Amex Membership Rewards adds LHW Leaders Club transfers at 4:1

From about 28 July 2026, US Membership Rewards can move to The Leading Hotels of the World Leaders Club at 4:1. 1,000 MR becomes 250 Leaders Club points, with a

What happened

Travel media and LHW / Amex pages now list The Leading Hotels of the World Leaders Club as a US Membership Rewards transfer partner.

Most write-ups put the start around 28 July 2026. The LHW Leaders Club benefits page also shows a Membership Rewards Points Transfer note. This page follows LHW, The Points Guy, One Mile at a Time, and Frequent Miler. Your Amex transfer list is the live one.

| Item | Detail | |------|--------| | From | US Membership Rewards | | To | LHW Leaders Club | | Ratio | 4:1 (1,000 MR to 250 Leaders Club) | | Floor | 1,000 MR | | Network | About 425+ hotels / 80+ countries in media copy (use the live LHW list) |

MR hotel exits used to sit on Hilton, Marriott, and booking perks such as Fine Hotels + Resorts. LHW is a pile of independent luxury hotels. The overlap with the big chains is incomplete. It helps if you already want a named independent property.

Four MR become one Leaders Club point. 40,000 MR become about 10,000 Leaders Club. The 1,000 MR floor becomes 250 Leaders Club.

Frequent Miler and others note Citi ThankYou to LHW is often 5:1, so Amex 4:1 is the better ratio. Cash value still depends on that hotel's award price. Ratio alone does not price the stay.

LHW hotel scene on Amex Travel (Carlisle Bay and related, from the Amex Travel brand page)

After points land in Leaders Club, they can book award stays on the network. LHW copy has mentioned award rooms from about 4,500 Leaders Club points. Hotel, date, and room still follow the live Leaders Club catalog. A transfer is usually final. A wrong partner or an empty calendar does not give the MR back.

US Consumer Platinum already has Leaders Club Sterling as a card benefit if you enroll in the Amex benefits hub. That line is bonus earning and limited pre-arrival upgrades under the benefit terms. The news here is the MR to Leaders Club pipe. Status and transfers are two products.

| | Transfer (this news) | Sterling status | |--|----------------------|-----------------| | What | MR becomes Leaders Club points for award rooms | A membership tier from the card | | Typical action | Confirm a transfer | Enroll / link a member number | | Who | Eligible MR accounts | Mainly eligible Platinum cards |

They can sit on the same trip. The buttons are different.

  1. Check award space and the point price before you send MR.
  2. You need a Leaders Club account, or the prompt to open one, with a name that matches Amex.
  3. Public talk is US MR. Other Amex programs follow local pages.
  4. Booking an LHW hotel on Amex Travel for FHR-style perks is not the same as burning Leaders Club points on an award room.
  5. Independent hotels price awards unevenly. 4:1 can lose to airline transfers or cash on a given night.

LHW Leaders Club benefits (includes transfer copy) Amex Travel, LHW brand Amex Platinum, Leaders Club Sterling TPG report

Carddoger take

Amex now has a path into independent luxury hotels besides the chain transfers. 4:1 also reads better than some Citi 5:1 LHW copy.

If you already want a specific LHW hotel and the award price is sane, put 4:1 on the comparison. If you only like having another partner, leave the MR where it is until a room is locked.

If you hold Platinum, check whether Sterling is enrolled so you are not sitting on unused status.

The Amex transfer list, plus LHW / Leaders Club live pages, win. This is public reporting, not apply or redeem advice.