Quick Answer
Brex points transfer to 7 airline partners at a fixed 1.67:1 ratio, meaning 1,670 Brex points become 1,000 airline miles. The partners are Aeromexico Club Premier, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, Avianca LifeMiles, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, Emirates Skywards, Qantas Frequent Flyer, and Singapore KrisFlyer. Transfers post instantly to most partners and clear within 24 hours for the rest.
The math only works when you target redemptions where 1 airline mile is worth meaningfully more than 1.67 cents. Avianca LifeMiles to Star Alliance partners, Flying Blue Promo Rewards, and KrisFlyer to Singapore Suites and ANA business class are the standouts. Generic economy redemptions usually lose to the Brex Travel portal at 1 cent per point.
Understanding Brex Points and the 1.67:1 Ratio
Brex Rewards is a closed-loop business program. You earn points on Brex Card spend, then either cash out, book travel through the Brex Travel portal at roughly 1 cent per point, or transfer to airline partners. The transfer ratio is the lever, and Brex's lever is short.
At 1.67:1, every 1,670 Brex points produces 1,000 partner miles. Compare that to American Express, Chase, Citi, and Capital One, all of which transfer at 1:1 to most partners. Bilt sits at 1:1 too. Brex's ratio is the worst among major transferable programs, which means the redemption has to overcome the spread before you've made anything.
Run the floor math: 1 cent per point through the portal is the no-thinking option. To beat it, your transferred miles need to redeem at more than 1.67 cents per mile (cpm). At exactly 1.67 cpm, you've broken even with the portal but added 24-hour wait and seat-availability risk. Aim for 2.5+ cpm to make the transfer genuinely worthwhile.
For most business owners running real spend through Brex cards, the partner transfer is a niche tool, not a default. Use it when you have a specific premium-cabin or sweet-spot redemption lined up. Otherwise, book through the portal.
Related: credit card portal vs transfer partners breaks down the decision logic in detail.
Transfer Basics: Process and Timing
The transfer itself is a three-step flow inside the Brex dashboard:
- Open the Rewards tab inside your Brex business account.
- Select Transfer to airline partner, pick the program, and enter your frequent-flyer number.
- Confirm the transfer amount in Brex-point increments. The system shows the mile output before you confirm.
There's no minimum beyond the program's own (most are 1,000 miles, meaning 1,670 Brex points). Maximums are generous, typically up to your full balance per transfer.
Timing by partner:
| Partner | Posting time |
|---|---|
| Aeromexico Club Premier | Instant |
| Air France/KLM Flying Blue | Instant |
| Avianca LifeMiles | Instant to 24 hours |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | Up to 24 hours |
| Emirates Skywards | Instant |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | Up to 24 hours |
| Singapore KrisFlyer | Instant to 24 hours |
Never transfer speculatively. Confirm award availability inside the partner program first, then transfer. Brex transfers are one-way and non-reversible. If the seat disappears while your points are in transit, you're stuck with airline miles you may not want.
Complete Brex Transfer Partner List
All 7 partners at 1.67:1. Sweet-spot mile costs below reflect 2025 published award charts; verify current rates inside the partner program before transferring.
Aeromexico Club Premier
- Best for: Delta-operated flights when SkyMiles rates spike
- Sweet spot: Mexico City to Europe in business class, historically around 90,000 miles one-way (~150,300 Brex points)
- Alliance: SkyTeam
- Notes: Club Premier prices SkyTeam awards independently of Delta; useful for transcon and Mexico-Europe routes. Aeromexico Club Premier
Air France/KLM Flying Blue
- Best for: Promo Rewards (monthly 25-50% discounts on specific routes)
- Sweet spot: US East Coast to Europe business class via Promo Rewards, as low as 35,000-50,000 miles one-way (~58,450-83,500 Brex points) when discounted
- Alliance: SkyTeam
- Notes: Monthly Promo Rewards are the reason this partner exists. Standard rates are mediocre. Flying Blue
Avianca LifeMiles
- Best for: Star Alliance business class without fuel surcharges
- Sweet spot: US to Europe in business class on Lufthansa, Swiss, TAP, or United at 63,000 miles one-way (~105,210 Brex points), no fuel surcharges
- Alliance: Star Alliance
- Notes: Best overall sweet spot in the Brex stable. LifeMiles also runs frequent buy-miles promos that can stack with transfer math. Avianca LifeMiles
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Best for: Cathay Pacific premium cabins, oneworld partners
