How to Transfer Money Using American Express? Simple Operation Process and Fee Analysis

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Are you considering how to perform American Express transfers? You need to choose from two main paths based on the products you hold: one is direct transfers through an American Express bank account, and the other is indirect completion via credit card.

You may not know that American Express has a very large user base:

• As of 2025, American Express has 67 million active cardholders in the United States.
• Although the specific number of bank account holders is not disclosed, the widespread distribution of credit card users highlights the importance of indirect transfers.

Understanding the differences between methods can help you find the most economical and convenient solution.

Key Points

• American Express transfers have two main methods: direct transfers through bank accounts or indirect transfers via credit cards.
• If you have an American Express bank account, ACH transfers are free but slow, while wire transfers are fast but incur fees.
• If you only have an American Express credit card, you can use the Amex Send & Split feature to split expenses with friends for free while retaining points.
• Using credit cards for transfers via third-party platforms will incur fees and may be treated as “cash advances,” leading to additional charges and high interest.
• When choosing the best transfer method, you need to consider transfer speed, fees, and whether you hold an American Express bank account.

Method One: Direct Pathways for American Express Transfers

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If you hold an American Express bank account, such as an Amex Checking or Savings account, you can transfer funds directly through several methods. These methods do not apply to credit card holders only. Understanding these direct American Express transfer options can help you make the best trade-off between speed and cost.

ACH Transfer

ACH (Automated Clearing House) transfer is one of the most common electronic transfer methods in the United States. You can think of it as an electronic highway between banks for processing payments and transfers.

• Fees: Initiating an ACH transfer through an American Express bank account is usually free.
• Speed: Funds typically take 1-3 business days to reach the recipient’s account.
• Applicable Scenarios: This method is ideal for non-urgent transfers, such as paying bills, transferring to friends or family, or moving funds between your own different bank accounts.

Operation Tip: Understand Transfer Limits Before making large transfers, it is important to know the limits. American Express sets daily and periodic limits on ACH transfers to ensure your account security.

Limit Type	Amount
Per Transaction Limit	$25,000
Daily Total Limit	$25,000
Rolling 5-Day Limit	$50,000

Wire Transfer

When you need to send funds quickly or even instantly to others, wire transfer is your top choice. Unlike ACH, wire transfers process much faster.

• Fees: The cost of speed is the fee. Initiating a domestic wire transfer from an American Express bank account typically incurs a fee, such as $25. We recommend checking the latest official fee details before proceeding.
• Speed: The biggest advantage of wire transfers is speed; funds usually arrive in the recipient’s account on the same day.
• Applicable Scenarios: It is ideal for handling urgent or large transactions, such as paying a home down payment or purchasing a car.

Safety First: Double-Check Information Once a wire transfer is sent, it usually cannot be revoked. Before confirming the transfer, please repeatedly verify the recipient’s name, account number, and bank routing number to ensure everything is correct.

Using Zelle

Zelle is a widely popular instant transfer service integrated into many U.S. bank mobile apps for free, near-real-time person-to-person transfers.

Important Note: American Express Does Not Support Zelle Yet Despite Zelle’s convenience, note that as of now, American Express bank accounts (including Checking and Savings) do not support Zelle services. This means you cannot use Zelle directly for fast transfers via an Amex account.

If you seek free and instant transfer experiences, you may need to transfer funds first to another bank account that supports Zelle before proceeding.

Method Two: Indirect Transfers Using Amex Cards

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If you only hold an American Express credit card without a bank account, you still have ways to complete transfers. These methods use your credit card as the funding source through clever pathways to achieve fund transfers. This is very practical for the vast number of American Express credit card holders.

Via Amex Send & Split Feature

Amex Send & Split is a convenient feature built into the official American Express App. It allows you to remit (Send) to other Venmo or PayPal users or split a charge on your card with them (Split).

• Core Advantage: The biggest highlight of this feature is that when you split a charge, you can still retain all reward points earned from the original transaction. For example, you paid for a $100 dinner with your American Express Gold Card and earned 400 Membership Rewards points. Afterward, you recover the $50 your friend owes via the Split feature, and you still keep all 400 points.
• Fees: Transferring or splitting via Amex Send & Split is usually free.
• Applicable Scenarios: This feature is perfect for splitting bills among friends, such as meals, travel expenses, or shopping costs.

Operation and Limit Notes

You need to link your Venmo or PayPal account in the Amex App first. When using the Amex Send feature, you are subject to limits set by American Express, such as a per-transaction maximum of $10,000, with a 30-day rolling total limit.

Additionally, the recipient platform (such as Venmo) has its own limits that also apply and may further restrict your transfer amount. Understanding these limits is crucial for smooth transfers.

Venmo Personal Account Weekly Rolling Limits

Type	Unverified Profile (Weekly)	Verified Profile (Weekly)
Send Funds	$299.99	$60,000
Purchases	$299.99	$7,000 (combined)
Bank Transfers	$999.99	$19,999.99

Venmo Business Account Weekly Rolling Limits

Type	Unverified Business Profile (Weekly)	Verified Business Profile (Weekly)
Send Funds	$2,499.99	$25,000
Bank Transfers	$999.99	$49,999.99

Binding Third-Party Payment Platforms

Linking your American Express credit card to third-party payment platforms like PayPal, Venmo, or Cash App is another common indirect American Express transfer method. You can directly use the credit card to pay or transfer to others.

