The Amex Membership Rewards program has just introduced its latest transfer bonus, valid for the next several weeks. It’s worth being aware of, but not one that I’m particularly excited about.
In this post:
Amex to Etihad Guest transfer bonus
Between April 1 and April 30, 2025, the American Express Membership Rewards program in the United States is offering a 20% bonus on points transfers to Etihad Guest.
Ordinarily, points transfer at a 1:1 ratio (in 1,000 point increments), while through this promotion you’d get 1,200 Etihad Guest miles for every 1,000 Membership Rewards points transferred.
For context, Amex doesn’t frequently have promotions on transfers to Etihad Guest. We last saw such an offer around a year ago, and it was also for a 20% bonus.
- 4x points at restaurants, on up to $50,000 in purchases annually
- 4x points at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases annually
- 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or through amextravel.com
- $325
- Access to Amex Offers
- Redeem Amex Points Towards Airfare
- $375
- Earn 5x points on flights purchased directly from airlines or through Amex Travel (up to $500k/year)
- $200 Annual Uber Credit
- Amex Centurion Lounge Access
- $695
- Earn 1.5x on purchases of $5,000 or more in a single transaction on up to $2MM per calendar year
- Redeem Points For Over 1.5 Cents Each Towards Airfare
- Amex Centurion Lounge Access
- $695
- 2x points on purchases up to $50k then 1x
- Access to Amex Offers
- No annual fee
Should you transfer Amex points to Etihad?
We’ve seen a lot of changes with the Etihad Guest program over the past couple of years, both for better and worse. So, is there value in transferring points to Etihad Guest with this bonus? That depends…
While Etihad Guest has lots of airline partners, unfortunately these redemptions are almost never a good deal. Below is the award chart for travel on partner airlines, which doesn’t leave many enticing redemption opportunities.
At this point, the biggest value in the Etihad Guest program is being able to redeem for travel in Etihad premium cabins. Etihad is a pleasure to fly with, and the airline has improved very nicely in recent years, with new aircraft and a great premium experience, in both first class and business class. On top of that, Etihad’s hub at Abu Dhabi Airport is a game changer for the airline.
Historically, the best way to book Etihad premium cabin tickets has been through partner programs, like American AAdvantage. Unfortunately Etihad has started greatly restricting premium award space through partners. So in many situations, your only option for redeeming for premium cabin travel on Etihad is directly through the Etihad Guest program.
The biggest factor that makes me hesitant to use Etihad Guest is the program’s strict mileage expiration policy and very hefty cancelation fees on awards.
Bottom line
At the moment, Amex is offering a 20% bonus when you transfer points to Etihad Guest. We last saw such a promotion around a year ago.
You should only be focused on Etihad Guest if you want to redeem for travel on Etihad. While redemption rates aren’t great, often premium cabin award space is restricted to the program. I generally avoid Etihad Guest, simply because the mileage expiration policy and the fees on awards, but maybe that doesn’t bother others as much. I wouldn’t make a speculative transfer, but with a specific use in mind, it could make sense.
Do you plan on taking advantage of this Amex transfer bonus to Etihad Guest?
There are currently no responses to this story.
Be the first to respond.