Amex Adds a 30% Avios Bonus as Turkish Boosts Citi Transfers 40%

Two airline transfer bonuses opened within a day of each other, and the better one isn't the one with the bigger number.

American Express is offering 30% more Avios through September 27, lifting the standard 1:1 ratio to 1:1.3 across all three of its Avios partners. Because balances move freely between those programs, it's also a route to earning with Finnair Plus and Qatar Airways Privilege Club.

• Aer Lingus AerClub, Club Iberia Plus and The British Airways Club
• 100,000 Membership Rewards points becomes 130,000 Avios
• Runs through September 27

The Turkish offer is messier. Miles&Smiles is running it, not Citi, so nothing shows up when you log into your ThankYou account. Reports say that the bonus points could take longer to post than the initial transfer.

• 40% on transfers made August 1 through August 31
• Bonus capped at 50,000 bonus miles, making 125,000 ThankYou points the most worth moving
• Ends August 31 at 11:59 p.m. Türkiye time, hours before midnight in the U.S.

Miles&Smiles miles expire 36 months after posting regardless of account activity, and Turkish raised domestic United award pricing late last year.

On the Avios side, Iberia's off-peak transatlantic business now runs 40,500 Avios one way from Boston, Chicago, and New York, and British Airways and Qatar have both raised premium-cabin surcharges.

Andrew's Take

I wouldn't move points into either program without award space already confirmed. Avios at least gives you until late September to go find a seat, and the miles work across a lot of airlines if plans shift. Turkish gives you until the end of the month, on a program that expires miles on a hard 36-month clock. Find the seat, then transfer.