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12 Apps and Sites to Find a Travel Partner

Traveling is always a magical experience, even if you’re going solo. But in case you’d love to arrange an exciting trip with a new friend, this post is for you. I’ll introduce you to the coolest apps and sites to find a travel partner.

You’ll notice how simple it is to browse the web for folks with travel preferences that match yours, as well as fine-tune the results according to age, gender, and other filters if you want.

Let’s do this!

Table of Contents

Top apps to find a travel partner

1. travello.

Available on iOS and Android

Travello tops our list because it’s hands down the most thorough app of its kind, in addition to one of the largest travel communities on Earth.

Despite not being designed specifically as a travel partner search tool, the issue-oriented groups you can take part in are perfect for that. You can interact with fellow solo travelers, photographers, hikers,… or any other interests you may think of.

Chances are you’ll get to meet new friends in your hometown too, as there are millions of users around the globe.

What’s more, Travello offers 30,000+ tours and activities all over the planet that you can book for a discount by collecting points on the app.

The app also features a built-in GPS functionality that locates sweet deals, events, and free Wi-Fi wherever you are. 

2. Facebook

Facebook isn’t as popular with the younger crowd as it used to be a couple of years back, yet Meta’s flagship social media platform remains unrivaled when it comes to one precious tool: groups.

You probably know the drill. You just have to tap on the Groups icon on Facebook’s homepage and search for keywords or phrases related to your need. In this case, “travel buddies”, “travel partners”, or “travel friends” are the best combinations.

Then, simply join the groups that match your interests and either post your travel plans or scroll down to see what’s up.

A few of the highlights here include I Need a Travel Buddy , with 33,000+ members, and Travel Buddies , with 26,000+.

Women Who Travel , a private group with over 155,000 members, might turn out to be a lot of help to female travelers.

Meetup isn’t exclusively travel-oriented, but it is definitely an amazing place to find a travel partner. 

The platform’s basic premise is to hook you up with people who share similar interests with you, based on the events that the 61 million users organize in 9,000 cities. Meetup’s impressive size is by far one of its greatest assets. 

Like Facebook, the app also offers the possibility of creating and joining groups so you can interact with folks who enjoy the same stuff as you, be it cooking, visiting museums, or cycling.

Though that doesn’t necessarily amount to finding a travel buddy, you’ll be able to meet new friends and hopefully make plans to see the world together.

Plus, you can always attend an event in the city you’re traveling to and meet up a local to show you around.

Gaffl is a reliable resource that connects you to potential friends, which means you never again have to travel all by yourself if you don’t want to.

The first thing you have to do is pick a destination. The app will then show you people near you who have similar travel plans so you can use the chat tool to get to know them better and arrange the details. Alternatively, you can post your itinerary and let other members join in.

 One of Gaffl’s advantages is the fact that you can see which users have a verified account and choose to interact only with trustworthy profiles.

5. Travel Buddy

Whether it’s Japan , Peru , or Italy , Travel Buddy is your go-to guide to explore the must-sees, find the best deals on everything you may need while abroad, and meet new friends on-site. 

Built as a community of travelers that connects over a million locals and visitors around the world, the app also allows users to list services like walking tours and accommodation options in such a way that you’ll hardly need any other travel app.

This is an innovative system to find a travel partner, as you’ll bond with authentic globetrotters and passionate locals. 

6. Tourlina

Women face far larger safety risks than men when traveling by themselves, especially in remote areas or in countries where traditional values are still upheld by the majority of people. Traveling with a male partner, in turn, can end up being just as complicated.

That’s what Tourlina aims to address: letting women make travel plans with other female travelers. It works like a regular dating app, where you swipe left or right on potential matches after setting the outline of your plans (i.e. dates and destination) and your partner preferences, including age range.

The best thing about the app is that only verified users with a Facebook profile are admitted, which makes it extremely reliable. On the other hand, Tourlina is an expanding platform, which means you’ll often struggle to match with someone depending on your travel plans.

7. CouchSurfing

When CouchSurfing was launched in 2004, it was a truly groundbreaking initiative because it was the first-ever website to connect travelers and folks who would host them for free.

While that remains its core business, with its 12 million users, CouchSurfing is also a wonderful forum where you can meet new friends to travel the world with you.

One of the best ways to do that is by taking part in the weekly events members organize in 200,000 cities across the planet. 

In 2020, in order to bear the financial burden brought about by the pandemic, CouchSurfing introduced a membership fee for users registering from a bunch of countries, among which Brazil, Canada, China, Japan, the UK, as well as several EU nations.

Yet that takes nothing away from the app’s status as the no. 1 platform connecting travelers and hosts on a global scale.

8. Workaway

Like Couchsurfing, Workaway is a different sort of app in that it’s not aimed as much at matching you with a travel partner , but rather with a travel host . This is a fantastic alternative for those of you who want to travel on a budget.

Basically, you’ll be given accommodation and food in exchange for pre-agreed services you’ll be performing for your host according to your skills. You can tend their garden, do some house sitting, or teach their kids your native language, for example. Even better, you’ll be paid an actual wage in case your host needs help with business matters. 

The app was launched approximately 20 years ago and is extremely effective, so the fact that it charges a  $49 annual membership isn’t really absurd. Both hosts and volunteers are reviewed by other users, meaning you can trust Workaway to help you take a totally safe trip. 

Best sites to find a travel partner

9. tripgiraffe.

TripGiraffe is one of the most comprehensive websites on our list, as it does its best not to leave room for ambiguities. 

Upon registering, you’ll get to specify your budget, your target destinations, your preferred accommodation type, the languages you speak, and more. You can even let people know how you want to split expenses.

It works as a full-on social network for travelers where you can message users that seem to match your profile. TripGiraffe can do the hooking up for you as well if you want, connecting you to fellow travelers in 100+ countries.

On top of that, you can join an existing trip if finding the ideal travel buddy sounds like too much work. In other news, TripGiraffe maintains a blog with precious travel tips to help you prepare as you should when it’s time to hit the road.

10. JoinMyTrip

JoinMyTrip’s app is only available for Android users, which is why I’m listing it as a website instead.

Upon selecting among 8,000 destinations all over the planet, the platform will introduce you to members who want to discover that exact place too.

As its name suggests, JoinMyTrip also allows you to… well, join other people’s existing trips or create your own itinerary as a tripleader so other users will come along.

You can preset the dates and group size and estimate the total budget per tripmate, then wait for one or a few of the 160,000 members to hop on the boat. 

One of the things that set JoinMyTrip apart from other similar solutions is its excellent customer service. The team advertises itineraries on Instagram daily and is always ready to answer your questions.

11. Women Welcome Women WorldWide

Women Welcome Women WorldWide’s promise is similar to Tourlina’s, as its name suggests. Women who don’t feel safe traveling alone or simply don’t want to do it can interact with other users to organize a trip together.

While the website is UK-based, women from all over the globe can register. You’ll be expected, however, to pay a $50 admission fee to help cover Women Welcome Women WorldWide’s maintenance costs. 

Besides finding a partner to travel with, you can use the website to connect with a local in your next destination so she can show you around and keep you company as you explore her hometown. 

WWWW currently has 1500 members in 40+ nations on all continents; it’s a relatively small but expanding community.

12. YourTravelMates

On YourTravelMates, travel is more of an excuse than the end goal. Founded about 30 years ago as TripTogether, the platform is present in over 40 nations and has as many as a million members worldwide.

Yet the focus here is more on finding a life partner rather than a travel buddy. The website’s purpose is to foster romance on a global scale. Still, tons of users are seeking friendship and companionship instead, just like most of the other entries on our list.

When looking for other users, you can narrow the results down according to gender, age, arrival dates, and destination.

You can then exchange e-letters or video chat with them until you eventually decide to meet up. Though YourTravelMates charges for these services, membership is 100% free.

Final thoughts

As exciting and enlightening as traveling on your own can be, finding a travel partner can be a great way to ensure your trip will be safer, more affordable, and often more fun.

Through top-notch apps like Gaffl and Travello and websites like JoinMyTrip and TripTogether, you can connect with millions of globetrotters from across the planet and find a travel partner to see the world with you.

2 thoughts on “12 Apps and Sites to Find a Travel Partner”

I highly recommend these two couchsurfing communities to find female travel buddies:

Host a Sister – Facebook group where women around the world can find accommodations and travel buddies. Travel Ladies – mobile app connecting women who want to travel with other women

I highly recommend these two women-only communities to find female travel buddies:

Host A Sister: Facebook group Travel Ladies: mobile app

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How to Find a Travel Companion: Safe Options and Some to Avoid

February 20, 2023 by Janice Waugh

Finding a travel companion can make travel better but it can also make it worse.

There was a lively debate about finding a travel partner on the Solo Travel Society on Facebook.

• The majority of people considered this service counter to solo travel. Karen wrote: “I don't want to connect with anyone, love being solo. “
• Some thought that there was definitely a place for it. Danielle wrote: “when it comes to hiking or camping remotely while solo, that's a little nerve wracking and I'd love to meet up with people who are in the same mindset. “
• Some liked the idea as a means of getting around the single supplement. Mary wrote: “I like the idea of being connected to someone sometimes to avoid that “single-occupancy tax. “

Let's be clear: despite being a solo traveler, I have traveled with companions many times and had good success. It can enhance the travel experience as you discover a new destination through your own cultural lens and that of your new travel companion as well.

Yet, whatever your reason for seeking a travel companion, I suggest you proceed with caution and use the methods below. They are safe and will help increase your chances of making a successful match.

Table of Contents

How to Find a Travel Companion: Methods I Can Recommend

There are safe ways to find a travel partner for a day, a week, or more. These methods give you the freedom of being solo and connecting to interesting people when you want.