- Sweet spot: US West Coast to Hong Kong business class at 85,000 miles one-way (~141,950 Brex points)
- Alliance: oneworld
- Notes: Surcharges apply on Cathay metal. Distance-based award chart rewards short and medium-haul intra-Asia hops. Asia Miles
Emirates Skywards
- Best for: Emirates first and business class (with fuel surcharges priced in)
- Sweet spot: US to Dubai business class at 105,000 miles one-way (~175,350 Brex points) plus high surcharges
- Alliance: None (independent, partners with JetBlue, Alaska, Qantas)
- Notes: Fuel surcharges are the catch. Run total dollar cost before transferring. Emirates Skywards
Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Best for: Partner awards on American, Cathay, Japan Airlines, Qatar
- Sweet spot: US to Australia in business class on Qantas at 108,400 miles one-way (~181,028 Brex points) plus moderate surcharges
- Alliance: oneworld
- Notes: Strong for Japan Airlines first-class redemptions if availability appears. Qantas Frequent Flyer
Singapore KrisFlyer
- Best for: Singapore Suites, Singapore business class, ANA business class
- Sweet spot: US to Singapore in Suites class at ~150,000 miles one-way (~250,500 Brex points). ANA business class US-Tokyo via partner award runs 75,000-95,000 miles one-way
- Alliance: Star Alliance
- Notes: KrisFlyer-only Suites awards (you can't book Suites with other Star programs) make this transfer worth the math for premium-cabin redemptions. Singapore KrisFlyer
Sweet Spot Redemptions for Business Travelers
Here are the redemptions where the 1.67:1 ratio actually pays out at 3+ cpm of Brex points spent. Numbers below treat the cash retail price as ceiling value, then divide by Brex points spent.
Avianca LifeMiles, US to Europe business class on Lufthansa/Swiss/United. 63,000 LifeMiles costs 105,210 Brex points. Cash price for a one-way Lufthansa business seat New York to Frankfurt typically runs $3,500-$5,000 depending on season. Even at $3,500, that's ~3.3 cents per Brex point. At $5,000, it's ~4.75 cpb. The cleanest play in the Brex partner list.
Singapore KrisFlyer, Singapore Suites. Saver Suites awards between the US and Singapore start in the low-200,000-mile range on KrisFlyer — verify the current award chart before transferring. Cash price for Suites is regularly $15,000-$20,000+ one-way, so when availability appears the redemption clears multiple cents per Brex point. The catch: Suites award space is scarce and tends to open 8-12 months out. Plan around the redemption, not the other way around.
Flying Blue Promo Rewards, US East Coast to Europe in business. Promo Rewards drop monthly. A 50% off promo on a 50,000-mile standard route brings it to 25,000 miles one-way, or 41,750 Brex points. Cash price for an Air France or KLM one-way business ticket from JFK to CDG/AMS is typically $2,000-$3,500. That's 4.8-8.4 cpb on a strong promo month.
Qantas Frequent Flyer for partner premium cabins (when bookable). Qantas Classic Reward awards on Oneworld partners can land long-haul business or first-class seats at rates that beat the partners' own programs once a Brex transfer bonus runs. Verify exact award rates on the current Qantas partner chart before transferring; the spread on rare premium-cabin availability is where Brex's 1.67:1 ratio gets back to even.
The recurring pattern: premium cabins, partner metal (not the partner's own planes when surcharges are high), and either Star Alliance via LifeMiles or KrisFlyer/Singapore-specific awards. Economy redemptions almost never beat the portal once you price in the 1.67:1 spread.
For more sweet-spot logic with everyday spending cards, see best everyday spending cards for transfer partner points.
Step-by-Step Transfer Walkthrough
A worked example: transferring 105,210 Brex points to Avianca LifeMiles for one Lufthansa business-class seat.
- Find the seat first. Search LifeMiles directly at lifemiles.com for "US-Europe" Star Alliance business class on your target date. Confirm 63,000-mile pricing and a Lufthansa or Swiss segment shows availability.
- Confirm your LifeMiles account number. Log in to LifeMiles, copy your member number, and note your full legal name on the account (must match Brex).
- Open the Brex dashboard. Go to Rewards → Transfer to airline partner → Avianca LifeMiles.
- Enter transfer amount. Type 105,210 Brex points. The dashboard confirms 63,000 LifeMiles output before you submit.
- Submit and wait. LifeMiles posts instantly to within 24 hours. Refresh your LifeMiles account.
- Book immediately. Award space can vanish. Once miles post, book the seat in the same session if possible.
Same flow works for every partner. The only step that ever changes is the partner-program login at step 2.
