When you earn Chase Ultimate Rewards or Amex Membership Rewards, you're not earning airline miles. You're earning a flexible currency that can become airline miles — or hotel points — when you decide to use them.
That's what a transfer partner is: a loyalty program you can send your points to, usually at a 1:1 ratio, when you're ready to book.
Understanding transfer partners is what separates casual points collectors from people who fly business class for $150.
How It Works
Without transfer partners:
You earn Delta SkyMiles on the Delta card. You can only use those miles on Delta flights or Delta partners. No flexibility. No ability to shop for the best deal across programs.
With transfer partners:
You earn Chase UR on the Sapphire Preferred. When you find a great award on United, you transfer to United. When you find a great hotel deal at the Park Hyatt, you transfer to Hyatt instead. You earn once and decide later — based on where the best value is.
That optionality is worth real money. It's the difference between being locked into one program's pricing and being able to shop across a dozen programs for the best rate.
Chase Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partners
Transfer ratio: 1:1 on all partners. Transfers are typically instant.
Airlines:
Partner | What it's good for |
|---|---|
United MileagePlus | Domestic US, transatlantic, Japan (Star Alliance) |
British Airways Avios | Short-haul AA flights, Iberia for Madrid routes |
Air Canada Aeroplan | Star Alliance, no fuel surcharges, excellent partner rates |
Air France/Flying Blue | Delta flights, transatlantic on Air France |
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | Singapore Suites (top of the market) |
Southwest Rapid Rewards | Domestic + Hawaii, feeds Companion Pass |
Iberia Avios | Europe routes, especially Madrid/BA codeshares |
Aer Lingus Avios | Transatlantic via Dublin |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | ANA business class to Japan (sweet spot) |
Avianca LifeMiles | Star Alliance bookings at competitive fixed rates |
Air France/KLM Flying Blue | Transatlantic; monthly promo award pricing |
Hotels:
Partner | What it's good for |
|---|---|
World of Hyatt | Best hotel transfer in the game — Park Hyatt properties |
IHG One Rewards | Mid-tier hotel coverage globally |
Marriott Bonvoy | Broad coverage, but mediocre transfer value |
The headline redemption: Chase UR → World of Hyatt → Park Hyatt Tokyo, Milan, or Bali at 25,000–40,000 points/night for $600–1,200 cash rooms. Consistently 2.5–4.0 cpp.
🔗 Check current transfer bonuses → Transfer Bonus Alerts
Amex Membership Rewards Transfer Partners
Transfer ratio: 1:1 on most airline partners. Some transfers take 1–3 days. Small fee on Delta transfers (~$0.06/100 points, max $99).
Airlines (17 total):
Partner | What it's good for |
|---|---|
Delta SkyMiles | Delta flights (when rate is reasonable) |
Air France/Flying Blue | Transatlantic via AF, Delta partner awards; monthly Promo Awards |
ANA Mileage Club | Japan/Asia business class |
Avianca LifeMiles | Star Alliance bookings at competitive fixed rates |
Air Canada Aeroplan | Star Alliance, no fuel surcharges |
British Airways Avios | Short-haul AA flights, Iberia for Madrid routes |
Iberia Avios | Europe routes |
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | Premium cabin to Asia (5:4 ratio) |
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | Singapore Suites — best First Class in the world |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | ANA First/Business class to Japan |
Etihad Guest | Middle East routing, Star Alliance partners |
Emirates Skywards | Emirates First Class (5:4 ratio) |
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles | Star Alliance business class to Europe at low rates |
JetBlue TrueBlue | Domestic/Caribbean (250:200 ratio) |
Qantas Frequent Flyer | Australia/Pacific routing |
Qatar Airways Avios | Oneworld partner bookings |
Aer Lingus Avios | Transatlantic via Dublin |
Hotels:
Partner | What it's good for |
|---|---|
Hilton Honors | Good on high-end Waldorf Astoria / Conrad properties (1:2) |
Marriott Bonvoy | Broad coverage — mediocre value vs direct earn |
The headline redemptions:
Amex MR → Flying Blue → Air France business class transatlantic (less during monthly Promo Rewards)
Amex MR → Virgin Atlantic → ANA First/Business class to Japan (~60,000–90,000 Virgin miles)
Bilt Rewards Transfer Partners
Transfer ratio: 1:1 on all partners. Bilt has the largest airline partner list of any transferable currency — 18 airlines.