1. Get a warm introduction from a friend.

One of the best ways to find a travel companion is through a friend or family member. Being concerned for your safety, they will only suggest that you travel with people they trust. Hopefully, you will be geographically close enough to meet each other a few times before setting out so that you can determine for yourself whether they are a person with whom you'd like to spend a lot of time.

2. How to meet the right travel companion along the way.

This has happened to me most often in hostels, but it doesn't really matter where you meet them. The point is that you meet a travel buddy as you travel, not before. You get to meet them in person and spend a few days together sharing meals or day tours before committing to anything longer. Spend the days in the public sphere and return to your own safe accommodation every night. Eventually, you can decide whether this is the right person for you to travel with.

3. Let your tour/cruise company connect you with a travel partner.

If your goal is to avoid the single supplement on a tour or cruise, ask the travel company to partner you with another solo traveler. Most companies will and, if they can't, they'll give you your own room for no additional charge. See our Deals  page for tours and cruises with no or low single supplements.

4. Use Meetup.com to find locals who want similar experiences

Meetup.com is a fabulous resource for solo travelers to meet people of similar interests. These are most often locals, not people to travel with. But, locals! How great is that? I used Meetup.com and found people to hike with in Hong Kong.

5. Book a greeter and have a local share their city with you. 

International Greeters  connects you with locals who volunteer to show off their city. I've used this service in Paris, New York, Kyoto, and Chicago. It's a great way to meet and have fun with someone new. I've gone cycling, shared lunch, and shopped with greeters.

6. Women Welcome Women World Wide

This is an international community of 2,400 people in over 80 countries. They are mostly women over 60 who want to travel more often and meet locals, so they host one another for a tea or a stay as they travel. Read  Women Welcoming Women: A Gateway to International Friendships .

7. Take a day tour or a class to find a travel companion.

If social is what you're looking for, schedule in time for social activities. Day tours and group lessons give you a social experience. Perhaps you'll meet someone with whom you'd like to spend more time. Read How to Travel Alone Without Being Lonely: 10 Tips & 6 Short Stories .

3 Safety Rules for Traveling with Someone New

Traveling with someone you do not know really well requires a few safety tips, especially if you're traveling independently:

• Stay in public. When you are with someone new, stay in the public sphere for at least a few days. You need a bit of time to get to know them before renting a car together or sharing a hotel room. Eventually, determine whether this is a person with whom you truly feel safe.
• Be proactive . Choose who you want to spend time with. Make your own decisions rather than responding to invitations from others who might have agendas of their own.
• Don't be rushed into a decision. If you are considering traveling with someone, don't be rushed into the decision. If the idea comes up but they say that you must decide by a time that is less than comfortable for you, decline the opportunity.

Also, read our primary post on solo travel safety .

Apps/Sites for Travel Companions: My Concerns

There are a number of apps and websites that will help you find a travel partner. I have concerns about them for the following reasons.

• Compatibility . Just because you're going to the same destination does not mean that you're compatible with someone. You may not discover until you're into the trip that you don't share the same interests or ways of exploring, never mind the rhythm of your travels. This can make for a miserable trip.
• Catfishing . A catfish is someone online who pretends to be someone they're not. Without a real life connection, there is no way to know who is real and who isn't on social media. This could put you in a vulnerable situation where the person you thought was going to be your travel buddy is actually expecting to hook up, is not who they pretended to be, or worse.
• Misunderstandings . The potential for a serious misunderstanding is another reason I don't promote the idea of finding a travel partner on an app. Your new travel partner may not have had any intention of deceiving you and may not mean to cause you any harm, yet they may have different hopes for the trip than you do.
• Telling the world you're solo . By participating on an independent matching site and sharing your itinerary you are telling the world that you are traveling solo and where. While I don't hide the fact that I'm solo while I travel, for safety reasons, I don't broadcast it either.
• Sites/apps can get too much personal information . In an effort to increase member safety, some sites go through a variety of verification steps, including gathering government ID information. This raises identity safety concerns.

Because I can't promote the sites that help you find a travel partner (I don't have experience with them), I'm not giving you a list. However, if you are still interested, you will find a list on Google. If you do so, I hope you'll be cautious with a new travel partner and read the Solo Travel Safety section of the site before leaving.

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Publisher Janice: info @ solotravelerworld.com

Editor Tracey: tracey @ solotravelerworld.com

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The Guide to Chase Transfer Partners

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Which Chase Sapphire transfer partners are the best?

Chase airline transfer partners: the complete list, chase hotel transfer partners: the complete list, chase points calculator, how to earn chase ultimate rewards® points, chase travel cards with transfer partners, how do you transfer chase points, using chase transfer partners: is it worth it.

Chase Ultimate Rewards® are some of the most valuable transferable points available. Called Chase Ultimate Rewards® points, they can be redeemed for travel through Chase's travel portal for 1 cent each on certain cards. However, they can be redeemed at a higher value of 1.25 cents each if you have a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or an even more impressive 1.5 cents each if you have a Chase Sapphire Reserve® . That type of exchange on its own makes for an excellent way to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards® points .

However, that's not necessarily the best way to redeem Chase points because three specific Chase cards available in 2024 offer what might be potentially far more value.

The cards at play here are the:

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card .

Chase Sapphire Reserve® .

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card .

» Jump to learn more about these card options .

With those cards, you have the additional option to send those points to one of Chase's transfer partners , which are generally hotel chains and airlines. And assuming you hold (or someone in your household owns), one of those three Chase cards, you'll very likely unlock even greater value out of your spending rewards when you use one of the Chase Ultimate Rewards® transfer partners. That's because converting Chase points to hotel points or airline frequent flyer miles can often maximize their value.

» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now

Before we dig into the best Chase Sapphire transfer partners, here's a complete overview of the estimated value of transferring Chase points to each transfer partner, sorted in alphabetical order:

Using that estimated value stated above, here's the ultimate NerdWallet power ranking of the six best Chase transfer partners (with No. 1 being the best) are:

World of Hyatt.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.

JetBlue TrueBlue.

Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards.

Air Canada Aeroplan.

Air France/KLM Flying Blue.

Best airline partner for Chase points

As far as Chase's airline transfer partners go, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is Chase' best airline transfer partner. Even still, you can easily get more than 1 cent per point in value from Chase points when you transfer points from Chase to fixed-value programs like Southwest Rapid Rewards and JetBlue TrueBlue.

Other airline transfer partners can be hit-and-miss, such as Emirates, which is generally a miss when points are transferred to book Emirates economy class . But, it's usually a massive hit if you can transfer Chase points to be used for booking the incredibly-swanky Emirates business class on points.

Best Chase hotel transfer partner

Meanwhile, World of Hyatt comes out on top as the best Chase hotel partner. And not only is it the best hotel partner, but it's the best travel partner period given that eye-popping value over 2 cents.

NerdWallet's estimated value is exactly that — an estimate. You might find individually great redemptions while using other Chase transfer partners for specific trips.

Of the 14 Chase Ultimate Rewards® transfer partners, 11 are airline mileage programs, which are:

Aer Lingus AerClub

Aer Lingus AerClub became one of the Chase travel partners in 2017. While not officially part of the Oneworld alliance, Aer Lingus partners with several Oneworld airlines — most notably British Airways, Iberia and Qatar .

Air Canada Aeroplan

There are plenty of reasons not to overlook Aeroplan — the newest of the Chase Sapphire airline partners. Air Canada is a Star Alliance member, so you can use Aeroplan points to book award flights on any Star Alliance airline, including United.

Seek out those Aeroplan sweet spots to help boost the value of Aeroplan points to 1.4 cents for award tickets.

» Learn more: A guide to Air Canada’s Aeroplan rewards loyalty program

Air France-KLM Flying Blue

Flying Blue is the loyalty program of Air France, KLM, Kenya Airways and a few smaller airlines. Because many Flying Blue airlines are members of the SkyTeam alliance , you can transfer points from Chase to Flying Blue to book award flights on other SkyTeam member airlines, such as Delta Air Lines.

The Flying Blue program offers a monthly Promo Rewards promotion that discounts certain routes by up to 50% — which can make Flying Blue sweet spots even a better deal.

» Learn more: A points collector’s guide to Air France-KLM Flying Blue

British Airways Executive Club

Most travelers might think of flights to London when thinking about British Airways. However, that's not where the value of British Airways Avios lies. In fact, most British Airways Avios sweet spots don't involve flying British Airways.

Instead, use this Chase transfer partner to book inexpensive awards on American Airlines, Alaska Airlines and other Oneworld partners — including flying to the Caribbean .

» Learn more: The complete guide to the British Airways Avios program

Emirates Skywards

Dubai-based Emirates Airlines is best known for its glitzy business- and first-class products. And while premium cabins command huge cash prices, paying with miles through the Emirates Skywards loyalty program is possible and considered the best use of miles (as opposed to using miles to book in the Emirates economy class ). A NerdWallet analysis found that you only get about 0.6 cent per mile in value for Emirates economy, but the value of Emirates miles jumps up if you redeem an award in Emirates business class.

Unfortunately, the Emirates Skywards sweet spots are limited — particularly on partner airlines. That said, the Skywards program is one of only a few ways to book Emirates first class with points since the airline restricts award availability through partner airlines.

» Learn more: The guide to Emirates Skywards

Iberia Plus

Just like British Airways, Iberia is a member of the Oneworld alliance and uses the Avios program. And after Iberia's recent overhaul to its award chart , award rates to book American Airlines flights match the British Airways Executive Club’s rates on partner airlines. However, other Iberia sweet spots include some incredible gems. Iberia often offers among the cheapest business class awards to Europe .

» Learn more: What to know about Iberia Airlines Plus loyalty program

JetBlue TrueBlue

JetBlue uses a revenue-based TrueBlue points program in which the required number of points for an award roughly equates to the cash price of the flight. That means you can't get outsized value from redeeming TrueBlue points.

However, just because the program doesn't have an upside doesn't mean JetBlue isn't a good Chase transfer partner. TrueBlue points are worth 1.5 cents per point — making it a valuable currency for economy flights among U.S. airlines.

