of points and miles. Despite traveling frequently throughout the previous decade, I was oblivious to the benefits of loyalty programs or how straightforward it could be to earn points or miles for airfare and hotel stays.

For the last few years, I've immersed myself in points and miles, keen to understand every facet and maximize the value I get from every trip I take or penny I spend. Fast forward three years and I've accrued a healthy stash of Avios and, until very recently, was also sitting pretty with British Airways Executive Club Silver status .

At this point, however, I've hit something of a points and miles crossroads, and I'm now adjusting my earning and redemption strategies to eke out as much value from my points as possible.

Here's how and why I'm changing up my points and miles strategy for 2024 to no longer focus my energy on earning Avios to redeem for flights.

I don't need any more Avios

I won't divulge the total number of Avios I currently have in my British Airways Executive Club account, but let's just say it's more than enough to book a few luxury flights across the globe.

Until now, my strategy was simple: Earn as many Avios as possible and redeem them on as many great flight experiences as possible. I did this through a variety of methods, initially starting out without a credit card by using British Airways' online shopping portal for as much of my regular spending as possible.

While it wasn't getting me the most Avios imaginable, it was a great gateway to understanding points and miles accrual, and I was frequently able to earn double and triple Avios or higher on retail purchases and subscriptions that I'd buy anyway.

After this, I briefly flirted with British Airways' now-defunct prepay travel card, which would earn 1 Avios per British pound ($1.25) spent. It wasn't quite the earning rate I could have had with a points credit card, but at least I was earning something — and at that point, I was still approaching points and miles with some trepidation.

I quickly graduated from the debit travel card to taking the plunge and getting myself a British Airways Avios-earning credit card offering 1.5 Avios per pound spent. This was a turning point, and on top of the card's generous welcome bonus, combined with stacking the card's regular earnings with shopping portals , I very quickly saw my Avios account bloom. I also managed to earn a British Airways upgrade voucher after I hit a certain spending threshold.

As my Avios stash has grown, I've taken advantage of British Airways' Reward Flight Saver redemptions on short-haul economy and Club Europe (the carrier's European business-class cabin) fares to destinations such as Sicily, Italy; Athens, Greece; Dublin; and Porto, Portugal. Thus far, I've kept these redemptions low in terms of Avios expense to help me save for some bigger Club World redemptions I hope to make this year for myself and my partner.

I have now reached what I consider to be a healthy Avios threshold.

Simply put, I have no real need for more (although some of my TPG colleagues would probably disagree). For my current personal needs and plans, the Avios I've accrued in this period are enough to keep me flying for the rest of the year and (possibly) beyond, depending on how extravagant my redemptions are.

I no longer need to worry about earning Avios in the same way, and while I could focus my energy on a different airline, I'd much rather earn points and miles for travel expenses beyond flights.

I want more flexibility

While I've enjoyed being able to earn Avios with everyday spending, one of my biggest concerns with primarily using a credit card tied to a very specific currency has been the lack of flexibility with redemptions.

Sure, Avios aren't restricted to just British Airways flights and can also be used across the carrier's Oneworld partners (and Aer Lingus), but I want even more flexibility. Avios can be used across a varied selection of airlines, but they don't cover everything. For example, they can't be redeemed with Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa or Air France, among other airlines that are convenient for me as a United Kingdom resident.

On top of this, I feel like I'm missing out on the opportunity to redeem my points on hotel stays unless you're counting British Airways Holidays redemptions, which offer far less bang for your buck than a standard flight redemption.

Thus, I've decided it's time to diversify the way I earn, which has led me to sign up for a new points-earning card, specifically the American Express® Gold Card .

Theoretically, I could have diversified by taking out a cobranded hotel card such as the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express Card , but I would have once again found myself tied to one specific loyalty currency. With the Amex Gold, I am unlocking a new world of earning and redeeming potential courtesy of Amex Membership Rewards points.

