For years, my husband and I enjoyed the occasional free stay using Hilton Points, thanks to his work travel. We’d attach his Hilton Honors loyalty number to every employer-paid stay, accumulating enough points for solid, mid-tier hotels like Embassy Suites or Hampton Inns on our annual trip. These points helped us save money and made our vacations more enjoyable, but there were limits—we were tied to one hotel brand and didn’t yet understand the flexibility of transferable points for travel rewards.
His work travel wasn’t frequent enough to accumulate the points we wanted for bigger trips, and we weren’t willing to pay out of pocket for extra stays just to boost our balance. While we considered getting a Hilton credit card, we didn’t understand the full value output (the annual fee) compared to the full value input (points and other benefits received).
Then I discovered transferable points, and everything changed. Suddenly, I realized there was a way to earn more points, beyond the limits of a single loyalty program. These flexible rewards opened up a world of possibilities we never knew existed, including more travel and better travel.
In this article, I’ll share what transferable points are, why they’re such a powerful tool for maximizing travel rewards, and how they can help you turn everyday spending into next-level travel experiences.
What’s the point? 😉 You’ll see!
What Are Transferable Points and How Do They Work?
Transferable points are a type of travel reward that allows you to transfer points to various hotel and airline partners. They are offered within established and trusted bank rewards programs.
Non-Transferable Points vs. Transferable Points
- Non-Transferable Points: These are specific to a loyalty program. For example:
- Marriott Bonvoy Points: Can only be used for Marriott-related bookings.
- United MileagePlus Miles: Can only be used for United Airlines or its redemption options.
- Transferable Points: These can be pooled from a bank’s rewards program and sent to a variety of partners. For example:
- American Express Membership Rewards: Transferable to airlines like Delta or hotels like Hilton.
- Chase Ultimate Rewards: Transferable to partners like Hyatt, Southwest, and United.
Co-Branded Cards vs. Transferable Points Cards
- Co-Branded Cards: Cards like the (American Express) Hilton cards or the (Chase) Southwest cards earn points or miles within those specific loyalty programs. They offer non-transferable points.
- Transferable Points Cards: Cards like the Capital One Venture cards or the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve cards earn flexible points that can be transferred to various partners (more details about the programs offering these cards below).
Transferable and non-transferable points from co-branded and transferable points cards can all be used in harmony, thereby increasing your options for earning.
Top Programs Offering Transferable Points
- Chase Ultimate Rewards
- Top Cards: Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve.
- American Express Membership Rewards
- Top Cards: AmEx Gold, Platinum, Blue Business Plus.
- Citi ThankYou Points
- Top Cards: Citi Premier, Citi Prestige.
- Capital One Miles
- Top Cards: Venture X, Venture Rewards.
- Wells FargoPoints Transfer Program
- Top cards: Autograph, Autograph Journey
- Bilt Rewards (Supported by Wells Fargo, but with it’s own program and transfer partners)
- Unique: Earn points on rent payments with the Bilt Mastercard.
Why Are Transferable Points So Valuable?
1. Flexibility
First, Transferable points allow you to build a pool of points and send them to different hotel and airline partners. You can transfer some of your points to book a hotel stay and some to book a flight, dividing and transferring them as needed.
For example:
- With Citi Thank You Points, you can transfer points to Choice Privileges for a hotel stay and/or to Air France Flying Blue for a flight.
- Combining points from multiple programs (e.g., AmEx and Capital One) to a shared partner like Virgin Atlantic can help you utilize your points and miles to their maximum value.
2. Higher Redemption Value
The flexibility is great, but can you get MORE value for each point by going this direction? Absolutely! Bank travel portals often offer a fixed value for each point. If you know where or HOW to look, you can often find much better redemptions with the partners directly. Below, I will show you some great examples of how transferring your points and booking through partners can provide far outsized value compared to booking through bank travel portals.
3. Variety of Transfer Partners
In addition, each rewards program has a unique set of transfer partners, allowing you to tailor your redemptions to your travel needs. Here are some of the notable travel partners for each program:
Chase Ultimate Rewards
- Airlines: United Airlines, Southwest, JetBlue, Virgin Atlantic, Emirates, Air Canada (Aeroplan), Air France-KLM (Flying Blue), British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, and Singapore Airlines.
- Hotels: Hyatt, Marriott Bonvoy, IHG Rewards.
American Express Membership Rewards
- Airlines: Delta, Hawaiian Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Emirates, Air France-KLM (Flying Blue), British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Singapore Airlines, ANA, Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Etihad, Avianca, Aeromexico, and more.
- Hotels: Hilton, Marriott Bonvoy, Choice Privileges.
