If you truly want to maximize your points and miles, periodic transfer bonuses can offer lucrative opportunities for fantastic award redemptions. You can sometimes get significantly more value from your rewards by transferring them to a specific airline or hotel partner during one of these bonuses.
However, these are limited-time offers.
We’ve compiled the transfer bonuses for the major programs with transferable rewards to make tracking these offers easier. Just note that transfer bonuses are sometimes targeted, so some may not be available to you.
American Express Membership Rewards transfer bonus
American Express is offering a sweet 30% bonus when you convert your American Express Membership Rewards points to Avios by transferring them to British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus and Aer Lingus AerClub.
While Membership Rewards points typically transfer at a 1:1 ratio, the Avios offer has a transfer rate of 1:1.3. This means you’ll get 1,300 Avios by transferring 1,000 Membership Rewards points. TPG’s September 2024 valuations peg Avios at 1.4 cents each and Amex Membership Rewards points at 2 cents each.
To broaden the power of your points, you could transfer your Avios to Finnair Plus or Qatar Airways Privilege Club or book American Airlines-operated flights using British Airways Avios — which sometimes can provide a better rate than you may get through the American Airlines AAdvantage program.
American Express is also offering a 30% bonus when you transfer Membership Rewards points to Hilton Honors. Since Amex points typically transfer to Hilton at a 1:2 ratio, 1,000 Amex points will convert to 2,600 Hilton Honors points. Hilton Honors points are worth 0.6 cents apiece, according to TPG’s September 2024 valuations.
Both bonuses expire Sept. 30.
You will need to log in to your American Express account to check if you can utilize these deals. If eligible, you can take advantage of the bonus across multiple transfers.
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| Partner program | Transfer bonus | Effective transfer ratio | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avios (British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus) | 30% | 1:1.3 | Until Sept. 30 |
| Hilton Honors | 30% | 1:2.6 | Until Sept. 30 |
How to earn American Express Membership Rewards points
If you’re looking to earn more of these valuable points, the following Amex cards could be useful additions to your wallet:
- The Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $8,000 on your new card in your first six months of card membership.
- American Express® Gold Card: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. Plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible restaurant purchases (up to $100) within the first six months of card membership.
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $20,000 on eligible purchases with your card in the first three months of card membership.
Check the CardMatch tool to see if you’re targeted for an even higher welcome offer (subject to change at any time).
You can also earn extra Membership Rewards points when you enroll in Amex Offers and shop with Rakuten.
Based on TPG’s September 2024 valuations, Membership Rewards points are worth 2 cents each, and our tests indicate that they transfer instantly to most of Amex’s transfer partners.
Related: How to redeem American Express Membership Rewards for maximum value
Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer bonus
Chase Ultimate Rewards is currently offering a 50% transfer bonus to Marriott Bonvoy from now through Nov. 15. Since Chase points transfer to Marriott at a 1:1 ratio, this bonus means you’ll snag a rate of 1:1.5. Therefore, if you transfer 1,000 Ultimate Rewards points, you’ll receive 1,500 Marriott Bonvoy points.
TPG’s September 2024 valuations peg Chase points at 2.05 cents per point and Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.85 cents per point. Therefore, 1,500 Marriott Bonvoy points equals $12.75 and 1,000 Chase points equals $20.50. So, unless you have a specific redemption in mind, you’ll be losing some value with your Chase points if you transfer them to Marriott Bonvoy, even with this 50% bonus.
| Partner program | Transfer bonus | Effective transfer ratio | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marriott Bonvoy | 50% | 1:1.5 | Until Nov. 15 |
How to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points
If you want to earn more Chase Ultimate Rewards points, the following Chase cards could make good additions to your wallet:
If you have one (or more) of the above cards, you can combine your Ultimate Rewards points in a single account. Then, you can effectively convert the cash-back earnings on the following cards into fully transferable Ultimate Rewards points:
- Chase Freedom Flex®: Earn $200 cash back after spending $500 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
- Chase Freedom Unlimited®: Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy in the first year (on up to $20,000 spent), worth up to $300 cash back.
- Ink Business Cash® Credit Card: Earn up to $750 bonus cash back: $350 after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months and an additional $400 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months from account opening.
- Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card: Earn $900 bonus cash back after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
According to TPG’s September 2024 valuations, Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth 2.05 cents each when maximized with travel partners. Most Ultimate Rewards transfers will process instantly.
Related: How to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points for maximum value
Capital One transfer bonus
Capital One members currently have access to a transfer bonus to Flying Blue, the shared loyalty program of Air France and KLM. Capital One miles normally transfer to Air France-KLM Flying Blue at a 1:1 ratio, but with this bonus, you’ll receive 20% more miles when you transfer miles through Sept. 29.