Brex vs Competitor Transfer Programs
Side-by-side at the ratio that matters:
| Program | Transfer ratio | Partners | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brex | 1.67:1 | 7 airlines | Business-only program; no hotels |
| American Express | 1:1 (most) | ~20 (airlines + hotels) | Industry default; frequent transfer bonuses |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards | 1:1 | 14 (airlines + hotels) | Premium cards required for transfers |
| Capital One | 1:1 (most) | 15+ | Some at 2:1.5; strong partner roster |
| Citi ThankYou | 1:1 | 16+ | Solid for Asia-focused redemptions |
| Bilt Rewards | 1:1 | 16+ | Rent-paying differentiator |
Brex's 1.67:1 ratio means it needs to be one of several cards in your stack, not the only one. The strongest setup for a business owner running real spend: Brex for category multipliers and the closed-loop ecosystem, plus one personal transferable program (Amex Membership Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards) for 1:1 partner access.
For a broader business card comparison, see best business credit cards and business travel rewards guide.
Transfer Bonuses
Brex runs targeted transfer bonuses to specific partners 4-8 times per year, typically in the 15-30% range. A 25% transfer bonus to LifeMiles effectively shifts the ratio from 1.67:1 to roughly 1.34:1, close to a 1:1 program for the duration of the promo.
Check the Brex Rewards dashboard before any transfer. If a bonus is active, the math improves materially. If you have a known redemption pending, it's worth waiting up to 90 days for a bonus to a relevant partner.
Bonuses are emailed to active Brex cardholders and posted in-dashboard. They're not always announced widely outside the Brex ecosystem.
Common Mistakes
Transferring speculatively. The single most common Brex mistake. Award space disappears. Confirm the seat first, then transfer.
Forgetting fuel surcharges. Emirates, Qantas, and Cathay all add fuel surcharges on their own metal. A "free" business seat plus $700 in surcharges is a different deal than the headline mile cost suggests.
Transferring for economy. The ratio almost never works for economy. Use the portal at 1 cpp instead.
Ignoring the portal as the floor. The Brex Travel portal is your no-think alternative at roughly 1 cent per point. Every transfer needs to beat that floor by enough margin to justify the friction and risk.
Missing transfer bonuses. A 25% bonus rewrites the ratio. Always check the dashboard before pulling the trigger on a transfer.
Sending miles to the wrong-name account. Brex transfers go to the frequent-flyer account whose name matches the Brex business owner. If you transfer to a household member's account, the program may freeze the miles.
Advanced Strategies
Stack with buy-miles promos. Avianca LifeMiles runs regular "buy LifeMiles with bonus" promos that price miles at ~1.4 cents per mile delivered. Combined with a strategic Brex transfer when you need a top-off, this lets you reach high-value business-class redemptions on Star Alliance without committing your full Brex balance.
Use the portal for predictable trips, partners for premium cabins. Run domestic and short-haul economy through the Brex Travel portal at 1 cpp. Save the partner transfers for long-haul business and first.
Time transfers around bonus promos. If you have a flexible booking window, wait for a transfer bonus to the partner you need. A 25-30% bonus turns marginal redemptions into strong ones.
Maintain a backup pool. Because Brex transfers are one-way, hold enough liquidity in your Brex balance to cover the portal floor on a backup trip if a target redemption falls through.
Run multi-program comparisons. Before transferring 100,000+ Brex points, check whether the same seat can be booked with fewer Amex or Chase points at 1:1. Often it can. The Brex transfer should be the second-best path, taken because you have Brex points and not enough of the other currency.
For non-Brex-specific transfer-partner strategy, see Wells Fargo Go Far Rewards transfer partners for another lower-ratio program comparison.
Key Takeaways
- Brex transfers at 1.67:1 to 7 airline partners. The ratio is the worst among major transferable currencies and changes the math on every redemption.
- The portal at ~1 cent per point is the floor. Transfers need to clear ~1.67 cpm to break even and ideally 2.5+ cpm to be worth the friction.
- Three standout sweet spots: Avianca LifeMiles (US-Europe business on Star Alliance, no surcharges), Singapore KrisFlyer (Suites, ANA business), and Flying Blue Promo Rewards when the monthly discounts hit a route you want.
- Confirm award availability before transferring. Brex transfers are one-way and non-reversible.
- Watch the Brex dashboard for transfer bonuses. A 25% bonus moves the effective ratio close to 1.34:1.
- Brex works as part of a business-card stack, not as a standalone transferable program. Pair it with a 1:1 personal program for full partner coverage.
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