If you’ve spent even the teensiest amount of time researching points and miles, you’ll have come across the term “transfer partners.” They’re often mentioned as one of the best ways to maximize your rewards, but what exactly does that mean? You’re about to find out.

Here’s everything to know about transfer partners. 

 

What Are Credit Card Transfer Partners?

Transfer partners are airline and hotel loyalty programs that have agreements with credit card rewards programs to let members convert their points or miles into another type of reward currency.

For example, Chase Ultimate Rewards®  can be transferred to World of Hyatt, while American Express Membership Rewards® points can be transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan.

Once transferred, your credit card points become points or miles in the partner’s loyalty program. You can then use those rewards to book flights, hotel stays or other redemptions through that program.

The biggest advantage of transferring your points is flexibility. Instead of being limited to one airline, hotel chain, or credit card travel portal, you can choose between multiple loyalty programs based on where you want to travel and which program offers the best redemption.

Related: Transferable Points Power Rankings

 

How Do Transfer Partners Work?

The process is relatively straightforward. You earn points with an eligible credit card, select a participating transfer partner, and move your rewards into that partner’s loyalty program.

However, there are a few things to understand before making a transfer.

 

Understanding Transfer Ratios

Transfer ratios determine how many airline miles or hotel points you’ll receive when you move rewards from one program to another.

Many credit card programs offer transfers at a 1:1 ratio, meaning 1,000 credit card points become 1,000 airline miles or hotel points.

Other transfer ratios may look like this:

• 1:1 means 10,000 credit card points become 10,000 partner points or miles.
• 1:2 means 10,000 credit card points become 20,000 partner points or miles.
• 2:1 means 10,000 credit card points become 5,000 partner points or miles.

A higher transfer ratio doesn’t necessarily mean a better deal. Airline and hotel programs price their awards differently, so 20,000 points in one program might be worth less than 10,000 in another. What matters is how much value you’ll receive when you actually redeem those points.

 

Transfer Bonuses Can Increase Your Rewards

Credit card issuers occasionally run promotions that give you extra miles or points when transferring rewards to select partners. For example, a 30% transfer bonus on a program that normally transfers at a 1:1 ratio would turn 10,000 credit card points into 13,000 airline miles.

As you can probably tell by now, just because something sounds like a good deal doesn’t mean it is. Transfer bonuses are no exception. Moving points simply because there’s a promotion can leave you with rewards stuck in a loyalty program you rarely use, especially if you don’t have a specific redemption in mind.

 

Which Credit Card Programs Have Transfer Partners?

Chase Ultimate Rewards®

Chase Ultimate Rewards® has ten airline and four hotel transfer partners, including United MileagePlus, Air Canada Aeroplan, Southwest® Rapid Rewards, and World of Hyatt. Most transfers are at a 1:1 ratio, although Chase Sapphire Preferred® and Ink Business Preferred® cardholder accounts now transfer to World of Hyatt at a 4:3 ratio.

Not all Chase credit cards offer access to transfer partners. You’ll need an eligible premium card, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® or Chase Sapphire Reserve®, to unlock this feature.

 

American Express Membership Rewards®

American Express Membership Rewards® has an extensive list of transfer partners, with 16 airlines and 4 hotel programs. Some of our favorites include Delta SkyMiles, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, British Airways Club, and Hilton Honors.

Most partners transfer at a 1:1 ratio, although a handful have different conversion ratios.

Membership Rewards® can be particularly useful for travelers who want access to several international airline programs, including programs that allow you to book flights on partner airlines.

 

Capital One Venture Miles

Capital One has 19 airline and four hotel transfer partners and includes loyalty programs such as Air Canada Aeroplan, Avianca Lifemiles, British Airways Club, and Wyndham Rewards.

Most partners offer 1:1 transfers, although a few programs use different ratios.

Eligible Capital One Venture and Spark cards allow cardholders to transfer miles rather than redeeming them solely for travel purchases or bookings.

 

Citi ThankYou® Rewards

Citi ThankYou® Rewards offers transfers to partners including American Airlines AAdvantage, JetBlue TrueBlue, Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles, and Choice Privileges.

