Best Transfer Partners to Cash Out Ad-Spend Points
You ran your agency ad spend through Amex Gold for a year. You have 800K Membership Rewards points sitting in your account. What's the highest-value way to spend them? Here are the redemptions that consistently hit 2.5+ cents per point.
By Editorial Team · Media buyer research desk
Published May 25, 2026 · 7 min read · How we review
Hotels: Hyatt is the king (Chase UR)
World of Hyatt charges 3,500–45,000 points per night depending on category. At top-tier hotels (Park Hyatts in Tokyo, Sydney, Maldives), award nights routinely deliver 1.8-2.5 cents per point of value vs cash rates. Chase UR transfers 1:1 to Hyatt. The single best hotel redemption available.
Business class to Europe: Virgin Atlantic and Aeroplan (MR/UR)
Virgin Atlantic charges 47,000-65,000 points for Delta One transatlantic. Air Canada Aeroplan charges 60,000-85,000 for Star Alliance business class. Both transfer from Amex MR and Capital One. Easily 3-4 cents/point.
ANA First Class via Virgin Atlantic (MR)
The legendary sweet spot: 110,000-140,000 Virgin points (transfer 1:1 from MR) for ANA First Class US-Japan round trip. Cash price: $20,000+. That's 7-8 cents per point. Limited award space, but worth chasing.
Domestic premium: Southwest (UR)
Less glamorous but high cents-per-point and easy availability. Southwest awards stay around 1.4-1.6 cents/point. Pair with Companion Pass for 2-for-1 on every flight.
Worst redemptions (avoid)
Statement credit (0.6-1 cent), Amazon checkout (0.7 cent), Pay with Points on Amex Travel (0.5-1 cent), gift cards (~0.9 cent). All destroy value vs transfer partners.
Takeaway
Three rules: transfer, don't redeem at face value; aim for premium cabin or high-tier hotel awards; watch transfer bonuses (Amex runs 20-30% bonuses to specific partners 3-4 times a year — time your big transfers around them).