Capital One Miles
- Airlines: Air Canada (Aeroplan), Avianca, British Airways, Air France-KLM (Flying Blue), Emirates, Etihad, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, Qantas, and others.
- Hotels: Wyndham, Choice Privileges, Accor.
Citi ThankYou Points
- Airlines: Air France-KLM (Flying Blue), Avianca, Turkish Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Etihad, EVA Air, and others.
- Hotels: Choice Privileges, Wyndham.
Wells Fargo Rewards
- Airlines: Aer Lingus, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Avianca Lifemiles, British Airways Executive Club, Iberia, Virgin Atlantic
- Hotels: Choice Privileges
Bilt Rewards
- Airlines: American Airlines, United Airlines, Air France-KLM (Flying Blue), Emirates, Hawaiian Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Turkish Airlines, and more.
- Hotels: Hyatt, IHG Rewards, and Wyndham.
Overlapping Transfer Partners
Some programs share common partners, thus making it easier to combine points from different banks toward a single loyalty program.
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue: Available with Chase, AmEx, Capital One, Citi, Wells Fargo, and Bilt.
- British Airways Avios: Available with Chase, AmEx, Capital One, Citi, Bilt, and Wells Fargo.
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer: Available with Chase, AmEx, Capital One, Citi, Wells Fargo.
- Emirates Skywards: Available with Chase, AmEx, Capital One, Citi, and Bilt.
- Virgin Atlantic: Available with Chase, AmEx, Capital One, Citi, and Bilt.
Transfer Ratios
Most points transfer from their respective bank program to the loyalty account point for point (1:1 ratio), but some have a slightly different transfer ratio. For example, Hilton transfers from American Express to Hilton at a 2:1 ratio, meaning for every American Express point you transfer to Hilton, you will get 2 Hilton points.
Transfer Bonuses
Often, bank rewards programs will offer promotions where they will include a transfer bonus if you transfer your points to s specified partner. For example:
- Chase may offer a 20% transfer bonus to Aeroplan. That means for every 100 points you transfer from Chase to Aeroplan, you will get an extra 20 points in your Aeroplan account.
How to Earn Transferable Points
1. Sign-Up Bonuses
Earn a significant chunk of points by meeting the spending requirements after opening a card. For example:
- Spend $4,000 in 3 months and earn 60,000 points.
2. Category Bonuses
Some cards offer bonus points for specific categories like dining, travel, or groceries.
3. Referral Bonuses
Invite friends to apply for a card and earn bonus points when they’re approved.
4. Shopping Portals
Earn extra points by shopping through an online portal that earns transferable or non-transferable points. For example:
- Bank Portals
- Hotel and Airline Portals
- Third-Party Portals
Strategies for Maximizing Value in the way that fits YOU
Due to the incredible flexibility of transferable points, you can use them in a way that fits your lifestyle and travel goals. Do you prioritize taking more trips in economy seats and clean, simple hotel rooms? There are partners for that. Do you value building up your points so you can book the most comfortable lie-flat seat and stay at the most glamorous five star resorts? There are partners for that too….and everything in between.
Determine your travel goals and if there are particular partners you would like to focus on. If so, research which programs can get you where you want to go and which credit cards can help you get there.
Discover the true power of points and miles as I highlight two of the popular “sweet spots” in travel rewards—exceptional redemptions that offer outsized value. Plus, I’ll show you how booking them this way is like an automatic coupon, lowering your points price and delivering you more value.
Example 1: Hotels and Resorts
Grand Hyatt Kauai, Hawaii
The Grand Hyatt Kauai is an award category 7 resort. Hyatt is a transfer partner of Chase so you can use Chase Ultimate Rewards to pay for your stay. Here is an example of the cost in both cash and points when booked via the Chase travel portal and the Hyatt website. This example uses the same date (February 17-18, 2025) for a one night stay in a standard 2 Queen room.
Booking in the Chase Travel Portal:
Cash
Non-refundable: $1,116
Refundable and Breakfast Included: $1,282
Points
Non-refundable: 84,084 plus $65 (taxes and fees)
Refundable and Breakfast Included: 97,380 plus $65 (taxes and fees)
Transferring Chase Points to Hyatt and Booking via the Hyatt Website:
Cash $1,063.36
Points: 35,000
To recap, here are the different ways you can book and the prices that correspond with those methods of booking:
- Chase Travel Portal:
Points: minimum of 84,084 Chase points plus $65 taxes and fees
Cash: $1,116 in cash (non-refundable option)
- Chase Ultimate Reward Points Transferred to Hyatt and Booked via Hyatt
Hyatt Points: 35,000 points
Cash: $1,063
Key Differences Between Booking Methods
Booking Directly with Hyatt Using Hyatt Points
- Flexible Cancellation Policies:
- You’ll typically receive a full refund of your points if you cancel at least 48 hours before your stay. However, always check the specific cancellation policy for your chosen property.