Related: How to redeem American Express Membership Rewards for maximum value

At TPG, we consider Membership Rewards points to be one of the most valuable loyalty currencies due to their ability to be transferred at a somewhat consistent 1:1 ratio to many leading loyalty programs, such as Air France-KLM Flying Blue , Virgin Atlantic Flying Club , Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors , to name a few. We currently value Membership Rewards points at 2 cents per point .

While I've retained my original Avios-earning card simply to keep the embers alive, it's no longer my primary earning card, and I'm now accruing a much more valuable currency that I will later be able to transfer and redeem, broadly speaking, anywhere I like — including with hotel loyalty programs such as Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors.

To me, this is a much more sensible approach to earning loyalty points, as you're provided with much greater opportunities to maximize their end-use. I can still earn Avios through my old credit card, should I wish, or by spending on shopping portals with my new one. But now I can also earn points to transfer to other airline and hotel loyalty programs .

The power of my points will now be much stronger.

I want to be more strategic about how I earn

When I was limited to earning only Avios with my daily spending, it meant that I also focused all of my energy there by using certain offers or shopping portals to boost my earnings. It made little sense to step out beyond the Avios bubble, as the returns elsewhere would be marginal, with slow growth compared to the impact on my Executive Club balance.

This isn't to say I haven't earned points with other loyalty programs at all over the last few years. I have, but only in small amounts with little options to boost them further.

Related: 4 reasons why the Amex Gold is the 1 card we can't live without

With my shiny new Amex, I can now stack points (including Avios) through various shopping portals to top up my other loyalty accounts when I want to redeem points.

No longer am I glued to British Airways and Oneworld routes and cabins. The world has become a deliciously rotund points oyster.

Best points credit cards for beginners

If this is new to you and you're just getting started with points-earning credit cards, we recommend checking out some of the following articles:

• Credit vs. debit cards: Which is the smarter choice?
• How I treat credit cards like debit cards: The updated envelope system
• 6 lessons I'd tell my younger self about credit cards
• New year, new approach: How to choose your best credit card strategy
• How to choose the best credit card for you

Here are a few of our favorite cards to consider:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card : One of our favorite starter cards, this Chase option earns 3 points per dollar spent on dining, select streaming services and online grocery orders, plus 2 points per dollar spent on travel and 1 point per dollar spent on most other charges. These points are transferable to lots of travel partners, including World of Hyatt , United Airlines , Southwest Airlines , British Airways and Marriott Bonvoy.
• American Express Gold Card : This card has great earning rates on dining and grocery purchases, plus monthly statement credits, including up to a $120 annual dining credit (up to $10 per month; enrollment required), up to a $120 annual Uber credit (up to $10 per month) and $100 in hotel credits (two-night stay required). You'll earn 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants (including delivery in the U.S.) and at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year, then 1 point per dollar), plus 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, and 1 point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. You'll be able to transfer your points to a number of travel partners, including Delta Air Lines SkyMiles , JetBlue TrueBlue , British Airways Executive Club, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors.

Bottom line

Since starting as a beginner in the points and miles world, I've managed to earn a decent number of Avios.

I've now decided that I want more flexibility with earning and redeeming my points. This has led me to sign up for a second credit card to earn much more valuable Amex Membership Rewards points, which will now be the main focus of my points-earning for the foreseeable future.

Related reading:

• Best travel credit cards
• Where to go in 2024: The 16 best places to travel
• 6 real-life strategies you can use when your flight is canceled or delayed
• 8 of the best credit cards for general travel purchases
• 13 must-have items the TPG team can't travel without

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Connecting gold card members with exceptional benefits at more than 700 hotels worldwide..

A $100 experience credit to spend on qualifying dining, spa, and resort activities. †

Receive a room upgrade upon arrival, when available. ‡

† Experience credit varies by property. ‡ Certain room categories are not eligible for upgrade.

