Last chance 50% bonus on Membership Rewards -> Avios transfer (this time)

Avios, the latest incarnation of points from British Airways and Iberia, certainly have received their fair share of negative reviews since the product launched. For customers who have connections or who have historically enjoyed long-haul, premium cabin awards the pricing can be a bit steep. Oh, and fuel surcharges, too, on most itineraries.

Still, if you’ve got American Express Membership Rewards points and you’re looking to convert to Avios, doing it when there is a transfer bonus in place is the smart move. The current promotion – 50% extra – runs for two more days, so it is time to get on that if you’re going to do it. Promos like this have historically happened every few months, so hopefully it’ll be back again, but there’s no guarantees there. Then again, probably not worth transferring unless there is a specific Avios award you’ve got in mind and the inventory is available. Or if you’re willing to take some risks on that front.

Perhaps the best thing about this bonus is that the bonus Avios post when the transaction goes through, not several weeks later. And the transfer from AmEx to Avios is near real-time. If the points are useful to you then this is definitely a good time to make the transfer.

Oh, and if you’re curious just how many Avios an itinerary will cost, something that their site does a horrible job of displaying when there are connections involved, check out the Avios Redemption Calculator. It will show prices across various single connection itineraries for most valid city pairs.