Get Up to 100% More Points with These Current Transfer Bonuses!

Got a stash of transferable points from banks like American Express, Capital One, or Chase? Take advantage of these current transfer bonuses to get even more out of them.

Think of transfer bonuses as a way to get free miles. The big banks routinely roll out bonuses of 10% to as much as 40% – and sometimes even more! – when transferring points to a specific airline or hotel partner. With a 25% transfer bonus, for example, you'd only need to transfer 40,000 points to get the 50,000 miles you may need to book an award ticket.

Here are all the current transfer bonuses available as of publication, broken down bank by bank.

Wondering why you should transfer your points? Read up on how it can help you book flights for less!

But before you rush to send your points somewhere with a bonus, remember: These transfers are a one-way street. Once you send the points to an airline partner, you cannot get them back to your Capital One, Chase, or other credit card account. That means you'll generally want to have a redemption in mind (and make sure the flights or hotels you want are actually available to book) before transferring your points.

Let's take a closer look at each of the current transfer bonuses and how you may (or may not) want to use them.

15% Bonus on Capital One Transfers to Avianca LifeMiles

You can currently get a 15% bonus when moving Capital One miles to Avianca LifeMiles – giving cardholders a way to save even more on Star Alliance award flights. This transfer bonus runs through Aug. 31. 

If you're unfamiliar, LifeMiles is the quirky yet underrated mileage program of South American carrier Avianca. While customer service can be spotty at best and even its website is hit or miss, you put up with it because few airline programs offer cheaper ways to book flights using miles around the globe – with low cash taxes and fees, too.

Sadly, LifeMiles don't go quite as far as they used to after a couple of nasty devaluations over the last year – the program raised many award rates to Europe, Asia, and beyond by as much as 70%! Thankfully, Avianca rolled back some of these devaluations and there are still deals to be had – including business class to Europe for as low as just 55,000 miles each way.

So long as you avoid United, you'll now generally pay 69,000 miles one-way for a business class award to Europe with Avianca LifeMiles. That's true whether you're hopping on a short overseas flight from the East Coast … or making a longer journey, like this TAP Air Portugal business class fight from Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) to Lisbon (LIS). 

With a 15% bonus, you'd only need to transfer 60,000 Capital One miles to make it a reality. 

But LifeMiles is full of oddities … in a good way: There are a handful of routes that price out even cheaper. For example, you can head to Switzerland on this SWISS business class route from New York City (JFK) to Zurich (ZRH) for just 55,000 miles. Factor in that transfer bonus, and you need just 48,000 Capital One miles to book!

Check out this story for full details on this transfer bonus!

100% Bonus on Chase Transfers to IHG One Rewards

Chase is currently offering an 100% transfer bonus when moving Ultimate Rewards points to the IHG One Rewards program. It's easy to see a 100% bonus and get excited, but be warned that not all points are created equal and this is especially true with IHG.

Having said that, there are still plenty of situations where this can make good sense. Take the Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa in Grand Cayman, for example. This hotel goes for a whopping $1,300-plus per night during peak season. 

If you instead booked this hotel with points, it would only cost 70,000 IHG points per night – just 35,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards with this bonus! If you've got an IHG co-branded credit card, it gets even better. By taking advantage of your card's fourth-night-free benefit, you could book a four-night stay here for only 210,000 IHG points – just 105,000 Ultimate Rewards with this 100% bonus. 

You'd still be on the hook for an $85 per night “amenity fee”, but considering the cash cost of this stay would be north of $5,000 per night, it's still an excellent use of Chase points. 

If you're not flush with Chase points (or prefer to save them), there is another option to consider: IHG frequently sells points with a 100% bonus. Since you can cash out credit card points from banks like Wells Fargo, Discover, and even Chase for one cent each, you'd be getting the same 2 IHG points per credit card point with one of these sales … albeit with an extra step in the process. 

If you have a particular hotel in mind, transferring Ultimate Rewards to IHG with a 100% bonus could be a solid choice. Just be sure to make your transfer before this bonus expires on Sept. 4!

Read more: When Does It Make Sense to Buy Hotel Points?

25% Bonus on Citi Transfers to Leading Hotels of the World (LHW)

Never heard of Leading Hotels of the World (LHW)? You're not alone. 

This collection of more than 400 luxury and boutique hotels in over 80 countries around the globe often gets overshadowed by bigger hotel chains like Marriott, Hilton, IHG, and even Hyatt. But its Leaders Club program delivers solid value for some otherwise pricey properties – and right now, you can get a 25% bonus when transferring Citi ThankYou points to LHW! 

Citi points ordinarily transfer to LHW at a wonky 4:1 ratio for those with the bank's new Citi Strata Elite℠ Card and Citi Strata Premier℠ Card. But with this bonus, you'll get 1,250 Leaders Club points for every 4,000 Citi ThankYou points you transfer. Other Citi ThankYou cards transfer at an even worse 1,000:175 ratio, but are still eligible for the 25% bonus.

The math is confusing, but after you crunch the numbers, this is a deal worth taking advantage of if you find an LHW hotel that fits your travel plans.

Say you're heading to New York City this spring. A stay at the boutique, Hotel Chelsea, in Manhattan would cost you $540 per night … or just 6,600 Leaders Club points. 

With this 25% transfer bonus, you'd only need 22,000 Citi ThankYou points to book a stay here. That's a value of nearly 2.5 cents per point, making it an excellent way to use your Citi points.

If you're thinking about taking advantage of this bonus, you've got just a few more days to cash in: This offer expires on Saturday, Aug. 23! 

Bottom Line

Transfer bonuses can be a great way to get more value from your points and help you realize your dream vacation even sooner. These bonuses are constantly coming and going, so it's important to stay up-to-date on the current promotions before moving your points to ensure you're not leaving any free points on the table.

But it's always best to keep your points flexible until you're ready to book. Due to constant loyalty program devaluations, transferring points without an immediate plan to use them will rarely be a good option.