Transfer Amex MR to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club — ratio, bonuses, sweet spots

How to transfer

The deal

1:1

Amex MR → Virgin Flying Club

Instant

Open Amex MR →Open Virgin Flying Club →

Cents per Virgin Flying Club point

Economy

1.2¢

Business

1.7¢

First

2.0¢

Approx value per point on average bookings. Sweet-spot redemptions can hit 5.5¢+ per point.

Do this first

Confirm award space on Virgin Flying Club BEFORE you transfer

Transfers are final and cannot be reversed. Open Virgin Flying Club'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 Virgin Flying Club award search →

What you should know

You need a free Virgin Flying Club account

Amex MR asks for your Virgin Flying Club member number during the transfer. Sign up takes a minute and costs nothing.

Create Virgin Flying Club 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

$100 fee but capped at taxes paid — effectively free on low-tax awards (e.g., domestic Delta). Cancel ≥24h before departure.

Fee: ~$100Window: 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.
Virgin Flying Club: Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points expire after 36 months without any earning or redemption activity.
Heads up: your Amex MR points don't expire, but Virgin Flying Club 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 Virgin Flying Club from the partner list
Scroll the airline partners and click Virgin Flying Club. The ratio shown should be 1:1.
4
Link your Virgin Flying Club account
Enter the name on your Virgin Flying Club account exactly as it appears there, plus your card ID, security code, and Virgin Flying Club member number. Click Link Account.
5
Confirm the account is linked
Amex shows a confirmation page with your Virgin Flying Club number. Click Continue to Transfer Points.
6
Open your linked Virgin Flying Club card and click Transfer Points
On the Transfer Points screen you should now see Virgin Flying Club 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 Virgin Flying Club usually post instantly — but always confirm award availability on Virgin Flying Club.com first.