Editor's note: This transfer bonus has expired. Check out our current transfer bonuses page for the most up to date offers!
‘Tis the season for getting bonus miles when you transfer your credit card points to specific airlines – and trust us, that's a good thing.
Chase recently rolled out a brand new 20% transfer bonus when sending Chase Ultimate Rewards points to British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus. The three carriers are all owned by the same massive airline conglomerate and all three use Avios as their mileage currency. Trust us: British Airways is the best option on this list – keep reading to see why
But this bonus this bonus ends, today, March 31. If you don't have Chase points, there's also a 20% transfer bonus from American Express to Qatar Airways that ends today.
Read up on Chase transfer partners and how to transfer your points to airlines like British Airways.
It can unlock one of the cheapest ways to fly to Hawaii using points and miles (still), in addition to some other cheap domestic award tickets. You can use it to fly to Europe and back for just 29,000 points – or do it in business class for 57,000 points. And thanks to some changes with British Airways' Avios, it's the best and cheapest way you'll find to score a ride in Qatar Airways Qsuites right now.
And considering you can combine Avios between a growing number of airlines – including kicking them over to Finnair – there are even more ways to put this transfer bonus to use.
Just keep in mind: Even with a hefty bonus, you should (almost) never transfer points without a good use in mind. These transfers are a one-way street – you can't get those points back to your Chase account once you've sent them to an airline partner.
Keep reading for some of our ideas on how to put it to use before this outstanding transfer bonus ends.
Hawaii and Back for 33K Points (or Less)
Even after a devaluation last year, one of the best ways to book flights to Hawaii is using British Airways Avios. I know, it doesn't make much sense … but it's true.
You can book flights to Hawaii with miles from the massive U.K. carrier, using British Airways Avios to book flights on American Airlines or Alaska Airlines out to the islands.
While American and Alaska frequently charge 60,000 miles or more for these flights, you can fly from the West Coast to Hawaii for just 40,000 Avios roundtrip. Factor in the 20% transfer bonus, and you need just 33,000 Chase points to make it happen.
The trick to getting these ultra-low rates is starting your search in Los Angeles (LAX) or Phoenix (PHX), both of which have nonstop service to the islands. You can also start from other cities like Seattle (SEA), Portland (PDX) San Francisco (SFO), San Jose (SJC), or San Diego (SAN), as Alaska Airlines nonstops to Hawaii are also bookable at these rates.
Read more on the cheapest ways to get to Hawaii using points and miles!
Availability to book these American Airlines flights via British Airways is typically quite solid – especially if you’re looking at least a few months in advance. The same is true of Alaska Airlines.
It's an easy redemption and solid way to make use of this new transfer bonus. Willing to put in some extra legwork? This deal can get even better.
While this transfer bonus only works to British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus, you can transfer Avios between British Airways and Finnair as well as Qatar Airways, too. That means you could send your Chase points to British Airways, get a 20% bonus, then kick them over to Finnair.
And you might want to: Finnair charges just 15,000 Avios each way for American Airlines flights between the mainland and Hawaii … or 13,500 miles on Alaska! And while you'll pay that rate for nonstop flights from the West Coast, it even applies to one- and two-stop trips from the Midwest and beyond!
Factor in the 20% transfer bonus, and you could book roundtrip flights to Hawaii from all across the U.S. for as low as just 23,000 Chase points!
The problem is that you won't find these flights online at Finnair.com, so you'll need to call the airline at +1 929 474 6049 or +1 323 694 7646 in order to book. Search through British Airways' website first to find flights that are available. And even then, it may require some trial and error: Not every Finnair agent knows how to book these American or Alaska flights.
Roundtrip to Spain for 29K Points
Most airlines charge about 60,000 to 70,000 miles to fly from the U.S. to Europe and back. One airline can get you there and back for half that price.
It’s Iberia, the Spanish flag carrier. Depart from the right cities and at the right time, and you can score round-trip flights straight to Madrid (MAD) for just 34,000 miles plus about $200 in taxes and fees – or just 29,000 Chase points with this transfer bonus.
The trick? Iberia’s distance-based award pricing system means you have to start your journey from the East Coast hubs of Boston (BOS), Washington, D.C.-Dulles (IAD) or New York City (JFK). Luckily for Midwesterners, Chicago-O’Hare (ORD) still works at this price, too. Departing from other Iberia outposts like Miami (MIA), Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), San Francisco (SFO), or Los Angeles (LAX) will cost you more miles.
You also need to time it right. Iberia uses peak and off-peak pricing, which means getting these cheap flights at 34,000 miles requires traveling during the off-peak season. Luckily, Iberia’s definition of “off-peak” is typically quite generous: It means you can fly at the lowest rates for nearly 2/3 of the year. Mid-June through mid-September are generally considered peak summer season, with some scattered weekends and holidays blocked off, too.
… Or Do it in Business Class for 57K
Flying business class to Europe doesn't get any cheaper than this. In fact, we consider it one of the best deals in points and miles. And with a 20% transfer bonus to British Airways or Iberia, the best somehow gets even better.
