Chase is back with another transfer bonus, offering a 30% bonus when sending points to either British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus. But you’ve only got a few days remaining to capitalize, as Chase says this latest transfer bonus will last through just Wednesday, Dec. 9.
These transfer bonuses are basically free airline miles. It’s a great way to get even more value out of your credit card points. That’s why it was such a big deal when Chase launched its first-ever bonus last year. American Express has offered these transfer bonuses for years – and much more frequently.
But Chase has upped the ante recently with a slew of recent transfer bonuses, including extra points when sending points to Southwest and IHG.
And a 30% bonus when sending points to British Airways or Iberia is outstanding – it’s the same bonus Chase offered for its first-ever transfer bonus in early 2019. And in this case, it can help you score flights to Hawaii for as few as 20,000 points round-trip or Europe in business class for just 53,000 Chase points. Iberia and British Airways are certainly the two strongest options among these three airlines, while Aer Lingus redemptions aren’t as lucrative.
Keep reading for our favorite ways to maximize this bonus!
Read our guide on how to transfer Chase points to partner airlines like British Airways.
While it’s an attractive bonus, the uncertainty surrounding travel means it’s probably unwise transferring your points to British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus without a particular booking in mind.
You won’t see your bonus points on the front end. Instead, they should deposit after the transfer hits your account. Transfers to all three airlines from Chase are instantaneous. Keep in mind you have to transfer in increments of at least 1,000 points. You can also transfer Avios between the three sister airlines, though there are some restrictions to keep in mind with those inter-airline transfers.
How to Maximize This Transfer Bonus
While most travel is still up in the air, a few ways come to mind to put this transfer bonus to good use for future travels.
Fly to Europe for Less
Iberia has one of our favorite ways to get to Europe on points – and one of our favorite deals in the world of points and miles, period.
Using Iberia, you can fly from Boston (BOS), New York City-JFK (JFK), or Chicago-O’Hare to Madrid (Madrid) for as low as 34,000 miles round-trip. Factor in this transfer bonus and you need just 27,000 Chase points transferred to Iberia and you’ll have enough to book.
But why not use your points to fly business class to Spain instead? You can do it for just 68,000 miles round-trip – less than most airlines charge for a one-way business class ticket. With this transfer bonus, you need just 53,000 miles to have enough to book. Study up on how to book Iberia business class seats for cheap.
With Iberia business class, you’re in for a treat. The seats are plenty spacious and recline all the way into a comfortable bed. The food is tasty, and the service is attentive.
Considering it’s $7,000 or more a ticket when paying cash, it’s a phenomenal way to get even more value out of your points.
Fly to Hawaii via British Airways
British Airways offers one of the cheapest ways to get to Hawaii. With this bonus, it gets even cheaper.
British Airways charges just 26,000 miles round-trip to fly from the U.S. to Hawaii. There’s one catch: Thanks to British Airways’ distance-based award chart, you have to start from either Los Angeles (LAX) or Phoenix (PHX). Luckily, you can fly to all four major Hawaiian islands for that rate. And yes, Hawaii is open to travel (with some strict testing requirements.)
Factor in this new 30% transfer bonus, and you can transfer just 20,000 points to book. Done!
British Airways is also a great way to book domestic flights within the U.S. or from the east coast to the Caribbean islands.
Bottom Line
This is an outstanding transfer bonus. It’s exciting to see Chase offer more and more of these transfer bonuses, especially after nearly every bank hit the pause button earlier in the pandemic.
But this transfer bonus won’t be around much longer, as it will last only through Wednesday, Dec. 9. So don’t wait to transfer your points if you’ve got a booking through either British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus in mind.
That said, now’s not the time to speculatively transfer a bunch of points without a purpose.