Transfer ratios and eligible partners vary depending on which Citi credit card you hold. As with other transferable rewards programs, it’s important to check your card’s specific benefits before assuming you have access to every partner.

 

Other Transferable Rewards Programs

Other rewards programs, including Bilt Rewards and Wells Fargo Rewards, also offer airline and hotel transfer options.

Each program has its own list of partners, transfer ratios, and eligibility requirements.

For a complete breakdown, check out our transfer partner cheat sheet.

 

Why Transfer Points Instead of Booking Through a Travel Portal?

Transferring points to an airline or hotel loyalty program can sometimes get you more value than booking through your credit card’s travel portal.

For example, a flight that costs 60,000 points through a travel portal might be available for 35,000 miles through an airline transfer partner. Just remember to account for award availability, transfer ratios, and any additional taxes and fees.

For a closer look at the pros and cons, check out our guide to transferring points vs. booking through a travel portal.

Related: Transfer Bonus and Sales

 

How To Transfer Credit Card Points to Travel Partners

While the exact steps vary by issuer, most credit card rewards programs follow a similar process.

• Find an award you want to book. Search the airline or hotel loyalty program, or use an award search tool, to confirm that your preferred flight or room is available using points.
• Check the transfer ratio. Make sure you understand how many credit card points you’ll need to transfer and whether any bonuses are available.
• Create or sign in to your loyalty account. You’ll need an account with the airline or hotel program receiving your points.
• Link your accounts. Sign in to your credit card rewards account and connect your airline or hotel loyalty membership.
• Transfer the required points. Enter the amount you’d like to move and review the details carefully before confirming.
• Complete your booking. Once your points arrive in the partner account, return to the airline or hotel website to make your reservation.

A few important things to remember:

• Transfers cannot be reversed. Once you’ve moved your points to an airline or hotel program, you can’t send them back to your credit card account. That makes confirming award availability before transferring especially important.
• Some loyalty programs may require accounts to be open for a certain amount of time before bookings are allowed, so make sure you check whether this is an issue if you’re thinking about transferring points to a program you haven’t used before.
• Although most points transfers between credit card programs and transfer partners happen almost instantly, sometimes points transfers from a credit card program can take one, two, or even several days. It’s worth double-checking typical transfer times for the transfer you’re thinking of making so you don’t transfer points and then lose out on award seats while you’re waiting for the points to show up in the transfer partner’s program. (One well-known example: American Express points transfers to ANA often take three to four days.)

 

Tips for Getting the Most Value From Transfer Partners

Learning how to transfer points is only half the equation. Knowing when to transfer them can make a much bigger difference in the value you receive.

Compare Award Prices Before Transferring

A flight might cost 25,000 miles through one loyalty program and 40,000 miles through another, even when you’re booking the same seat on the same airline. That’s because many airlines belong to airline alliances, which allow you to earn and redeem miles across participating airlines.

For example, Air Canada and United Airlines are both Star Alliance members, meaning you can use Air Canada Aeroplan points to book eligible United flights. Checking several programs can help you find a better redemption.

Don’t Automatically Transfer Points to Your Favorite Airline

It’s tempting to send all your points to the airline you fly most frequently, but doing so removes some of their flexibility. Keeping rewards in your credit card account allows you to compare transfer partners when you’re ready to book. This is particularly helpful if your travel plans change or one loyalty program increases its award prices (a.k.a. devalues).

Consider Taxes, Fees, and Cash Prices

Some award tickets carry hundreds of dollars in taxes and carrier-imposed surcharges, while others require so many points that paying cash makes more sense. Before transferring your points, compare the total cash price against the points required and any out-of-pocket expenses.

 

Are Transfer Partners Worth It?

Transfer partners can be one of the most valuable features of a travel rewards credit card program, especially if you’re willing to spend a little time comparing redemption options. They give you access to airline and hotel programs and can open the door to award flights and hotel stays that would otherwise require way more points through a credit card travel portal.

Just make sure to always compare your options, calculate the value of each redemption, and only transfer points when you’ve found a booking that makes sense for your travel plans.

 

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