One of the best ways to stretch your points further is by taking advantage of transfer bonuses. Periodically, banks will offer bonus points when you transfer points to one of their loyalty partners. With a transfer bonus of 10 to 50 percent, you can book award flights and hotels for significantly less.

But staying on top of the latest transfer promotions is easier said than done. Luckily we’ve done the work for you. Here are all the current points transfer bonuses you should know about, and everything you need to know to take advantage of them.

Before you transfer points

Used strategically, point transfers can help you travel the world at a deep discount. But you should have a redemption in mind before transferring points. Since point transfers are irreversible and loyalty points can devalue without notice, you don’t want to be left with thousands of devalued rewards before you have a chance to use them.

Transferring points speculatively is a bad idea, even during a great bonus points promotion. If you’re going to transfer points, it’s best practice to redeem them within a week to minimize the odds of a devaluation.

American Express transfer bonuses

Through October 31, 2022, American Express is offering up to 25 percent bonus points when you transfer Membership Rewards to select partners. Amex points transfer 1:1 to Choice Privileges and Marriott Bonvoy. Hilton Honors transfers are a little more favorable at 1:2.

Despite the great transfer ratio, you should consider how much points are worth before transferring them to another program. For example, Bankrate values Amex Membership Rewards at 2.1 cents each. Meanwhile, Hilton points are worth just 0.6 points, while Marriott points are worth 0.7. It’s also worth noting that you can redeem Amex points at 1 cent a piece by booking travel through the Amex portal. So by transferring them to Marriott, even with a 30 percent bonus, you’re actually losing value.

However, in certain situations, it can make sense. If you need points for a specific award in either small quantities or for a high-end redemption, then you should take advantage of this offer. At least the transfer ratio will be slightly better and you’ll save on your hotel stay.

Program Transfer bonus End date Transfer ratio
Choice Privileges 25% Oct. 31, 2022 1:1
Hilton Honors 30% Oct. 31, 2022 1:2
Marriott Bonvoy 20% Oct. 31, 2022 1:1

Restrictions

There are a few limitations worth noting. The minimum transfer amount is 1,000 points. American Express also sometimes charges taxes on point transfers. You can pay these outright with your Amex card or redeem points. Typically, this tax is about 0.6 cents per point.

How to maximize this offer

One of the best ways to maximize your points during this promotion is for either low-tier or high-end award redemptions. For example, free nights at Choice Privileges start at just 6,000 points per night.

Marriott and Hilton use dynamic pricing for award stays. Generally, Marriott free nights range between 10,000 to 100,000 points, while Hilton Honors requires 5,000 to 125,000 points per night.

How to transfer Amex points

You can transfer Amex points to one of these hotel partners by logging in to your account. The process is pretty simple. Here’s a step-by-step tutorial:

  1. Go to the “Explore Rewards” tab.
  2. Under “Ready to redeem,” click “Transfer points.”
  3. Click “View all” to see the full list of transfer partners.
  4. Click on the transfer partner you want to move points to (for example, Choice, Hilton or Marriott).
  5. Link your frequent flyer accounts if you haven’t already.
  6. Enter the number of points you want to transfer, then click “Review transfer.”
  7. If everything looks good, click “Submit transfer.”

Ways to earn Amex points

You can earn Amex points by shopping online with Rakuten or with personal and business cards. You can earn substantial welcome bonuses from these cards and continue earning points through referrals every. Just be aware of Amex’s application rules before applying for a card:

Capital One miles transfer bonuses

Capital One does not currently offer any of its own transfer bonuses. However, Capital One is an Asia Miles transfer partner. So you can take advantage of the 10 percent to 15 percent bonus point promotion offered by Asia Miles. Just keep in mind that the bonus points you’ll receive are issued by Asia Miles and not Capital One. They’ll post to your account within eight to 10 weeks of the promotion end date.

How to transfer Capital One miles

To transfer Capital One miles to Asia Miles, log into your Capital One account and follow these steps:

  1. Scroll down and select “Convert Rewards.”
  2. Scroll to the program you want to transfer miles to (for example, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles) and select “Transfer Miles” on the right side.
  3. Enter your frequent flyer number and agree to the terms and conditions.
  4. Submit your request.

Ways to earn Capital One miles

You can earn additional Capital One miles with a co-branded business or personal card. Currently, you can earn miles with the following cards:

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles transfer bonuses

Through November 12, 2022, you can receive a 10 percent bonus when transferring less than 30,000 points to Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, and a 15 percent bonus when transferring more than 30,000 points.

