Maximize Rewards With These Transfer Bonuses

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Transfer bonuses are one of the best ways to stretch your points further. Banks periodically offer these bonuses when you transfer points to one of their loyalty partners.

Examples of programs that offer transfer bonuses include American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards and Citi ThankYou. A typical bonus ranges from 10 to 40 percent, which means 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 and everything you need to know to take advantage of them.

How to maximize transfer bonus offers

Used strategically, point transfers can help you travel the world at a deep discount. Here are a few tips to get the most out of transfer bonuses:

• Watch for transfer bonuses. These are limited-time offers that can be easy to miss. When you’re planning a trip, check what bonuses, if any, your credit card issuer offers to see if there’s something you could use.
• Avoid transferring points speculatively. This applies even during a bonus points promotion. After you transfer points, it’s best practice to redeem them quickly to minimize the odds of a devaluation. Because transfers are irreversible and loyalty points can devalue without notice, you don’t want to be left with devalued rewards before you have a chance to use them.
• Determine whether the transfer bonus offers good value. To do that, check the card’s point values and compare to the value you’d get from the transfer (with the bonus). If the value isn’t there, it may not be worthwhile.

At the same time, remember: Perfect is the enemy of good. You might not always get first-class tickets to the Bahamas for pennies from every transfer bonus — but you might still save good money.

“I found one-way flights to Lisbon, Portugal, for 15,000 Flying Blue miles, but it wasn’t an emergency to book right away, so I decided to wait and watch for a Chase transfer bonus,” says Brooklyn Lowery, a senior credit cards editor at Bankrate. “We try to travel as much as possible using points and miles, so saving even a few thousand points with a transfer bonus could mean an additional night on vacation or an extra experience during our trip. My patience was rewarded soon with a 25 percent bonus on Flying Blue transfers, so I moved 48,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to my Flying Blue account, received my bonus 12,000 miles and booked our flights.”

American Express transfer bonuses

Amex currently has one transfer bonus offer.

Amex points currently transfer to over 20 different airline and hotel partners, mostly at a 1:1 ratio. For example, point transfers to partners like Delta SkyMiles and Air France-KLM Flying Blue are at a 1:1 ratio while Hilton Honors transfers are a more favorable at 1:2. Another exception is Aeromexico Rewards, which provides 1,600 miles for every 1,000 points transferred.

Despite favorable transfer ratios, consider how much points are worth before transferring to a partner program. For example, Bankrate values Amex Membership Rewards at up to 2.0 cents each, depending on where you transfer your points.

Meanwhile, Hilton Honors points are worth 0.6 points, while Marriott Bonvoy points are worth 0.7. It’s worth noting that you can redeem Amex points for 0.7 cents each when you book prepaid hotels through the Amex travel portal. You’ll break even by transferring them directly to Marriott, but lose potential value by transferring to a lower-value transfer partner like Hilton.

However, in certain situations, a transfer to Hilton can still make sense. If you need points for a specific award in either small quantities or for a high-end redemption, then you should do the transfer. With a bonus, you’ll get more points and save on your hotel stay.

• How to transfer Amex Membership Rewards points
  

  You can transfer Amex points to one of their airline or hotel partners by logging in to your Amex account. The rest of the process is pretty simple:

  1. Go to the “Explore Rewards” tab.
  2. Under “Earn and Redeem,” click “Transfer Points.”
  3. Click on the transfer partner you want to move points to (for example, Delta, Hilton or Marriott).
  4. Link your accounts if you haven’t already.
  5. Enter the number of points you want to transfer, then click “Review Transfer.”
  6. If everything looks good, click “Submit Transfer.”

• Ways to earn Amex points
  

  You can earn Amex Membership Rewards points by shopping online with Rakuten or when shopping in-store with personal and business cards. You can earn substantial welcome bonuses from these cards and continue earning points through purchases. Just be aware of Amex application rules before applying for a card.