» Learn more: The complete guide to the JetBlue TrueBlue rewards program

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

Singapore Airlines is another Star Alliance Chase travel partner that can provide excellent premium cabin redemptions. Singapore KrisFlyer sweet spots include flights to Europe and Hawaii, and flights within the continental U.S. Luxury travelers also flock to KrisFlyer, as it's typically the only way to book the award-winning Singapore first class product with points.

» Learn more: The guide to Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer frequent flyer program

Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards

Like JetBlue, Southwest uses a revenue-based redemption program, where points prices correlate with cash prices. This means you don't have to seek out sweet spots to get good value from your Southwest Rapid Rewards points.

Instead, the value of Southwest Rapid Rewards is a predictable 1.5 cents per point when redeemed for Southwest flights. Steer clear of other Rapid Rewards redemptions for hotels, rental cars or merchandise though, as the redemption value can drop to 0.6 cents per point.

» Learn more: The complete guide to Southwest Rapid Rewards

United MileagePlus

United joins JetBlue and Southwest as the three U.S.-based Chase Sapphire airline partners. MileagePlus miles are worth around 1.2 cents per mile when redeemed for United economy flights .

In addition to redeeming miles on United, you can redeem United MileagePlus miles for award flights on other Star Alliance partners. Just keep in mind that United can charge more miles for partner awards.

» Learn more: The complete guide to United MileagePlus program

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

London-based Virgin Atlantic is a member of the SkyTeam alliance and it uses a different redemption chart for each partner, meaning the Flying Club sweet spots are just as diverse as its partners.

» Learn more: The guide to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Chase has just three hotel loyalty program parters, which are:

IHG One Rewards

The IHG loyalty program is good, but it's generally a weak Chase transfer partner.

NerdWallet values IHG points at 0.8 cent each. But since Chase points transfer to IHG One Rewards at the same 1:1 transfer ratio as all other partners, that makes for a pretty bad transfer that can actually devalue your points. Unless you find a killer IHG redemption, only transfer points from Chase to IHG to top off your account if you're a few points shy of booking a hotel you want with the rest of your IHG points. Otherwise, you’re generally better off booking IHG hotels via Chase's portal.

» Learn more: What you need to know about IHG One Rewards

Marriott Bonvoy

Marriott Bonvoy is one of the largest hotel loyalty programs around. You can redeem Bonvoy points for free nights and room upgrades at over 7,000 properties across more than 30 brands.

However, bigger isn't always better. When NerdWallet analyzed the value of Marriott Bonvoy points , we found that points were worth around 0.8 cent each. That puts Marriott in the same category as IHG, where points often lose their value when you transfer them from Chase to Marriott Bonvoy.

Considering Chase points can be redeemed for 1.25 cents or 1.5 cents each (depending on which Sapphire card you have), make sure that you're getting at least this much value before transferring Chase points to Marriott Bonvoy — which is unlikely. With that, save Bonvoy transfers only for situations where you find an outstanding hotel deal, or if you need just a few more points to book using your existing Bonvoys.

» Learn more: The complete guide to the Marriott Bonvoy program

World Of Hyatt

World of Hyatt is undoubtedly Chase's most valuable hotel transfer partner — and perhaps its most valuable travel partner overall, too. In NerdWallet's analysis, World of Hyatt points are worth 2.3 cents each when used for award stays.

Hyatt is one of a few hotel loyalty programs that still publishes an award chart . That means predictability in planning how many points an award stay may cost. Award nights start at 3,500 points, meaning you can really stretch out your Chase points at Hyatt hotels.

» Learn more: The complete guide to the World of Hyatt loyalty program

Is it worth transferring Chase points to united?

While you might book hotels and airfares with cash or through Chase’s travel portal , it’s clearly often a better deal to put in the extra effort and transfer your points to one of Chase’s transfer partners — especially those named above. That said, folks seeking to maximize value should always calculate the value of the Chase Ultimate Rewards® points relative to the price to pay for airfare or hotel rooms in cash.

Use NerdWallet’s Chase points calculator below to determine the value of your points, based on both the baseline and NerdWallet estimated values:

With a little bit of research, you can get even more value through other Chase Ultimate Rewards® transfer partners versus redeeming points through the Chase portal.

The most common way to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards® points is through spending on a Chase credit card that participates in Chase Ultimate Rewards®. You might earn points through taking advantage of introductory offers — where you can get a windfall of points upon meeting a certain threshold within a window of time upon card approval — and via ongoing spending.

Just note that not all Chase credit cards earn transferable Ultimate Rewards® points. That said, Chase cards that do earn transferable Ultimate Rewards® points include:

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Chase Freedom Flex®

Chase Freedom Unlimited®

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Ink Business Cash® Credit Card

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

Some of these cards offer bonus points in certain categories, so someone seeking to maximize their points earning might have multiple cards in their wallet to use depending on the transaction. To maximize points, you might use the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card to pay at restaurants (it earns 3 points per $1 spent on dining), the Chase Freedom Flex® to pay at drugstores (it earns 3% back at drugstores) and the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card to pay the monthly internet bill (it earns 5% back on internet, cable and phone services, up to a combined $25,000 in annual spending).

Even though the latter two cards don't let you transfer your rewards directly to any of the above airline or hotel partners, you can transfer them to another card that you hold (or that someone in your household holds), as long as that card is one of the cards that allows for transfers to partner airline and hotel brands.

The three Chase travel cards with transfer partners are the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card , the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card .

on Chase's website

Annual fee: $95 .

Earning rates:

• 5 points per $1 on travel booked through Chase.

• 3 points per $1 on dining (including eligible delivery services and takeout), select streaming services and online grocery purchases (not including Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs).

• 2 points per $1 on other travel.

• 1 point per $1 on other purchases.

Bonus offer: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

Annual fee: $550 .

• 10 points per $1 on Chase Dining, hotel stays and car rentals purchased through Chase.

• 5 points per $1 on air travel purchased through Chase.

• 3 points per $1 on other travel and dining not booked with Chase.

Bonus offer: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

Bonus offer: Earn 120k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,200 cash back or $1,500 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Travel℠.

Use this guide to learn how to transfer Chase points between two credit cards you own.

Here's how to to transfer Chase points to family member or spouse .

Once you've got all the points you need in one account, you're ready to then send them to the actual airline or hotel loyalty program you want to convert your Chase points into. Learn how to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards® points to travel partners here.

Chase Ultimate Rewards offers a smaller selection of transfer partners compared to some competitors with transferable bank point currencies like American Express, Capital One and Citi. But some say that size matters not (at least in terms of number of transfer partners).

It's more about their value — and some Chase travel partners are particularly valuable. Just look at Hyatt as an example. Using this Chase hotel partner can morph a point that might be worth a measly 1 cent each when exchanged for Chase to something worth more than 2 cents when used for a Hyatt hotel room. That offer becomes even more tantalizing when you consider that NerdWallet ranks World of Hyatt among the most valuable hotel rewards programs out there.

With that, Chase Ultimate Rewards® points rank among the most valuable transferable points available.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2024 :

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card

Earn 5 free nights at an IHG property after $4k in spend (each night valued at up to 60k points).

Americans’ travel bug is too much of a good thing

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Donald trump might be bad for evs, good for tesla.

Elon Musk has a Donald Trump card. The boss of the $780 billion battery-powered-car maker has backed the Republican presidential candidate, whose vow to end government support could crimp the electric vehicle industry. That isn’t as backwards as it sounds. A decision to roll back benefits to EV makers would squeeze competitors much more than Tesla . Maintaining the dominance of his car business mi

State announces 8 trusted testing partners for inter-county travel

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - With thousands now flocking to Hawaii amid a global pandemic, the state is continuing their expansion of the testing program and their trusted partners for tests.

On Saturday, Gov. Ige announced eight trusted testing partners for inter-county travel.

The state says inter-county passengers heading to Kauai and Maui can avoid the 14-day quarantine if they complete an FDA-authorized Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT) from the certified CLIA lab of a trusted testing.

Their negative test must take place 72 hours before travel.

“Travel between our islands is essential to our residents staying connected with family and friends and conducting business. And many of our visitors want to experience all our island state has to offer. We are grateful to our trusted partners who are helping to make inter-county travel safer,” said Gov. David Ige.

Here are details on the eight new trusted partners:

• Clinical Laboratories of Hawaii will be offering “COVID-19” NAAT testing (Nucleic Acid Amplification Test) as part of the State of Hawaiʻi’s Pre-Travel Inter-island Testing Program. Patients should visit www.clinicallabs.com to schedule an appointment, for more information on locations and how to obtain lab results. All lab tests require an order by a licensed healthcare provider in the State of Hawaiʻi.
• CVS Health (Longs) – Travelers may schedule an appointment up to two days in the future at select CVS Pharmacy drive-thru locations. Tests available for ages 12 and older. Pre-registration is required. Registration instructions and costs can be found at cvs.com/selfpaytesting .
• Hawaiʻi Pacific Health – Hawai’i Pacific Health – Interisland travel screenings are available at Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women & Children on O’ahu and Wilcox Medical Center on Kaua’i in partnership with Clinical Labs of Hawaii. Appointments are required for screening at Kapi’olani and must be scheduled online at clinicallabs.com/covid . No appointment is necessary for screening at Wilcox. More information on site locations, hours and cost can be found at hawaiipacifichealth.org/covid19testing .

“We are pleased to participate in the State of Hawai’i's pre-travel testing program as a trusted testing partner, working together with our laboratory partner, Clinical Labs of Hawaii, to support the state’s efforts to safely and gradually open travel for both residents and visitors,” said Hawai’i Pacific Health President & CEO Ray Vara. “As we’ve seen through this pandemic, the public health of our community and the health of our state economy are truly dependent on each other. A strategic testing plan, including travel screening, is a key component to building the public health infrastructure Hawai’i needs to put us on the path to economic recovery, and Hawai’i Pacific Health is committed to this effort.”

