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American Express, Chase, Capital One and Citi offer credit cards that earn transferable rewards. These points and miles can be transferred to various airline and hotel loyalty programs to be redeemed for flights and hotel rooms. You’ll often get a bigger bang for your buck when redeeming this way instead of directly through a card’s travel portal or for cash back — particularly when booking premium cabin flights and luxury hotels.
Generally speaking, most credit card rewards transfer at a 1:1 ratio, although there are some exceptions. However, from time to time, card issuers run bonuses where you can earn additional points as you transfer them over. Think of it as a discount on an award flight or hotel stay since you’re using less of your points.
Below, Select details all credit card transfer bonuses currently available and what you need to know about earning transferable rewards. Note that some transfer bonuses may be targeted, meaning not all card members will be eligible.
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Credit card transfer partner bonuses
All four of the major transferable points programs are currently offering bonuses for transferring points to select loyalty programs. Most transfers process instantly, while some can take two to three days.
American Express Membership Rewards
American Express Membership Rewards transfer bonuses
| Partner program | Transfer bonus | Current transfer ratio | End date |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 20% (targeted offer) | 1,000 Amex Membership Rewards = 1,200 Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | Aug. 31, 2022 |
Amex cards that earn Membership Rewards points
American Express offers a number of consumer and business cards that earn Membership Rewards. Here are some of our top picks of cards that will help you earn lots of Membership Rewards points quickly:
The Platinum Card® from American Express
On the American Express secure site
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Rewards
Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year, 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel, 1X points on all other eligible purchases
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Welcome bonus
Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $6,000 within 6 months of card membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card®, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.
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Annual fee
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Intro APR
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Regular APR
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Balance transfer fee
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Foreign transaction fee
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Credit Needed
Chase Ultimate Rewards
Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer bonuses
| Partner program | Transfer bonus | Current transfer ratio | End date |
| IHG One Rewards | 50% | 1,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards = 1,500 IHG One Rewards | Aug. 15, 2022 |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 50% | 1,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards = 1,500 Marriott Bonvoy | Aug. 19, 2022 |
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
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Rewards
$50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3X points on dining, 2X points on all other travel purchases, and 1X points on all other purchases
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Welcome bonus
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
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Annual fee
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Intro APR
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Regular APR
17.49% – 24.49% variable on purchases and balance transfers
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Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
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Foreign transaction fee
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Credit needed
Additionally, as long as you have one of the three cards listed above, you can convert the cash back earned with the following cards into transferrable Ultimate Rewards points:
- Chase Freedom Flex℠: Earn $200 cash back after you spend $500 on purchases in your first three months from account opening
- Chase Freedom Unlimited®: Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) – worth up to $300 cash back. That’s 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases.
- Ink Business Cash® Credit Card: Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $7,500 on purchases in the first 3 months after account opening
Chase Freedom Flex℠
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Rewards
5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate (then 1%), 5% cash back on travel booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3% on drugstore purchases and on dining (including takeout and eligible delivery services), 1% cash back on all other purchases
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Welcome bonus
$200 cash back after you spend $500 on purchases in your first three months from account opening
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Annual fee
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Intro APR
0% for the first 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers
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Regular APR
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Balance transfer fee
Intro fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, on transfers made within 60 days of account opening. After that, either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
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Foreign transaction fee
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Credit needed
Capital One Venture Miles
Capital One Venture Miles transfer bonuses
| Partner program | Transfer bonus | Current transfer ratio | End date |
| Air France/KLM Flying Blue | 20% | 1,000 Capital One Miles = 1,200 Air France/KLM Flying Blue | Aug. 31, 2022 |
| British Airways Executive Club | 20% | 1,000 Capital One Miles = 1,200 British Airways Executive Club | Aug. 31, 2022 |
Capital One cards that earn Capital One Miles
If you’re looking to earn Capital One Miles and take advantage of the program’s transfer bonuses, you can do so with these cards:
Citi ThankYou Rewards
Citi ThankYou Rewards transfer bonuses
| Partner program | Transfer bonus | Current transfer ratio | End date |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 25% | 1,000 Citi ThankYou Rewards = 1,200 Avianca LifeMiles | Aug. 31, 2022 |
Citi cards that earn Citi ThankYou Rewards points
If you’re short on Citi ThankYou points and want to utilize a future transfer bonus offer, you can boost your balance with these cards:
- Citi Premier® Card: Earn 80,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first three months of account opening.
- Citi Rewards+® Card: Earn 20,000 bonus points after you spend $1,500 in purchases with your card within three months of account opening.
Citi Premier® Card
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Rewards
3X points per $1 spent at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, and on hotels and air travel, 1X points on all other purchases
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Welcome bonus
80,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
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Annual fee
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Intro APR
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Regular APR
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Balance transfer fee
5% of each balance transfer, $5 minimum
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Foreign transaction fee
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Credit needed
If you have one of the cards above, you can also convert the cash back you earn with the Citi® Double Cash Card to transferable ThankYou points.
Citi® Double Cash Card
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Rewards
2% cash back: 1% on all eligible purchases and an additional 1% after you pay your credit card bill
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Welcome bonus
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Annual fee
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Intro APR
0% for the first 18 months on balance transfers; N/A for purchases
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Regular APR
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Balance transfer fee
For balance transfers completed within 4 months of account opening, an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies; after that, a balance transfer fee of 5% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies
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Foreign transaction fee
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Credit needed
How to transfer credit card points
Regardless of which rewards program you’re using, the transfer process is roughly identical. To get started, log into your credit card’s online portal and head to the rewards page. From there, you should see a ‘transfer points’ section.
On that page will be a list of loyalty programs that are partnered with your credit card issuer. Select the airline or hotel loyalty program you’d like to transfer your points to, provide your membership number of that loyalty program and begin the points transferring process.
Most transfers must be in increments of 1,000 points with a 1,000-point minimum.
Things to keep in mind when transferring points
If you have a credit card with transferable miles, you’re in a great position to earn some of the most valuable rewards in the credit card space. However, keep these four things in mind as you redeem them:
- Don’t transfer them until you’re ready to spend them. Have your flight or hotel stay completely planned out so you know exactly how many you will need. Point transfers are irreversible.
- Point transfers can take time. In some cases, it can be instantaneous, while in other cases, a few days.
- Consider airline alliances. For example, if you have Capital One miles and want to fly Delta, which isn’t a transfer partner, you can transfer your points to Flying Blue and book a Delta flight since Air France/KLM are part of the SkyTeam alliance with Delta.
- Spend your points, don’t hoard them. Hoarding points leave you in a vulnerable position in case a devaluation happens from the rewards program. Additionally, you could become the target of hackers that will aim to steal your points. In fact, it has happened to me twice.
Bottom line
Transfer bonuses are a great way to stretch the value of your points when using them for flights and hotel stays. While we don’t recommend transferring points unless you have a specific redemption in mind, you shouldn’t hoard them either. It serves you no good to maintain a large points balance — if you’re not spending your points (strategically), you’re missing the point.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Business Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the Blue Business Plus, click here.
Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.
