Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers; some offers may be expired.
If you truly want to maximize your points and miles, periodic transfer bonuses can offer lucrative opportunities for fantastic award redemptions. You can sometimes get significantly more value from your rewards by transferring them to a specific airline or hotel partner during one of these bonuses.
However, these are limited-time offers, so act fast if you find one that suits your travel plans.
We’ve compiled the transfer bonuses for the major programs with transferable rewards to make tracking these offers easier. Just note that transfer bonuses are sometimes targeted, so some may not be available to you.
American Express Membership Rewards transfer bonus
‘Tis the season for transfer bonuses — at least, if you collect American Express Membership Rewards.
American Express is currently offering an enticing 40% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. That means if you transfer 9,000 Membership Rewards points, you’d end up with 12,600 Virgin points. This is enough for a round-trip Saver economy seat from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Heathrow Airport (LHR), as one-way fare prices start as low as 6,000 Virgin points.
Virgin recently overhauled the Flying Club program, introducing dynamic pricing and some excellent deals. With Amex’s 40% transfer bonus running through Dec. 31, this month is the perfect time to plan an award trip on Virgin Airlines.
Amex is also offering 15% bonus points on transfers to Avianca LifeMiles, which is a particularly useful program for domestic travel, through Dec. 31.
| Partner program | Transfer bonus | Effective transfer ratio | Dates |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 40% | 1:1.4 | Until Dec. 31 |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 15% | 1:1.15 | Until Dec. 31 |
Related: How I booked lie-flat business-class seats to London for just 21,000 points
How to earn American Express Membership Rewards points
If you’re looking to earn more of these valuable points, the following Amex cards could be useful additions to your wallet:
- The Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $8,000 on your new card in your first six months of cardmembership.
- American Express® Gold Card: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of cardmembership.
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $20,000 on eligible purchases with your card in the first three months of cardmembership.
Check the CardMatch tool to see if you’re targeted for an even higher welcome offer (subject to change at any time).
You can also earn extra Membership Rewards points when you enroll in Amex Offers and shop with Rakuten.
Based on TPG’s December 2024 valuations, Membership Rewards points are worth 2 cents each, and our tests indicate that they transfer instantly to most of Amex’s transfer partners.
Related: How to redeem American Express Membership Rewards points for maximum value
Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer bonus
Chase Ultimate Rewards just launched three exciting transfer bonuses to help you stretch your points. All of these are available now through Jan. 15.
You can get a 20% bonus when you transfer Ultimate Rewards points to Air Canada Aeroplan. Additionally, cardholders of the Aeroplan® Credit Card can get an extra 10% bonus when transferring 50,000 points or more. Since Chase points typically transfer to Aeroplan at a 1:1 ratio, this means you could get up to a 1:1.3 ratio. There are many ways to redeem Aeroplan points for maximum value, and the program even lets you add a stopover for only 5,000 points.
You can also earn 20% bonus miles when you transfer your points to Air France-KLM Flying Blue. If you’re considering flying to Europe or Canada via Flying Blue’s December Promo Rewards, this transfer bonus could save you even more points.
Lastly, Chase is running a 70% transfer bonus to IHG One Rewards. This may sound like a big number, but remember that TPG values IHG points much lower than Chase points. TPG’s December 2024 valuations peg Chase points at 2.05 cents each and IHG One Rewards points at 0.5 cents each. Thus, if you transferred 1,000 Chase points (worth $20.50) with the current transfer bonus, your resulting 1,700 IHG points would be worth only $8.50. You’ll be losing some value from your points, so we recommend only transferring them if you have a specific redemption in mind.
| Partner program | Transfer bonus | Effective transfer ratio | Dates |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | 20% | Up to 1:1.3 | Ends Jan. 15 |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | 20% | 1:1.2 | Ends Jan. 15 |
| IHG One Rewards | 70% | 1:1.7 | Ends Jan. 15 |
How to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points
If you want to earn more Chase Ultimate Rewards points, the following Chase 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.
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card: Earn 90,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
If you have one (or more) of the above cards, you can combine your Ultimate Rewards points in 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 $200 cash back after spending $500 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- Chase Freedom Unlimited®: Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy in the first year (on up to $20,000 spent), worth up to $300 cash back.
- Ink Business Cash® Credit Card: Earn up to $750 bonus cash back: $350 after 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 from account opening.
- Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card: Earn $750 bonus cash back after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
According to TPG’s December 2024 valuations, Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth 2.05 cents each when maximized with travel partners. Most Ultimate Rewards transfers will process instantly.
Related: How to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points for maximum value
Capital One transfer bonus
Unfortunately, Capital One is not offering any transfer bonuses at the moment.
How to earn Capital One miles
If you’re looking to earn more transferable miles, the following Capital One cards are solid options to consider:
- 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 within 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 from account opening.
TPG’s December 2024 valuations peg Capital One miles at 1.85 cents apiece, and most transfers from Capital One will process instantly.
For more details, check out our guides to the Capital One transfer partners and how to transfer Capital One miles to airline and hotel partners.
Citi ThankYou Rewards transfer bonus
Citi ThankYou Rewards isn’t offering any transfer bonuses right now.
How to earn Citi ThankYou Rewards points
These Citi credit cards could make useful additions to your wallet for earning Citi ThankYou Rewards points:
- Citi Strata Premier℠ Card (see rates and fees): Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases with your card within three months from account opening.
- Citi Rewards+® Card (see rates and fees): Earn 20,000 bonus points after you spend $1,500 within three months from account opening. Plus, earn 5 bonus ThankYou Rewards points per dollar spent on hotels, car rentals, and attractions via the Citi travel portal through Dec. 31, 2025. (Note: You must pair this card with a premium Citi ThankYou card to access a full-fledged, transferable ThankYou points account.)
Marriott Bonvoy transfer bonus
Marriott Bonvoy is currently not offering any transfer bonuses.
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 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership.
- Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card: Earn three free night awards (up to 50,000 points each) after spending $3,000 on eligible purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card: Earn three free night awards after spending $6,000 on eligible purchases in the first six months of card membership. Each free night award has a redemption level of up to 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy. Resort fees and terms apply.
- Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card: Earn 30,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
According to TPG’s December 2024 valuations, Marriott Bonvoy points are worth 0.85 cents each. Before transferring points, review our tests of Marriott transfer times, since some airlines take a few days (or even weeks) to receive the points.
Related: Marriott Bonvoy program: How to redeem points for hotel stays, airfare and more
Should you transfer points?
We only recommend transferring points or miles if you have a short-term plan to use them. Many programs have implemented devaluations over the last few years, so any speculative transfers could be a losing proposition.
Transfers are irreversible, and you don’t want to be stuck with thousands of points or miles in a program you have little use for.
If you don’t have a specific redemption in mind but still want to earn points or miles, you’re likely better off earning rewards through card welcome bonuses and everyday spending.
And we always recommend you ensure award availability before transferring your rewards.
Bottom line
When a program with a transferable currency offers a transfer bonus, it is important to run the numbers to determine whether it is worthwhile.
Generally, you won’t want to transfer your points or miles without a specific redemption in mind. After all, a large part of the value of transferable points and miles comes from their flexibility — which you’ll give up the moment you convert them to a partner’s currency. However, a transfer bonus can help you get more value from your points and miles if you use a partner program frequently or plan to redeem soon.