How do Chase Ultimate Rewards and Amex Membership Rewards transfer partners compare?
Both Chase Ultimate Rewards and Amex Membership Rewards offer strong transfer partner rosters, but they serve different travel styles. Chase has deeper domestic U.S. airline coverage (United, Southwest) and the Hyatt hotel program. Amex has broader international airline coverage (Delta, Cathay, Emirates, Etihad) and Hilton. They share several partners, including Air France-KLM, Singapore Airlines, and British Airways. Neither is universally better — the right answer depends on which airlines and hotels you actually fly and stay with.
Both programs let you transfer points at 1:1 (or close to it) to airline and hotel loyalty programs, where the best redemptions typically yield 1.5–2+ cents per point. The ecosystems overlap meaningfully but diverge on key routes.
What to know
- Credit card points transferred to airline or hotel loyalty programs can often be redeemed for premium-cabin flights or award nights that exceed the cash value of the same points. — CFPB
- Transfer partner lists and ratios change; card issuers can modify or remove partners at any time. Always verify the current partner list on the issuer's website before redeeming. — CFPB
Where Chase leads
- United Airlines and Southwest — strong for U.S. domestic routes.
- World of Hyatt — widely regarded as one of the best hotel programs for point value.
- IHG Rewards — useful for budget-to-mid-tier hotels globally.
- Aer Lingus and Iberia Avios — Europe and transatlantic routes.
Where Amex leads
- Delta SkyMiles — the only major U.S. carrier that transfers from Amex but not Chase.
- Hilton Honors — largest hotel footprint globally.
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles — excellent for Asia-Pacific premium cabins.
- Etihad and Avianca LifeMiles — niche programs with strong sweet spots.
Shared partners (overlap)
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue — great for Europe and partner carrier awards.
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer — consistently top-rated for premium cabin value.
- British Airways Avios — short-haul and transatlantic.
- Air Canada Aeroplan — strong North American coverage.
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club — good for transatlantic premium bookings.
- Marriott Bonvoy — hotel points from both programs.
Choosing between rewards ecosystems? See the best travel credit cards for 2026 and how much Capital One miles are worth for comparison.
Key takeaways
- Chase is stronger for U.S. domestic flying (United, Southwest) and Hyatt.
- Amex is stronger for international airlines (Delta, Cathay, Etihad) and Hilton.
- Both programs share Air France-KLM, Singapore, British Airways, Aeroplan, and Marriott.
- Partner lists change — verify at chase.com and americanexpress.com before redeeming.
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