Do you ever see influencers share amazing deals they get on flights or hotels based on their credit card points?
It’ll be something like – “I got this $5,000 business class flight for just $200” or something similarly crazy?
It’s usually two things:
- They got a huge sign up bonus for a credit card
- They took advantage of a transfer bonus (more on this) and/or sale
The key part of the deal is the transfer bonus – that’s when you transfer points from a general rewards program (American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, etc.) and transfer them to a specific airline or hotel but get a percentage bonus added on because of a promotion.
Here’s how it works:
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🔃 Updated June 2025 with the latest airline and hotel point transfer bonuses. A few new ones for American Express, Chase, Capital One, and Citi this month.
How Does This Work?
Every credit card that lets you earn reward points will let you transfer those points to an airline or hotel partner on a 1 to 1 basis.
1,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred to an airline partner on a 1 to 1 basis, meaning it can become 1,000 Southwest Rapid Reward points.
Sometimes, the program will allow you to transfer them with a bonus. This can be a limited time offer or it can be a longer term standing offer based on the amount of points and/the type of card you have.
For example, with Chase Ultimate Rewards, if you have a Chase Aeroplan credit card, you can get a 10% transfer bonus after transferring 50,000 or more Ultimate Rewards points in a single transaction to their Aeroplan account. (Maximum of 25,000 bonus points per calendar year)
The key to all this is knowing when the promotions are active and ensuring you transfer during a promotional window (so you get extra points or miles).
Here are the promotions currently available:
American Express Membership Rewards
If you have AMEX Membership Rewards program, there is now a 30% bonus to Avios (British Airways Club, Aer Lingus AerClub, Iberia Plus) through July 15th. So, instead of 1,000 Amex points to 1,000 Avios points, you now get 1,300.
It’s been quite some time (about a year) since the last time they offered a bonus for Avios.
There is also a bonus for transferring points to Hilton but the amount varies from account to account. It’s a 20%, 25%, or 30% bonus. Log in to see what you may get.
Loyalty Program | Bonus Percentage | Expiration |
---|---|---|
Avios (British Airways Club, Aer Lingus AerClub, Iberia Plus) | +30% | July 31, 2025 |
Hilton | +20% to +30% | none listed |
Capital One Rewards
Capital One hadn’t offered a bonus offer for a bit but now there’s a 20% bonus with Qantas, valid until May 31st.
Loyalty Program | Bonus Percentage | Expiration |
---|---|---|
Quantas | +20% | May 31, 2025 |
Chase Ultimate Rewards
Chase has two transfer bonuses active for May – Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and Air France-KLM Flying Blue.
Get a 25% bonus with a transfer to Air France-KLM Flying Blue through May 31, 2025.
Get a 25% bonus with a transfer to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club through June 15, 2025.
Loyalty Program | Bonus Percentage | Expiration |
---|---|---|
Air France-KLM Flying Blue | +25% | May 31, 2025 |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | +25% | June 15, 2025 |
Citi ThankYou Rewards
Citi ThankYou Rewards has a 50% transfer bonus to Accor Hotels, so 1,000 Citi ThankYou Points will now becomes 750 Accor points (up from 500 Accor points), good until July 19. There is also a 20% bonus for transfers to the Flying Blue (AirFrance/KLM) program too, also good until July 19.
They also had a 25% transfer bonus when you transfer points to Wyndham Rewards, good until June 21, 2025, we will see if this returns..
Loyalty Program | Bonus Percentage | Expiration |
---|---|---|
Wyndham Rewards | +25% | June 21, 2025 |
Accor Hotels | +50% | July 19, 2025 |
Flying Blue (AirFrance/KLM) | +20% | July 19, 2025 |
Marriott Bonvoy
Marriott Bonvoy has no active transfer bonuses. 🙁
The Marriott Bonvoy program had a 15% transfer bonus to Air Canada’s Aeroplan program. The transfer ratio is usually 3 Marriott Bonvoy points to 1 Aeroplan point and there is normally a 5,000 point bonus for every 60,000 Marriot points you transfer. With the 15% bonus, you’re now getting a 8,000 bonus points (3,000 on top of the normal 5,000 bonus) for every 60,000 Marriot points.
Loyalty Program | Bonus Percentage | Expiration |
---|---|---|
Air Canada Aeroplan | +15% | October 31, 2024 |
When Should You Transfer Points?
There are a lot of factors to consider before you transfer points. It’s not always the best way.
First, it’s rarely a good idea to transfer points without a specific use in mind. It’s hard to know whether a percentage bonus is good because the value of each of those points varies so much.
The Points Guy maintains a valuation list for points. That’s a good start but even that is not enough to blindly transfer points.
Sometimes you are better off booking travel through the travel portal. For example, you may get a better rate going through Chase Ultimate Rewards if you have a card that gets you a bonus on your spend there. If you have a Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you get a 25% discount when you redeem points in the Chase Travel portal. With a Chase Sapphire Reserve card, you get a 50% discount.
These could trump any bonuses you otherwise get.