How to transfer American Express Membership Rewards points to Delta

To maximize the value of your Amex points, the best strategy is usually to transfer them to partner airline or hotel loyalty programs.

You can transfer your American Express Membership Rewards points to 18 airline and three hotel partners. Additionally, Membership Rewards are simple to earn and redeem.

Here’s how to convert Amex points to Delta Air Lines' SkyMiles program along with important tips for transferring your Membership Rewards points.

How to convert Amex points to Delta

Before you learn how to transfer Membership Rewards points to Delta, ensure you have a SkyMiles account. If you don’t have one, visit Delta's website, click "Sign Up," and create an account.

To transfer Amex points to SkyMiles, log into your Membership Rewards account, navigate to the "Rewards" tab at the top, and select "Transfer Points" from the dropdown menu.

You will see a list of transfer partners. Choose "Delta SkyMiles," and link your account by entering your SkyMiles account number, ensuring that the name on your SkyMiles account matches exactly with that on your Membership Rewards account.

You will then be asked to input the 3-digit security code found on the back of your Amex card.

After entering that, you should receive a confirmation that your accounts are successfully linked.

Next, click "Get Started" and choose how many Amex points you wish to transfer to SkyMiles in increments of 1,000, with a minimum of 1,000 and a maximum of 999,000. Use the slider to select your desired amount. Please note that a small excise tax offset fee will apply.

After selecting your preferred transfer amount, click "Review Transfer" and then "Submit Transfer" on the following screen. The excise tax offset fee will be charged directly to your card.

Although Amex states that transfers will take 48 hours, our tests have shown that transfers from Membership Rewards to Delta SkyMiles have been instantaneous.

Amex to Delta transfer ratio

The transfer ratio from Amex to Delta is 1:1. You must transfer American Express points in multiples of 1,000, allowing you to convert 1,000 Amex points into 1,000 Delta SkyMiles. Occasionally, you might come across a transfer bonus that enhances the Amex to Delta transfer ratio, though these instances are uncommon.

According to TPG's August 2024 valuations, Amex points hold a value of 2.0 cents each, while SkyMiles are valued at 1.15 cents each. Since transferable points are generally more valuable, you may lose theoretical value by transferring Amex points. However, as we will explore in the next section, this doesn't imply that transferring Amex points to Delta is a bad idea.

Is it advisable to transfer Amex points to Delta?

Based on our valuations, Delta SkyMiles is not the most valuable transfer partner. For instance, fellow SkyTeam member Virgin Atlantic's Flying Club is valued higher at 1.4 cents each, as is Air France-KLM's Flying Blue program at 1.3 cents per point, according to TPG's August 2024 valuations.

Therefore, you might want to reserve your Membership Rewards points for transfers to these higher-value partners, particularly if you don’t have a large Amex points balance. However, you can still achieve good value from SkyMiles on certain redemptions. Be sure to check out our guide on redeeming Delta SkyMiles to begin.

How to accumulate Amex Membership Rewards points

The quickest way to earn a significant number of Membership Rewards points is by taking advantage of welcome offers on Amex cards. Here are some of our top picks:

• The Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. Some users may be eligible for up to a 100,000-point bonus using the CardMatch tool (offer subject to change). Terms apply.
• American Express® Gold Card: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 on eligible purchases in the first six months of card membership. Additionally, get 20% back in statement credits on eligible restaurant purchases (up to $100) within the first six months.
• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $20,000 on eligible purchases in the first three months of card membership.

In summary

Here are the steps you need to take to transfer your American Express Membership Rewards points to Delta SkyMiles.

While there are transfer partners with higher value than Delta SkyMiles for your Membership Rewards points, the SkyMiles program still offers decent value. Keep in mind that transfers from Amex to partner programs are final, so ensure you have a plan for the miles before transferring them out of Amex.

After you transfer Amex points to Delta and identify an award flight you'd like to book, follow the steps outlined above to transfer the necessary number of points for your booking.

Keep in mind that points must be transferred in increments of 1,000, which may mean you need to transfer slightly more points than what you actually require for your flight.