Amex MR Transfer Partners in India: The Full List and How to Use Them

What makes Amex MR unique

Membership Rewards (MR) is Amex's points currency. It's the deepest transfer-partner programme among Indian credit cards, with 6+ airline and hotel partners. No other Indian card issuer matches this flexibility. For cardholders who can plan ahead, MR transfer partners deliver materially higher value than statement-credit redemptions.

The transfer partners (2026)

Airlines

• Maharaja Club (Air India) — 1 MR = 1 point. Transfer time: instant.
• British Airways Avios — 1 MR = 1 Avios. Transfer time: 24–48 hours.
• Singapore KrisFlyer — 1 MR = 1 mile. Transfer time: 24–48 hours.
• Air France-KLM Flying Blue — 1 MR = 1 mile. Transfer time: 24–48 hours.
• Etihad Guest — 1 MR = 1 mile. Transfer time: 24–48 hours.
• Emirates Skywards — 1 MR = 1 mile. Transfer time: 24–48 hours.
• Delta SkyMiles — 1 MR = 1 mile. Transfer time: 24–48 hours.

Hotels

• Marriott Bonvoy — 1 MR = 1 Bonvoy point. Transfer time: 24–48 hours.
• Hilton Honors — 1 MR = 0.5 Hilton point. Transfer time: 24–48 hours.
• Choice Privileges — 1 MR = 0.5 Choice point. Transfer time: 24–48 hours.

The transfer ratios that matter

Most ratios are 1:1, which is excellent. A few are 1:0.5, which halves the value:

• 1:1 partners (best): Maharaja Club, BA Avios, Singapore KrisFlyer, Air France-KLM, Etihad, Emirates, Delta, Marriott Bonvoy.
• 1:0.5 partners: Hilton Honors, Choice Privileges.

For Hilton and Choice, the effective value at a transfer is halved. Only transfer to Hilton/Choice when there's a specific high-value redemption (e.g. Hilton's 5th-night-free on award stays).

How to maximise each partner

Maharaja Club (Air India)

Best for: Air India domestic economy awards (4,000–10,000 points) and Star Alliance partner awards in business class (80,000–110,000 points for Europe).

Value ceiling: ₹2–₹5 per point on partner business-class awards.

When to transfer: when you have a specific Air India or Star Alliance partner award you can book at saver rates.

British Airways Avios

Best for: BA Executive Club distance-based awards on short-haul flights (e.g. Mumbai–Bangalore at 4,500 Avios + ₹500 fuel surcharge), and Avios partner redemptions on Qatar Airways (Middle East routes).

Value ceiling: ₹2–₹3 per Avios on short-haul Avios partner awards.

When to transfer: when you have a specific BA or Avios partner award in mind. BA's distance-based chart is one of the most generous for short-haul flights.

Singapore KrisFlyer

Best for: Singapore Airlines business-class awards (Mumbai–Singapore at 30,000 KrisFlyer miles in business — cash price ₹80,000–₹1,20,000). Also useful for Star Alliance partner awards in premium cabins.

Value ceiling: ₹3–₹6 per mile on Singapore Airlines business-class redemptions.

When to transfer: when you can book a Singapore Airlines saver award. Award inventory on Singapore Airlines premium cabins is limited; book 6+ months ahead.

Marriott Bonvoy

Best for: Marriott hotel redemptions (Marriott Bonvoy has the deepest hotel award chart in the world). Free night awards at Marriott properties start at 5,000 points for off-peak category 1 hotels.

Value ceiling: ₹0.50–₹1.50 per point on hotel awards, with sweet spots at peak-category properties (Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis) where the cash price is very high.

When to transfer: when you have a specific Marriott property in mind, ideally at peak or off-peak rates (Marriott's peak/off-peak calendar can save 30%+ points).

Hilton Honors

Best for: Hilton luxury properties (Conrad, Waldorf Astoria) where the free-night certificate is worth ₹20,000–₹50,000 in cash value. The 1:0.5 transfer ratio halves the effective value, but Hilton's 5th-night-free on award stays pushes the value back up.

When to transfer: only when you have a specific Hilton luxury redemption in mind. For mid-tier Hilton properties, statement credit is usually more efficient.

The transfer strategy

The general rules:

1. Don't transfer speculatively. Once MR is transferred, it's at the airline's or hotel's discretion. Points can devalue.
2. Transfer in increments that match your target redemption. Most airlines allow partial transfers; you don't need to transfer all your MR at once.
3. Look for transfer bonuses. Amex occasionally runs "30% bonus on transfers to airline X" promotions. Time your transfers during these.
4. Have a backup plan. If the transfer partner doesn't have award inventory, you may be stuck with the points. Some programmes (Amex MR, Marriott Bonvoy) allow re-conversion; others (Singapore KrisFlyer, airlines) don't.

Amex MR vs HDFC SmartBuy for flights

For most cardholders, the comparison is:

• HDFC SmartBuy: 1 HDFC point = ₹1 on flights. Predictable, no award inventory concerns.
• Amex MR transfer to Singapore KrisFlyer: 1 MR = 1 KrisFlyer mile. Value depends on the redemption.

If the redemption is "Mumbai–Singapore business class for 30,000 miles", and the cash price is ₹80,000, then the value per point is ₹2.67 — better than SmartBuy. If the redemption requires 60,000 miles (peak season) and the cash price is ₹80,000, the value drops to ₹1.33 — close to SmartBuy.

The transfer route is better when you can find saver-level award inventory. The SmartBuy route is better when you can't.

The bottom line

Amex MR's transfer-partner list is the deepest in Indian credit cards. Used well, it delivers ₹2–₹6 per point on partner awards, well above the statement-credit floor. Used poorly (transferring speculatively or without a target redemption), it delivers ₹1 per point — same as SmartBuy. The discipline is to have a target redemption before transferring, and to keep an eye on award inventory. For most cardholders, 80% of redemptions should be statement credit or SmartBuy; 20% should be transfer partners at the right opportunity.