Thinking about transferring your credit card points?
Every so often, banks run promotions that give you more airline miles or hotel points when you transfer from an eligible credit card rewards program. Instead of receiving the usual number of miles or points, you might receive 20%, 50%, or even more than that.
Below you’ll find every current transfer bonus from the major transferable credit card rewards programs, along with each offer’s expiration date.
Current Transfer Bonuses
Transfer bonuses come and go throughout the year. The table below is automatically updated as new offers begin and existing ones expire.
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Before You Transfer Your Points
It can be tempting to see a 30% credit card transfer bonus and think there’s no better time to transfer points.
Maybe. But pause for a second.
Find the flight or hotel you want first. Use PointsYeah to compare your booking options across several loyalty programs. Then, if a transfer bonus helps lower the number of credit card points you’ll need, it’s time to make the transfer.
Once your points become airline miles or hotel points, you can’t move them back.
And transferring without a plan can potentially leave you with a balance that’s much harder to use than the credit card points you started with.
Historical Transfer Bonuses
Transfer bonuses rarely follow a set schedule. Some loyalty programs run promotions several times a year, while others may go months without offering another one.
Expand a credit card rewards program below to browse its previous transfer bonuses. You’ll be able to see which loyalty programs have received bonuses in the past, how large those bonuses were, and when they were offered.
If you’ve ever searched online for ways to use your credit card points, you’ve probably come across advice like, “Transfer your points to an airline partner instead.”
That sounds straightforward enough.
But if you’ve never done it before, it’s also a fair question to ask: What’s an airline partner, and why would I transfer my points there instead of just using them through my credit card?
The answer is pretty simple.
What Is a Credit Card Transfer Partner?
A transfer partner is an airline or hotel loyalty program that accepts transfers from an eligible credit card rewards program.
Think of your credit card points as one currency and airline miles as another. A transfer partner is what allows you to exchange one for the other.
For example, if you have Chase Ultimate Rewards points, you can transfer them to programs like United MileagePlus or Air Canada Aeroplan.
Once the transfer is complete, your Chase points become airline miles in that program. And they’re yours to use when you’re ready to book a flight.
The same idea applies to hotels. Lots of credit card rewards programs also let you transfer points to participating hotel loyalty programs.
LORDHENRIVOTON / ISTOCK
Why Do Credit Card Transfer Partners Matter?
Transfer partners matter because they give you choices in how you redeem your rewards. And who doesn’t like choices?
Imagine you’re planning a trip to London.
You might assume you need to redeem your credit card points through your bank’s travel portal. But if your points can be transferred instead, you may have several different airline loyalty programs that can book the same trip.
In some cases, transferring your points may require fewer points than booking through your bank’s travel portal. If a credit card transfer bonus is available, that number could be even lower.
Having transfer partners gives you more ways to use your points instead of relying on other redemption options, such as booking through your bank’s travel portal, covering purchases on your credit card statement, or redeeming points for gift cards.
Not Every Credit Card Has the Same Transfer Partners
Each credit card rewards program has its own list of airline and hotel transfer partners.
For example, Chase Ultimate Rewards includes United MileagePlus as a transfer partner, while American Express Membership Rewards partners with Delta SkyMiles.
Capital One Miles, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Bilt Rewards, U.S. Bank Altitude Rewards, and Wells Fargo Rewards all have their own mix of airline and hotel partners.
One of the most important things to remember is that transferring points is a one-way transaction.
Once your credit card points become airline miles or hotel points, you can’t transfer them back. That’s why it’s always a good idea to search for the award you want before transferring your points.
Once you’ve found the flight or hotel you want, you can identify the appropriate transfer partner, check for any available transfer bonuses, and transfer only the points you need to complete your booking.
If you’ve ever seen an offer like “Transfer your points and get 25% more Flying Blue miles,” you might have wondered what that actually means in the simplest of terms.
That’s a credit card transfer bonus.
Instead of receiving the normal number of airline miles or hotel points when you transfer rewards, a transfer bonus gives you a little something extra for making the same transfer.
Here’s how transfer bonuses work, when they can be useful, and how to keep track of current offers.
What Is a Credit Card Transfer Bonus?
A credit card transfer bonus is a limited-time promotion that increases the number of airline miles or hotel points you receive when transferring rewards from an eligible credit card program.
For example, imagine you transfer 10,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Air France-KLM Flying Blue.
Under normal circumstances, 10,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points become 10,000 Flying Blue miles.
During a 25% transfer bonus, those same 10,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points become 12,500 Flying Blue miles.
SJO / ISTOCK
You’re transferring the same number of credit card points. The transfer bonus simply gives you more airline miles or hotel points once the transfer is complete.
Those extra miles or points may not sound like much at first, but they can reduce the number of credit card points needed for a trip. And those savings can add up over time.
Which Credit Card Programs Offer Transfer Bonuses?
Transfer bonuses are most commonly offered by flexible rewards programs (credit card rewards that can be transferred to multiple airline and hotel loyalty programs).
These often include:
American Express Membership Rewards
Bilt Rewards (typically on the first of the month as part of Rent Day promotions)
Capital One Miles
Chase Ultimate Rewards
Citi ThankYou Rewards
Each program runs promotions throughout the year, and the participating airline or hotel partners can vary from one offer to the next.
