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Chase Transfer Bonus British Airways

Whoa: Chase Offers First-Ever Transfer Bonus with 30% to British Airways

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Chase is out with a 30% transfer bonus when sending Ultimate Rewards points to British Airways, the first-ever such transfer bonus that puts Chase on par with other points and miles.

The promotional transfer bonus now shows up in Chase Ultimate Rewards accounts, and it will last through June 16 at 11:59 p.m. EST. The Points Guy first reported this new transfer bonus.

 

Chase Transfer Bonus British Airways

 

Read up on the best flights to book using this transfer bonus, including a round-trip flight to Hawaii for just 20,000 Chase points!

And if you're new to this world of transferring points, read guide on transferring Chase points to get started. Log into your Chase account, head to the Ultimate Rewards portal, select “Transfer to Travel Partners,” and the promotion should show up. If you've already added your British Airways account to Chase, it should show up in your dashboard.

 

Chase Transfer Bonus British Airways

 

Transfers must be in increments of 1,000 for the amount of Ultimate Rewards points you transfer, not the final amount of British Airways Avios you eventually receive. Unfortunately, Chase won't display how many miles you will get after the transfer bonus. But these transfers are instantaneous, and you'll see the bonus miles in your British Airways account. We've put together a quick chart laying out just how many miles you'll get with this 30% bonus.

 

Chase Ultimate RewardsBritish Airways Avios after Transfer Bonus
1,0001,300
5,0006,500

10,00013,000
15,00019,500
20,00026,000
25,00032,500
30,00039,000
35,00045,500
39,00050,700

 

Thrifty Tip: You can make great use of this transfer bonus by booking flights through British Airways, of course. But if your accounts have been open longer than 90 days and are active, you can turn around and transfer your larger crop of British Airways Avios to Iberia – a great way to book a business class flight to Europe or short domestic round-trip flights in the U.S. 

 

Our Analysis

This news is bigger than just a 30% transfer bonus to British Airways.

In the world of miles and points, Chase and American Express are the two most valuable currencies out there. And while it's up for debate, the ability to get some bonus miles when transferring American Express points to specific airlines has given them the edge. Be it an extra 10% or a 40% bonus, Chase has never offered a similar transfer bonus.

Until today. And if you assume this is simply the first of what will be future transfer bonuses, that immediately makes Chase points more valuable.

These transfer bonuses are basically free airline miles. It's a great way to get even more value out of your credit card points. Case in point: Mr. TT and co-founder Nick Serati recently flew ANA First Class to Tokyo-Haneda (HND) – a $22,000 plane ticket – using just 85,000 American Express points thanks to a 30% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic last year.

Only time will tell whether Chase will keep it up with these transfer bonuses. But it seems like a foregone conclusion, as Chase and American Express share many of the travel partners that we've seen get bonuses, such as Virgin Atlantic, Air France/KLM, British Airways, and Iberia.

 

How to Earn Chase Ultimate Rewards Points

If this is the first of many transfer bonuses, you really want some Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is our #1 starter card, offering 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 in the first three months of card membership.

Considering this transfer bonus to British Airways only runs through June 16, you may not have enough time to earn the welcome bonus for the purposes of getting a bonus this time. But it will set you up well for the next bonus.

 

Bottom Line

This is big news. A 30% bonus to any airline is great, and there are plenty of ways to make the most out of this bonus to British Airways. But the sheer fact that Chase has begun offering these transfer bonuses could be a game-changer.

 

Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

2 Responses

  • Nick/TT Team:

    I recently lost all my Avios points as my account went inactive for 3 years. I had reached out to the Avios team to ask them when my points were to expire and rather than give me a clear answer, they simply said “3 years from your last transaction”. It seems I lost a good chunk of points in Jan of 2019 and I just realized this last week. My question is, do you know if the company is lenient in re-instating these points? Any strategies I could use as a consumer to try and get these points back? Any advice would be appreciated.

    • Hi Nadeem,

      Bummer. I am honestly not sure if it’s possible. Most companies are pretty strict on their expiration policies but it never hurts to ask.

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