British Airways 35% Transfer Bonus Promotion from American Express Membership Rewards

British Airways is a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards, usually at a 1:1 ratio. Until June 7, 2013, American Express is running a promotion where you receive a 35% bonus for all transfer to British Airways. That is, you get 1.35 British Airways Avios for each Membership Rewards point (or 10,000 Membership Rewards points = 13,500 British Airway Executive Club Avios).

How to Get the Bonus: There is no need to do anything extra. Just go ahead and transfer to British Airways as you normally would. The bonus will automatically be included in the conversion.

While these bonuses tend to run every few months, the bonus percentage varies. There have been offers of up to 50% in past years and I’ll doubt we’ll see one that high again anytime soon. The last one was only 30% so at least this is an improvement.

Using British Airways Executive Club Avios Miles

British Airways’ award chart is distance-based. You pay for each segment you fly individually. For example, flight from LAX to London with a stop in NYC costs the same as the sum of the individual flights from LAX to NYC and then from NYC to London. You can use the British Airways Avios Calculator to determine the number of miles needed for your segment.

This transfer bonus is perfect for domestic short weekend trips and, with the transfer, there’s honestly no better deal for flights under 650 miles. My favorite trip with British Airways miles is a round-trip from New York to Montreal or Toronto. While these pricey routes to Canada often go for $500 in summer, British Airways Avios only charges 4,500 each way + taxes. For a round trip, that’s 9,000 British Airways Avios + $60 (or 7,000 Membership Rewards points + $60).

Pros: 

• Non-stop short flights within North America (US, Canada, Mexico, Caribbean, Hawaii) offer very low cost great deals
• Ability to redeem on American Airlines, Alaska Airlines and a full network of oneworld partners
• No fuel surcharges on North American flights
• No close-in booking fees so you can book completely last minute flights

Cons: Fuel surcharges on many international flights (e.g. British Airways/American Airlines flights to Europe), 

Within North America, British Airways can be used to fly on American Airlines or Alaska Airlines, both with no fuel surcharges whatsoever. A few more good deals in economy include:

• Miami to Grand Cayman for 4,500 British Airways miles each way on American Airlines
• New York to Miami for 7,500 British Airways miles each way on American Airlines
• New York to Antigua for 10,000 British Airways miles each way on American Airlines
• Los Angeles to Vancouver for 7,500 British Airways miles each way on Alaska Airlines
• Portland to Vancouver for 4,500 British Airways miles each way on Alaska Airlines
• California to Maui/Honolulu/Kona for 12,500 British Airways miles each way on Alaska Airlines or American Airlines

I explain how to redeem to search for available and redeem British Airways Executive Club Avios on Alaska Airlines in my post on Redeeming British Airways Miles on Alaska Airlines Flights. 

British Airways also ranks near the top in my Top Five Ways to Fly to the Caribbean with Miles.

Should you go for the bonus?

As always, do your research first. While British Airways miles are awesome value for shorter routes and flying within North American without fuel surcharges, they are not ideal to use for trips to Asia, Australia or even Europe. You will pay hundreds of dollars in fuel surcharges, for example, if you use your Avios miles to fly to Europe on American Airlines or British Airways.

Remember, transfers are irreversible. Once you transfer your Membership Rewards points to British Airways, there’s no going back. On the bright side, the points do transfer instantly so there is no need to transfer ahead of time. Make sure your award seats are available and you know exactly what the fuel surcharges and taxes are before transferring. You don’t want to find that perfect seat to Europe and then be surprised with $400 in fuel surcharges. 

Finally, British Airways is not the only airline transfer partner that Membership Rewards has and the list is extensive so be sure to consider the other options:

• AeroMexico
• Air Canada Aeroplan
• Air France/KLM Flying Blue
• Alitalia MileMiglia Club
• ANA Mileage Club
• Cathay Pacific AsiaMiles
• Delta SkyMiles
• EL AL Matmid Club
• HawaiianMiles
• Iberia Plus
• JetBlue TrueBlue
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
• Virgin America Elevate
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Good luck with your decision!

Summary

• American Express is currently offering a 35% transfer bonus to British Airways until June 7. The transfer rate during the bonus is 1.35 British Airways miles for each American Express Membership Rewards point.
• The British Airways Executive Club Avios award chart charges for each segment based on distance and offers incredible value for short flights to the states, Mexico and the Caribbean.
• British Airways Avios are not as ideal for longer flights and does charge fuel surcharges on some international carriers so be sure to check the full details of your award before making any transfer.

Other posts you may like:

Redeeming British Airways Miles on Alaska Airlines Flights

American Airlines AAdvantage or British Airways Avios: Where to Credit Your Flights

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