Do you ever see influencers share amazing deals they get on flights or hotels based on their credit card points?
It’ll be something like – “I got this $5,000 business class flight for just $200” or something similarly crazy?
It’s usually two things:
- They got a huge sign up bonus for a credit card
- They took advantage of a transfer bonus (more on this) and/or sale
The key part of the deal is the transfer bonus – that’s when you transfer points from a general rewards program (American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, etc.) and transfer them to a specific airline or hotel but get a percentage bonus added on because of a promotion.
Here’s how it works:
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How Does This Work?
Every credit card that lets you earn reward points will let you transfer those points to an airline or hotel partner on a 1 to 1 basis.
1,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred to an airline partner on a 1 to 1 basis, meaning it can become 1,000 Southwest Rapid Reward points.
Sometimes, the program will allow you to transfer them with a bonus. This can be a limited time offer or it can be a longer term standing offer based on the amount of points and/the type of card you have.
For example, with Chase Ultimate Rewards, if you have a Chase Aeroplan credit card, you can get a 10% transfer bonus after transferring 50,000 or more Ultimate Rewards points in a single transaction to their Aeroplan account. (Maximum of 25,000 bonus points per calendar year)
The key to all this is knowing when the promotions are active and ensuring you transfer during a promotional window (so you get extra points or miles).
Here are the promotions currently available:
American Express Membership Rewards
American Express has no active transfer bonuses. 🙁
There were two transfer bonuses active in August and September:
- 30% bonus when transferring to British Airways Executive Club – British Airways uses Avios, so this means you can use these points anywhere you can use Avios (oneworld® partners).
- 20% bonus when transferring to Hawaiian Airlines
| Loyalty Program | Bonus Percentage | Expiration |
|---|---|---|
| British Airways Executive Club | +30% | September 30, 2024 |
| Hawaiian Airlines | +20% | August 31, 2024 |
Capital One Rewards
Capital One had one active bonus offer, you can get a 20% bonus when you transfer your Capital One miles to Avios. For every 1,000 Capital One miles, you get 1,200 Avios points. This offer expires on December 1st, 2024.
| Loyalty Program | Bonus Percentage | Expiration |
|---|---|---|
| Avios | +20% | December 1, 2024 |
Chase Ultimate Rewards
Chase has a 50% bonus when you transfer to Marriott Bonvoy. For every 1,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points you transferred, you would receive 1,500 Marriott Bonvoy points. This offer expires on November 15th.
There is also a 30% bonus when you transfer to Aer Lingus, British Airways, and Iberia Plus (they’re all part of Avios).
| Loyalty Program | Bonus Percentage | Expiration |
|---|---|---|
| Marriott Bonvoy | +50% | November 15, 2024 |
| Aer Lingus | +30% | October 31, 2024 |
| British Airways | +30% | October 31, 2024 |
| Iberia Plus | +30% | October 31, 2024 |
Citi ThankYou Rewards
Citi ThankYou Rewards has two transfer bonuses that expires on the November 16, 2024 – get a 30% bonus when transfering points to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club or Virgin Red and a 20% bonus for transfers to Wyndham Rewards.
| Loyalty Program | Bonus Percentage | Expiration |
|---|---|---|
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | +30% | November 16, 2024 |
| Wyndham Rewards | +20% | November 16, 2024 |
| Avianca LifeMiles | +25% | October 19, 2024 |
| Leaders Club | +20% | October 19, 2024 |
Marriott Bonvoy
The Marriott Bonvoy program has a 15% transfer bonus to Air Canada’s Aeroplan program. The transfer ratio is usually 3 Marriott Bonvoy points to 1 Aeroplan point and there is normally a 5,000 point bonus for every 60,000 Marriot points you transfer. With the 15% bonus, you’re now getting a 8,000 bonus points (3,000 on top of the normal 5,000 bonus) for every 60,000 Marriot points.
| Loyalty Program | Bonus Percentage | Expiration |
|---|---|---|
| Air Canada Aeroplan | +15% | October 31, 2024 |
When Should You Transfer Points?
There are a lot of factors to consider before you transfer points. It’s not always the best way.
First, it’s rarely a good idea to transfer points without a specific use in mind. It’s hard to know whether a percentage bonus is good because the value of each of those points varies so much.
The Points Guy maintains a valuation list for points. That’s a good start but even that is not enough to blindly transfer points.
Sometimes you are better off booking travel through the travel portal. For example, you may get a better rate going through Chase Ultimate Rewards if you have a card that gets you a bonus on your spend there. If you have a Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you get a 25% discount when you redeem points in the Chase Travel portal. With a Chase Sapphire Reserve card, you get a 50% discount.
These could trump any bonuses you otherwise get.
