Transfer bonuses are the closest thing points & miles has to a clearance rack, and right now the shelves are packed. Just don’t hit “transfer” without a plan. Also today: Hawaiian first class from 32K points, and why the airlines can’t quit Iceland.
🎯 Get up to 50% More Points With a Big Transfer Bonus
If you’re sitting on a stash of points from banks like Amex, Chase, Capital One, and more, now’s as good a time as any to book a vacation.
Banks routinely roll out transfer bonuses of 10% to 40% (or more) when you move points to select airline and hotel partners, creating a limited-time opportunity to squeeze out an award booking you might not otherwise be able to afford.
Here’s what’s live right now:
- Amex to Air France/KLM Flying Blue: 25% bonus, through Oct. 31
- Amex to Aeromexico ClubPremier: 20% bonus, through Oct. 31 (1:1.92 transfer ratio, with bonus)
- Capital One to British Airways: 20% bonus, through Oct. 21
- Citi to JAL Mileage Bank: 30% bonus, through Oct. 24
- Citi to Avianca LifeMiles: 25% bonus, through Oct. 24
- Citi to Qatar Airways Privilege Club: Up to 35% bonus, through Oct. 31 (processed by Qatar on the back end)
- Rove to JAL Mileage Bank: 50% bonus, through Oct. 31
- Rove to Air France/KLM Flying Blue: 40% bonus, through Oct. 31
- Rove to Qatar Airways Privilege Club: Up to 35% bonus, through Oct. 31
A few standouts worth acting on before it’s too late:
The Rove-to-JAL bonus is the best of the bunch … and not just because it’s the biggest offer. JAL’s award chart and robust partner network are a real goldmine for travelers looking to score a deal.
The only problem? Rove miles can only be earned through the Rove shopping or travel portal (no credit card), making them hard(er) to rack up. But if you’ve been using Rove for your online shopping and travel bookings over the past year, this is as good a time as any to cash in.
You can, of course, use JAL miles to fly to and from Japan on Japan Airlines – from 27,000 miles in economy or 55,000 miles in business class each way – but you can also use them to fly JAL’s wide array of partner airlines, like American Airlines, British Airways, and more.
Just yesterday, our Thrifty Traveler Premium team sent a patented Unicorn Alert for wide open business class award space on American Airlines’ business class flights to London (LHR) from 42,000 JAL miles and $5.60 in taxes and fees each way. With a big 50% transfer bonus, you would have needed just 28,000 Rove miles to book these lie-flat seats across the pond.
Meanwhile, the 20% bonus from Capital One to British Airways is a solid (widely applicable) offer of its own. Avios can unlock reasonable AA economy redemptions to Hawaii (through Finnair), as well as lie-flat seats to Europe at bargain rates. Take Iberia business class from the East Coast (or even Chicago) to Madrid, for example. Off-peak dates can be booked for just 40,500 Avios each way – just 33,800 Capital One miles with this bonus.
Meanwhile, the 25% bonus from Amex to Flying Blue (or 40% from Rove!) is worth special attention. Even though Flying Blue recently made some customer-unfriendly changes, introducing a new three-tier award chart, there’s still value to be had here.
Business Light fares can be booked for as few as 60,000 miles – just 48,000 Amex points with this bonus – while Business Standard fares with lounge access and the ability to change or cancel will set you back 75,000 miles each … or just 60,000 Amex points with the 25% bonus.
If you’ve got Rove miles, the 40% bonus to Flying Blue would make one of these awards even cheaper.
The 20% bonus from Amex to Aeromexico also provides great value … in the right situation. Finding one of Aeromexico’s promo awards – like a 9,000-mile redemption to Mexico City (MEX) – is key to making this work. That’s just 5,000 Amex points for a one-way economy flight to CDMX with Amex’s bonus and goofy transfer ratio.
Without a promo, you’re likely to see some truly awful pricing from Aeromexico where you’d be far better off booking those same flights with a partner like Air France or Virgin Atlantic.
Other bonuses, like the 25% offer from Citi to Avianca LifeMiles and the up to 35% boost from Citi or Rove to Qatar Privilege Club could also prove useful in many situations.
