5 Ultra-Cheap Flights To Book With This Amex Transfer Bonus [Ends July 15]

American Express Membership Rewards is offering a 30% transfer bonus to 3 Avios loyalty programs through July 15, 2025. The bonus applies to transfers to Aer Lingus, British Airways, and Iberia, essentially turning 1 Membership Rewards point into 1.3 Avios.

Unfortunately, Avios programs have lost some luster over the years. For example, British Airways has continually devalued domestic U.S. award tickets on American Airlines and Alaska Airlines, and Iberia just raised the cost of awards from the U.S. to Europe. However, Avios-powered loyalty programs still provide plenty of value — if you know where to look.

I’m considering booking several award tickets before this transfer bonus expires mid-July. Let’s take a closer look at what’s on my list and why you might want to consider transferring Membership Rewards to Avios, too.

1. Book Qatar Airways Qsuites for 54,000 Points

Qatar Airways’ Qsuites business class is among the best premium cabin airline seats. It offers top-notch dining, a spacious lie-flat seat, and amenity kits stocked with Diptyque products on select flights. Plus, solo travelers will enjoy every seat having direct aisle access.

You can book Qatar Airways award tickets with The British Airways Club and Qatar Privilege Club, both of which use Avios as their award currency. Prices are usually the same for direct flights from the U.S. to Doha, but when connecting tickets, you may be able to save on taxes and fees by booking with Qatar Airways. Further, you may find more award space when you book directly.

When saver award space is available, you can book awards from the U.S. to Doha (DOH) for 70,000 Avios through Qatar Airways or British Airways. Meanwhile, itineraries that connect to another city in the Middle East cost 75,000 Avios.

For example, this itinerary from Miami (MIA) to Muscat (MCT) via DOH costs 75,000 Qatar Avios, plus $267.20 in taxes and fees. Qatar Airways’ website won’t show award taxes unless you have enough Avios in your account to book the ticket in question. However, its mobile app will show taxes regardless of how many Avios you have.

Meanwhile, booking with British Airways Avios costs the same 75,000 Avios, but you’ll pay $300.20 in taxes and fees. In turn, you save roughly $33 by booking this ticket with Qatar Avios.

The 30% transfer bonus from Amex Membership Rewards to British Airways Avios means you can transfer just 54,000 Membership Rewards (to receive 70,200 Avios) to book flights to Doha. Meanwhile, you can transfer 58,000 Membership Rewards (to receive 75,400 Avios) to book connecting flights elsewhere in the region.

You can’t transfer Amex Membership Rewards points directly to Qatar Avios, but you can send them to British Airways Avios and then move them to Qatar. Check out our step-by-step guide to transferring Avios between airlines for details.

2. Book Flights Within Europe From 3,100 Points

Planning a trip to Europe anytime soon? Avios are a great way to fly around the region on Aer Lingus, British Airways, and Iberia flights. You can book short-haul flights for under 5,000 Avios, with the 30% transfer bonus bringing many of these flights to under 4,000 Membership Rewards points.

If you’re already in Ireland, a flight to Newcastle (NCL) or other U.K. airports costs just 4,000 Aer Lingus Avios and $11.40 in taxes and fees on off-peak dates. During the 30% transfer bonus, you’d redeem just under 3,100 Membership Rewards.

If you find yourself in Spain, you can use 6,500 Iberia Plus Avios and $26.80 to book a 1-way ticket from Madrid (MAD) to Prague (PRG). You can transfer just 5,000 Membership Rewards points to Iberia to book this ticket during the current Avios transfer bonus.

British Airways has solid redemptions, too. With its Reward Saver redemptions in Europe, you can pick how many Avios and how much cash you’d like to use for select routes. You can book this off-peak flight from London (LHR) to Luxembourg (LUX) for as few as 2,950 Avios and $71 in cash or as many as 9,250 Avios and just $1 for your flight. These award rates drop even further when you factor in the transfer bonus.

3. Fly to Hawaii for 16,000 Points

Alaska Airlines and American Airlines flights from the West Coast to Hawaii cost 20,000 Avios when you book with British Airways Avios in economy class, plus $5.60 in taxes and fees. During this transfer bonus, you can transfer 16,000 Membership Rewards points to British Airways (for 20,800 Avios) to book these award tickets.

This pricing applies to most Oneworld routes from the West Coast to Hawaii, including Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), Portland (PDX), and Seattle (SEA) to Honolulu (HNL). Try to book nonstop flights since British Airways charges per leg, so you’d pay more for a connecting ticket.

4. Try Iberia Business Class for 32,000 Points

Despite a recent devaluation, Iberia Avios remains one of the best ways to fly from the East Coast and Midwest to Spain in business class. You can book 1-way tickets to or from Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), and New York (JFK) to Madrid (MAD) for 40,500 Iberia Avios plus between $120 and $200 in taxes and fees on off-peak dates. Transferring points to Iberia before July 15 drops to 32,000 Membership Rewards points (for 41,600 Avios).

Additionally, economy award tickets on these routes start at just 16,000 Avios. If you’re traveling on a limited points budget, you can transfer 13,000 Avios to Iberia (for 16,900 Avios) to book.

5. Book a Trip to Ireland for 10,000 Points

If you’d prefer a trip to the Emerald Isle, Avios can get you there on the cheap.

You can redeem Aer Lingus Avios for low-cost flights between the U.S. and Ireland, with transatlantic flights in economy class starting at just 13,000 Avios each way on off-peak dates. Alternatively, you can book business class for 50,000 Avios. This translates to 10,000 and 39,000 Membership Rewards points, respectively, during this limited-time transfer bonus.

This pricing applies to the following routes:

• To/from Dublin (DUB): Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), Cleveland (CLE), Hartford (BDL), Indianapolis (IND), Minneapolis (MSP), Nashville (BNA), Newark (EWR), New York (JFK), Philadelphia (PHL), Toronto (YYZ), Washington D.C. (IAD)
• To/from Shannon (SNN): Boston (BOS) and New York (JFK)
• To/from Manchester (MAN): New York (JFK)

Taxes and fees vary depending on which direction you fly and the cabin you book. For a flight from the U.S. to Ireland, expect to pay between $120 and $135 in taxes and fees on economy flights and $150 to $175 on business class flights.

Final Thoughts

American Express is running a 30% transfer bonus to Aer Lingus, British Airways, and Iberia through July 15, 2025. This means that for every 1,000 points you transfer to these airlines, you get 1,300 Avios. This reduces the cost of award tickets and lets you stretch the value of your Membership Rewards points even further.

That said, we don’t recommend transferring points without an immediate plan to use them. This could give you less flexibility and leave your points open to devaluation. However, if something on this list fits your upcoming travel plans, consider booking before July 15 to save some serious points.