Transferring points to an airline is where most of the value in this hobby lives. The same balance that buys a $600 economy seat through your card’s portal can buy a $4,000 lie-flat seat through a transfer partner. Same points, same trip, roughly six times the value.
This is the list of where your points can actually go.
How to read this list
Do not read it as a menu. Read it looking for three things.
Overlap. Several programs appear under more than one currency. Air Canada Aeroplan, Flying Blue, Avianca LifeMiles and Singapore KrisFlyer show up repeatedly. Those are the programs worth learning, because whichever card you end up holding, you can reach them.
Avios is one currency in three places. British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus all use Avios, and you can move Avios between those accounts. They price the same flights differently, so the program you book through matters as much as the seat you find. This is one of the most useful things to understand in the whole hobby.
The unusual ratios. Most transfers are 1:1, and the exceptions cut both ways. Amex to Aeromexico at 1:1.6 gives you more miles than you started with. Amex to JetBlue at 1:0.8 gives you fewer. Read the ratio before you move anything.
Chase Ultimate Rewards
| Airline partner | Ratio |
|---|---|
| United MileagePlus | 1:1 |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards | 1:1 |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 1:1 |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | 1:1 |
| Air France / KLM Flying Blue | 1:1 |
| British Airways Executive Club (Avios) | 1:1 |
| Iberia Plus (Avios) | 1:1 |
| Aer Lingus AerClub (Avios) | 1:1 |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 1:1 |
| JetBlue TrueBlue | 1:1 |
Chase also transfers to hotel programs, World of Hyatt among them, which is outside the scope of this guide but worth knowing exists.
Amex Membership Rewards
The longest list of the four.
| Airline partner | Ratio |
|---|---|
| Delta SkyMiles | 1:1 |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 1:1 |
| Air France / KLM Flying Blue | 1:1 |
| British Airways Executive Club (Avios) | 1:1 |
| Iberia Plus (Avios) | 1:1 |
| Aer Lingus AerClub (Avios) | 1:1 |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | 1:1 |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 1:1 |
| ANA Mileage Club | 1:1 |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 1:1 |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | 1:1 |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 1:1 |
| Aeromexico Rewards | 1:1.6 |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 5:4 |
| Emirates Skywards | 5:4 |
| JetBlue TrueBlue | 1:0.8 |
Capital One Miles
| Airline partner | Ratio |
|---|---|
| Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles | 1:1 |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | 1:1 |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 1:1 |
| Air France / KLM Flying Blue | 1:1 |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 1:1 |
| British Airways (Avios) | 1:1 |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 1:1 |
| Emirates Skywards | 1:1 |
| Aeromexico Rewards | 1:1 |
| TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go | 1:1 |
| Finnair Plus | 1:1 |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 1:1 |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | 1:1 |
| EVA Air Infinity MileageLands | 4:3 |
| JAL Mileage Bank | 4:3 |
| JetBlue TrueBlue | 5:3 |
Citi ThankYou Points
The only one of the four with a direct path to American Airlines.
| Airline partner | Ratio |
|---|---|
| American Airlines AAdvantage | 1:1 |
| Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles | 1:1 |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 1:1 |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 1:1 |
| Air France / KLM Flying Blue | 1:1 |
| British Airways (Avios) | 1:1 |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 1:1 |
| JetBlue TrueBlue | 1:1 |
| Aer Lingus AerClub (Avios) | 1:1 |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 1:1 |
| Emirates Skywards | 1:1 |
| Etihad Guest | 1:1 |
| EVA Air Infinity MileageLands | 1:1 |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | 1:1 |
| Aeromexico Rewards | 1:1 |
| Thai Royal Orchid Plus | 1:1 |
How long transfers take
This matters more than people expect, because award space disappears.
Some transfers land within minutes. Others take one to three business days, and a handful can take longer. A seat you found on Tuesday may be gone by the time Thursday’s transfer completes.
The practical consequence: on a program that transfers slowly, you are taking a risk that the seat survives the wait. On an instant program you are not. Know which you are dealing with before you rely on it.
Three rules that cost people money
Transfers are one way. Points that leave your card account do not come back. There is no reversal, no customer service exception, no undo.
Find the seat first. Confirm award availability on the airline’s own site, then transfer, then book. Never transfer because a bonus looked attractive and you assumed you would find something later.
Check the ratio on the day. Issuers change transfer ratios and occasionally remove partners entirely, sometimes with little notice. Everything on this page is accurate as of the date below, and that is the most I can promise.
Transfer bonuses
Issuers periodically run bonuses of 20 to 40 percent on specific partners. During a 30 percent bonus, a 100,000 point award costs you roughly 77,000 of your own points instead.
That is the cheapest discount available in this hobby, and it runs for a few weeks at a time without much announcement. Current bonuses and a calculator for what they save you are here.
Before you transfer anything
Run the number. If your points are worth 1.25 cents in the portal doing nothing, an award redemption has to beat that to be worth the trouble, and plenty do not. The calculator takes about ten seconds.
Ratios verified as of the date at the top of this page. Programs change; check before you move points.