• Kaiser Permanente (for members only) – Kaiser Permanente members may schedule a test online or contact the appointment call center or nurse advice line in their home region for scheduling instructions. Kaiser Permanente members returning home to Hawaiʻi may call the Away-from-Home Travel Line at 951-268-3900 for scheduling instructions. Information can be found at kp.org/travel .
• Minit Medical – Inter-Island travelers in Hawaii may schedule testing online prior to travel to other islands. Minit Medical has three clinics on Maui with drive-up testing available. Appointment is required. Please call 808-667-6161 for details or logon to Minitmed.com .
• Walgreens – Testing is available at no cost to eligible individuals who meet CDC criteria. Tests available for ages five and older. All drive-thru testing locations operate outdoors and patients do not leave their vehicles. Appointment required. Information can be found at walgreens.com/covid19testing .
• Urgent Care Hawaii offers COVID-19 testing for inter-island travel. Results are emailed within 24 hours. Register at www.ucarehi.com . Limited walk-ins can be accommodated. Call 808-797-7980 for more information.

“We all need to do our part to keep Hawaiʻi safe for our families, visitors and businesses. ‘Get open and stay open!’ is our motto and together we are making that happen. Eliminating the 14-day quarantine for inter-island travel with the COVID-19 testing program is a needed relief for everyone and Urgent Care Hawaii is thrilled to be a Trusted Travel Partner,” said Donna Schmidt, CEO of Urgent Care Hawaiʻi.

• Vault Health – At-home tests with real-time audio-visual supervision are available with Vault Health, the first FDA-authorized saliva test. Tests available for ages five and older. Tests are mailed with accurate results in 72 hours or less. Information and costs can be found at learn.vaulthealth.com/state-of-Hawaii .

Those who fail to test negative should abide by the 14-day quarantine. For more information on the Safe Travels website, click here.

Copyright 2020 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.

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Insights > How to Use Amex Points to Book Flights and Travel

How to Use Amex Points to Book Flights and Travel

With 21 transfer partners — including 18 airlines and 3 hotels — American Express has one of the most useful points currencies with its Membership Rewards program. And while it’s easy to use the Amex Travel portal, those transfer partners are where you’ll get the most value for your points, from phenomenal business-class and first-class flights to five-star hotels and more. 

Here’s everything you need to know about using Amex points to book flights and travel.

Table of contents

Using Amex Membership Rewards points to book travel with transfer partners 

American Express has nearly two dozen hotel and airline transfer partners.

Airline programs

• Aer Lingus AerClub
• AeroMexico Rewards
• Air Canada Aeroplan
• Air France-KLM Flying Blue
• ANA Mileage Club
• Avianca LifeMiles
• British Airways Executive Club
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
• Delta Air Lines SkyMiles
• Emirates Skywards
• HawaiianMiles
• Iberia Plus
• JetBlue TrueBlue
• Qantas Frequent Flyer
• Qatar Airways Privilege Club
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Hotel programs

• Marriott Bonvoy
• Hilton Honors
• Choice Privileges

When you have Amex points, whether it’s from spending on an American Express credit card or earning a welcome bonus, you can transfer your points to any of these programs. However, there are some ways to use Amex points for travel that are better than others; we’ll discuss those in detail in a minute.

Paying for travel with Amex points via transfer partners 

Each airline and hotel partner has a specific transfer ratio — the number of partner points you’ll receive for each Amex point you transfer.

Some Amex points transfer to partners at a 1:1 ratio, meaning you’ll get one partner point per dollar amount for each Amex point. Others might have different ratios (e.g., 1:2 or 3:2), meaning you’ll get two or three partner points for every Amex point. Check the Amex Membership Rewards website or your account for the current transfer ratios.

Amex also runs frequent transfer bonuses, which earn you additional points or miles when you transfer your Amex points to a partner program. Some programs, like Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy , and British Airways Executive Club, offer transfer bonuses more frequently. These bonuses can significantly increase the value of your Amex points and boost your Membership Rewards balance, so it’s worth keeping an eye out for them.

Transfer-bonus offers usually occur at the beginning of the month after months of card membership and typically last about a month. However, while transfer bonuses can be extended, you’ll want to transfer points to your preferred program ASAP.

Booking flights with the Amex Travel booking portal

A traditional booking platform, AmexTravel.com lets you use Amex points to book flights and travel directly. You’ll enter your departure and arrival airports (if booking flights), departure dates, and cabin class, and the next page will display your results.

The important section here is the number of points required to book your flight, which you’ll see on the right side of the screen.

After you’ve selected your flight, you have the option of using some or all of your points to cover your booking.

Check out as you would normally, and that’s it!

Booking domestic flights with Amex points

Some of the best ways to book domestic flights with Amex points are by transferring points to British Airways Avios, Delta SkyMiles, and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.

British Airways Avios

Booking domestic flights with British Airways is the best way to get maximum value from your Membership Rewards points. That’s because British Airways uses a distance-based award chart — not only for its own flights but also its partners, including American Airlines.

Unfortunately, British Airways does not publicly post its award chart, but the breakdown below is generally understood to be British Airways pricing for partner awards per calendar year.

This award chart is handy when booking short-haul flights, particularly on the U.S. East and West Coasts. Note that Zone 1 flights to, from, or within North America will cost at least 7,500 Avios.

Let’s take a look at a sample itinerary from New York to Boston. You can use a tool like Great Circle Mapper to calculate the distance between two airports — in this case, 190 miles.

Next, navigate to BA.com and select “Book flights with Avios.” You can then input your departure and arrival airports and dates and select a one-way or round-trip option.

Your results will be on the next page. On this route, for our specific dates, one-way award flights start at 8,250 Avios. 

If you have enough Avios, you can book your flight. If not, you can transfer them from a transfer partner, like Amex.

Delta SkyMiles

Unlike British Airways, Delta does not use an award chart. Instead, its loyalty program, Delta SkyMiles, uses dynamic pricing. That means the cost of a reward flight can be higher or lower depending on factors such as seasonality, demand, and more.

While Delta SkyMiles aren’t typically highly valued as a points-and-miles currency, they can be incredibly valuable for booking short-haul domestic flights. For instance, flights between the airline’s Atlanta hub and Washington, D.C., start at just 8,500 SkyMiles each way — an excellent deal for such a popular route.

Another way to use SkyMiles for domestic flights is to book travel to U.S. territories, such as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. SkyMiles awards on these flights are usually extremely affordable, such as the fare we found from New York to San Juan for just 9,500 one-way.

Booking international flights with Amex points

Booking international flights with Amex points is similar to booking domestic flights, although there is a bit more planning involved.

Once you’ve chosen a transfer partner, search for award availability on their website or through partner airlines in their alliance . (Not sure which transfer partner to seach with for your route? point.me can help. We search hundreds of airlines and dozens of loyalty programs to show you the best points fare, then tell you exactly how to transfer points and book them.) 

If you transfer points to a membership with a SkyTeam member , like Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, you can book flights on partner airlines, like Delta, as long as you have enough miles in your membership rewards account. This expands your options and can help you find more convenient routes or better redemption rates.

As you’ll see in the example below, a Delta flight from Atlanta to Rio can cost just 44,000 Flying Club points — and while Virgin doesn’t fly on this route, you can still book partner flights through its Flying Club program.

Tips for booking flights with Amex points

Sometimes award availability on your preferred airline or program will be limited. In those cases, consider using the Membership Rewards travel portal to get a points rebate or book flights directly. While this option may offer less value than transferring points to airlines, it can still be convenient, especially for last-minute bookings or when flexibility is limited.

Speaking of flexibility: Keeping your travel dates and destinations open can significantly increase your chances of finding available award seats , especially during peak travel seasons.

When redeeming points for international flights, be aware of additional taxes, fees, and surcharges that may apply. Some programs have lower fees than others, so compare the total cost — including points and fees — across different redemption options to ensure you’re getting the best value.

One last piece of advice: Award availability tends to be more limited for international flights, especially in premium cabins. Try to book as early as possible — ideally nine to 12 months in advance — to secure the best redemption options and maximize your chances of finding award seats.

Using airline alliances to maximize your Amex points

To make the most of your Membership Rewards points, take a look at the Amex Travel transfer partners that have points and miles you can use on other airlines . For instance, you can book American Airlines flights with British Airways Avios, while Aeroplan points can be used for United Airlines and Etihad Airways.

Travel purchases you can pay for with Amex points

You can redeem points to pay for various travel purchases, such as flights, prepaid hotels, prepaid car rentals, vacation packages, and cruises. 

The best ways to redeem your Amex points 

The best way to redeem your American Express points is by booking flights and hotels, especially on airlines like Emirates, Etihad, Singapore, or British Airways. These airlines offer some of the best ways to fly in business and first class — think: Emirates First Class (which offers an onboard shower!) or Etihad’s Apartment. 

Even if you don’t manage to score one of those highly coveted seats, not to worry. Amex has more than a dozen transfer partners, including many of the world’s largest airlines, so you’re bound to find a fare that fits the bill.

The worst ways to redeem your Amex points

The worst way to redeem your American Express points is on non-travel purchases. Generally, you’ll want to avoid using points to cover charges on your American Express card, whether it’s for cash back or a statement credit, to pay for items at merchants like Amazon, and on gift cards or other eligible purchases.

Frequently asked questions about using Amex points to book a flight

Can i use amex points for flights.

Yes, you can use Membership Rewards points for flights either by redeeming points on the Amex Travel portal or by transferring Amex points to partner airlines. 

How many points do I need for a free flight?

For a free flight , the required Membership Rewards points per dollar depend on the airline. Some airlines, such as JetBlue, offer flights for as low as 500 points each way, usually on domestic short-haul flights.

