Amex Travel: Buying United Tickets With Amex

Yes, you can use Amex points to book United Airlines flights through Amex Travel. However, you cannot transfer Amex points directly to United Airlines. Amex points can be transferred to United's Star Alliance partners, such as Avianca LifeMiles and Air Canada Aeroplan, and then used to book a United flight through the partner airline's website.

Amex Travel is American Express' travel-booking portal, where you can reserve flights, hotel stays, rental cars, and more with either Amex Membership Rewards, cash, or a mix of both. When redeeming for flights through Amex Travel, you'll typically get a value of 1 cent per Amex point.

Amex has several airline transfer partners, including Delta SkyMiles, HawaiianMiles, and JetBlue TrueBlue. By taking advantage of airline partnerships, you can use Amex points to book award flights with other major carriers, including United Airlines, American Airlines, and Alaska Airlines.

Using Amex points to book United flights

While you can't convert American Express Membership Rewards points into United Airlines miles, you can still use your Amex points to book a United flight. Here's how:

Using Amex Travel

You can use the Amex Travel portal to book any available seat on a United flight, without worrying about blackout dates or award space. However, you'll typically get a value of 1 cent per Amex point when redeeming for flights through Amex Travel, which is considered low.

Using Amex's Pay with Points

If you have the Business Platinum Card from American Express, you can get a better value for your points when booking premium seats through Amex's Pay with Points program. The card gives you a 35% rebate when booking first- or business-class flights, increasing your value per point to 1.5 cents.

Transferring Amex points to Marriott Bonvoy

United Airlines isn't an Amex transfer partner, but Marriott Bonvoy is. You can transfer Amex points to Marriott at a 1:1 ratio, and Marriott has more transfer partners than any other loyalty program. However, transferring Amex points to Marriott points and then to United miles is almost never a good idea, unless you only need a few thousand miles to reach the award flight you want.

Transferring Amex points to Star Alliance airline partners

United Airlines is a member of Star Alliance, so you can transfer your Amex points to one of their partners and use those miles to book a United flight. For every Amex point you transfer, you'll receive 1 airline mile. These are the Star Alliance partners you can transfer your Amex points to:

• Avianca: Avianca is the flag carrier of Colombia. Avianca's award prices are unpredictable, which can be a good or bad thing. While it's difficult to predict how many miles you'll need for a specific flight, you can sometimes find some great deals. For example, prices between the U.S. and Europe generally cost between 20,000 and 30,000 Avianca miles, but you may occasionally see prices well below 20,000 miles.
• Air Canada: Air Canada's Aeroplan loyalty program offers inexpensive stopovers and cheap lap-infant awards for international travel. However, its award prices are a bit complex as you'll pay according to the regions you fly and the distance of your trip.
• Singapore Airlines: Singapore Airlines' miles are helpful for booking cheap United Airlines seats, and its award chart is extremely easy to understand. It prices award flights based on the zones of your origin and destination airports.
• ANA: All Nippon Airways (ANA) is Japan's largest airline, and its award prices are astoundingly low for many routes. The catch is that ANA often charges high fees for award tickets on some of its partner airlines, which can be several hundred dollars or even over $1,000 for first- and business-class flights.

Earning Amex Membership Rewards points

You can earn Amex Membership Rewards points with several American Express credit cards, including:

• The Platinum Card from American Express
• American Express Gold Card
• The Business Platinum Card from American Express
• The Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express

Booking United flights through Amex transfer partners

Although you can't convert American Express Membership Rewards points into United Airlines miles, you can still book United flights with Amex points in several ways.

Using Amex's airline partners

United Airlines is a member of Star Alliance, which means that although United isn't a transfer partner of American Express, several of United's Star Alliance partners are. By transferring your Amex points to these Star Alliance airlines, you can book a flight on United for a similar or even cheaper price than if you had transferred directly to United Airlines.

For every Amex point you transfer to the partner airlines, you'll receive 1 airline mile. However, you may occasionally find a transfer bonus that improves this transfer ratio.

• Avianca – Avianca is the flag carrier of Colombia. Its LifeMiles loyalty program is an excellent option for booking United flights. Avianca's award prices are sporadic, which means that while it may be difficult to predict the amount of miles you'll need for a specific flight, you can find some great deals. For example, prices between the U.S. and Europe generally cost between 20,000 and 30,000 Avianca miles, but you may occasionally see prices well below 20,000 miles.
• Air Canada – Air Canada's Aeroplan loyalty program offers inexpensive stopovers and super-cheap lap-infant awards for international travel. However, its award prices are a bit complex as you'll pay according to the regions you fly and the distance of your trip.
• Singapore Airlines – Singapore Airlines' miles are helpful for booking cheap United Airlines seats, and its award chart is extremely easy to understand. It prices award flights with all of its Star Alliance partner airlines based on the zones of your origin and destination airports.
• ANA (All Nippon Airways) – ANA is Japan's largest airline, and its award prices are very low for many routes, especially for first- and business-class seats. The catch is that ANA often charges high fees for award tickets on partner airlines. However, United Airlines is an exception to this, and you'll still often get a good deal.

Using Amex Travel

You can also use the Amex Travel portal to book United flights. While this isn't the best option, there are a couple of scenarios in which it makes sense:

• You can't find any award seats for your desired dates. With Amex Travel, you can book any available seat on the plane without worrying about blackout dates or award space.
• You have the Business Platinum Card from American Express and are booking either first- or business-class flights. This card gives you a 35% rebate when booking premium seats, increasing your value per point.

