Get Up to 70% More Points With the Current List of Transfer Bonuses!

Got a stash of transferable points from banks like American Express, Capital One, Chase, Citi, and more? 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 select airline or hotel partners. 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 or hotel 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. 

30% Bonus on American Express Transfers to Avios

American Express is currently offering a 30% bonus when moving points to a trio of airlines: Aer Lingus, British Airways, and Iberia.

From booking short American Airlines flights within the U.S. to the world's best business class and one of the cheapest ways to book a lie-flat seat to Europe, there are tons of great ways to use Avios – and considering you can combine Avios between a growing number of airlines, that list is longer than ever.

And you've got plenty of time to put it to use: This excellent new Amex transfer bonus ends Sept. 27!

So long as you've got a card that earns Membership Rewards like *amex platinum* or the *amex gold* you should see the bonus listed in the list of transfer partners for all these airlines. Co-branded Delta SkyMiles credit cards from American Express won’t do the trick, sorry.

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 (about) 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 32,000 miles plus about $200 in taxes and fees – or just 25,000 Amex points with this transfer bonus.

Iberia and British Airways both raised award rates for these Iberia nonstops between the U.S. and Madrid (MAD) in business class last year, and somehow … this economy redemption got (slightly) cheaper.

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.

Or you could use this transfer bonus to take those same flights in style. Even after that unannounced increase, flying business class to Europe doesn't much cheaper than this. And with a 30% transfer bonus to British Airways or Iberia, it's even better.

After transferring to Iberia, it brings your final tally to just 32,000 points for a one-way Iberia business class flight to Madrid – or 63,000 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 at these ultra-low rates through both British Airways and Iberia.

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! 

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 ends Aug. 31 at 11:59 p.m. ET.  

Sadly, LifeMiles don't go quite as far as they used to after a handful of nasty devaluations over the past couple of years – 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 (some) deals to be had – including business class to Europe for as low as 54,000 miles each way.

After the latest price hike, you'll now pay somewhere between 63,000 and 93,000 miles one-way for a business class award to Europe with Avianca LifeMiles. In typical LifeMiles fashion, there's very little rhyme or reason for what exactly a given flight will cost, aside from the airline it's on.

Take this LOT Polish business class flight from New York City (JFK) to Warsaw (WAW), for example. It's pricing out at a reasonable 69,000 miles each way – just 60,000 Capital One miles with this transfer bonus. 

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 54,010 miles. Factor in that transfer bonus, and you need just 47,000 Capital One miles to book!

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

20% Bonus on Chase Transfers to Aeroplan

Chase recently rolled out a brand-new 20% bonus when transferring points to Air Canada Aeroplan. Best of all, you've got more than a month to take advantage of this one: This bonus ends on Sept. 30.

Got an *aeroplan card* in your wallet, too? It gets even better: So long as you transfer at least 50,000 Chase points, Aeroplan will tack on an extra 10% bonus for Aeroplan cardholders (a maximum of 25,000 bonus points each year). That means a 50,000-point transfer would net you a total of 65,000 Aeroplan points. 

Read more: Save Points When Booking Flights: Transfer Them to an Airline Partner

Aeroplan is one of the best mileage programs on the planet – and not just to fly Air Canada. Thanks to Aeroplan's more than 50 airline partners, you can use their miles to get nearly anywhere on the globe – and this tiered bonus makes it more affordable than ever!

With reasonable rates and low fees, Aeroplan is one of the best ways to book lie-flat business class seats to Europe – in some cases, you'll pay just 60,000 Aeroplan points each way. Meanwhile, longer flights clock in at 70,000 miles each way, while starting from the West Coast can run you as much as 85,000 points each way. 

Factor in a 20% transfer bonus, and you can score a business class flight to Europe for just 50,000 Chase points. If you've got an Aeroplan card, the deal gets even sweeter: Transferring 50,000 Chase points would qualify you for the bigger 30% bonus, leaving you with Aeroplan points leftover – or an even cheaper roundtrip! =

Just know: If you're looking to fly United to Europe with your Aeroplan points, it'll cost a bit more. Air Canada recently raised rates on United awards to 80,000 miles in business class, matching what United charges using its own MileagePlus miles. 