• Operation Process: Simply add your Amex card as a payment method in these platforms’ apps or websites.
• Platform Fees: Note that when using a credit card as the funding source for transfers on these platforms, the platform usually charges a processing fee. For PayPal, this fee may be 2.9% of the transfer amount plus a fixed fee.

⚠️ Cash Advance Risk Warning

This is a point you must be highly vigilant about when using this method. In some cases, American Express may treat your transfer behavior through third-party platforms as a “cash advance” rather than a regular purchase.

• When is the risk higher? Based on user experiences, person-to-person transfers (P2P Transfers) directly to family or friends have a higher risk of being flagged as “cash advances.” Although American Express generally does not classify PayPal transactions as such, sending funds to family members may trigger risk controls.
• What are the consequences? Once treated as a “cash advance,” you face severe consequences:
  1. High Fees: You will pay a fee of 5% or $10 per transaction (whichever is higher).
  2. High Interest: Unlike regular purchases, cash advance interest (APR) is very high and starts accruing from the day of the advance with no grace period.

Therefore, before performing such operations, you must factor in these potential high costs.

Comparison and Selection of All Transfer Methods

Faced with multiple American Express transfer methods, you may feel confused. To help you decide quickly, we compare them from the two core dimensions of fees and speed and analyze the best choices for different scenarios.

Core Fee and Speed Indicator Comparison

The table below clearly shows the differences in fees and arrival times for various transfer methods.

ACH Transfer Acceleration Options

If you need faster than standard ACH, American Express also offers paid options:

• Same-day domestic ACH transfer costs $10.
• You must submit within specific time windows on business days (e.g., 12 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. ET) for same-day arrival.
• This option does not apply to international or recurring transactions.

Best Choices for Different Scenarios

After understanding the basics, you can choose the most suitable method based on specific needs.

• Scenario One: Splitting Dinner Costs with Friends Best Choice: Amex Send & Split This is the ideal method. You can collect from friends for free and instantly while fully retaining all credit card reward points earned from the purchase, maximizing benefits.
• Scenario Two: Paying Large Bills, Like Monthly $2,000 Rent Best Choice: Binding Credit Card via Third-Party Services Although this incurs fees, choosing the right credit card may yield rewards far exceeding costs. For example, for $2,000 monthly rent, the American Express Platinum Card can provide up to $1,709 in net reward value after deducting annual fees and processing fees, making it the top choice in the table below.

  Credit Card Type	Net Reward Value After One Year
  American Express Platinum Card	$1,709
  American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card	$1,591
  American Express Gold Card	$1,278
  American Express Aeroplan Card	$954
  American Express Cobalt Card	$182.12
  American Express SimplyCash Preferred Card	$190.12

• Scenario Three: Transferring Non-Urgent Funds to Another Bank Account Best Choice: Standard ACH Transfer If you hold an Amex bank account and don’t mind waiting 3-5 business days, free ACH transfer is undoubtedly the lowest-cost and most reliable option.

American Express transfers offer diverse choices, mainly divided into two paths: direct transfers using bank accounts or indirect transfers via credit cards.

You can quickly choose based on your situation:

• Hold an Amex bank account? Free ACH transfer is a reliable choice when you don’t mind waiting.
• Only have an Amex credit card? The Amex Send & Split feature is the best tool for splitting with friends.
• Need card for other transfers? When using third-party platforms, you must include fees and “cash advance” risks in the cost.

Before operating, please confirm the specific method’s fee rules according to this guide to make the wisest decision.

Before you choose a path, use BiyaPay’s free tools for pre-checks and cost modeling: estimate net proceeds via the Converter; when bank clearing fields are involved, validate beneficiary details with SWIFT Lookup and IBAN Lookup to reduce return risks and intermediary charges; if funds may go overseas, compare delivery windows and fees on Remittance.

BiyaPay operates as a multi-asset wallet with MSB (US) and FSP (NZ) registrations, making it useful for pre-transfer verification and documentation checks.

FAQ

Can I directly transfer from an American Express credit card to someone else’s bank account?

You cannot directly transfer from a credit card to a bank account. You need a third-party platform (like PayPal) as an intermediary. However, note that this method incurs platform fees and risks being treated as a “cash advance,” leading to higher fees and interest.

What’s the difference between Amex Send & Split and direct PayPal transfers?

Amex Send & Split is an official American Express feature, usually free, and allows you to retain purchase points, ideal for friend bill splitting. Directly using PayPal with credit card payment incurs PayPal fees and carries a “cash advance” risk.

Among all American Express transfer methods, which is the fastest?

Wire Transfer is the fastest, with funds usually arriving the same day, but it charges about $25. Using Amex Send & Split or third-party platforms also delivers funds to the recipient’s platform account near-instantly.

If I only have an American Express credit card, what’s the best transfer method?

It depends on your needs. For splitting purchases with friends, the best choice is the Send & Split feature in the Amex App. For other types of transfers, you can use third-party platforms, but be sure to factor in fees and potential risks.