Avios vs Amex Membership Rewards
The same value in two forms: one is already an airline currency, the other can still become one. Which to hold, and when to move.
Hold Membership Rewards until you have an Avios booking in mind. Amex points transfer to Avios at 1:1 and never expire while you keep an MR-earning Card, so they are the flexible form of the same value. Avios lapse after 36 months of inactivity and can only be spent in Avios programs.
Avios against Amex MR.
| Avios | Amex MR | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | An airline points currency, spendable in the Avios programs | A card currency, spendable only once transferred or redeemed |
| Expiry | 36 months of inactivity | Never — but points are forfeited if you close your last Membership Rewards-earning Card, or for an unpaid billing period |
| Typical value | 1p per Avios | 1p once transferred, at the 1:1 rate |
| Transfers to | Other Avios programs, and Nectar in fixed blocks | Avios at 1:1, usually instant, up to 72 hours quoted |
| Reversible | No — an Avios balance stays in the Avios family | No — a transfer to Avios cannot be undone |
| Best for | A reward you have already found and can hold | Holding value while you decide, and catching a transfer bonus |
Hold Avios if…
- You have a specific reward seat found and ready to book.
- You are earning Avios directly anyway, from flying or from Nectar.
- You will use the account often enough that the 36-month clock never matters.
Hold Membership Rewards if…
- You have no booking in mind yet and want the option open.
- You want to wait for a transfer bonus rather than move at 1:1.
- You would rather not run an inactivity clock at all.
10,000 points, worked through
Transferred at 1:1, 10,000 Membership Rewards points become 10,000 Avios, which at the typical 1p rate is about £100 of redemption value.
Held as Membership Rewards instead, the same 10,000 points are worth the same on an Avios booking, minus nothing — but they can still go somewhere else, and they are not running an expiry clock. The transfer is where the optionality is spent, so spend it against a seat you have already found.
Where these numbers come from: AwardWallet 36 months without collecting, spending, buying or sharing an Avios (September 2026); American Express “Membership Rewards points do not have expiration dates.” If you cancel and hold no other Amex Card, unredeemed points are forfeited immediately (September 2026); Head for Points 1p as a ball-park, across scenarios from 0.87p to 2p (30 May 2026); The Points Guy 1.4 US cents (1 September 2026). Valuations are estimates and programs devalue, so treat every figure as the position on the date beside it and check the live price before booking.
Amex to Avios
American Express Membership Rewards points transfer to Avios at 1:1, so 10,000 points become 10,000 Avios. Transfers are usually instant once your Avios account is linked, though Amex asks you to allow up to 72 hours. Periodic transfer bonuses of roughly 15 to 30 per cent are the easiest way to boost the rate.
Nectar to Avios converter
Nectar and Avios convert in fixed blocks: 400 Nectar points become 250 Avios, and 250 Avios become 300 Nectar. The rate is not symmetrical, so converting back and forth loses value each time. The converter runs both directions in those set blocks and shows what any balance becomes.
Amex transfer partners
US American Express Membership Rewards points transfer to 16 airlines and 4 hotel programs. Most airlines, including Delta, British Airways, Air Canada Aeroplan and Flying Blue, are 1:1; Cathay Pacific, Emirates and JetBlue are 5:4, Aeromexico 1:1.6 and Hilton 1:2. UK Membership Rewards has its own list, with Emirates at 2:1 and Marriott at 2:3.
Hold both?
Track both.
Nanvero reads every balance you hold out of the emails the programs already send you, values each one, and warns you before anything lapses. Free for up to five programs.
See what a Avios or Amex MR program page shows →
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