Should I book my trip via Amex Travel or through the airline directly? 

It’s fine to book your trip via the American Express travel portal or directly through your preferred airline. Each has its benefits and drawbacks, so it really comes down to personal preference. Amex Travel can be beneficial if you want to earn or redeem Membership Rewards points, enjoy travel benefits, and prefer to manage your trip on a single platform. 

However, booking directly through the airline can, in some instances, offer lower prices, access to customer support, and more flexibility for changes or cancellations. It’s important to compare the prices and benefits of both options before making a decision. Ultimately, if you value loyalty program perks and direct airline support, booking with the airline might be the better choice, while Amex Travel can be ideal for leveraging cardholder benefits.

Will I earn points if I book my travel directly?

Yes, you’ll earn Membership Rewards points or miles when you use your Amex points to book directly with an airline or hotel; generally, you do not earn points on flights or hotels that you paid for with points.

Can I cancel a trip booked with Amex rewards points?

Yes, you can cancel a trip booked with Amex rewards points, provided you booked a refundable ticket. However, cancellations are subject to the airline’s fare rules agreed to at the time of booking. You’ll want to ensure that you booked a refundable ticket just in case you need to cancel.

Can I transfer my Amex points to an airline or hotel loyalty program?

Yes, you can transfer your Amex points to an airline or hotel loyalty program. The Amex travel portal has more than a dozen airline and hotel transfer partners.

How long does it take to transfer my Amex points to a travel partner? 

Most programs transfer instantly, although some, such as Aeromexico, can take up to five days.

Will I earn miles or points on bookings made with Amex reward points? 

You won’t be eligible to earn miles or points on bookings made with Amex reward points; however, you will earn Amex points on taxes and fees if you book with an Amex card.

Which Amex credit cards can I use to pay with points? 

You can use any American Express credit card that participates in the Membership Rewards program to pay with points. 

Better flights, fewer points.  point.me users get 6-12x the value of their points.  Join now

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Hawaii Inter-County Pre-Travel Testing Partners

Official hawaii inter-county trusted travel partners.

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Hawaii Inter-Island Trusted Testing Partners

Hawaii's inter-county covid-19 pre-test partners, official pre-travel testing program now allows the bypass of inter-island quarantine, last updated:  june 14, 2021, at 12:00 pm hst (final update due to program ending).

According to Hawaii's official State Department of Health, the state lists its approved inter-county trusted testing partners as: Clinical Laboratories of Hawaii , Costco/AZOVA+ , CVS Health (Longs Drugs)* , Diagnostic Laboratory Services (DLS) , Hawaii Pacific Health , Kaiser Permanente (members only) , Minit Medical ,  National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii's Consortium+ (through an agreement with the City and County of Honolulu) , S&G Labs Hawaii LLC ,  Urgent Care Hawaii , Vault Health , and Walgreens (as of late-May 2021 ).

• Partners marked with a ' + ' notation must use the Standard State of Hawaii TTP Results Form . 
• * CVS Health/Longs Drugs: ONLY this website , not a different CVS website or walk-in. See below for more information.

Beginning June 15, 2021 - All Inter-County Travel Restrictions will be Dropped

On June 4, 2021, Governor David Ige announced the end of all restrictions for inter-county travel, starting June 15, 2021. All inter-county travelers will no longer need to take a COVID-19 test or quarantine, regardless of their vaccination status or where they were vaccinated.

The decision to terminate testing/quarantine requirements comes as the State of Hawaii approaches the 55% vaccination rate. As of June 14, 2021, 55% of Hawaii's residents have now been fully vaccinated.

Prior to June 15th - Inter-Island Policy for Travelers Vaccinated within Hawaii

As of  May 11, 2021 , fully vaccinated passengers (initially, only those vaccinated  within Hawaii  qualify for this rule) are now able to travel inter-island without being subject to quarantine and testing rules.

• According to local  news , under the new rules, vaccinated inter-island travelers will be able to upload an image of their vaccination card to the Safe Travels portal and then be permitted to bypass quarantine.
• This pilot program is essentially an initial step toward allowing fully vaccinated trans-Pacific passengers to come into Hawaii without being subject to quarantine or being required to take a pre-travel test. No formal date has been set for vaccinated  trans-Pacific  travelers to begin bypassing quarantine and/or pre-travel testing, but we believe it will likely be in  July 2021 or when the state's vaccination rate reaches 60% . For now, the pre-travel testing rules and quarantine rules remain in effect for all trans-Pacific travelers.
• See the detailed section on  our Vaccine / Health passport page  for additional information on this vaccine exemption program.

Editor's Note...

We will continue to closely monitor the inter-island trusted partners' program and provide additional updates & testing providers, as provided by official state sources, on this page . Travelers may want to sign up for our weekly email updates that we're currently sending about the status of Hawaii's reopening. This email update will include any new partners that have been recently added to the pre-travel testing program.

Issues with timeliness on inter-island testing? We also wanted to add a note to potential travelers, that back in November and December 2020, some readers had reported issues with inter-island testing, and the test result turnaround times. Other readers, including local residents, have now recently (as of early 2021) reported no problems with inter-island testing timeliness, so hopefully, the previous delays were because the program was just getting started at that time. Have something different to report? Contact us and let us know so we can share with our readers. Mahalo!

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Hawaii Inter-County Trusted Testing Partners

For inter-island travel to kauai, maui, and the big island before june 15, 2021.

— Last Updated at the COVID-19 State of Hawaii Portal  in late-May 2021 —

Through multiple press releases, Governor Ige has announced several new "trusted testing partners" for interisland travel to  Maui ,  Kauai , and Hawaii ( Big Island ) counties.  Oahu   does not  have any inter-island travel restrictions at this time.

A  mandatory contact tracing requirement  has gone into effect for all travelers from both the mainland and interisland to  Maui . All travelers to Maui  must now download  the  AlohaSafe Alert  App on their mobile phones. Failure to do so will result in a mandatory 10-day quarantine period. See our Hawaii Travel Restrictions page and the  Maui Special Notice  section for additional information. Additionally, inter-county passengers to  Maui  must now have their negative test results prior to arrival; as Maui County will no longer accept negative test results received post-arrival.

• Each of the official  inter-island Hawaii pre-travel partners  can be found below on this page.
• All of the  verified U.S. trans-Pacific Hawaii testing partners  are included on our domestic U.S. trusted testing partners page.
• In late October 2020, Hawaii's Governor also announced the Japan pre-travel trusted partners, which are included on our  Hawaii International Travel Testing Partners  page.
• We've also recently updated the rules regarding island-island travel, including testing rules, in our Hawaii Travel Restrictions -  Inter-island FAQ →

Please Note: all tests conducted in the state of Hawaii may require an order by a licensed physician or healthcare provider. Please contact the lab/pharmacy in advance to confirm the requirements prior to scheduling tests.

Clinical Laboratories of Hawaii : Travelers can visit their website to schedule an appointment and to learn more about their locations and how to obtain lab results. All lab tests require an order by a licensed healthcare provider in Hawaii.

Costco/AZOVA : Costco Wholesale, in collaboration with AZOVA, is offering at-home, observed FDA-authorized COVID-19 saliva rt-PCR testing for travelers (Costco members and non-members) for ages five years and older from anywhere in the United States. Tests are delivered via UPS overnight delivery and electronic shareable results are available in 12 to 48 hours from the time the lab receives the test sample.

Crunched for time? Costco has launched an in-Pharmacy COVID-19 traveler testing solution in select markets. Register online and then purchase and pick up your COVID-19 saliva rt-PCR test kit at one of 123 participating Costco pharmacies across the US.

• Information on how to order and pick up your travel test kit at a participating Costco Pharmacy and pricing can be found here:  Costco-AZOVA Observed Travel Saliva PCR Kit in Participating Pharmacies .
• Information and pricing for ordering your travel test kit from Costco.com can be found here:  Costco-AZOVA Observed Travel Saliva PCR Test .

CVS Health (Longs) :  Travelers may schedule an appointment up to two (2) days in advance at select CVS Pharmacy drive-thru locations. Tests are available for ages 12 and older. Pre-registration is required. Info more information can be found on their website .

Important Note: Travelers must schedule testing through this website , not a different CVS website or walk-in.

Diagnostic Laboratory Services, Inc. (DLS) - Testing requires a lab order and collection by a licensed healthcare provider in the State of Hawaii. Test results from DLS Guam also accepted. More information on their website .

Hawaii Pacific Health :  Tests are offered at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children on Oahu, and Wilcox Medical Center on Kauai in partnership with Clinical Labs of Hawaii. Appointments are required at Kapiolani and must be scheduled online . No appointment is necessary at Wilcox. The Abbott ID NOW COVID-19 Rapid PCR test is available at the following HPH urgent care locations on O‘ahu and Kauai: Doctors on Call at Hilton Hawaiian Village COVID-19 Testing Center, Doctors on Call at Sheraton Waikiki COVID-19 Testing Center, Kahala Clinic & Urgent Care, Kapolei Clinic & Urgent Care, and Kauai Urgent Care. No appointment is necessary. More information on site locations, hours, and costs can be found on their website .

Kaiser Permanente : (members only) Travelers can schedule a test online, contact the appointment call center, or nurse advice line in the traveler's home region for scheduling instructions. Kaiser Permanente members returning home to Hawaii may call the Away-from-Home Travel Line at (951) 268-3900 for scheduling instructions. Information can be found on their website .

Minit Medical : Travelers can schedule testing online prior to inter-island travel. Minit Medical has three clinics on Maui with drive-up testing available. Appointments are required; travelers can reach them by calling (808) 667-6161 or log on to their website .

National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii's Consortium (through an agreement with the City and County of Honolulu) - located at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) , the testing site is at the Diamond Head Tour Group area, just past Baggage Claim 31. The Hawaiian Monarch Hotel , on the island of Oahu, is an additional testing location. Pre-register online ( registration link forthcoming ) or walk-in on-site. Results are provided in three to six hours and are available for ages five (5) and older at a cost of $125 . Most health insurance is accepted, subject of course to the policies of your specific insurer.

