Transferring Credit Card Points to Airlines
Which credit card programs transfer to which airlines. Transfer ratios, bonuses, and strategic timing for point transfers.
How Credit Card Point Transfers Work
Transferring credit card points to airline programs is the mechanism that unlocks the highest-value redemptions available through transferable points currencies. The process is simple: in your credit card's rewards portal, navigate to the transfer section, select the airline program, enter your loyalty account number, specify the amount to transfer, and confirm. Within minutes to 24 hours (depending on the program and airline), the miles appear in your airline account. The transfer is instantaneous with Chase to United or British Airways, and typically 1 to 5 business days with Amex to certain international programs.
Transfer ratios are almost universally 1:1 for airline programs — 1,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points become 1,000 United MileagePlus miles, and 1,000 Amex Membership Rewards become 1,000 Singapore KrisFlyer miles. The exceptions are minor: Citi ThankYou transfers to Turkish Miles&Smiles at 1:1, but to Singapore Airlines at 1,000 ThankYou = 750 KrisFlyer miles. Marriott Bonvoy hotel points transfer to airlines at 3:1 with a 5,000-mile bonus for every 60,000 Marriott points transferred — effectively a 1.25:1 ratio when transferring in 60,000-point increments. These ratios are fixed and do not fluctuate.
Transfer bonuses — temporary promotions where the receiving airline credits additional miles — appear several times per year. American Express has historically run 15–35% transfer bonuses to British Airways Avios, Air France Flying Blue, Singapore KrisFlyer, and ANA. A 30% bonus on a 100,000-point transfer yields 130,000 miles — equivalent to getting 30,000 miles for free. Monitoring these bonuses through dedicated award travel communities and acting on bonuses aligned to a planned redemption provides meaningful value enhancement. Never transfer without checking for an active bonus first.
Which Programs Transfer to Which Airlines
Chase Ultimate Rewards transfers to 14 airline partners: United MileagePlus, British Airways Avios, Air Canada Aeroplan, Singapore KrisFlyer, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, Iberia Plus, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Southwest Rapid Rewards, JetBlue TrueBlue, Aer Lingus AerClub, Emirates Skywards, Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles, and Air France Flying Blue (same as Flying Blue entry above, accessed via two separate portals). Among these, the highest-value transfers for international premium cabin redemptions are United MileagePlus (ANA first class, Lufthansa business), Aeroplan (Star Alliance partners, no surcharges), and Singapore KrisFlyer (Singapore Airlines business and suites).
American Express Membership Rewards transfers to 22 airline programs including Delta SkyMiles, British Airways Avios, Air Canada Aeroplan, Singapore KrisFlyer, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, ANA Mileage Club, Avianca LifeMiles, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, Etihad Guest, and Emirates Skywards. The ANA Mileage Club transfer is one of Amex's strongest — 1,000 Amex points become 1,000 ANA miles, and ANA miles provide exceptional value redeemed through partner programs (ANA itself offers round-the-world first class at 180,000 miles). The Avianca LifeMiles partnership gives Amex holders access to United metal awards at aggressive LifeMiles prices without the dynamic pricing complexity.
Capital One Venture X transfers to 18 airline and hotel programs including Air Canada Aeroplan, Turkish Miles&Smiles, Singapore KrisFlyer, British Airways Avios, Avianca LifeMiles, Air France Flying Blue, and Emirates Skywards. Capital One's transfer roster has strengthened since 2020 and now includes several of the most strategically valuable programs. Bilt Rewards — earned from rent payments, a unique proposition — transfers to American AAdvantage, United MileagePlus, and Air Canada Aeroplan among others, giving renters a path to miles with no annual fee and no spending above what they already pay for housing.
Strategic Timing of Transfers
The cardinal rule of transfers is: never transfer points speculatively. Points sitting in your Chase or Amex account retain full flexibility — they can go to any partner. Points deposited into an airline account are locked in that program's valuation and subject to that program's devaluation risk. Only transfer when you have confirmed award availability for the specific flight, date, and cabin you want, and you are ready to book within 24 to 48 hours. Award space can disappear between the time you spot it and the time your transferred miles arrive, though this is rare for most programs.
Partner award availability windows differ by program. United MileagePlus releases partner space at 330 days. Aeroplan releases Star Alliance partner space at 355 days. Singapore KrisFlyer releases own-metal space further out but partner space can be constrained. Knowing the release window for your target program allows you to search and confirm availability before triggering a transfer. This sequential workflow — search, confirm, transfer, book — eliminates the risk of transferring miles only to find the space was taken.
Partial transfers and top-ups are possible with some programs. If you have 70,000 Chase points but need 88,000 United miles for a target redemption, you can transfer just what you need rather than your entire balance. You can also top up from multiple credit card currencies if you have points in both Chase and another program that transfers to United — though United's only transferable points partner is Chase, so this example requires having miles in the account from other sources. Singapore KrisFlyer accepts transfers from Chase, Amex, Citi, and Capital One, allowing four different top-up channels if you need to reach a specific threshold.
Common Transfer Mistakes to Avoid
Transferring to a program where you have no existing account is the most avoidable error. Airlines require a loyalty account number to receive transferred miles, and accounts take 24 to 72 hours to activate. Attempting to transfer while simultaneously creating a new account creates a timing gap where the transfer may fail or post to a temporary account. Create the airline loyalty account first, confirm the account number, then initiate the transfer.
Transferring to redeem for domestic economy awards — where miles provide 1 to 1.5 cents of value per mile — while cash prices are under $200 represents poor value utilization. A $180 domestic ticket redeemed with 15,000 miles extracts 1.2 cents per mile. The same 15,000 miles transferred strategically to a program where they contribute toward a $3,000 business-class redemption at 4 cents per mile represents 3.3 times more value. Transferable points are best saved for the highest-value redemptions and supplemented with cash for routine domestic travel.
Not accounting for transfer time can cause missed bookings. Amex transfers to ANA Mileage Club take 3 to 5 business days. Chase transfers to United are typically immediate. Amex to Singapore KrisFlyer varies from instant to 5 days depending on system load. For time-sensitive awards, initiate transfers immediately upon confirming space and call the airline to ask them to hold the space while transfer processes — some airlines will hold for 24 to 48 hours for known transfer processing delays. Verify the processing time for your specific transfer pair before committing.