But with all of Air Canada's partner airlines, you've got tons of options to fly Swiss business class, Lufthansa business class, United Polaris (at a steeper cost), or even Turkish Airlines business class. This 20% bonus makes Aeroplan one of the best ways to book them all.

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

20% Bonus on Citi Transfers to Flying Blue

Citi recently rolled out a new 20% bonus on transfers to Air France/KLM Flying Blue, a great mileage program for getting from the U.S. to Europe with fewer points. It runs through Aug. 22, at 11:59 p.m. ET, so you've still got some time to make use of this bonus if it fits your travel plans.

Unfortunately, if you had your sights set on using this bonus to fly Air France or KLM to Europe, both airlines recently raised fees on award tickets. From economy to business class, Flying Blue hiked fees by as much as 40% to combat rising fuel costs. 

Even after Flying Blue raised rates last year, you can still find flights flying business class to Europe for as low as 60,000 miles each way – a relatively mild increase from the previous 50,000-mile price point. You'll find this price whether you want to get to Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG), Amsterdam (AMS), or connect almost anywhere in Europe.

Factor in this transfer bonus, and you’d need just 50,000 Citi ThankYou points to make it happen. 

Read our full Air France business class review!

The big kicker here is the fees. Flying Blue now tacks on north of $300 for a one-way business class award to Europe – and about $600 or more for the way back. That's certainly not nothing and makes these rock-bottom award rates tougher to stomach.

Thrifty Tip: Leave your date(s) blank when searching for award tickets to pull up a monthly calendar – check out our full walkthrough on using Flying Blue miles!

You can also book economy awards to Europe using Air France and KLM miles, including one-way trips from most U.S. cities for 25,000 miles – just 21,000 points with this bonus … or less with Flying Blue's monthly list of promo rewards.

But again, the cash surcharges Flying Blue passes on, even on economy award tickets, can make that less appealing. While it can easily be worth paying a couple of hundred bucks for a one-way business class ticket to Europe, that's less competitive when it comes to economy class pricing.

Read more: How to Maximize the New Citi-to-Flying Blue Transfer Bonus

40% Bonus on Citi Transfers to Turkish Miles & Smiles

Through the end of the month, you can earn a big 40% bonus when transferring Citi ThankYou points to Turkish Miles & Smiles. But unlike most transfer bonuses, you won't see this one in your Citi ThankYou account: It's processed after the fact on Turkish's end. 

A few key terms worth knowing: 

• You can earn a maximum of 50,000 bonus miles through this offer, meaning you can transfer up to 125,000 Citi ThankYou points to Turkish and get 175,000 Miles & Smiles in total
• Bonus points are awarded after the campaign ends, so don't count on seeing the extra miles until sometime in September. Award availability can (and will) change between now and then – make sure you have flexible travel plans and a backup for using these miles in case your first choice is no longer available.

With that all out of the way, this bonus is worth your attention. Even after a string of devaluations, Turkish still offers some amazing sweet spots like 85,000-point business class awards to Europe and roundtrip domestic flights on United for 30,000 miles in economy. Of course, you can also use Turkish miles to fly to the carrier's hub in Istanbul, too.

Turkish business class is among the best in the world, and no matter which North American gateway you're flying from, you'll pay just 65,000 miles for the trip to Turkey. 

With a big 40% transfer bonus, 47,000 Citi points are all you need for nearly 10 hours of lie-flat luxury. 

A word of caution: Turkish's website is quirky … at best. It starts with a clunky sign-up process and continues when searching for awards. It's not uncommon to have issues logging in to search for awards, but when it works, it's great. In our experience, using the Turkish Airlines mobile app usually results in a better experience.

This huge 40% bonus should help make it worth the extra headaches – and once you're booked, flying with Turkish really is a treat. 

Related reading: A Full Guide to Turkish Miles & Smiles

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 is rarely a good option.