S&G Labs Hawaii LLC : Testing services available throughout the state for walk-ups and appointments. All lab tests processed locally with a fast 24- to 36-hour turn-around time. Kamaaina rates are available for travelers. Tests available for ages five (5) and older. Find more information, including locations and testing availability, or to schedule appointments, visit their website , or call (808) 329-9675 .

Urgent Care Hawaii : Travelers can register online . Limited walk-ins can be accommodated; results are emailed within 24 hours. Call (808) 797-7980 for more information.

Vault Health :  At-home tests with real-time audio-visual supervision are available through Vault Health, the first FDA-authorized saliva test. Tests available for ages five (5) and older. Tests are mailed in 72-hours or less. Information and costs can be found on their website .

Walgreens :  Testing is available to inter-island travelers at no cost (however, individuals must meet CDC criteria for testing). Tests available for ages five (5) and older. All drive-thru testing locations operate outdoors and patients do not leave their vehicles. Appointments are required. Travelers can find more information on their website .

Additional Quicklinks

• Details and thorough information on Hawaii's pre-travel testing, for both trans-Pacific and inter-island travel, can be found on our  Hawaii COVID Testing Requirements & Test Procedures →
• More information on the current COVID-19 rules & restrictions, including for each Hawaiian county/island, can be found on our updated page for  Hawaii Travel Restrictions →
• Additional information on Hawaii's re-opening process, along with a frequently updated traveler FAQ, can be found in our article:  Hawaii Reopening to Visitors - What you need to know →
• For news, updates, and headlines related to COVID-19 and travel within and to Hawaii we've created a new page dedicated to the day-by-day updates: Hawaii COVID-19 Travel News & Headlines →

Additional Hawaii COVID-19 Information & Resources

The following resources have been compiled by GoUS Hawaii to better assist travelers in navigating the various restrictions and state-approved test requirements for visiting Hawaii during the COVID pandemic. If you have questions, we are always happy to assist, and you can  contact us  anytime. You may also want to direct your questions to an official state resource, and we've compiled an updated list of  Hawaii Official COVID-19 Contacts  for travelers, including phone numbers and email addresses when applicable.

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By using this website, you agree to our terms and conditions found on our Disclaimer of Warranty and Limitation of Liability page. If you do not agree, please do not use the site. We earn small commissions from some travel partners, which helps us maintain the site. For example, as an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. These links are at no extra cost to you. Mahalo!

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Chaos and Confusion: Tech Outage Causes Disruptions Worldwide

Airlines, hospitals and people’s computers were affected after CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity company, sent out a flawed software update.

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By Adam Satariano ,  Paul Mozur ,  Kate Conger and Sheera Frenkel

• July 19, 2024

Airlines grounded flights. Operators of 911 lines could not respond to emergencies. Hospitals canceled surgeries. Retailers closed for the day. And the actions all traced back to a batch of bad computer code.

A flawed software update sent out by a little-known cybersecurity company caused chaos and disruption around the world on Friday. The company, CrowdStrike , based in Austin, Texas, makes software used by multinational corporations, government agencies and scores of other organizations to protect against hackers and online intruders.

But when CrowdStrike sent its update on Thursday to its customers that run Microsoft Windows software, computers began to crash.

The fallout, which was immediate and inescapable, highlighted the brittleness of global technology infrastructure. The world has become reliant on Microsoft and a handful of cybersecurity firms like CrowdStrike. So when a single flawed piece of software is released over the internet, it can almost instantly damage countless companies and organizations that depend on the technology as part of everyday business.

“This is a very, very uncomfortable illustration of the fragility of the world’s core internet infrastructure,” said Ciaran Martin, the former chief executive of Britain’s National Cyber Security Center and a professor at the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University.

A cyberattack did not cause the widespread outage, but the effects on Friday showed how devastating the damage can be when a main artery of the global technology system is disrupted. It raised broader questions about CrowdStrike’s testing processes and what repercussions such software firms should face when flaws in their code cause major disruptions.

How a Software Update Crashed Computers Around the World

Here’s a visual explanation for how a faulty software update crippled machines.

While outages are common, often caused by technical errors or cyberattacks, the scale of what unfolded on Friday was unparalleled.

“This is historic,” said Mikko Hypponen, the chief research officer at WithSecure, a cybersecurity company. “We haven’t had an incident like this.”

George Kurtz, CrowdStrike’s chief executive, said that the company took responsibility for the mistake and that a software fix had been released. He warned that it could be some time before tech systems returned to normal.

“We’re deeply sorry for the impact that we’ve caused to customers, to travelers, to anyone affected by this,” he said in an interview on Friday on NBC’s “Today” show.

Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s chief executive, blamed CrowdStrike and said the company was working to help customers “bring their systems back online.” Apple and Linux machines were not affected by the CrowdStrike software update.

A White House official said the administration was in “regular contact” with CrowdStrike and had convened agencies to assess the impact of the outage on the federal government’s operations.

CrowdStrike, founded in 2011 by Mr. Kurtz and others, has built a reputation over the years as a firm that could solve even the toughest security problems. It was tapped to investigate a 2014 hack of Sony Pictures and the 2016 hack of the Democratic National Committee, which exposed Hillary Clinton’s emails.

But problems stemming from CrowdStrike’s products have surfaced before. In April, the company pushed a software update to customers running the Linux system that crashed computers, according to an internal CrowdStrike report sent to customers about the incident, which was obtained by The New York Times.

The bug, which did not appear to be related to Friday’s outage, took CrowdStrike nearly five days to fix, the report said. CrowdStrike promised to improve its testing process going forward, according to the report.

On Thursday, the tech issues began when Microsoft dealt with an outage on its cloud service system, Azure, which affected some airlines .

Then CrowdStrike sent an update for its software called Falcon Sensor , which scans a computer for intrusions and signs of hacking. If everything had gone according to plan, CrowdStrike’s software would have received minor improvements and customers would have hardly noticed.

Instead, when CrowdStrike’s faulty update reached computers running Microsoft Windows, it caused the machines to shut down and then endlessly reboot. Workers around the world were greeted with what is known as the “blue screen of death” on their computers. Insufficient testing at CrowdStrike was a likely source of the problem, experts said.

As computers restarted themselves over and over, known as the “doom loop,” there was little CrowdStrike could do to fix the problem. Tech staff at affected companies were faced with a choice: walk around to each machine and remove the bit of flawed code, or wait and hope for a solution from CrowdStrike.

The problems cascaded instantly. At Sydney Airport in Australia, travelers encountered delays and cancellations, as did those in Hong Kong, India, Dubai, Berlin and Amsterdam. At least five U.S. airlines — Allegiant Air, American, Delta, Spirit and United — grounded all flights for a time, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

How the airline cancellations rippled around the world (and across time zones)

Share of canceled flights at 25 airports on Friday

50% of flights

Ai r po r t

Bengalu r u K empeg o wda

Dhaka Shahjalal

Minneapolis-Saint P aul

Stuttga r t

Melbou r ne

Be r lin B r anden b urg

London City

Amsterdam Schiphol

Chicago O'Hare

Raleigh−Durham

B r adl e y

Cha r lotte

Reagan National

Philadelphia

1:20 a.m. ET

Health care systems were crippled, forcing hospitals to cancel noncritical surgeries. In the United States, 911 lines went down in multiple states, though many of those problems were being resolved later on Friday. Britain’s National Health Service also reported issues.

“We knew we had a catastrophe on our hands,” said B.J. Moore, the chief information officer for Providence Health, which has 52 hospitals in seven states. He said 15,000 servers were down and 40,000 out of Providence’s 150,000 computers were affected, adding that it was “worse than a cyberattack."

The United Parcel Service and FedEx said they were affected. Customers with TD Bank, one of the biggest banks in the United States, reported issues accessing their online accounts. Several state and municipal court systems closed for the day because of the outage.

At CrowdStrike, engineers described an atmosphere of confusion as the company struggled to contain the damage.

Executives urged employees not to speculate on why the mistake happened and directed them to focus on a fix for the computers that were affected, said two engineers who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Computers not connected to the cloud required a physical fix to the error introduced by CrowdStrike, they said, which could take weeks.

Within several hours of the faulty software going out, CrowdStrike sent out a software patch as a fix that would stop computers from endlessly rebooting.

Lukasz Olejnik, an independent cybersecurity researcher and consultant, said the outage would still take time to resolve because a suggested solution for some organizations involved rebooting each computer manually into safe mode, deleting a specific file and then restarting the computer.

While that is a relatively straightforward process, security experts said, it may not be easy to do at scale. Those with organized and well-staffed information technology teams could potentially fix the issues more quickly, Mr. Olejnik said.

Unlike the iPhone software updates that Apple sends to customers, the incident highlighted information technology systems that operate in the background. The CrowdStrike issues were compounded because the software being updated performed critical cybersecurity tasks, giving it access to scan a computer to look for viruses and other malicious attacks.

Cybersecurity tools operate quietly in the background to defend computers against attacks. The software is frequently updated with new defenses as hackers develop fresh methods of attack, but constant updates mean there are many opportunities for mistakes to happen.

“One of the tricky parts of security software is it needs to have absolute privileges over your entire computer in order to do its job,” said Thomas Parenty, a cybersecurity consultant and a former U.S. National Security Agency analyst. “So if there’s something wrong with it, the consequences are vastly greater than if your spreadsheet doesn’t work.”

On Friday, the stock price of CrowdStrike, which reported $3 billion in annual revenue last year, closed down 11 percent.

