Your Guide to Transferring Credit Card Points to Hotels and Airlines
by Krish Patel
Having the ability to transfer your credit card points to a variety of hotel and airline transfer partners really helps you maximize your travel. For example, if one airline or hotel program devalues, you can just as easily switch to another program to complete your booking. If one airline doesn’t have award availability, you can search for another airline with more space before transferring any points. In this guide, we’ll break down credit card points that transfer to hotel and airline partners, including transfer ratios and how to earn transferable points.
How Do You Earn Transferable Credit Card Points?
Before transfering your points to complete your booking, you’ll need to earn enough points. The easiest way to rack up transferable points is to spend on a points-earning credit card.
Chase Ultimate Rewards
The following three credit cards earn transferable Chase Ultimate Rewards points at the following earning rates and come with the following annual fees:
Chase Sapphire Reserve ($550 annual fee):
10 points per dollar on rental cars and hotels booked through Chase Travel, 5 points per dollar on flights booked through Chase Travel, 3 points per dollar on all other travel and dining purchases, and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases
Chase Sapphire Preferred ($95 annual fee):
5 points per dollar on purchases through Chase Travel, 3 points per dollar on dining purchases, select streaming services, and select grocery purchases online, 2 points per dollar on all other travel purchases, and 1 point per dollar on everything else
Ink Business Preferred ($95 annual fee):
3 points per dollar on the first $150,000 spent on all travel and select business categories each account anniversary year, 1 point per dollar on everything else
It's possible to combine rewards from cash-back credit cards such as the Chase Freedom Flex and the Chase Freedom Unlimited into a single account, which turns cash-back earnings into transferable points.
Wells Fargo Rewards
Wells Fargo offers a variety of credit cards, however, only two of them earn transferable points, as listed below with their earning rates and annual fees:
Wells Fargo Autograph Card (no annual fee):
3 points per dollar on restaurant purchases (including takeout, catering, and food delivery services), travel and transit purchases, gas stations, select streaming services, and on select phone plans, and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases
Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card ($95 annual fee):
5 points per dollar spent on hotels, 4 points per dollar spent on airline purchases, 3 points per dollar on all other travel purchases and dining, 1 point per dollar on all other purchases
Bilt Rewards
Bilt only offers one credit card; the Bilt Mastercard (no annual fee). The Bilt Mastercard comes with the following earning rates:
3 points per dollar on dining purchases, 2 points per dollar on travel, 1 point per dollar on rent payments without a transaction fee (on up to 100,000 rewards per calendar year) and on all other purchases
Citi ThankYou Rewards
Citi has two credit cards that earn transferable points, however, only one of them is available to new applicants. The Citi credit cards listed below earn transferable rewards at the following earning rates and come with the following annual fees:
Citi Strata Premier Card ($95 annual fee):
10 points per dollar on hotels, rental cars, and attractions booked through cititravel.com, 3 points per dollar on air travel, all other hotel purchases, restaurants, supermarkets, gas and vehicle charging stations, and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases
Citi Prestige Card ($495 annual fee and no longer available to new applicants):
5 points per dollar spent at restaurants and on airlines and travel agencies, 3 points per dollar spent on hotels and cruise lines, 1 point per dollar on all other purchases
Similarly to Chase Ultimate Rewards, it’s possible to combine your ThankYou points into a single account. If you have the Citi Rewards+ Card or the Citi Double Cash Card, you can convert your earnings into fully transferable points.
Capital One Miles
Capital One has a variety of credit cards that earn transferable points. The following credit cards earn Capital One Miles and come with the following earning rates and annual fees:
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card ($395 annual fee):
10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel, 2 miles per dollar on all other purchases
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card ($95 annual fee):
5 miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 2 miles per dollar on all other purchases
Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card (no annual fee):
Earn 5 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 1.25 miles per dollar on all other purchases
Capital One Spark Miles for Business ($0 intro annual fee, then $95):
Earn 5 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 2 miles per dollar on all other purchases with no annual limit
Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business (no annual fee):
Earn 5 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 1.5 miles per dollar all other purchases
American Express Membership Rewards
American Express offers multiple credit cards that earn Membership Rewards points, including both personal and business credit cards. Some of the most popular credit cards that earn Amex points are listed below:
The Platinum Card from American Express ($695 annual fee):
Earn 5 points per dollar on airline purchases booked directly through Amex Travel (on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar), 5 points per dollar on prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel, and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases
Related Reading: Tons of Luxury Travel Perks at a Steep Annual Fee: Your Guide to the Platinum Card from American Express
The Business Platinum Card from American Express ($695 annual fee):
Earn 5 points per dollar on flights and prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel, 1.5 points per dollar on eligible business purchases, and 1 point per dollar on all other qualifying purchases
American Express Gold Card ($325 annual fee):
Earn 4 points per dollar on restaurant purchases (on up to $50,000 spent on purchases, then 1 point per dollar for the rest of the calendar year), 4 points per dollar on grocery purchases at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 spent on purchases, then 1 point per dollar for the rest of the calendar year), 3 points per dollar on flights booked directly through the airline or through amextravel.com, 2 points per dollar on prepaid hotels and other qualifying travel purchases booked through amextravel.com, and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases
American Express Green Card ($150 annual fee):
Earn 3 points per dollar on dining at restaurants and on travel and transit purchases, and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases
What are the Airline Transfer Partners?
Each credit card points currency mentioned above is listed below, along with their airline transfer partners and transfer ratio(s).
