One of the things that I like best about Membership Rewards is the ability to maximize your earnings with transfer bonuses.
Over the last few months, my wife and I have been racking up Membership Rewards because there have been some good sign up bonuses. I hope you have been too since I’ve been posting about these offers. :)
- The Mrs. – The Platinum Card® from American Express 100,000 mile offer after spending $2,500 dollars in the first three months. This expired offer was blogged about here.
- Craig – American Express® Premier Rewards Gold Card 50,000 Membership Rewards points afters spending $1,000 in the first three months. I think this offer is also expired. Original details here.
- Craig – The Business Gold Rewards Card® from American Express OPEN 50,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $5,000 in the first three months. An ongoing limited time offer blogged about here. I actually just signed up for and was approved for this card today.
Combined, we’ll have about 200,000 Membership Rewards points for the first quarter of 2013.
As such, my interest is clearly focused on deciding how to maximize American Express Membership Rewards.
British Airways Avios 35% transfer bonus through June 7th, 2013
How good is the British Airways Avios 35% American Express Rewards transfer bonus?
The Points Guy put together a very helpful list of all the Membership Rewards transfer bonuses since 2010.
Here’s a quick look at the bonuses offered (from most recent to oldest):
- 30%
- 40%
- 50%
- 40%
- 30%
These historical transfer bonuses may or may not be an indication of what to expect in the future. As an example, lots of people planned to transfer points to Delta when there was a transfer bonus because Delta had a long history of frequently offering transfer bonuses (like British Airways), but November 2011 was the last time we’ve seen a Delta transfer bonus. However, if history is our guide, we’ll probably see a slightly higher offer (45%???) in the next 3-6 months. That is obviously pure speculation.
Is this transfer bonus a good deal for you?
1. How soon until your Membership Rewards require action?
When you cancel your connected American Express credit card, you typically have 30 days to use your points or lose them. (I’d call and confirm that timeframe with your specific card.) The only other option is to pay the annual fee or get another Membership Rewards earning card to keep your points active. If you knew that you wanted to cash out your Membership Rewards points in the next few 3-4 months, statistically you’re taking a risk hoping for another, more lucrative transfer bonus.
2. How familiar are you with British Airways Avios?
Compared to other mileage programs, Avios seems to spur on more than its fair share of frustration and confusion.
Three things you need to know about Avios:
a. They are a terrible option for flights to Europe and some other regions because of high fuel surcharges ($400 +).
b. It is a distanced based airlines so some routes require much, much more than other comparable airline awards programs.
c. It is a distance based award program so some routes require much, much less miles than other comparable airline rewards. Here are some of the British Airways sweet spots:
- Intra- Australia from 9,000 Avios RT economy class (e.g. Brisbane to Sydney)
- Short hop domestic US/Canada from 9,000 Avios RT economy class (e.g. Denver to Dallas, Toronto to New York)
- Boston to Dublin, Ireland from 25,000 RT economy or 50,000 RT in business class
- Los Angeles to Hawaii from 25,000 RT economy class.
If you’ve been eyeing up a Avios Membership Rewards transfer, this could be the time with the current 35% transfer bonus.
Don’t have any Membership Rewards points?
Because this offer goes until June 7th, 2013 you should have time to sign up for a new card, meet the spend, and get the points in time to make the transfer. Here are a few of the best current Membership Rewards earning offers:
1. For a limited time, The Business Gold Rewards Card® from American Express OPEN offer. 50,000 MR points which could transfer into 67,500 Avois. You can get more details here.
2. Check your best offer for the American Express Premier Rewards Gold card. The step by step guide is outlined here. A few months ago, the offer was for 50,000, but I’m not seeing that offer in my account (because I already got the card) or in my wife’s. Otherwise, your best offer is the standard 25,000 Membership Rewards after spending $2,000 in the first three months.
Note: 35% bonus transfer hat tip to View from the Wing.
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About Craig Ford
hello, according to your statement, does that mean I can transfer my points from Gold amex to platinum amex if I closed my gold amex with points in it? i was thinking of waiting out for a bigger bonus and if it doens’t come in time, i’ll open platinum amex to transfer my mr points and wait out longer for the avios bonus. do
Steven,
In order for your Membership Rewards to remain active you just need an active Membership rewards earning credit card.