  • The Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 80,000 points after spending $8,000 on eligible purchases within the first six months of card membership.
  • The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 150,000 points after you spend $20,000 in eligible purchases on the card within the first three months.
  • American Express® Gold Card: Earn 60,000 points after spending $6,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership.
  • American Express® Business Gold Card: Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of card membership.
  • Amex EveryDay® Credit Card*: Earn 10,000 points after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first three months of card membership.

• Restrictions
  

  In most cases, the minimum transfer amount is 1,000 points, and points must be transferred in 1,000 point increments. Additionally, American Express sometimes charges tax on point transfers. You can pay this outright with your Amex card or redeem points to offset them. Typically, this excise tax is 0.06 cents per point.

  Transferring your Amex points to partner programs could negate certain benefits that your Amex cards may offer. For example, by transferring points directly to an airline and using frequent flyer miles to pay for a flight, you won’t earn rewards or elite status on your flight.

Capital One Miles transfer bonuses

Capital One has over 15 airline and hotel partners. Right now, there are no transfer bonuses.

Some of Capital One’s transfer partner programs include:

• Air France-KLM Flying Blue
• British Airways Executive Club
• Choice Privileges
• Virgin Atlantic Virgin Red

• How to transfer Capital One Rewards miles
  

  To transfer Capital One miles to their transfer partners, log in to your Capital One account and:

  1. Click “View Rewards.”
  2. Scroll down to select “Transfer rewards.”
  3. Scroll to the program you want to transfer miles to (for example, British Airways Executive Club) and choose “Transfer Miles” on the right side.
  4. Enter your loyalty number and agree to the terms and conditions.
  5. Submit the request.

• Ways to earn Capital One miles
  

  You can earn additional Capital One miles with a business or personal card. Currently, you can earn miles with:

Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer bonuses

Chase doesn’t run transfer bonuses as often as American Express and is currently running one transfer bonus.

Some of the best transfer partners are:

• Southwest Rapid Rewards
• United MileagePlus
• World of Hyatt

• How to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points
  

  While multiple Chase cards allow you to earn Chase Ultimate Reward points, the only cards that allow you to transfer your points to travel partners are the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card.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. Under “Travel” in the navigation menu, select “Transfer points to partners.”
  3. Select the travel partner you want to use (for example, Air Canada Aeroplan or Virgin Atlantic).
  4. Enter how many points you want to transfer.
  5. Click “Submit” to complete 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.

  • Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
  • Chase Sapphire Reserve®: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
  • Chase Freedom Flex®*: Earn a $200 bonus after spending $500 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
  • Chase Freedom Unlimited®: Earn an extra 1.5 percent cash back on all purchases within the first year of card ownership (with a spending cap of $20,000). That’s up to $300 in cash back.
  • Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card: Earn 90,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
  • Ink Business Cash® Credit Card Earn $350 when 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 after account opening.

• Restrictions
  

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

  Not all Chase credit cards allow point transfers — just the ones with an annual fee — so be sure that your Chase card earns transferable Ultimate Rewards points if you want to be eligible for any bonuses.

Citi ThankYou Points transfer bonuses

The Citi ThankYou program is not currently offering any transfer bonuses.

• How to transfer Citi ThankYou Points
  

  The only cards that allow you to transfer your Citi ThankYou points to travel partners are the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card or Citi Prestige® Card* (which is no longer accepting new applicants).

  To transfer ThankYou points to an airline or hotel program, 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 loyalty number.
  6. Review the transfer and submit.

• Ways to earn ThankYou Points
  

  You can earn ThankYou points with certain Citi credit cards. At the moment, four credit cards earn these rewards:

  • Citi Strata Premier℠ Card: Earn 75,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first three months of account opening.
  • Citi Rewards+® Card: Earn 20,000 points after spending $1,500 on purchases within three months of account opening.
  • Citi Custom Cash® Card*: Earn $200 in cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases within six months of account opening.
  • Citi Double Cash® Card: Earn $200 in cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases within six months of account opening.

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 from a top travel credit card when they come around, your points will go much further. You can check this guide periodically for the latest bonuses.

*Information about the American Express® Green Card, Amex EveryDay® Credit Card, Citi Prestige® Card, Citi Custom Cash® Card and Chase Freedom Flex® has been collected independently by Bankrate. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.