Get more from your points with these transfer bonuses

Editor’s note: This post has been updated with new information.

If you truly want to maximize your miles, periodic transfer bonuses can offer lucrative opportunities for fantastic points redemptions. You can sometimes get up to 50% more value from your points by transferring them to a specific airline or hotel partner during one of these bonuses.

To make tracking these offers easier, we’ve compiled all of the transfer bonuses for the major transferable rewards programs in this article. Just note that transfer bonuses are sometimes targeted, so some bonuses may not be available to you.

American Express Membership Rewards

Partner program	Transfer bonus	Transfer ratio	Dates	Notes
Air France-KLM Flying Blue.	25%.	1:1.25.	Until May 22.	Could be worth considering for one of Flying Blue’s sweet spots.
Avianca LifeMiles.	15%.	1:1.15.	Until May 31.	Appealing award rates for domestic United tickets and transatlantic awards.

How to earn Amex points

You’ll need Membership Rewards points to take advantage of American Express transfer bonuses. If you’re looking to earn Membership Rewards points, the following Amex cards could be useful additions to your wallet:

The Platinum Card® from American Express: 80,000 Membership Rewards Points after spending $6,000 on your new card in your first six months of cardmembership. Terms apply.
American Express® Gold Card: 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $4,000 in your first six months of cardmembership. Terms apply.
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 120,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with your card in the first three months of cardmembership. Terms apply.

You can also earn extra Membership Rewards when you enroll in Amex Offers and by shopping with Rakuten. You can even earn Amex points when buying or selling a home with RBN. Based on TPG valuations, Membership Rewards points are worth 2 cents each.

Membership Rewards transfer instantly to most programs.

Chase Ultimate Rewards

Partner program	Transfer bonus	Transfer ratio	Dates	Notes
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.	30%.	1:1.3.	Until June 15.	Refer to Virgin Atlantic’s sweet spots.
Marriott Bonvoy.	50%.	1:1.5.	Until May 15.	You won’t see the bonus on Ultimate Rewards. Rather, the bonus points are deposited once the transfer is complete.
Air France-KLM Flying Blue.	25%	1:1.25.	Until May 15.	Could be worth considering for one of Flying Blue’s sweet spots.

How to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards

If you want to earn more Chase Ultimate Rewards points, the following cards could make good additions to your wallet.

Chase Sapphire Reserve: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card: Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Ink Business Preferred Credit Card: Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.

If you have one (or more) of the above cards, you can combine your Ultimate Rewards points into a single account. Then, you can effectively convert the cash-back earnings on the following cards into fully transferable Ultimate Rewards points:

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 additional 1.5% on all categories on up to $20,000 spent in the first year. That’s a value of up to $300 cash back.
Ink Business Cash Credit Card: Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first three months after account opening.
Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card: Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first three months after account opening.

According to TPG valuations, Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth 2 cents each when maximized with travel partners. Most Ultimate Rewards transfers will process instantly.

Capital One Miles

Right now, Capital One isn’t running any transfer bonuses.

How to earn Capital One miles

If you want to utilize a future transfer bonus offer, the following Capital One cards could make good additions to your wallet:

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Capital One Spark Miles for Business: Earn 50,000 bonus miles after spending $4,500 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.

TPG’s valuations peg the value of Capital One miles at 1.85 cents each. For more details, check out our guides to the Capital One transfer partners and how to transfer Capital One miles to airline partners. Finally, note that most transfers from Capital One will process instantly.

Citi ThankYou Rewards

Citi ThankYou also isn’t running any transfer bonuses.

How to earn Citi ThankYou points

If you don’t want to miss out on a future bonus offer, these Citi credit cards could make useful additions to your wallet:

Citi Premier® Card: Earn 60,000 ThankYou bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
Citi Rewards+® Card: Earn 25,000 ThankYou bonus points after you spend $1,500 on purchases with your card within the first three months of account opening. Plus, earn a total of 5 ThankYou points on hotel, car rentals and attractions, excluding air travel, on the Citi Travel portal now through June 30, 2024. (Note: you must pair this card with a premium Citi ThankYou card to access a full-fledged, transferable ThankYou points account.)

Based on TPG’s valuations, Citi ThankYou points are worth about 1.8 cents each. However, note that some Citi transfers will not process instantly. So, factor in the transfer time if you’re trying to book an award with scarce availability.

Marriott Bonvoy

Marriott Bonvoy is not running any transfer bonuses at this time.

How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points

If you’re looking to earn more Marriott Bonvoy points, the following Marriott Bonvoy cards may be of interest:

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card: Earn 95,000 bonus points after you use your new card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first three months of cardmembership.
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card: Earn 85,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first three months of cardmembership.
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card: Earn 3 Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after making $3,000 in qualifying purchases within the first three months of cardmembership.
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card: Earn 125,000 bonus points after you use your new card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first three months of cardmembership. This offer ends May 3, 2023.
Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card: Earn 30,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in your first three months from account opening.

TPG’s valuations peg the value of Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.84 cents each. However, before transferring, review our tests of Marriott transfer times, since some airlines take a few days (or even weeks) to receive the miles.

Should you transfer points now?

We only recommend transferring points if you have a short-term plan to use them. After all, many programs have implemented devaluations over the last few years, so any speculative transfers could be a losing proposition.

Transfers are irreversible, so you don’t want to be stuck with thousands of points in a program you have little use for.

If you don’t have a specific redemption in mind but still want to earn miles, you’re likely better off earning rewards through credit card welcome bonuses and everyday spending.

Bottom line

When a transferable currency program offers a transfer bonus, it’s important to run the numbers to see whether it is worthwhile.

Generally, you won’t want to transfer your points without a specific redemption in mind. After all, transferable points are usually more valuable when they remain transferable.

If you use the program frequently or plan to make a redemption soon, utilizing a transfer bonus can help you get more value from your points.

Did we miss any? Feel free to let us know by emailing tips@thepointsguy.com.

Additional reporting by Ehsan Haque, Andrew Kunesh, Katie Genter, Joseph Hostetler, Summer Hull, Liz Hund, Jason Stauffer and Kyle Olsen.