Program Transfer bonus End date Transfer ratio
Asia Miles
  • 10% bonus when transferring less than 30,000 points
  • 15% bonus when transferring more than 30,000 points
 Nov. 12, 2022 1:1

Restrictions

You must register for this promotion before transferring points. It may also take eight to 10 weeks after the promotion end date to receive your points.

How to maximize this offer

One of the best uses of Asia Miles is for business class tickets to Europe. This award is already cheap at 50,000 miles each way. Transfer points to Asia miles by Nov. 12, 2022, and you’ll need just 44,000 points.

How to transfer Asia Miles

You can transfer points to Asia Miles 1:1 from four different programs. They include Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Brex Rewards, Capital One miles and Citi ThankYou points. Marriott Bonvoy points convert to Cathay Pacific miles 3:1.

Ways to earn Asia Miles

If you don’t have any transferable rewards to convert into Asia Miles, you can earn them in other ways. Synchrony Bank has a co-branded Cathay Pacific Visa Signature® card. You can also earn points through the Asia Miles shopping portal.

Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer bonuses

Chase doesn’t run transfer bonuses as often as American Express does. So it’s not entirely surprising that the issuer currently has just one bonus points promotion. Through Nov. 12, 2022, you’ll receive 30 percent bonus points when transferring Ultimate Rewards to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.

Meanwhile, customers with an Aeroplan® Credit Card have access to a 10 percent bonus through Dec. 31, 2022.

Program Transfer bonus End date Transfer ratio
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club 30% Dec. 31, 2022 1:1
Air Canada Aeroplan (for Aeroplan cardmembers only) 10% Dec. 31, 2023 1:1

Restrictions

Chase doesn’t charge a tax on point transfers. However, the minimum transfer amount to Virgin Atlantic and Aeroplan is 1,000 Ultimate Rewards points.

How to maximize this offer

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club has several sweet spots that are even sweeter with this transfer promotion. For example, you can book a one-way economy class ticket between the East coast and London for just 10,000 miles. With the transfer promotion, you need just 7,700 Ultimate Rewards points. However, you need to transfer at 8,000 points since transfers have to be done in 1,000-point increments.

Flying Club points are also useful for DeltaOne flights to Europe, which cost 50,000 miles each way. With the 30 percent transfer bonus, you need just 39,000 points. You can use the extra 11,000 points to cover award taxes or even book a free hotel night or two.

Meanwhile, Aeroplan sweet spots include short-haul economy class tickets for just 6,000 points each way and business class tickets to Hawaii for 25,000 miles. With the 10 percent Chase transfer bonus, you’ll need just 5,500 and 22,800 points, respectively.

How to transfer Ultimate Rewards points

To transfer Ultimate Rewards points to airline miles, log in to your Chase account and follow these steps:

  1. Select the card that has Chase points.
  2. Click “redeem.”
  3. Scroll down to your balance and select “Transfer to travel partners.”
  4. Select the travel partner you want to use (for example, Aeroplan or Virgin Atlantic).
  5. Click “transfer points” to submit your request.

Ways to earn Ultimate Rewards

You can earn Ultimate Rewards points through certain Chase credit cards. If you have both a Chase Ultimate Rewards-earning card and a cash back card, you can convert your cash back rewards to points. This works out great for high-end redemptions and during lucrative transfer promotions.

Citi ThankYou point transfer bonuses

The only transfer bonus from the Capital One ThankYou program is the above-mentioned bonus offered by Asia Miles. If you want to take advantage of the 44,000-mile business class award to Europe, this can be a good use of your Citi ThankYou points.

How to transfer Citi ThankYou points

To transfer ThankYou points to an airline or hotel, go to the Citi ThankYou website and log in. Follow these steps:

  1. Click on the “More Ways to Redeem” tab.
  2. Select “Points transfer” under “Transfer and Share.”
  3. Scroll down and select the program you want to transfer points to and select “Continue.”
  4. Enter the number of points you want to transfer.
  5. Enter your frequent flyer number.
  6. Review the transfer and submit.

Ways to earn ThankYou points

You can earn ThankYou points by applying for a Citi credit card that earns points. At the moment, three credit cards earn these rewards:

  • Citi Premier® Card: Earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 within three months of account opening.
  • Citi Rewards+® Card: Earn 20,000 points after spending $1,500 within three months of account opening.
  • Citi® Double Cash Card: Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases.

The bottom line

You’ve worked hard for your points and should get as much out of them as possible. Transfer bonuses are one of the easiest ways to do that. If you can take advantage of these promotions when they come around, your points will go much further. You can check this guide periodically for the latest bonuses.

*The information about the Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business has been collected independently by Bankrate and has not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.