MILORAD KRAVIC / ISTOCK
How to Find Current Transfer Bonuses
Transfer bonuses come and go throughout the year, and each bank runs promotions on its own schedule.
Understandably, keeping track of them across multiple rewards programs can quickly become a chore.
PointsYeah keeps an up-to-date list of current credit card transfer bonuses. This makes it easy to see which bank programs and airline or hotel partners are currently offering promotions.
Even better, when you’re searching for award flights with PointsYeah, eligible transfer bonuses are automatically factored into your search results. That means you can compare your options without having to calculate the bonus yourself.
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Should You Transfer Points During a Bonus?
Not necessarily.
A transfer bonus can make an award booking more attractive, but it doesn’t automatically mean you should transfer your points.
Before you do anything with your credit card points, it’s worth considering a few things:
Is the award flight or hotel actually available?
Does transferring points cost less than paying cash?
Are you ready to book?
These questions matter because point transfers can’t be reversed. Once your credit card points become airline miles or hotel points, you can’t transfer them back.
Put differently, a transfer bonus is best viewed as an opportunity and not a reason to book a trip. If you’ve already found the award you want, a bonus can help your points go a little further. If you haven’t, it’s usually better to keep your points where they are until you’re ready to book.
One of the biggest advantages of earning rewards through a travel credit card is the flexibility you have when it’s time to book travel.
Unlike airline miles, many credit card points can be transferred to multiple airline loyalty programs. Instead of being locked into a single airline, you can choose the program that best suits your trip.
If you’ve never transferred credit card points before, the process is easier than you might think. And once you understand which airline partners your bank works with, transferring your points usually takes only a few minutes.
Here’s how to convert your credit card points into airline miles.
Credit card point transfers are one-way. Once your points become airline miles, you can’t transfer them back to your credit card rewards program.
That’s why it’s usually best to:
Search for your award flight first.
Confirm that seats are available.
Compare the cash price with the points required.
Transfer only the number of points you need to complete your booking.
PointsYeah makes this process much easier by showing live award availability across supported airline programs.
Search results also identify which transferable credit card currencies can be used for a particular redemption and highlight any applicable transfer bonuses.
ROSSHELEN / ISTOCK
American Express Membership Rewards
American Express airline transfer partners
American Express Membership Rewards points (for US residents) are transferable to the following airline loyalty programs.
Most Amex transfers process instantly, though transfer times can vary by the airline.
One important exception involves transfers to U.S.-based airline programs such as Delta SkyMiles and JetBlue TrueBlue. American Express charges an excise tax offset fee of 0.06 cents per point transferred (up to a maximum of $99) for these transfers.
While you can use Membership Rewards points to cover the fee at checkout, you’re generally better off paying it with your American Express card and saving your points for travel.
How to transfer American Express Membership Rewards
Sign in to your American Express account.
Open Rewards & Benefits, then select Transfer Points.
Choose your airline loyalty program and link your account if necessary.
Enter the number of Membership Rewards points you’d like to transfer.
Review the information and confirm your transfer.
Bilt Rewards
Bilt airline transfer partners
Bilt Rewards Points are transferable to the following airline loyalty programs.
Note: Transfer ratios vary depending on your Citi ThankYou-earning card. Be sure to confirm the transfer ratio that applies to your account before transferring points.
Most Citi transfers process instantly, though transfer times can vary by the airline.
How to transfer Citi ThankYou Rewards
Sign in to ThankYou.com.
Select PointsTransfer.
Choose your airline partner.
Enter the number of ThankYou points you’d like to transfer.
Confirm your transfer.
U.S. Bank Altitude Rewards
U.S. Bank airline transfer partners
U.S. Bank Altitude Rewards points are transferable to the following airline loyalty programs.
Most Wells Fargo transfers process instantly, though transfer times can vary by the airline.
How to transfer Wells Fargo Rewards
Sign in to your Wells Fargo account.
Select Wells Fargo Rewards.
Tap See All Options, then Rewards Points Transfer.
Choose your airline partner.
Enter the number of points you’d like to transfer.
Review the information and submit your transfer.
Things to Know Before You Transfer
Transfers are usually final
In most cases, transfers from a credit card rewards program to an airline loyalty account can’t be reversed.
Before transferring your points, make sure you’ve found the award flight you want, and you’re ready to complete the booking.
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Transfer times can vary
Most transfers happen within minutes, but not every airline processes transfers at the same speed.
Occasionally, transfers may take several hours or even a few days. And your first transfer to a particular airline loyalty program may also take longer than subsequent transfers, especially if your loyalty account hasn’t been linked before.
While delays are relatively uncommon, they’re worth keeping in mind if you’re booking an award with limited availability.
Transfer bonuses can stretch your points further
Banks periodically offer transfer bonuses that increase the number of airline miles you receive from the same number of credit card points.
For example, a 25% transfer bonus means 10,000 transferable credit card points become 12,500 airline miles instead of the usual 10,000.
Before transferring your points, check our Current Credit Card Transfer Bonuses guide to see whether an active promotion could help you receive more airline miles.
