NEW: Avios transfers from Amex Membership Rewards are now INSTANT if ….
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American Express Membership Rewards has a new transfer partner – Qatar Airways Privilege Club.
On the face of it, you might think that this isn’t hugely exciting. After all, ever since Qatar Airways adopted Avios, you can link your British Airways Executive Club account to a Qatar Airways Privilege Club account and move Avios back and forth.
(This article shows you how to link your British Airways and Qatar Airways accounts.)
However ….
Transfers from American Express Membership Rewards to Qatar Airways Privilege Club Avios are instant.
Transfers from American Express Membership Rewards to British Airways Executive Club Avios happen overnight, and the Amex website actually says it can take three days.
This is a huge improvement if you need Avios NOW because the reward flight you want has just appeared.
Instead of waiting overnight, when the seat could be gone, you can transfer Membership Rewards points to Qatar Airways Privilege Club and they will appear immediately.
From there, you can instantly move them into your linked British Airways Executive Club account. Job done, in about two minutes total. I’ve tested it and it works.
There is one other difference between moving Amex points to Qatar Airways vs British Airways. The minimum transfer to Privilege Club is just 500 Membership Rewards points, and then in multiples of 500. The minimum transfer to Executive Club is 1,000 Membership Rewards points, and then in multiples of 500.
We may see Qatar Airways transfer bonuses in future
Qatar Airways has been offering transfer bonuses in other countries where it has rolled out its American Express Membership Rewards partnership.
Whilst it may annoy British Airways if it did one here, I can imagine Qatar Airways being cheeky and potentially giving it a go at some point.
I’d love to know if Qatar Airways would make a profit if you move points from American Express to Privilege Club during a transfer bonus (Amex pays Qatar Airways) and the Avios are immediately transferred to British Airways (Qatar Airways pays British Airways) ….!
One minor downside ….
The only downside of moving Membership Rewards points to Qatar Airways Privilege Club and onto British Airways Executive Club is that the Avios don’t qualify for Avios Balance Boost.
We explain what Avios Balance Boost is in this article. If you don’t use it, don’t worry about it.
Basically …. Membership Rewards transfers directly into BA can be ‘boosted’ via Balance Boost. Transfers from Qatar Airways into BA cannot be boosted.
A handy tip
You may want to go to the Membership Rewards website and link your Qatar Airways Privilege Club account. You do this by going to the Qatar Airways transfer page and following the linkage instructions.
By doing this now, you ensure that there are no security delays when you come to making a transfer in the future.
Whenever Amex says that transfers are ‘instant’ (as they are to Delta, Virgin Atlantic, Emirates and Marriott) there is always a caveat over first time transfers to avoid potential fraud.
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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2025)
As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards. Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!
In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.
You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:
Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard
Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review
Barclaycard Avios Mastercard
Get 5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review
There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:
British Airways American Express Premium Plus
30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review
British Airways American Express
5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review
You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
The Platinum Card from American Express
80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review
Run your own business?
We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.
Capital on Tap Visa
NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review
Capital on Tap Pro Visa
10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review
There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:
British Airways American Express Accelerating Business
30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review
There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.
American Express Business Platinum
50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
American Express Business Gold
20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review
Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.
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