Other options

There are a couple of other ways to use your Amex points for United flights, but these are generally not recommended:

• Transfer Amex points to Marriott Bonvoy at a 1:1 ratio, and then convert those Marriott points into United miles. For every 3 Marriott points you transfer to United Airlines, you'll receive 1 United mile. When you transfer in increments of 60,000 Marriott points, you'll get a bonus 10,000 United miles.
• Redeem Amex points for cash at a rate of 0.6 cents per point, and then use that money to purchase a United ticket.

Booking United flights through the Amex Travel Portal

However, booking through the Amex Travel Portal is not the best way to book United flights with Amex points. You will typically get a value of 1 cent per Amex point when redeeming for flights through Amex Travel. The only scenarios in which it makes sense to book through the Amex Travel Portal are:

• You can't find any award seats for your desired dates. Through the Amex Travel Portal, you can book any available seat on the plane without worrying about blackout dates or award space.
• You have the Business Platinum Card from American Express and are booking either first- or business-class flights. The Amex Business Platinum Card gives you a 35% rebate when booking premium seats, increasing your value per point to 1.5 cents.

If you are frequently redeeming Amex points for a value of 1 cent each for United Airlines flights, you are likely better off getting cash back instead.

A better option is to book your United ticket through United's Star Alliance partners, such as Avianca, Air Canada, Singapore Airlines, and ANA. By transferring your Amex points to these Star Alliance airlines, you can often catch a flight on United for a similar or even cheaper price than if you had transferred directly to United Airlines. For every Amex point you transfer to these partner airlines, you will receive 1 airline mile.

• Log into your Air Canada Aeroplan account (or register if you haven't already—it's free to join).
• Click "Redeem now".
• Enter your travel details and ensure that you are using "Points" instead of "CA $."
• Choose your flights.

You can also book a United flight with Avianca LifeMiles:

• Head to the LifeMiles website. You can't book award flights at the regular Avianca site—you'll have to navigate to their loyalty program's dedicated website.
• Enter your search details. You don't have to specify that you want to use rewards—you're on the LifeMiles website, so that's the only choice you have! If you want to buy flights, head to the Avianca site. Click the blue arrow to search.
• Choose your United flights.

Booking United flights with Marriott Bonvoy

However, there is a catch. Marriott Bonvoy has more transfer partners than any other loyalty program, but it is almost never a good idea to transfer Marriott points to airline miles. This is because you will usually need far more points to book a flight than you would need to book a hotel.

That being said, if you are determined to book a United flight with your Marriott points, there is a way to do it.

First, you will need to be a member of both Marriott Bonvoy and United MileagePlus. You can join Marriott Bonvoy at marriott.com/loyalty/createAccount/createAccountPage1.mi, and United MileagePlus at mileageplus.com.

Next, you will need to register for RewardsPlus, which is a partnership between Marriott Bonvoy and United MileagePlus that offers enhanced benefits. You can register at getrewardsplus.com. On the website, you will need to sign in with your member number and password. The site will display the corresponding Marriott Bonvoy account or MileagePlus number. If the corresponding number is not found, the site will prompt you to enter it. You must then accept the terms and conditions of the program for your request to be processed. Your updated status will be reflected in your account within 7-10 days, and you can expect membership credentials to arrive within 4-6 weeks.

Once you have registered for RewardsPlus, you will be able to convert your Marriott Bonvoy points into United miles. As mentioned, for every 3 Marriott points you transfer, you will receive 1 United mile, and for every 60,000 Marriott points transferred, you will receive a bonus of 10,000 United miles.

It is worth noting that the complimentary Gold Elite status with Marriott Bonvoy that is offered to United MileagePlus members through RewardsPlus is only valid for the remainder of the calendar year in which the status is granted. Similarly, the complimentary Premier Silver status with United MileagePlus that is offered to Marriott Bonvoy members through RewardsPlus is also only valid for the remainder of the calendar year in which the status is granted.

In conclusion, while it is possible to book United flights with Marriott Bonvoy points, it is not the most efficient use of your points. The process is also somewhat complicated, requiring registration with multiple loyalty programs. However, if you are determined to book a United flight using your Marriott points, it can be done through the RewardsPlus program.

Redeeming Amex points for cash

Redeeming your Amex points for cash is a straightforward process. However, it is important to note that this option provides a lower value for your points compared to other redemption choices. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to redeem Amex points for cash:

• Log in to your Membership Rewards Account: Visit the American Express Membership Rewards website and log in to your account.
• Search for "Statement Credit" in Rewards Options: Once logged in, you will see various redemption options, including gift cards, travel bookings, and more. Look for the option to redeem points for a statement credit.
• Select the Number of Points to Redeem: Decide how many points you want to redeem and confirm the redemption.
• Receive the Statement Credit: The statement credit will be applied to your account within a few days, and you will see the corresponding dollar amount credited to your card account.

While redeeming points for cash is a simple process, it is essential to understand that the value per point for this option is typically lower than other redemption choices. Amex points are highly versatile and can be transferred to various travel partners or used for shopping, entertainment, and more. Therefore, it is recommended to explore all redemption options before choosing to redeem your points for cash.

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