Get Up to 55% More Points With the Current List of 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 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. 

55% Bonus on Chase Transfers to Marriott Bonvoy

Chase is also offering a 55% transfer bonus when moving Ultimate Rewards points to Marriott Bonvoy – but this bonus works a little differently than most others.

From now until June 30, you can transfer points and get a 55% bonus. If you're planning to make use of this one, you've got six weeks to take advantage. 

It's easy to see a 55% bonus and get excited. But be warned that not all points are created equal … especially with hotel points like Marriott. Still, if you have a particular hotel in mind and need to top off your account with a few extra points in order to make it a reality, transferring Membership Rewards to Marriott with a 55% bonus is certainly better than the usual 1:1 ratio.

Looking at a one-night stay in downtown Minneapolis, you can book the Minneapolis Marriott City Center for 30,000 Bonvoy points per night. If you didn't already have any Bonvoy points in your account, you'd need to transfer 20,000 Chase points with the current transfer bonus in order to have enough points to book this stay.

That sure beats the nearly $300-per-night rate Marriott charges when paying cash. You'll find similar deals at other Marriott hotels around the world, but not all of them will be quite so good. Be sure to do the math to make sure you're coming out ahead.

30% Bonus on Chase Transfers to Southwest Rapid Rewards

Chase just rolled out a new 30% transfer bonus when sending Ultimate Rewards points to Southwest Rapid Rewards. But you've got just three weeks to take advantage, as this bonus ends on Friday, June 5. 

There's no single best way to use Southwest Rapid Rewards, but there are a lot of decent options … especially for travelers looking to stick closer to home. Let's use this nonstop flight from Phoenix (PHX) to Denver (DEN) as an example.

These basic economy fares will cost you $90 when paying cash. But when you toggle over to “Points” instead of “$” on the top right of your screen on Southwest.com, you'll see the same fares for 6,000 points. With this transfer bonus, you could book that one-way flight for as few as 5,000 Chase points. Not bad!

This is just one flight, though. Here's another example: Roundtrip flights from Oakland (OAK) to Maui (OGG) over Memorial Day weekend will cost you $548 for Southwest's cheapest basic economy fare.

If you instead use Rapid Rewards to book this flight, you'll need 43,000 points. With this transfer bonus, you'd need just 34,000 Chase points and $11.20 to book!

One nice thing about booking a flight with Southwest points is that, unlike other airline programs, award availability is easy to find. If you can book with cash, Southwest will also give you the option to redeem Rapid Rewards – just how many you need will vary, but at least it's a surefire redemption option.

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.