One big catch with all of these: Transfers are a one-way street. Once your points land at the airline or hotel, there’s no sending them back. Have a real redemption in mind – and a backup plan – before you hit transfer.
Read more about all the current transfer bonuses and the best ways to use them!
– Jackson Newman, senior editor
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🤝 Deal of the Day: Hawaiian First Class from 32K Points!
Heat scale (out of 3): 🔥
Why we love it: Hawaiian First Class is one of the best ways to fly to Hawaii, so jump on this availability for your winter, Spring, or August trip!
You’ll be flying Hawaiian’s older A330s, but it’s still a super comfortable ride across the ocean! Book using Atmos Rewards points or Finnair Avios for the best deal.
Sign up now to get all the details on this deal & don’t miss the next flight deal alert.
Already a member? Log in to see all your deals.
– Gunnar Olson, Thrifty Traveler Premium deal analyst
🇮🇸 More and More Iceland Flights (& Deals!)
Sure, airlines are adding cool, interesting dots to their European maps like Ljubljana, Slovenia (LJU) and Olbia, Sardinia (OLB) … but more than anything, the airlines just can’t quit Iceland.
And I am 1000% here for it. I love Iceland. It’s an incredible place to visit. A must-see travel destination, in my not-so-humble opinion.
But it’s more than that: Thanks to Icelandair’s deep network in Europe, it’s also a low-cost (and geographically convenient) connecting point that helps keep prices on all airlines cheap.
Recently, Icelandair added St. Louis (STL) to its ever-growing list of U.S. cities connecting to its Reykjavik (KEF) hub. What happened next was obvious: A big, introductory sale with nonstop flights in the $400s roundtrip, with connecting flights on to Scandinavia and the rest of Europe for just a bit more, too.
St. Louis is the 16th U.S. destination Icelandair will serve when service begins next year. 16th! And that’s just Icelandair!
Last week, Delta announced it would be adding Boston (BOS) to Reykjavik (KEF), copying one of Icelandair’s busiest U.S. routes and what is already the cheapest airport to target for low fares on Icelandair.
We’ve seen nonstop fares to Iceland in the $200s roundtrip from Boston already … and now they’re adding more competition. Buckle up!
American Airlines is also jumping into the Iceland game with nonstop flights from Philadelphia (PHL) starting next summer. Plus, Delta flies to KEF from New York (JFK), Detroit (DTW), and Minneapolis (MSP); Alaska flies from Seattle (SEA); and United flies from Chicago (ORD) and Newark (EWR), rounding out the options.
Bottom Line: Competition and capacity are the two biggest factors in driving down airfare, and we’re getting a whole lot of both next year to Iceland and beyond. Enjoy the deals, travelers!
– Gunnar Olson, travel reporter & host of the Thrifty Traveler Podcast
🎙️ Travel Insider Zach Griff Joins the Podcast!
❓What aren’t the airlines saying out loud? How will tech and AI shape our travels? And what’s the future of award travel look like? Those questions are big enough for the guys to bring in another expert to tackle them: Zach Griff!
Watch it now on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
✈️ Other Travel Tidbits
- 🪨 Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) wants help naming the 50-ton boulder it dug up during its new-concourse construction. The finalists include “No ORDinary Rock,” “O’Rock,” and “Da Rock,” and voting runs through Nov. 2. (City of Chicago)
- 🥇 Starting Feb. 17, 2027, the Amex Business Gold Card’s 4x categories get narrower. Advertising will only earn 4x when you buy directly from Amazon, GoDaddy, Google, Meta, Microsoft, or Yelp, and wireless will only earn 4x with select carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. (Upgraded Points)
- ✈️ Lufthansa is launching nonstop service from Columbus (CMH) to Frankfurt (FRA) on May 5, 2027, three times a week on a 787. (Columbus Navigator)
- 💳 Starting Thursday, Oct. 22, Amex Business and Corporate Platinum cardholders get a free ZO by Tishman Speyer membership. That means co-working clubhouses in six U.S. cities and up to $500 a year in credits. (Upgraded Points)
