We at TPG love transferable credit card points.
The ability to instantly transfer your rewards to a wide range of airline and hotel loyalty programs provides valuable flexibility to maximize your travels. When planning your travels, you are not locked into a single redemption program. If you cannot find available seats in a particular program, you can choose another program before transferring credit card points. If a program devalues without notice, you can easily switch to another program for your next points transfer.
With dozens of different transfer options, it can be difficult to remember how many options you have.
Here’s a handy guide outlining which credit card points can be transferred to which airline and hotel programs, including their respective transfer rates. We also list our rating of each transfer partner so you can get the best value and maximize your hard-earned points.
Related: What are points and miles worth? TPG’s current valuations
Airline transfer partners
There are a few important notes regarding these transfer partners:
- Many transfers happen immediately, but you can check out our guides on transfer times for American Express, Bilt, Capital One, Chase, and Citi for more information.
- Avios can be transferred in any direction between British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, Aer Lingus AerClub, Finnair Plus and Qatar Airways Privilege Club accounts at a 1:1 ratio.
- Transfers from Capital One to Virgin Atlantic can be made using Flying Club or Virgin Red.
- Programs occasionally offer transfer bonuses – which we highlight in our regularly updated transfer bonus guide.
Finally, with the exception of EVA Air Infinity MileageLands and Finnair Plus, you can transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to all airline partners listed above at a rate of 3 Bonvoy points for 1 airline mile. You will receive an additional 5,000 airline miles for every 60,000 Bonvoy points transferred, except for the following airline programs: American AAdvantage, Avianca LifeMiles, Delta SkyMiles and Korean Air Skypass. Additionally, United MileagePlus awards 10,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 points transferred.
Related: When Does It Make Sense to Transfer Marriott Points to Airlines?
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Hotel transfer partners
Like airline partners, most hotel transfers are instant, although you can read more in our aforementioned guides to transfer times for Amex, Bilt, Capital One, Chase, and Citi.
How to earn transferable points
The best way to earn transferable credit card points is with the right credit card. Here you will see your best options.
American Express Membership Rewards
Here are the most popular cards that earn American Express Membership Rewards points:
You can also earn Amex points by signing up for Rakuten and setting your earning preference to Membership Rewards points instead of cash back.
The information for the American Express Green Card is independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been verified or provided by the card issuer.
Bilt Rewards
Bilt offers one credit card, the Bilt Mastercard® (see rates and fees). Cardholders receive 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rentals (up to $100,000) before transaction fees, 2 points per dollar spent on travel (airfare, hotels, cruises and rental cars) and 3 points per dollar spent on dining. You must complete at least five transactions each month to earn points (see rewards and benefits). Best of all, the Bilt Mastercard has no annual fees.
TPG founder Brian Kelly is a Bilt advisor and investor.
Related: Bilt Rewards Program: Guide to Earning Points for Rentals, Dining, and More
Capital One mile
Here are the cards that currently earn transferable Capital One miles:
The Capital One Spark Miles Select information was independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been verified or provided by the card issuer.
Chase ultimate rewards
Here are the cards that can earn fully transferable Chase Ultimate Rewards points:
However, if you have one of these cards, you can also combine your rewards from cash back cards like the Chase Freedom Flex℠ and the Chase Freedom Unlimited® into one account, effectively converting this cash back earnings into fully transferable Ultimate Rewards points.
Citi ThankYou Rewards
Citi ThankYou Rewards has 18 airline and hotel transfer partners. Currently, there is only one card available that offers transfers to all of these programs: the Citi Premier® Card (see rates and fees). Please note that if you still hold the Citi Prestige® card (which is no longer open to new applicants), you will also enjoy the full transfer benefits.
But like Chase Ultimate Rewards points, you can combine your Citi ThankYou Rewards points into one account for certain products, so you can earn your flat-rate earnings from cards like the Citi Rewards+® Card (see rates and fees) or the Citi Double Cash® Card (see rates and fees) in fully transferable ThankYou points.
The information for the Citi Prestige was independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been verified or provided by the card issuer.
In short
There are many transfer options available between the five major credit card loyalty programs. Transferable points are generally more valuable than any individual airline or hotel point because of the added flexibility in choosing where to send your points – and when to do it.
Bookmark this cheat sheet so you know your options when applying for your next point-earning transferable credit card or deciding on your next redemption.
View the Bilt Mastercard rates and fees here.
View the rewards and benefits of Bilt Mastercard here.