Chase Ultimate Rewards
Chase has 11 airline transfer partners, all of which are at a 1:1 ratio:
Aer Lingus AerClub (Avios)
Air Canada Aeroplan
Air France/KLM Flying Blue
British Airways Executive Club (Avios)
Emirates Skywards
Iberia Plus (Avios)
JetBlue TrueBlue
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
United Airlines MileagePlus
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Wells Fargo Rewards
Out of all of the points currencies on the list, Wells Fargo has the least airline transfer partners, with only five. All five transfers are done at a 1:1 ratio:
Aer Lingus AerClub (Avios)
Air France/KLM Flying Blue
Avianca LifeMiles
British Airways Executive Club (Avios)
Iberia Plus (Avios)
Bilt Rewards
Bilt Rewards have 12 airline transfer partners, and all transfers are at a 1:1 ratio. Listed below are all 12 programs:
Aer Lingus AerClub (Avios)
Air Canada Aeroplan
Air France/KLM Flying Blue
Alaska Airlines MIleagePlan
Avianca LifeMiles
British Airways Executive Club (Avios)
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
Emirates Skywards
Iberia Plus (Avios)
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
United Airlines MileagePlus
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (via Virgin Red)
Citi ThankYou Rewards
Similarly to Chase, Bilt, and Wells Fargo, all of Citi’s transfers occur at a 1:1 ratio. The company has 14 airline transfer partners:
Aeromexico Rewards
Air France/KLM Flying Blue
Avianca LifeMiles
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
Emirates Skywards
Etihad Guest
EVA Air Infinity MileageLands
JetBlue TrueBlue
Qantas Frequent Flyer
Qatar Airways Privilege Club (Avios)
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Capital One Miles
Almost all of Capital One’s transfers to their 15 airline partners occur at a 1:1 ratio, with the exception of EVA Air Infinity MileageLands, which occurs at a 4:3 ratio. Listed below are Capital One’s airline transfer partners:
Aeromexico Rewards
Air Canada Aeroplan
Air France/KLM Flying Blue
Avianca LifeMiles
British Airways Executive Club (Avios)
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
Emirates Skywards
Etihad Guest
EVA Air Infinity MileageLands
Finnair Plus (Avios)
Qantas Frequent Flyer
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (via Virgin Red)
Related Reading: How Do You Maximize Your Points with the Capital One Miles Transfer Partners?
American Express Membership Rewards
Out of all the credit card companies on the list, Amex has the most transfer partners, 18 to be exact. Listed below are the Membership Rewards transfer partners and the respective transfer ratio:
Aer Lingus AerClub (Avios) 1:1 ratio
Aeromexico Rewards (1:1.6 ratio)
Air Canada Aeroplan (1:1 ratio)
Air France/KLM Flying Blue
ANA MileageClub (1:1 ratio)
Avianca LifeMiles (1:1 ratio)
British Airways Executive Club (Avios) 1:1 ratio
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles (1:1 ratio)
Delta SkyMiles (1:1 ratio)
Emirates Skywards (1:1 ratio)
Etihad Guest (1:1 ratio)
Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles (1:1 ratio)
Iberia Plus (Avios) 1:1 ratio
JetBlue TrueBlue (250:200 ratio)
Qantas Frequent Flyer (1:1 ratio)
Qatar Airways Privilege Club (Avios) 1:1 ratio
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (1:1 ratio)
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (1:1 ratio)
Note that many of the transfers listed above happen instantly, while others require more time to be completed. It’s also worth noting that transfer bonuses are offered by the programs on an occasional basis, which can help you get more value for your redemption.
What are the Hotel Transfer Partners?
Listed below are the hotel transfer partners for each of the major card issuers, as well as transfer ratios.
Chase Ultimate Rewards
Chase has three hotel transfer partners, however, all of them occur at a 1:1 ratio:
IHG One Rewards
Marriott Bonvoy
World of Hyatt
Related Reading: How Do You Maximize Your Points with the Chase Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partners?
Wells Fargo Rewards
If you thought Wells Fargo has a very limited amount of airline transfer partners, then you’d be extremely correct about them having a very limited amount of hotel transfer partners. As far as hotel partners, Wells Fargo Rewards transfer to Choice Privileges at a 1:1 ratio.
Bilt Rewards
Bilt has the most hotel transfer partners on this list, with four of them to be exact. The best part is that all transfers occur at a 1:1 ratio. Bilt Rewards transfer to the following hotel points programs:
Hilton Honors
IHG One Rewards
Marriott Bonvoy
World of Hyatt
Citi ThankYou Rewards
Citi has three hotel transfer partners, all of which are listed below with their respective transfer ratio:
ALL- Accor Live Limitless (2:1 ratio)
Choice Privileges (1:2 ratio)
World of Hyatt (1:1 ratio)
Capital One Miles
Capital One’s three hotel transfer partners are listed below:
ALL- Accor Live Limitless
Choice Privileges
Wyndham Rewards
Two of the three transfers occur at a 1:1 ratio, while Capital One Miles transfer to Accor at a 2:1 ratio.
American Express Membership Rewards
American Express has three hotel transfer partners, all of which are listed below with their respective transfer ratio:
Choice Privileges (1:1 ratio)
Hilton Honors (1:2 ratio)
Marriott Bonvoy (1:1 ratio)
Similarly to the airline transfer partners, most transfers to hotel platforms occur instantly, however, others may take more time.
Conclusion
Transferring your credit card points will almost always get you maximum value when booking a flight or hotel stay on points. Multiple transfer options are available among the major credit card companies discussed in this article. Consider which credit cards come with good welcome bonuses and earning rates if you really want to gain a stash of points to transfer when booking your next vacation.