Collecting miles and points is incredibly fun, but what’s even better is redeeming them for amazing value. The best strategy to get maximum value from your miles/points is to make sure you’re collecting them with major Transferable Bank Points Programs, these include American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Citi ThankYou Points. Marriott Bonvoy is also a major transferable points program/currency but we will discuss that in another article.
The beauty of these programs is that you can collect points and keep them in each respective bank program and then transfer these points to airlines or hotels when it comes time to book. The main benefit is the wide range of choices you have with each program. If airline A has no availability, then airline B might and you can easily transfer to whichever partner has the best flight or hotel option for you.
redeem transferable bank points for First Class
Transferable Bank Points Programs Details
Each Transferable Points Program/Currency has their own transfer ratio – usually 1 point with Transferable Bank Points Programs equals 1 mile/point with their transfer partner (airline/hotel), but there are exceptions.
The time it takes to transfer points from Transferable Bank Points Programs to an airline/hotel depends on both the program you are transferring from and the airline/hotel you are moving your points to. In most cases when transferring from a Bank Program, transfer times are instant but there are a few exceptions. It is important to note that there can be times where points do not transfer instantly even though they have in the past/are supposed to – this can be due to scheduled maintenance, issues between programs communicating, etc.
Listed below are the transfer partners of the four major Transferable Bank Points Programs in the United States along with the transfer ratio and transfer times (if not listed, transfer time is usually instant).
American Express Membership Rewards
- Aer Lingus AerClub (1:1)
- Aeromexico Club Premier (1:1.6) – approx. transfer time is 3-5 days
- Air Canada Aeroplan (1:1)
- Air France/KLM Flying Blue (1:1)
- ANA All Nippon Airways Mileage Club (1:1) – approx. transfer time is 2-3 days
- Avianca LifeMiles (1:1)
- British Airways Executive Club (1:1)
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles (1:1)
- Choice Privileges (1:1)
- Delta Air Lines SkyMiles (1:1)
- Emirates Air Line Skywards (1:1)
- Etihad Airways Etihad Guest (1:1)
- Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles (1:1)
- Hilton Honors (1:2)
- Iberia Plus (1:1) – approx. transfer time is 1-2 days
- jetBlue Airways TrueBlue (0.25:0.2)
- Marriott Bonvoy (1:1)
- Qantas Airways Frequent Flyer (1:1)
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (1:1) – approx. transfer time is 1 day
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (1:1)
Capital One Rewards
- Accor Live Limitless (2:1) – approx. transfer time is 1 day
- Aeromexico Club Premier (1:1)
- Air Canada Aeroplan (1:1)
- Air France/KLM Flying Blue (1:1)
- Avianca LifeMiles (1:1)
- British Airways Executive Club (1:1)
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles (1:1) – approx. transfer time is 4-5 days
- Choice Privileges (1:1)
- Emirates Air Line Skywards (1:1)
- Etihad Airways Etihad Guest (1:1) – approx. transfer time is 1 day
- EVA Air Infinity MileageLands (2:1.5) – approx. transfer time is 1.5 days
- Finnair Plus (1:1)
- Qantas Airways Frequent Flyer (1:1) – approx. transfer time is 1 day
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (1:1) – approx. transfer time is 1.5 days
- TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go (1:1)
- Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles (1:1)
- Virgin Red (1:1)
- Wyndham Rewards (1:1)
Chase Ultimate Rewards
- Aer Lingus AerClub (1:1)
- Air Canada Aeroplan (1:1)
- Air France/KLM Flying Blue (1:1)
- British Airways Executive Club (1:1)
- Emirates Air Line Skywards (1:1)
- Iberia Plus (1:1)
- IHG One Rewards (1:1) – approx. transfer time is 1 day
- jetBlue Airways TrueBlue (1:1)
- Marriott Bonvoy (1:1) – approx. transfer time is 1-2 days
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (1:1) – approx. transfer time is 1-2 days
- Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards (1:1)
- United Airlines MileagePlus (1:1)
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (1:1)
- World of Hyatt (1:1)
Citi ThankYou Points
- Aeromexico Club Premier (1:1)
- Air France/KLM Flying Blue (1:1)
- Avianca LifeMiles (1:1)
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles (1:1)
- Choice Privileges (1:2 or 1:1.5 depending on which card you have)
- Emirates Air Line Skywards (1:1)
- Etihad Airways Etihad Guest (1:1)
- EVA Air Infinity MileageLands (1:1) – approx. transfer time is 2-3 days
- jetBlue Airways TrueBlue (1:1 or 1:0.8 depending on which card you have)
- Qantas Airways Frequent Flyer (1:1)
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club (1:1) – approx. transfer time is 1-2 days
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (1:1) – approx. transfer time is 1 day
- THAI Airways Royal Orchid Plus (1:1) – approx. transfer time is 1 week
- Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles (1:1) – approx. transfer time is 1 day
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (1:1)
- Wyndham Rewards (1:1 or 1:0.8 depending on which card you have)
see the world with transferable bank points
All in All
When collecting miles and points, it is important to diversify your points portfolio – that way when it comes time to book, you have a wide variety of options and aren’t stuck with having airline miles or hotels points in one program. Best of all, points located in Transferable Points Bank Programs never expire as long as you have the associated account/credit card open.
Remember that you should always first verify award availability before making a transfer from a bank program to an airline/hotel program. Make sure to have 2-3 backup options in case the transfer is not instant or if someone else is quicker and books up your desired award. Lastly, keep in mind that once you transfer points from a bank program, they cannot be transferred back.