This transfer bonus can save you miles on your next redemption, especially if you can take advantage of one of Air France’s monthly Promo Rewards deals.
| Partner program | Transfer bonus | Effective transfer ratio | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | 20% | 1:1.2 | Until Sept. 29 |
How to earn Capital One miles
If you’re looking to earn more transferable miles, the following Capital One cards are solid options to consider:
TPG’s September 2024 valuations peg Capital One miles at 1.85 cents apiece, and most transfers from Capital One will process instantly.
For more details, check out our guides to the Capital One transfer partners and how to transfer Capital One miles to airline and hotel partners.
Citi ThankYou Rewards transfer bonus
Citi ThankYou Rewards is currently offering two transfer bonuses. You can transfer your Citi ThankYou Rewards points to Avianca LifeMiles with a 25% transfer bonus, meaning your points will convert at a 1:1.25 rate. Therefore, for every 1,000 Citi points you transfer, you’ll receive 1,250 LifeMiles.
TPG currently values Citi points at 1.8 cents per point and LifeMiles at 1.6 cents per point, per our September 2024 valuations. Therefore, 1,000 Citi points equals $18, and 1,250 LifeMiles equals $20. Since loyalty programs undergo frequent devaluations, we don’t recommend blindly transferring your points unless you have a specific redemption in mind. However, this could be a valuable transfer if you are wanting to book a trip with LifeMiles.
Citi is also offering a 25% transfer bonus to Leaders Club, the loyalty program of The Leading Hotels of the World. Since Citi points currently transfer to Leaders Club at a rate of 5:1, this transfer bonus means you’ll get a rate of 4:1. Therefore, for every 1,000 Citi points you transfer, you’ll receive 250 Leaders Club points.
Both transfer bonuses expire Oct. 19.
As of September 2024, TPG values Citi ThankYou Rewards points at 1.8 cents each. However, note that some Citi transfers will not process instantly, so be sure to factor in the transfer time if you’re trying to book an award with scarce availability.
| Partner program | Transfer bonus | Effective transfer ratio | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avianca LifeMiles | 25% | 1:1.25 | Oct. 19 |
| Leaders Club | 25% | 4:1 | Oct. 19 |
How to earn Citi ThankYou Rewards points
These Citi credit cards could make useful additions to your wallet for earning Citi ThankYou Rewards points:
- Citi Strata Premier℠ Card* (see rates and fees): Earn 70,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases with your card within three months of account opening. A higher offer may be available through citi.com.
- Citi Rewards+® Card (see rates and fees): Earn 20,000 bonus points after you spend $1,500 within three months of account opening. Plus, earn 5 bonus ThankYou Rewards points per dollar spent on hotels, car rentals and attractions via the Citi travel portal through Dec. 31, 2025. (Note: You must pair this card with a premium Citi ThankYou card to access a full-fledged, transferable ThankYou points account.)
*Note: You can earn 75,000 bonus points by applying directly on citi.com rather than through TPG’s affiliate link, which offers 70,000 bonus points. We are committed to our readers getting the highest bonus available.
Marriott Bonvoy transfer bonus
Marriott Bonvoy is not running any transfer bonuses at this time.
How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points
If you’re looking to earn more Marriott Bonvoy points, the following Marriott Bonvoy cards may be of interest:
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card: Earn 185,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of account opening.
- Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card: Earn 155,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first six months of account opening.
- Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card: Earn 125,000 Bonus Points after spending $5,000 on purchases in your first three months from account opening.
- Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card: Earn five free night awards after using the card to make $8,000 in eligible purchases within the first six months of card membership. Each free night award has a redemption level of up to 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy. Resort fees and terms apply. Offer ends Oct. 16.
- Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card: Earn 60,000 bonus points plus one free night award (valued at up to 50,000 points) after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Certain hotels have resort fees.
According to TPG’s September 2024 valuations, Marriott Bonvoy points are worth 0.85 cents each. Before transferring points, review our tests of Marriott transfer times since some airlines take a few days (or even weeks) to receive the points.
Related: Marriott Bonvoy program: How to redeem points for hotel stays, airfare and more
Should you transfer points?
We only recommend transferring points or miles if you have a short-term plan to use them. Many programs have implemented devaluations over the last few years, so any speculative transfers could be a losing proposition.
Transfers are irreversible, and you don’t want to be stuck with thousands of points or miles in a program you have little use for.
If you don’t have a specific redemption in mind but still want to earn points or miles, you’re likely better off earning rewards through card welcome bonuses and everyday spending.
Bottom line
When a program with a transferable currency offers a transfer bonus, it is important to run the numbers to determine whether it is worthwhile.
Generally, you won’t want to transfer your points or miles without a specific redemption in mind. After all, a large part of the value of transferable points and miles comes from their flexibility — which you’ll give up the moment you convert them to a partner’s currency. However, a transfer bonus can help you get more value from your points and miles if you use a partner program frequently or plan to redeem soon.
