American Express to British Airways Points Transfers Are Now Instant

There is some excellent news for those of us who collect American Express Membership Rewards points in the UK. American Express has quietly implemented an improvement to their Membership Rewards transfers to British Airways, making them instantaneous rather than the previous overnight-ish wait.

What's Changed?

Historically, transfers from Amex to British Airways were advertised as taking up to three days, though in practice, they typically completed overnight. Now, as long as your Membership Rewards and British Airways Club accounts are already linked, points will jump across immediately. If they're not linked, security checks may add a short delay, but it's still substantially faster than before.

This change brings British Airways in line with Qatar Airways Privilege Club, which already offered instant Avios transfers via Membership Rewards.

Why This Matters for Your Points Strategy

This update is particularly valuable for last-minute award bookings. We've all been there - you spot that perfect business class seat to your dream destination, only to lose it while waiting for points to transfer. Now, you can search for availability and book immediately when you find something.

I suspect this change could be a response to Qatar Airways Privilege Club offering instant Avios transfers via Membership Rewards. If travellers were transferring Avios from Membership Rewards to Qatar Airways and then on to British Airways, British Airways was potentially losing out financially.

If we assume Amex pays approximately 1p per Avios to the programme it transfers to, it would have been paying that to Qatar Airways, who were probably paying British Airways around 0.8p when you moved your Avios across. This way, BA gets the full amount!

How This Impacts My Travel Planning

As someone who holds both the Capital On Tap Business card and the Amex Gold Business card, I'm constantly looking to maximise my Avios earnings and redemptions. This update means I can be more spontaneous with my bookings, especially for those last-minute business trips or weekend getaways.

With British Airways Gold status, I'm always on the lookout for premium cabin availability, and the ability to transfer points instantly removes a significant barrier in the booking process. This is particularly valuable when trying to secure multiple seats during peak travel periods.

For those of you who enjoy booking Qatar Airways flights with Avios (which can often provide excellent value), you can still do so by transferring your Avios from BA to Qatar Airways after they've landed in your BA account.

Looking at the Bigger Picture

This enhancement comes at an interesting time in the loyalty landscape. With the introduction of British Airways Club and various changes to the Avios programme, it's clear that BA is focused on enhancing their loyalty tooling to compete with other major programmes.

If you're planning your next redemption, remember to check availability using tools like our Award Travel Finder or see how many Avios points you'll need for your desired route.

For those wondering about the value proposition of different American Express cards for earning Avios, do check out our UK Avios earning credit card recommendations or business credit card recommendations if you're a business owner.

Final Thoughts

Small changes like this can make a significant difference in the practicality of points programmes. The ability to transfer and book in one sitting removes friction from the process and potentially opens up more availability to Amex cardholders.

Have you noticed any other improvements to points transfers recently? I'd love to hear your experiences and how this change might affect your booking strategy.

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