CrowdStrike’s stock price so far this year

The company faces questions about what liabilities it and other software makers face for major disruptions and cybersecurity incidents. The consequences for significant outages can be so minimal that companies are not motivated to make more fundamental changes, experts said. While a car manufacturer would face stiff penalties for faulty brakes, a software provider can often issue another update and move on.

“Until software companies have to pay a price for faulty products, we will be no safer tomorrow than we are today,” Mr. Parenty said.

Meaghan Tobin , Aaron Krolik and Jill Cowan contributed reporting.

Adam Satariano is a technology correspondent for The Times, based in London. More about Adam Satariano

Paul Mozur is the global technology correspondent for The Times, based in Taipei. Previously he wrote about technology and politics in Asia from Hong Kong, Shanghai and Seoul. More about Paul Mozur

Kate Conger is a technology reporter based in San Francisco. She can be reached at [email protected]. More about Kate Conger

Sheera Frenkel is a reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area, covering the ways technology impacts everyday lives with a focus on social media companies, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, Telegram and WhatsApp. More about Sheera Frenkel

Watch as comfort llamas with 'I love PDX' blankets greet travelers at Portland airport

After a long flight or as pre-travel nerves are getting the best of you, comfort is just what some passengers need.

Tourists and Oregon locals arriving at Portland International Airport on July 11 were greeted by emotional support llamas . Two llamas wearing blankets that read "I love PDX" were spotted at with the purpose of helping anxious travelers.

Video shows the animals roaming the airport alongside staff. The airport's official Instagram page shared footage of several guests rejoicing as they interact with the llamas.

"It’s hard 'work' but some llamas gotta do it," the page wrote in the caption.

Watch Portland's therapeutic llamas at work here

PDX officials regularly bring llamas and alpacas a couple of times a month as part of the airport’s pet therapy program, spokesperson Allison Ferre told USA TODAY. The animals are also visited for various events at local concessions across the summer and holiday seasons. 

“The llamas and alpacas visit PDX to soothe and delight travelers,” Ferre said. “It’s a uniquely PDX way to spread joy to travelers.”

Little research on emotional support llamas

There is quite limited research on the therapeutic benefits of being around llamas.

In a 2006 study, a Virginia occupational therapist Mona Sams said her eight llamas and five alpacas were beneficial for those with developmental disabilities. Her research found llamas-assisted therapy helped autistic children improve their language and social skills more than traditional occupational therapy, Advisory Board reported.

Western Carolina University professor and anthozoologist Hal Herzog, said animal-assisted therapy, including with llamas, can ease stress levels but the clarified the effects are primarily short-term compared to other forms of therapy.

• Amex credit cards
• Transfer partners
• How to transfer Amex points

American Express Transfer Partners: A Comprehensive Guide for 2024

Affiliate links for the products on this page are from partners that compensate us and terms apply to offers listed (see our advertiser disclosure with our list of partners for more details). However, our opinions are our own. See how we rate credit cards to write unbiased product reviews .

The information for the following product(s) has been collected independently by Business Insider: American Express® Green Card, Amex EveryDay® Credit Card, Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card, Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card. The details for these products have not been reviewed or provided by the issuer.

• American Express Membership Rewards points are some the most valuable card rewards you can earn. 
• You can get maximum value from Amex points by transferring them to airline and hotel partners.
• Strategic airline partners like Delta and Air Canada can help you score first-class award flights. 
• Read Business Insider's guide to the best travel rewards credit cards .

Introduction to Amex transfer partners

When it comes to transferable credit card rewards points , you might automatically think of Chase Ultimate Rewards ® or Capital One miles . But the American Express Membership Rewards program was one of the first points currencies that allowed folks with associated credit cards to convert their hard-earned rewards into miles and points with various airline and hotel partners.

History and overview of the Amex Membership Rewards program

The Amex Membership Rewards program debuted way back in 1991 with just seven U.S. airline partners. Today, Membership Rewards works with 17 frequent flyer programs and three hotel loyalty programs. Those numbers are impressive in and of themselves – consider, Chase has just 14 partners total, and Citi ThankYou Rewards has 16.

What sets Amex apart even more, however, is the excellent quality of its partners, and the myriad redemption opportunities they represent. There are many benefits of transferring points to these airline and hotel partners, which we'll explore in more detail below. 

In this comprehensive guide, we'll show you how to transfer American Express points for travel, and teach you our best tips for maximizing value for Amex Membership Rewards transfers. We'll also walk you through Amex points transfer ratios and policies, point out the best Amex airline transfer partners, and walk you through transferring Amex points to hotel loyalty programs. 

The best cards for earning American Express Membership Rewards

Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 per calendar year) and on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. Earn 1X Points on other purchases.

See Pay Over Time APR

Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® points

Good to Excellent

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Long list of travel benefits, including airport lounge access and complimentary elite status with Hilton and Marriott (enrollment required)
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Annual statement credits with Saks and Uber
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Bonus categories leave something to be desired
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. One of the highest annual fees among premium travel cards

If you want as many premium travel perks as possible, The Platinum Card® from American Express could be the right card for you. The annual fee is high, but you get a long list of benefits such as airport lounge access, travel statement credits, complimentary hotel elite status, and more.

• Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.
• Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
• $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
• The American Express Global Lounge Collection® can provide an escape at the airport. With complimentary access to more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, you have more airport lounge options than any other credit card issuer on the market. As of 03/2023.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit: Save on eligible delivery fees, shipping, and more with a Walmart+ membership. Use your Platinum Card® to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership and get up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes back on one membership (excluding Plus Ups) each month.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card®.
• $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only. Terms Apply.
• $189 CLEAR® Plus Credit: CLEAR® Plus helps to get you to your gate faster at 50+ airports nationwide and get up to $189 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Card. CLEARLanes are available at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues.
• Receive either a $100 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 year period for TSA PreCheck® application fee for a 5-year plan only (through a TSA PreCheck® official enrollment provider), when charged to your Platinum Card®. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
• Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card®. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
• Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Platinum Card® to your Resy profile.
• $695 annual fee.
• Terms Apply.

Before you can redeem Amex points, you've actually got to earn them. Only a handful of Amex cards – both business and personal – rack up Membership Rewards points. Other Amex rewards cards earn either cash back, hotel points with programs including Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy , or airline miles with programs such as Delta SkyMiles .

The following personal American Express cards earn Membership Rewards points: 

And the following business cards earn Amex Membership Rewards points:

List of airline and hotel transfer partners

Now for a quick rundown of the current lineup of Amex Membership Rewards transfer partners.

You can transfer your Amex points to the airline and hotel partners listed below. Points transfer to many of these instantaneously, though some transactions might take a few business days to process.

Most transfer ratios are 1 Membership Rewards point to 1 airline mile or hotel point, but those that vary have been noted.

How to transfer Membership Rewards points

Once you start looking into booking awards using partner miles or points, your next step will be to actually transfer your Amex points to a partner program.

Step-by-step guide

First, log in to your Amex account online. Click on the "Rewards" tab, and you should see your points balance and various options including one with an arrow that says, "Transfer Points." You will be redirected to a page that lists the various partner programs and the current conversion ratios.

Before you can initiate a transfer, you must link your Membership Rewards account to your various frequent flyer and hotel accounts. Doing so is as simple as clicking on the partner you want to use, then entering your credit card's security code and four-digit ID as well as your account number with the partner. Once you link accounts, you should be able to transfer whenever you like.

One thing to keep in mind: American Express also periodically offers transfer bonuses that tend to range from 20% to 40% to various partners. It's worth checking on available transfer bonuses from time to time, or taking advantage of ones you come across in order to get even more value from your points.

Strategic use of the best Amex Membership Rewards transfer partners

Before you get too overwhelmed with the number of transfer partners and all the points possibilities, here are the nine that deserve the most attention, with some examples of what makes them such fantastic options.

Transfer ratios and minimums

Just a quick note on some of the numbers, airlines, flight cabins, and routes cited here: These are accurate as of the time of publication, but are subject to any fleet and network changes individual airlines make, as well as government-imposed travel restrictions.

Air Canada Aeroplan

Air Canada Aeroplan has had a few ups and downs in recent years, including being spun off then reacquired by Air Canada. In late 2020, the airline introduced several major changes, but its award charts have not changed much, so its points have largely retained their value. Thus, Aeroplan remains one of the best frequent flyer programs for those who want to redeem their Amex points for flights on Star Alliance carriers such as United, Lufthansa, SWISS, and EVA Air.

Aeroplan's new award formula includes 10 distance-based charts for travel within and between four regions: North America, Atlantic, Pacific, South America.

Yes, it's a bit convoluted. In general, though, economy flight redemptions are a solid bet, and you should keep your eye out for specific premium award opportunities – especially in light of the fact that Aeroplan has eliminated fuel surcharges that used to range into the thousands of dollars.

Here are three possibilities based on both the distances of specific routes and the partner airlines you can fly:

• You only need 55,000 points each way for business class on ANA from either Vancouver or Seattle to Tokyo Haneda. For comparison, United would charge you 88,000 MileagePlus miles.
• Likewise, business class on Lufthansa or SWISS between Europe and several airports in the eastern US should cost just 60,000 Aeroplan points but would require 77,000 United miles.
• Finally, thanks to that same distance-based formula, you can book coach tickets between the West Coast of the US and Canada and Hawaii starting at 12,500 points each way versus 22,500 United miles – that's nearly twice as many miles!

Air France-KLM Flying Blue

Flying Blue is the mileage program of numerous airlines including not only Air France and KLM, but also carriers like Kenya Airways and TAROM. Members can also redeem their miles for flights on SkyTeam partners like Delta, Aeromexico, and Korean Air, among other partners.

Though Flying Blue levies hundreds of dollars in fuel surcharges for flights to and from Europe, there are still a couple of reasons to recommend the program.

First, it offers monthly rotating "Promo Rewards" with discounts of 20% to 50% off award pricing between certain cities and regions. In real terms, that means rewards for under 11,000 miles each way between North America and Europe in economy, or 28,750 miles in business class — if you can find them. Those numbers are hard to beat.