Key airline partners:
Partner | What it's good for |
|---|---|
Alaska Airlines Atmos | Best fixed-rate AA metal bookings, broad domestic network |
Air Canada Aeroplan | Star Alliance, excellent partner rates |
United MileagePlus | Same as Chase — domestic US, Star Alliance |
American Airlines AAdvantage | The only major transferable currency that goes to AA |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | ANA First/Business class to Japan |
Air France/Flying Blue | Transatlantic, monthly Promo Awards |
British Airways Avios | Short-haul AA flights, European routes |
Emirates Skywards | Emirates First Class |
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles | Cheap Star Alliance business class to Europe |
Hotels:
Partner | What it's good for |
|---|---|
World of Hyatt | Same as Chase — Park Hyatt properties at 1:1 |
Marriott Bonvoy | Broad coverage |
Hilton Honors | Waldorf/Conrad properties |
IHG One Rewards | Mid-tier global coverage |
Wyndham Rewards | Budget-friendly hotel coverage |
Why Bilt matters: It's the only card that earns on rent — and the only transferable currency with American Airlines as a partner. If you're a renter, you're earning Bilt points whether you think about it or not. Might as well transfer them strategically.
Capital One Miles Transfer Partners
Transfer ratio: 1:1 on most. Capital One has quietly built a solid partner list.
Key partners:
Air Canada Aeroplan (Star Alliance — great for US → Europe, Asia)
Flying Blue (same transatlantic value as Amex/Chase paths)
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles (Star Alliance — excellent business class rates to Europe)
Avianca LifeMiles
Wyndham (hotel)
Preferred Hotels I Prefer
The standout: Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles has some of the cheapest Star Alliance business class pricing in the world. Business class to Europe through Turkish can price at 45,000–55,000 miles one way — a fraction of what United would charge for the same seat. Capital One transfers to Turkish 1:1.
The Transfer Process (Step by Step)
Build your currency — earn Chase UR, Amex MR, or Capital One Miles through spend and signup bonuses
Find award availability — search the partner program's website before transferring anything
Confirm seats are bookable — look for availability in your target cabin class
Transfer points — go to your credit card portal and initiate the transfer (usually instant for airlines)
Book immediately after the transfer posts — award availability can disappear
Critical rule: Never transfer speculatively. Transfer only when you have confirmed availability and are ready to book. Transfers are almost always irreversible.
Transfer Bonuses: Free Points
Periodically, issuers offer transfer bonuses — 20%, 30%, or 40% extra points when you transfer to a specific partner. Chase offered a 30% bonus to Wyndham in March 2026. Amex offered 15% to Avianca LifeMiles the same month.
These bonuses can turn 100,000 Amex MR into 115,000 Avianca LifeMiles — free extra miles for moving money you were going to move anyway.
🔗 See all current transfer bonuses → Transfer Bonus Alerts
Why This Beats Airline Miles
Delta SkyMiles can only go one place: Delta (and SkyTeam partners at mediocre rates).
Chase UR can go to 14 different programs — airline or hotel — at 1:1. Whatever the best deal is when you're ready to book, that's where you send the points.
Flexibility has real dollar value. A Chase UR point is worth at least 1.0 cpp as straight cashback — a floor that most airline miles don't have. But with the right transfer, that same point is worth 2.5–4.0 cpp in business class hotel or flight redemptions.
That's the game. Earn the flexible stuff. Deploy it where the value is highest.
🔗 What are your points actually worth? → Points Valuation
🔗 Understand all the rules → The Rulebook
— Austin 🤌