Get even more for your travels when you book The Hotel Collection * at AmexTravel.com

Use your Card for prepaid hotel bookings and earn Membership Rewards ® points. *

Use Membership Rewards® Pay with Points for all or part of your prepaid stay. *

Find Inspiration for Your Next Getaway.

*Terms and Conditions

The Hotel Collection: The Hotel Collection (THC) benefits are available for new bookings of two consecutive nights or more made through American Express Travel with participating properties and are valid only for eligible U.S. Consumer and Business Gold Card, Platinum Card ® Members, and Centurion ® Members. Additional Card Members on Consumer and Business Platinum Card Accounts, and Additional Card Members on Consumer and Business Centurion Accounts are also eligible for THC program benefits. Delta SkyMiles ® Gold and Platinum Card Members are not eligible. Bookings must be made using an eligible Card and must be paid using that Card, or another American Express ® Card, in the eligible Card Member's name, and that Card Member must be traveling on the itinerary booked. Room upgrade is subject to availability and is provided at check-in; certain room categories are not eligible for upgrade. The type of experience credit or additional amenity (if applicable) varies by property; the experience credit will be applied to eligible charges up to $100. Advance reservations are recommended for certain experience credits. Benefit restrictions vary by property. Benefits are applied per room, per stay (with a three-room limit per stay). Back-to-back stays booked by a single Card Member, Card Members staying in the same room or Card Members traveling in the same party within a 24-hour period at the same property are considered one stay and are ineligible for additional THC benefits (“Prohibited Action”). American Express and the Property reserve the right to modify or revoke the THC benefits at any time without notice if we or they determine, in our or their sole discretion, that you have engaged in a Prohibited Action, or have engaged in abuse, misuse, or gaming in connection with your THC benefits. Benefits cannot be redeemed for cash and are not combinable with other offers unless indicated. Benefits must be used during the stay booked. Any credits applicable are applied at check-out in USD or the local currency equivalent. Benefits, participating properties, and availability and amenities at those properties are subject to change. To be eligible for THC program benefits, your eligible Card Account must not be cancelled. For additional information, call the number on the back of your Card.

2X Membership Rewards Points: Membership Rewards-enrolled Card Members get at least 1 Membership Rewards ® point for every eligible dollar spent on their Membership Rewards program-enrolled American Express ® Card. Those same Card Members will also get at least 1 additional point for each dollar of eligible travel purchases made on amextravel.com on their Membership Rewards program-enrolled American Express Card. Corporate Card Members are not eligible for the additional point. Eligible travel purchases include all travel purchases made with your Membership Rewards program-enrolled American Express ® Card on amextravel.com, including air, prepaid hotels, prepaid short-term rentals, prepaid car rentals, vacation packages (flight + hotel packages) or cruise reservations, minus returns and other credits. Platinum and Business Platinum Card Members are only eligible for 1 additional point on cruise reservations. Eligible travel purchases do NOT include non-prepaid car rentals, non-prepaid hotels, ticketing service or other fees, or interest charges. Bonuses you may receive with your Card on other purchase categories or in connection with promotions or offers from American Express may not be combined with this offer, such as 5X bonuses for Platinum and Business Platinum Card Members or 3X bonuses for Business Gold Card Members. Any portion of a charge that you elect to cover through redemption of Membership Rewards points is not eligible to receive points. Additional points will be credited to the Membership Rewards account 10-12 weeks after final payment is made.