But even on a regular basis, Flying Blue members seem to have a lot more access to premium awards on both Air France and KLM than they would with other programs, such as Delta SkyMiles.

ANA Mileage Club

Getting back to Star Alliance for a moment, you can find some phenomenal possibilities by transferring your miles to All Nippon Airways' underrated frequent flyer program.

Without getting too bogged down in the details, Mileage Club does have a few important restrictions. Awards must be booked round-trip, though there's some flexibility thanks to open-jaw and stopover allowances. But the real beauty of the program is just how few miles you need even for the most premium experiences in the skies.

For example, you would need just 88,000 miles round-trip to fly business class on airlines like SAS and TAP Portugal between North America and Europe. Want to bump it up to first class on an airline like Lufthansa? That'll cost you 165,000 miles round-trip. Sure, that's still a lot of miles, but it's a far cry from the 242,000 miles United would charge you.

You could fly from North America to most of Asia for 85,000 to 95,000 miles round-trip in business class on Star Alliance carriers like Asiana or EVA, or 150,000 to 180,000 in first class. Yes, that's a lot of miles, but is still around half what other airlines' frequent flyer programs would charge.

Interested in taking either United's new services between Newark and either Cape Town or Johannesburg? You would need just 104,000 miles round-trip in business class with ANA, versus 176,000 United miles, or 170,000 Aeroplan miles.

British Airways Executive Club

Thanks to a distance-based award formula that can result in exorbitant pricing for long-haul flights in premium cabins, some folks might shy away from transferring Amex points to British Airways . However, Executive Club has offered some of the most frequent transfer bonuses of any Amex partner, and is still an excellent choice for certain short-haul awards (flights that are about three hours or less).

Flying from the West Coast of the US to Hawaii will only cost you 13,000 Avios each way in economy on either American Airlines or Alaska Airlines, versus 15,000 to 22,500 using either of those carriers' miles. Likewise, using Avios to book shorter flights within Asia on Cathay Pacific, within Australia on Qantas, or from Miami or Dallas to the Caribbean on American Airlines can be a good way to save money on routes that can be expensive to book using cash.

You can also get from Los Angeles or San Francisco to Tokyo for just 27,750 miles each way in economy on JAL, or from Boston to Dublin on Aer Lingus for just 13,000 miles each way at off-peak times. Keep in mind that you can transfer Avios between British Airways Executive Club, Aer Lingus AerClub, and Iberia Plus for even more options, including some with lower surcharges on flights to and from Europe.

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

While this Hong Kong-based airline's award chart won't be for everyone, if you're positively raking in the Amex points thanks to bonuses and spending, you might want to splurge with a few redemptions.

Like American Airlines AAdvantage , Asia Miles will charge you 70,000 miles each way in business class or 110,000 miles in first between the West Coast of the US (and Canada) and Hong Kong. The reason you might want to use Asia Miles instead of AAdvantage (or Alaska Mileage Plan miles, for that matter), is that it's easier to come by award space using the airline's own frequent flyer program rather than a partner, and unlike American and Alaska, you can transfer points from Amex as well as other card programs.

Another great premium possibility is to use 75,000 Asia Miles each way for Qatar Airways' outstanding business class between its hub at Doha and certain destinations within the US, including Boston, Chicago, New York-JFK, and Philadelphia.

Delta SkyMiles

Although Delta has made drastic changes to its award program over the past decade, it's still one of Amex's standout transfer partners for a number of reasons. First, it's the largest US carrier on the list, it's part of SkyTeam, and it also boasts non-alliance partners like Virgin Atlantic, so you can use Delta SkyMiles in a variety of ways.

That said, Delta has done its best lately to peg the value of SkyMiles to about 1 cent each, especially for awards on Delta itself. So use your Amex points for cheaper economy tickets that can cost as little as 5,000 miles each, or simply to top up your account with a few thousand miles here and there for specific tickets you are certain you will need to book in the near future (especially if that bumps you up from economy to business class).

Etihad Guest

Due to a clunky online interface and the fact that you have to call customer service to book awards on partner airlines, you might want to avoid Etihad Guest in general, unless you can pinpoint a few specific awards.

However, the carrier has a lot of interesting airline partners, including American Airlines, Air New Zealand, ANA, Korean Air, and Royal Air Maroc, among others. The airline also offers occasional award sales, bringing the price of some tickets down even further.

In general, though, here are two great awards you could consider transferring Amex points for:

• First, you can snag a one-way, one-segment business-class ticket on Royal Air Maroc, including between the US and Morocco, for just 44,000 miles.
• Second, Etihad makes first-class award space much more easily available to its own mileage program members than those of partners, including American Airlines AAdvantage. So if you want a shot at one of Etihad's fabulous first-class suites between Abu Dhabi and either the US or Europe, you'll probably want to start hoarding Amex points for a transfer to Etihad Guest.

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

Singapore Airlines partners with several of the other major transferable points programs, including Chase Ultimate Rewards,   Citi ThankYou Rewards , and Capital One , so before you transfer Amex points, consider what other options you have. That said, there are a few redemption sweet spots to be aware of.

Economy awards between North America and Hawaii on either United or Air Canada are priced at a reasonable 19,500 miles each way, while flying business class within North America on either of those carriers is 26,000 miles each way.

But the real reason you might want to transfer Amex points to KrisFlyer is to redeem them for business- or first-class flights on Singapore Airlines itself, since the airline is very stingy with releasing award space to partners.

Sure, flights cost a lot of miles – flying business class on the world's current longest flight from Newark to Singapore will set you back 111,500 miles each way, or first class from New York-JFK to Frankfurt will require 97,000 miles — but spending some time in the lap of luxury could well be worth it.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points are useful for partner award flights, some of which you can book for fewer points compared to other programs. The program will soon become more useful, as Virgin Atlantic will join the SkyTeam alliance in 2023 .

Among the best examples are using just 50,000 miles to fly Delta One Suites between the US and Europe (except the UK), or 60,000 miles between the US and Asia – a bargain considering you'd need at least 85,000 Delta SkyMiles for either option. You might also want to use 90,000 to 95,000 of them to fly ANA's gorgeous new business-class suites round-trip between the US or Europe and Japan, or 110,000 to 120,000 miles to fly first class.

Other options

Now that we've gotten the best partners out of the way, here are the details on the rest and why might or might not want to transfer your hard-earned Amex points to them.

Aer Lingus AerClub: In reality, Aer Lingus AerClub is linked to British Airways Executive Club, so it's relatively easy to transfer your Avios between accounts, but why add another layer of complexity to your rewards strategy? Aeromexico Club Premier: Although the transfer ratio to Aeromexico might seem favorable, and there are sometimes transfer bonuses, the Club Premier award chart lacks any truly great redemption opportunities. Avianca LifeMiles: While this program offers some fabulous award opportunities on Avianca's Star Alliance partners, its booking engine is not the most reliable, and its customer service reps can be hard to reach.  Emirates Skywards: Emirates reduced the sky-high fuel surcharges it once tacked onto its award tickets, but mileage prices are still astronomical, especially for sought-after seats in first and business class. Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles: While this program can come in handy specifically for tickets within Hawaii and between the islands and the US mainland, you might be better off simply getting one of Hawaiian Airlines' co-branded credit cards to enjoy extra earnings and perks. Iberia Plus: Another partner linked to British Airways Avios, Iberia's mileage program is a great way to save on fuel surcharges, and does have some excellent award options between the US and Europe, including certain business-class tickets that cost as few as 34,000 Avios. However, its search engine can be hard to use, and customer service is almost non-existent, so do your homework before transferring Amex points here. JetBlue TrueBlue: Folks can get a lot of value from TrueBlue points for flights on JetBlue, but the conversion ratio of 5 Amex points to 4 TrueBlue points takes it out of the running as a truly great transfer partner. Qantas Frequent Flyer: You might find some good deals redeeming Qantas miles for expensive flights on the airline's own metal within Australia and the South Pacific, but award prices for flights beyond that are jaw-droppingly high for the most part.

Choice Privileges: Booking some budget stays in the near future? Choice points could come in handy, but are unlikely to be a frequent transfer option for more aspirational travelers. Hilton Honors: Amex points convert to Hilton Honors points at a 1:2 ratio, which is great on the surface. But if you're interested in Hilton stays and perks, you should probably apply for a co-branded Hilton card instead . For instance, the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is currently offering 175,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the card within your first six months of card membership (offer ends 7/31/2024), and it confers automatic top-tier Hilton Honors Diamond elite status , statement credits at Hilton Resorts and on certain eligible stays at Waldorf Astoria and Conrad properties, plus a free night reward each account year. Marriott Bonvoy: Considering the paltry 1:1 conversion ratio and Marriott's excellent stable of co-branded credit cards , you might want to avoid Amex transfers and instead apply for a product like the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card . It's currently offering new cardholders three Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first three months from your account opening, plus benefits like automatic Gold elite status, 6 points per dollar on eligible Marriott purchases, 3 points per dollar on dining, gas, and groceries (on up to $6,000 in combined purchases each year), and 2 points per dollar on other eligible purchases.

What to know about transferring Amex points to partners

American Express Membership Rewards points are among the most valuable and versatile travel rewards out there. That's thanks not only to the sheer number of airline and hotel loyalty programs cardholders can transfer their points to, but also to the variety of excellent redemption opportunities available.

The key to optimizing Membership Rewards points is to pick a credit card that will earn the most of them on the things you tend to purchase most frequently. And then, on the other side of the travel rewards equation, you will want to focus on just a few of the transfer partners with the best redemption opportunities for your needs and goals.

Once you pinpoint the right card and the right partners, you should be able to make strategic transfers and enjoy excellent award flights and hotel stays.

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.

Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews, or recommendations expressed in this article are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Read our editorial standards .

Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.

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by Living with Amy.

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