You can book Iberia business class between the U.S. and Madrid (MAD) for just 34,000 Avios each way. After transferring to Iberia or British Airways with this new bonus, it brings your final tally to just 29,000 points for a one-way Iberia business class flight to Madrid – or 57,000 points roundtrip!
That’s a roundtrip flight in business class for less than what almost every other airline would charge you to fly in economy. 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!
Booking Iberia business class flights follows the same script as the economy example above. Focus on flights from New York City, Boston, Washington DC, and Chicago to Madrid to get the lowest rates. Off-peak travel times are key. And you can book for these ultra-low rates through both British Airways and Iberia itself.
Oh, and a word of advice if you're looking to take advantage of this deal? It pays to plan far, far ahead: Often, your best bet for snagging these business class seats is by booking 10-plus months in advance.
Need more info? Read our guide to booking Iberia business class!
Struggling to find these flights with your miles? We recently sent Thrifty Traveler Premium members an alert for some excellent award space flying Iberia business class early next year.
Finnair Biz Class from 53K Chase Points
One of the newest business class seats in the sky is from Finnair … which is also a new entrant into the world of Avios. It takes some trickery to book it – more on that shortly – but it's one of the most affordable. And this transfer bonus makes it even cheaper.
Here's the deal: The airline charges just 62,500 of its own Avios to book a one-way in Finnair business class from the U.S. to its Helsinki (HEL) hub, plus a reasonable amount of taxes and fees. Unlike many other airlines, Finnair business class is relatively easy to book using miles.
I know what you're thinking: “But Finnair isn't a Chase transfer partner.” You're right … but British Airways is.
That means you can take advantage of that 20% bonus and transfer just 53,000 Chase points to British Airways. Once those hit your BA account, kick them over to Finnair using our handy guide, and you're ready to book one of the coziest and coolest lie-flat seats crossing the Atlantic today.
Flying solo, it's a cinch to find the award availability to book these seats – especially booking 10-plus months in advance. But if you're traveling with a companion, you might need to use a trick to find award availability for two.
International airlines have been throttling business class award space for U.S.-based travelers, and Finnair might be one of the worst offenders. You can only book one seat in Finnair business class from the States ……unless you set your location to “Finland” or another European country on Finnair's website.
Voila: Two business class seats are suddenly available. And thanks to this transfer bonus, you can book the pair of them for just 105,000 Chase points.
You can even connect onward throughout much of Northern Europe for the same rates!
Book Qsuites for Cheap
We saved the best for last.
Thanks to Qatar Airways' adoption of Avios, the floodgates are open to book Qatar's world-leading Qsuite business class seats using Chase points. Factor in this 20% transfer bonus, and you can do it for fewer points.
Check out our full review of Qatar Qsuites!
Here's the easiest route: You could book a simple nonstop from many cities in the U.S. over to Doha (DOH) for just 70,000 British Airways Avios. Find the award availability you want, transfer 59,000 Chase points to your BA account, and book it. Done. It doesn't get much cheaper or easier than that.
Sadly, both Qatar and British Airways recently raised taxes and fees on these business class redemptions. What was once a $100-or-so charge has increased to roughly $235. That's a small price to pay to fly the world's best business class, if you ask us.
We send Thrifty Traveler Premium members award alerts when they can book the world's best business class using their points, plus cheap cash fares too!
If you want to take it next level and connect elsewhere – Dubai (DXB) or Muscat (MCT) in the Middle East, Cairo (CAI), or maybe even the Maldives (MLE) or down to Cape Town (CPT) in South Africa – you'll want to turn to Qatar Airways Avios. And even though you can't directly transfer Chase points to Qatar to Qatar, you can easily combine your Avios balances between British Airways and Qatar.
And these multi-segment awards wind up being much cheaper by booking through Qatar itself than British Airways. Booking through Qatar, you could fly in Qsuites to …
- Middle Eastern destinations like Dubai (DXB), Abu Dhabi (AUH) or Muscat (MCT) for 75,000 miles – just 63,000 Chase points after the transfer bonus!
- Other destinations like Amman (AMM) and Cairo (CAI) as well as major Indian cities go up to 80,000 miles each way, or 67,000 Chase points with this bonus.
- Getting to the Seychelles (SEZ) or Maldives (MLE) will run you 85,000 miles each way, which works out to 71,000 Chase points.
- Both Southeast Asia and South Africa typically cost 95,000 miles each way – 80,000 Chase points with the 20% bonus.
These flights with connections raise your final cash costs even higher – typically to around $300 or more.
Take our advice: Book a flight that connects onward to the Middle East so you can access Qatar's incredible Al Safwa Lounge during your layover. There's even a sneaky way to connect onward in Qatar Airways First Class all the way to the Maldives (MLE), Bangkok (BKK), Hong Kong (HKG), or Perth (PER) in Australia … for the same rate as flying business class the whole way.
No matter which route you take, you won't regret it.
Read our full guide on the best ways to book Qsuites!
Bottom Line
A 20% transfer bonus to any airline is great. But these transfer bonuses to British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Iberia opens up ways to book some of our favorite deals in the world of points and miles for even less.
Just be sure to take advantage before it's gone: This new Chase transfer bonus ends today, March 31.