3X Points for Business Gold Card: Basic American Express ® Business Gold Card Members will get at least one Membership Rewards ® point for each dollar of eligible travel purchases on their Card and on any Employee Cards on their Card Account. Basic Card Members will get 2 additional points (for a total of 3 points) for each dollar spent on eligible travel purchases on their Business Gold Card Account from American Express. Eligible travel purchases include scheduled flights and prepaid flight+hotel packages made online at AmexTravel.com, minus returns and other credits. Additionally, eligible travel purchases include prepaid hotel purchases made through American Express Travel over the phone with our Travel Consultants or made online at AmexTravel.com, minus returns and other credits. Eligible travel purchases do NOT include non-prepaid hotel bookings, scheduled flights and prepaid flight+hotel packages booked over the phone, vacation packages, car rentals, cruise, hotel group reservations or events, ticketing service, cancellation or other fees, interest charges, purchases of travelers checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, or purchases of other cash equivalents. To be eligible for the 3X Membership Rewards ® points, the booking must be both reserved and charged on the Basic or Additional/Employee Card on the Card Account. To modify a reservation, you can cancel and rebook your reservation on AmexTravel.com or by calling a representative of AmexTravel.com at 1-800-297-2977. To be eligible for the 3X Membership Rewards ® points, any changes to an existing reservation must be made through the same method as your original booking. Cancellations are subject to hotel cancellation penalty policies. If hotel reservations are made or modified directly with the hotel provider, the reservation will not be eligible for this 3X Membership Rewards ® point benefit. To be eligible to receive extra points, Card Account(s) must not be cancelled or past due at the time of extra points fulfillment. If a booking is canceled, the extra points will be deducted from the Membership Rewards account. Extra points will be credited to the Membership Rewards account approximately 6-10 weeks after eligible purchases appear on the billing statement. Bonuses you may receive with your Card on other purchase categories or in connection with promotions or offers from American Express may not be combined with this benefit.

Merchants are assigned codes based on what they primarily sell. We group certain merchant codes into categories that are eligible for additional points. A purchase with a merchant will not earn additional points if the merchant’s code is not included in an additional points category. You may not receive additional points if we receive inaccurate information or are otherwise unable to identify your purchase as eligible for an additional points category. For example, you may not receive additional points when: a merchant uses a third-party to sell their products or services; or a merchant uses a third-party to process or submit your transaction to us (e.g., using mobile or wireless card readers); or you choose to make a purchase using a third-party payment account or make a purchase using a mobile or digital wallet.

Please visit americanexpress.com/rewards-info for more information about rewards.

Pay with Points : To use Pay with Points, you must charge your eligible purchase through American Express Travel to a Membership Rewards ®  program-enrolled American Express ®  Card. Eligible purchases through American Express Travel exclude non-prepaid car rentals and non-prepaid hotels. Points will be debited from your Membership Rewards account, and credit for corresponding dollar amount will be issued to the American Express Card account used. If points redeemed do not cover entire amount, the balance of purchase price will remain on the American Express Card account. Minimum redemption 5,000 points. See membershiprewards.com/terms for the Membership Rewards program terms and conditions. If a charge for a purchase is included in a Pay Over Time balance on your Linked Account the statement credit associated with that charge may not be applied to that Pay Over Time balance. Instead the statement credit may be applied to your Pay in Full balance. If you believe this has occurred, please contact us by calling the number on the back of your Card.

See  membershiprewards.com/terms  for the Membership Rewards program terms and conditions.

If a charge for a purchase is included in a Pay Over Time balance on your Linked Account the statement credit associated with that charge may not be applied to that Pay Over Time balance. Instead the statement credit may be applied to your Pay in Full balance. If you believe this has occurred, please contact us by calling the number on the back of your Card. Corporate Card Members are not eligible for Pay Over Time.

Terms and Conditions for the Membership Rewards ® program apply. Visit membershiprewards.com/terms for more information. Participating partners and available rewards are subject to change without notice.

The value of Membership Rewards points varies according to how you choose to use them. To learn more, go to  membershiprewards.com/pointsinfo .

American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. is acting solely as a sales agent for travel suppliers and is not responsible for the actions or inactions of such suppliers. Certain suppliers pay us commission and other incentives for reaching sales targets or other goals and may provide incentives to our Travel Consultants. For more information visit  www.americanexpress.com/travelterms .

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