Transfer Amex MR to British Airways Executive Club (Avios) — ratio, bonuses, sweet spots

How to transfer

The deal

1:1

Amex MR → BA Avios

Instant

Open Amex MR →Open BA Avios →

Cents per BA Avios point

Economy

1.2¢

Business

1.7¢

First

1.8¢

Approx value per point on average bookings. Sweet-spot redemptions can hit 3.5¢+ per point.

Do this first

Confirm award space on BA Avios BEFORE you transfer

Transfers are final and cannot be reversed. Open BA Avios's site in another tab, sign in, and load the exact flight you want at the points price you expect. Come back only when you're ready to redeem.

Open BA Avios award search →

What you should know

You need a free BA Avios account

Amex MR asks for your BA Avios member number during the transfer. Sign up takes a minute and costs nothing.

Create BA Avios account →

Minimum transfer: 1,000 Amex MR points

You can't transfer less than 1,000, and transfers must be in increments of 1,000.

Instant — usually under a minute

This transfer pair is marked instant and typically posts within seconds to a few minutes. Even so, occasional system delays happen — wait until you see the points in your destination account before doing anything else. These are typical times, not guarantees — always confirm award space first because transfers can't be reversed.

Cancellation: cancellation fee capped at the taxes you paid

£35 fee but capped at taxes paid — effectively free on low-tax short-haul Avios. Free for Gold elites. Cancel ≥24h before departure.

Fee: ~$44Window: Until 24h beforeTaxes: Capped by fee

Points expiration

Amex MR: Membership Rewards points never expire as long as you have at least one Amex card open and in good standing.
BA Avios: BA Avios expire after 36 months without any earning or redeeming activity.
Heads up: your Amex MR points don't expire, but BA Avios points (after transfer) do.

Step by step

1
Log in to American Express
Go to americanexpress.com and click Log In in the top right.
2
Navigate to Transfer Points → View All
Under Membership Rewards, find the Transfer Points tile and click View All to see every partner.
3
Pick BA Avios from the partner list
Scroll the airline partners and click BA Avios. The ratio shown should be 1:1.
4
Link your BA Avios account
Enter the name on your BA Avios account exactly as it appears there, plus your card ID, security code, and BA Avios member number. Click Link Account.
5
Confirm the account is linked
Amex shows a confirmation page with your BA Avios number. Click Continue to Transfer Points.
6
Open your linked BA Avios card and click Transfer Points
On the Transfer Points screen you should now see BA Avios as a linked program. Click Transfer Points on its card.
7
Enter the amount and confirm
Type the number of Membership Rewards points to transfer (1,000-point increments). Tick the terms box and click Confirm & Transfer Points. Transfers to BA Avios usually post instantly — but always confirm award availability on BA Avios.com first.