A History Of Amex Transfer Bonuses From 2010 Present

Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.One of the biggest benefits of having American Express Membership Rewards points is taking advantage of transfer bonuses to the program’s airline and hotel partners. Unfortunately, these bonuses used to be offered much more frequently. While we are going through a drought, I figured I’d put together a list of past bonuses so you can see any past trends and decide whether it makes sense to redeem now or wait for a new bonus.I have no inside information, but if I were a betting man I’d bank on seeing a Virgin America or Starwood 50% bonus within the next couple of months, which I personally wouldn’t take advantage of. I’d rather see a British Airways 30-50% bonus or even an Air France/Flying Blue or Virgin Atlantic bonus that I could use towards promo awards (though those do carry big fees.)While this might be wishful thinking, here’s a list of past bonuses from 2010 for the US Membership Rewards program. I’m sure I probably missed a couple, so feel free to comment on any and I’ll add to the list.Here’s a brief history of Amex transfer bonuses.Transfer PartnerDatesBonus PercentageDurationNotesAeroplanNovember 22, 2010 – December 5, 201025%11 days5,000 bonus miles for 20,000 points, maxAeroplan (for Candada Amex only)August 9, 2010 – August 15, 201015%7 daysFlying Blue Air France/KLMSeptember 10, 2012 – September 16, 201235%6 daysFlying Blue Air France/KLMFebruary 2, 2012 – February 29, 201225%28 daysAirTranFebruary 1, 2011 – April 1, 201125%29 daysA different points structure: 1,123 AmEx points get you 1 AirTran A+ credit. The equivalent of 9,000 points is good for one-way coach ticketBritish AirwaysDecember 3, 2012 – January 14, 201330%43 daysBritish AirwaysMarch 1, 2012 – March 31, 201250%31 daysThis is for Canadian AmEx Rewards ProgramBritish AirwaysAugust 28, 2012 – September 27, 201240%31 daysBritish AirwaysMarch 15, 2012 – May 31, 201250%77 daysBritish AirwaysNovember 28, 2011 – January 31, 201230%65 daysBritish AirwaysJune 1, 2011 – July 31, 201150%61 daysBritish AirwaysFebruary 2, 2011 – March 31, 201140%58 daysBritish AirwaysNovember 2, 2010 – December 31, 201030%60 daysBritish Airways (USA Platinum and Centurion)April 1, 2010 – June 30, 201020%91 daysBritish Airways (UK Amex cardholders)January 23, 2010 – February 20, 2010100%28 daysBritish Airways (UK Amex)December 3, 2010 – December 24, 201030%21 daysChoice HotelsApril 3, 2012 – June 30, 201225% rebate89 days33% bonus on an otherwise 1:1 ratio (750 AmEx = 1,000 Choice)Choice Hotels31-Oct-1150%DeltaNovember 14, 2011 – November 30, 201130%16 daysPlus a 15,000 bonus with every 50,000 transfer, so with that it would be 43%DeltaJuly 25, 2011 – September 30, 201167% (40% rebate)68 daysThis was a 40% rebate offer, in 50k increments and with a $60 per 100k excise fee. Also, rebate certificates sent 6-8 weeks after transactionDeltaJune 9, 2011 – September 30, 201150%113 daysAlso 25,000 MQMs, requires 100,000 point transferDeltaJune 1, 2011 – June 30, 201140%30 days100,000 or more points. 25% if lessDeltaApril - May 201140% (25% rebate)Approx 2 months40% on 100,000+, 25% on lessDeltaJanuary 22, 2011 – May 31, 201150%130 daysFirst time transfers only, 25,000 MQM as wellDeltaJanuary 18, 2011 – March 31, 201130%73 daysDeltaNovember 30, 2010 – December 31, 201067% (bonus, essentially)32 days 20,000 bonus (or $250 Macy’s card) for 50,000 transferDeltaNovember 1, 2010 – December 15, 201050%45 days* 25,000 MQM w/ 50,000 point transferDeltaAugust 11, 2010 – September 30, 201020%41 daysDeltaMay 10, 2010 – June 30, 201025%51 daysDeltaJanuary 23, 2010 – February 28, 2010up to 40%36 days* up to 49,000 for 10%, 50 to 149,000 for 20%, 150,000+ for 40%El AlNovember 1, 2010 – unknown25%unknownHiltonApril 3, 2012 – June 30, 201225% rebate89 days25% bonus on an otherwise 1:1.5 ratio (750 AmEx = 1,500 Hilton)IberiaSeptember 19, 2011 – not specified, but Iberia rolled into Avios on November 16, 201120%59 daysJetBlueJune 12, 2012 – June 17, 201230%6 daysPriority ClubApril 12, 2010 – June 3, 201020%21 daysStarwoodApril 3, 2012 – June 30, 201225% rebate89 days44% bonus on an otherwise 3:1 ratio (750 AmEx = 333 SPG)StarwoodMarch 1, 2012 – March 31, 201250%31 daysStarwoodSeptember 1, 2011 – September 14, 201125%14 daysVirgin AmericaNovember 7, 2012 – November 21, 201250%14 daysTargetedVirgin AmericaAugust 27, 2012 – September 2, 201230%7 daysVirgin AmericaMarch 19, 2012 – March 26, 201230%7 daysVirgin AtlanticApril 1, 2012 – May 15, 201225%45 daysAlso a 1:2 ratio transfer, Virgin to HiltonVirgin AtlanticNovember 27, 2012 – December 29, 201235%32 daysVirgin Atlantic3-Jun-1125%UnknownVirgin AtlanticJanuary 10, 2011 – February 28, 201115%39 daysVirgin AtlanticOctober 1, 2010 – October 31, 201020%31 daysVirgin AtlanticJuly 19, 2010 – July 30, 201015%20 daysVirgin AtlanticFebruary 22, 2010 – at least March 16, 2010 (last mention in post)15%23 days (?)[card card-name=‘Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express’ card-id=‘22035076’ type=‘javascript’ bullet-id=‘1’]