- No Additional Fees:
- Hyatt bookings using points don’t incur taxes, fees, or resort fees.
- Breakfast and Perks:
- Breakfast is not automatically included unless:
- You hold elite status with Hyatt.
- You book a specific room type that includes breakfast (requires more points).
- Breakfast is not automatically included unless:
Booking via Chase Travel Portal
- Higher point cost compared to transferring points.
- Taxes and fees are an additional expense.
- You must pay for more flexibility for cancellations and refunds.
See how much your favorite Hyatt property would be in points here.
Example 2: Flights
Emirates Business Class (with Lounge Access) to Italy
This exact flight was my very FIRST international business class flight points redemption and it ruined me for all other flights. This flight includes a lie flat comfy seat, plenty of legroom, handy amenity kits, and of course free food and drinks from the lounge to the flight. I even took a private shower in the lounge before I hopped on the plane! This is not the cheapest points redemption, but the value you get from each point is eye-opening.
This example uses the same date (February 17-18, 2025) for a one-way business flex flight from JFK to Milan (MXP).
Booking in the American Express Travel Portal:
Cash Price: $4,161.00
Points Price: 416,100
American Express Membership Rewards transferred to Emirates and booked via the Emirates website
Cash value $2862.00
Points: 87,000 plus $106 (taxes and fees)
To recap, here are the different ways you can book and the prices that correspond with those methods of booking:
- American Express Travel Portal
Cash: $4,161.00 or
Points: 416,100
- Transfer AmEx Membership Rewards Points to Emirates and book with Emirates
Cash: $2,862.00
Skywards Miles: 87,000 miles (plus $106)
Want to check out where you can go on Emirates? Check here by clicking “Classic Rewards”.
What these examples show
As you can see, pricing can vary in cash or points depending on the method of booking. Did you know there could be THIS much of a difference though? People who use points and miles just know to look at all of the different ways to book. Though it isn’t a fast and hard rule, generally the method of transferring pooled bank program points to a hotel or airline chain can get you outsized value. These examples show that, but this same principle doesn’t just apply to expensive or luxury products. You can see this in domestic stays or flights, flights from economy to first class, budget hotels to top of the line.
Packing It Up!
Transferable points have revolutionized the way my family travels. They provide the freedom to choose, the potential for more travel, and the ability to maximize every point earned. Furthermore, by understanding how these programs work, you can turn everyday spending into incredible travel experiences.
So, whether you’re planning a dream vacation or just want to stretch your travel budget further, transferable points are your key to unlocking endless possibilities.
Learn more about 5 Common Assumptions about Utilizing Points and Miles
Have questions or tips about transferable points? Drop them in the comments—I’d love to hear your thoughts!
FAQs
Which Transferable Points Program is Best for Beginners?
Chase Ultimate Rewards is often recommended for beginners due to its ease of use, different card options, and variety of travel partners. The program offers a straightforward interface and numerous opportunities to stack points, making it an excellent choice for those new to transferable points.
Are There Any Fees for Transferring Points to Partners?
In most cases, no. However, there is one notable exception: American Express charges a small excise tax offset fee of $0.0006 per point when transferring to domestic airline partners. This fee does not apply to international airlines or hotel partners but is something to consider when planning your redemptions.
What If the Airline I Want to Fly Is Not a Direct Partner of Any Program?
You can still book flights on carriers that are not direct partners through their alliance or codeshare relationships (it’s less complicated than it sounds!) For example, I transferred points to Virgin Atlantic to book a flight on their website, but the actual flight was operated by ITA Airways. Similarly, American Airlines miles can be used to book Japan Airlines flights, even though JAL is not directly connected to bank rewards programs. These “sweet spot” redemptions are one of the best ways to maximize value.
Is Booking Flights with Miles Different from Booking with Cash?
Yes, booking flights with miles is different from booking with cash, and flexibility is key. To find the best value, you often need to search for one-way flights separately, explore various dates, and focus on specific routes served by partner airlines.
For example, when I booked an Emirates flight to Italy, I knew that Emirates and its partners did not service my home airport (RDU). Instead, I identified a direct Emirates route from JFK to Milan. By searching for this specific route, I easily found and booked the flight. Then, I added a separate positioning flight from RDU to JFK, ensuring enough time to enjoy the Emirates lounge before the long-haul journey to Milan.
Being open to adjustments like these can unlock significant value. To identify partner airline routes and opportunities, a quick Google search or exploring airline alliance networks can provide the information you need.
