Learn How to Transfer Points to Frequent Flyer Programs

Transferable points are probably the most valuable points to earn with a credit card. They give more flexibility when you redeem them for travel: unlike airline or hotel points, which can only be used with a specific airline or hotel, transferable points can be transferred to multiple airline or hotel loyalty programs. Plus, points transfer is given in addition to other standard redemption options, including booking travel directly through the issuer without transferring points to loyalty programs.

Sometimes the best value for miles is not the most obvious one. And in the case of redeeming miles to fly on Delta, the answer may come from a totally different loyalty program. You can actually spend fewer miles by redeeming Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points for some Delta flights than it costs to redeem SkyMiles.

Last month, American Express Membership Rewards program restored its point transfer ratio to 1-to-1 for both partner Avios programs: British Airways and Iberia. With a 250-200 conversion for British Airways and a 5-4 conversion for Iberia, transfer ratios left a lot to be desired previously. Shortly after, a new promotion sweetened the deal even further. Amex began offering a 40-percent bonus on all Avios transfers through September 17.

Whether you need to top up your account for an award flight or you have a few unused miles that could be put to good use by someone else, pooling miles is a great way to maximize your buying power. There a number of frequent flyer and credit card rewards programs that allow you to transfer points to other members, but each loyalty program has its own rules.

Starwood Preferred Guest is an excellent reward program because of its incredible flexibility. It has more airline transfer partners than any other program, including American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards and Citi ThankYou. On top of that, some of those airlines partner only with SPG. In this post, we’ll look at why you should consider transferring your valuable Starpoints to two of those exclusive airline partners: American Airlines and Japan Airlines (JAL).

Starwood Preferred Guest is a hotel loyalty program, but it’s different from other hotel programs. It allows members to transfer Starpoints to most of its 36 partner airlines at a 1:1 ratio. Plus, you’ll get a 5,000-mile bonus for every 20,000 Starpoints you transfer to a frequent flyer program.

One way to quickly build up a stash of frequent flyer miles is to take advantage of limited-time offers the airlines promote. Oftentimes, airlines like Avianca and banks like American Express will offer a bonus scheme when you transfer miles between accounts. That means you may earn a bonus when you transfer your miles to your husband’s account, or to a friend or child. Sometimes the deals aren’t worth it but when they are, you can leverage the promotion to earn plenty of free travel for yourself and potentially others. Let’s look at this method of earning loyalty currency.

Have you ever wanted to transfer points or miles to another person? Maybe a family or friend needs a few extra miles to get an award ticket. Or perhaps you want to send points to a relative so they can buy a ticket to visit you. What are the restrictions on transferring points to other people, and how strictly are they enforced?

If you’re amassing American Express Membership Rewards points, it’s because you know how valuable it is to have flexible points that can be transferred to a number of different airlines and hotel chains, or even used to pay down the cost of a trip booked through American Express’ travel portal. If you’ve got Membership Rewards points and you want to book a getaway to Hawaii, look no further than transferring those points to Hawaiian Airlines’ loyalty program: HawaiianMiles.

Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) points  are easy to transfer for flights. As an added incentive they offer 5,000 bonus miles for every 20,000 you transfer. They have 32 airline partners including several international carriers.

Citi ThankYou points are easy to redeem for flights. The program has 12 airline transfer partners to choose from.

Transferring American Express Membership Rewards points to an airline loyalty program is simple. Amex has 16 different transfer partners to choose from.

Citi ThankYou Rewards is a flexible reward program that competes with American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards and Diners Club Rewards. Citi ThankYou points can be redeemed in a variety of ways.

Chase Ultimate Rewards is a very flexible reward program that competes with American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards and Diners Club Rewards. There are several ways you can use Chase Ultimate Rewards points, but the two most valuable, at least for frequent travelers, are transferring them to airline partners and booking travel through the Ultimate Rewards website.

One of the most powerful tools you have when it comes to making the most of your miles and points is the strategic use of transfers.