Get Up to 50% More Points with These Current Transfer Bonuses!

Got a stash of transferable points from banks like American Express, Capital One, or Chase? Take advantage of these current transfer bonuses to get even more out of them.

Think of transfer bonuses as a way to get free miles. The big banks routinely roll out bonuses of 10% to as much as 40% – and sometimes even more! – when transferring points to a specific airline or hotel partner. With a 25% transfer bonus, for example, you'd only need to transfer 40,000 points to get the 50,000 miles you may need to book an award ticket.

Here are all the current transfer bonuses available as of publication, broken down by bank.

Wondering why you should transfer your points? Read up on how it can help you book flights for less!

But before you rush to send your points somewhere with a bonus, remember: These transfers are a one-way street. Once you send the points to an airline partner, you cannot get them back to your Capital One, Chase, or other credit card account. That means you'll generally want to have a redemption in mind (and make sure the flights or hotels you want are actually available to book) before transferring your points.

Let's take a closer look at each of the current transfer bonuses and how you may (or may not) want to use them.

20% More Avios on Amex Transfers to Qatar

Right now, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points to Qatar Airways Privilege Club and receive a 20% bonus.

That means if you've got Amex cards like *amex platinum* or the *amex gold* you can take advantage of this transfer bonus. This bonus from Amex runs all the way through the end of March!

Read our full story on the Amex to Qatar Avios transfer bonus! 

Qatar Avios have rapidly become the best way to book the airline's outstanding Qsuites business class seats due to practically non-existent availability booking through partner programs like American AAdvantage miles. By utilizing this transfer bonus, you'd only need to transfer 59,000 points to Qatar to book a one-way ticket from the U.S. all the way to Doha. And trust us: It's worth every single point. 

Since you can combine Avios across all the airlines that earn and use them – including Qatar, British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, and Finnair – this bonus can also be useful for those looking to book awards with British Airways or even help you snag cheap Iberia business class seats to Europe. 

20% Bonus on Chase Transfers to Avios

Chase is currently offering a 20% bonus on Ultimate Rewards transfers to Aer Lingus, British Airways, and Iberia Avios. This 20% transfer bonus to the different flavors of Avios is set to run through March 31.

With this transfer bonus, you can take one of the cheapest ways to fly business class to Europe and make it even cheaper. By flying Spanish flag carrier, Iberia, you can get from one of several U.S. gateways to Madrid (MAD) for just 34,000 Avios plus $130 in taxes and fees one-way – or 29,000 Chase points when combined with this transfer bonus.

Why not fly like this rather than back in economy when you can do it using fewer points?

Read our full review of Iberia business class!

The key to booking these awards is focusing on off-peak travel dates, from cities including Boston (BOS), Washington, D.C.-Dulles (IAD), New York City (JFK), and Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) to Madrid. Since Iberia has a generous definition of what's considered off-peak, you can find these ultra-low rates for a good majority of the year. Only late June through mid-September and the winter holidays (plus a few more random dates throughout the calendar) will trigger higher peak pricing.

Flying lie-flat to Europe for 29,000 points and $130 in fees is tough – if not impossible – to beat.

50% Bonus on Chase Transfers to Marriott Bonvoy

Chase is currently offering a 50% transfer bonus when moving Ultimate Rewards points to Marriott Bonvoy. This transfer bonus runs through March 31, so you've got a few weeks remaining to take advantage.

It's easy to see a 50% bonus and get excited. But be warned that not all points are created equal … especially with hotel points like Marriott. Still, if you have a particular hotel in mind and need to top off your account with a few extra points in order to make it a reality, transferring Ultimate Rewards to Marriott with a 50% bonus is certainly better than the usual 1:1 ratio.

The key to ending up on the right side of this transfer bonus is to do the math before booking. Since you can redeem points through the Chase Travel portal at a rate of 1.25 cents per point with the *chase sapphire preferred* or 1.5 cents per point with the *chase sapphire reserve*, that should be your baseline for determining the value that you're getting with this transfer bonus.

Looking at a one-night stay in downtown Minneapolis, I can book the Minneapolis Marriott City Center for 30,000 Bonvoy points per night. If I didn't already have any Bonvoy points in my account, I'd need to transfer 20,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards with the current transfer bonus in order to have enough points to book this stay.

Since I have the *chase sapphire preferred*, I could also book this hotel through the Chase Travel Portal and get 1.25 cents per point towards the cost of my stay. In this situation, that would cost me nearly 23,000 Ultimate Rewards for the one-night stay. By instead using the current 50% transfer bonus to Marriott, I could use fewer points than I would booking through the travel portal.

But the math changes if I had the *chase sapphire reserve* and got 1.5 cents per point for booking through the Chase Travel portal instead. In that case, I'd be able to book this room for just 19,000 Ultimate Rewards per night, making it a slightly cheaper option.

Another thing to consider when deciding how to book is your elite status level – or lack thereof. If you book through the Chase Travel Portal, you won't receive any elite benefits, earn points, or get elite-night credits for your stay. To some travelers, this won't matter at all … but to others, it could be a total dealbreaker.

Up to 40% Bonus on Capital One Transfers to Etihad Guest Miles

Through the end of March, you can get up to a 40% bonus for moving Capital One miles to Etihad. Unlike most transfer bonuses, this one is being offered directly from Etihad so you won't see it when logged into your Capital One account. 

It's a tiered bonus, depending on how many miles you transfer. Here's how things shake out: 

• Etihad Guest members who transfer up to 9,999 miles, will receive 20% bonus miles.
• Etihad Guest members who transfer above 10,000 to 49,999 miles, will receive 30% bonus miles.
• Etihad Guest members who transfer from 50,000 and above miles, will receive 40% bonus miles. 

Etihad Airways offers one of the most luxurious first class seats in the sky – but flying at the pointy end of the plane doesn't come cheap no matter if you're paying with cash … or miles. With the Airbus A380 and its coveted First Class Apartments moving from New York City (JFK) to Toronto (YYZ) this summer, you could use this bonus to fly to the airline's hub in Abu Dhabi (AUH) or connect to other parts of the world.

A one-way, first class seat from Toronto to Abu Dhabi can be had for a cool 200,000 Guest Miles. After factoring in the up to 40% transfer bonus, you'd only need to transfer 143,000 Capital One miles to make it happen – not exactly cheap, but certainly cheaper.

The catch? Taxes and fees are a whopping $565 in addition to all those miles. And while change fees are reasonable, Etihad charges a punishing cancellation fee if your plans change: You’ll need to forfeit at least 50k miles per person to cancel … or up to 150k if you cancel last-minute.

Business class seats on this same route can be booked for 120,000 Etihad Guest miles each way – or, with this bonus, transferring 86,000 miles (but pay the same $565 in taxes and fees. While neither of these first or business class awards would be considered a steal, this transfer bonus certainly makes flying this world-class airline more attainable.

25% Bonus on Citi Transfers to Avianca LifeMiles

Citi just rolled out a new 25% bonus when moving Citi ThankYou points to Avianca LifeMiles, giving cardholders a way to save even more on Star Alliance award flights. This transfer bonus runs through April 15. 

LifeMiles is the quirky yet underrated mileage program of South American carrier Avianca. While customer service can be spotty at best and even its website is hit or miss, you put up with it because of all the cheap ways to book flights using miles with low cash taxes and fees. That's true even after some nasty devaluations.

While business class flights from the U.S. to Europe on carriers like United, TAP Air Portugal, and Lufthansa will now generally cost you 80,000 miles each way, you can still book SWISS business class from New York City (JFK) to Zurich (ZRH) for just 55,000 miles. With this bonus, you'd need just 44,000 Citi ThankYou points to book.

You'll also find slightly lower pricing on flights operated by Brussels Airlines. This nonstop from New York Cigty (JFK) to Brussels (BRU) still costs 35,000 in economy or 69,000 in business class. With a 25% bonus, you'd be able to book this flight for as few as 28,000 Citi points in economy or just 56,000 in business class. 

While LifeMiles don't go as far as they once did, you can still get a good deal booking with Avianca – and this bonus makes it even better. Just be sure to take advantage before the transfer bonus ends on April 15! 

Read more: Our Complete Guide to Citi ThankYou Points and Partners

Bottom Line

Transfer bonuses can be a great way to get more value from your points and help you realize your dream vacation even sooner. These bonuses are constantly coming and going, so it's important to stay up-to-date on the current promotions before moving your points to ensure you're not leaving any free points on the table.

But it's always best to keep your points flexible until you're ready to book. Due to constant loyalty program devaluations, transferring points without an immediate plan to use them will rarely be a good option.