My Favorite Credit Card Transfer Partners: 10 Airline and Hotel Programs

Where I look for value, what I’d book, and when I’d keep my points.

Where Should Your Points Go?

Okay… so we’ve learned when to use points or cash, how to calculate your Cents Per Point (CPP), and how to transfer points to transfer partners based on the credit cards you have… so with all of that comes the next question. Which transfer partners are actually the best (or have treated me the best) for moving your very valuable points in order to get the most out of them?

This is obviously subject to my personal experience and what has done really well for me the last couple of years, so you might have differing opinions, but I would love to hear them! There’s no single airline or hotel loyalty program that always offers the best value. Some are consistently useful, while others only become worthwhile when the right redemption comes along… here’s the quick version, then let’s get started.

The quick version

Program	Transfer from	Where it wins
World of Hyatt	Chase, Bilt	Flagship hotels and event weeks. Published award chart.
Hilton Honors	Amex (1:2), Bilt (1:1)	Luxury resorts on 5-night stays. Wait for an Amex bonus.
Air Canada Aeroplan	Amex, Chase, Capital One, Bilt	Star Alliance business to Europe at 60,000. Stopovers for 5,000.
Avianca LifeMiles	Amex, Citi, Capital One, Bilt, Wells Fargo	Africa at 78,000. No fuel surcharges on partners.
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club	Amex, Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo, Capital One*, Bilt*	ANA to Japan from 52,500 in business and 72,500 in first.
Air France-KLM Flying Blue	Amex, Chase, Citi, Capital One, Bilt, Wells Fargo	Monthly promos to Europe, from 45,000 in business.
British Airways and Avios	Varies by program	Short American flights, Madrid at 40,500, Qsuite at 70,000.
Qantas Frequent Flyer	Amex, Citi, Capital One	Short American flights from 9,200, and American to Europe.
Singapore KrisFlyer	Amex, Chase, Citi, Capital One	Newark to Singapore business at 117,000.
United MileagePlus	Chase, Bilt	Saver Polaris seats, especially with a United card.

Why transferable points are so valuable

If you have a Chase, American Express, Citi, Capital One, or Bilt credit card, those points sitting in your account are transferable points. They aren’t locked to one loyalty program like United miles or Marriott points are, so you can move them over to the airlines and hotels each bank partners with and get way more out of them. So you get to shop your points around and pick whichever program charges the least for the trip you actually want.

Why loyalty programs aren’t created equal

Long story short, it really boils down to margins and costs. Each program has its own discretion on what its points should be worth and how many of them it charges for that room or seat. This is why loyalty programs are all over the place, and why some programs are NOT worth using your valuable credit card points on. You’ll see exactly what I mean with Hilton below.

Golden rule: look at the hotel or flight availability BEFORE transferring. Once you transfer, you cannot send those points back to your credit card account.

Before You Transfer Your Points

Here are a few things I do before making a transfer and redeeming points.

1. Confirm the award is actually there

First and foremost, make sure the flight or hotel availability is there. I use seats.aero and rooms.aero or MaxMyPoint to see what’s out there. These tools can show seats or rooms that aren’t actually available, so VERIFY those dates on the hotel’s or airline’s official page.

2. Do the CPP math

Once I get the dates and availability down, I do the calculation to make sure the CPP is higher than the average CPP for that program, so I know I’m getting good value from the redemption. You can check the averages on my Point Values page. As a reminder, here’s the formula:

((Total Cash Price − Taxes & Fees on the Award) ÷ Total Points Needed) × 100 = Cents Per Point (CPP)

3. Look for a transfer bonus

Sometimes the transfer partner you’re looking at will have a promotion with the credit card company, so you get more points on the other end. For instance, Air France-KLM Flying Blue might have a 25% transfer bonus with Chase or Amex, meaning 1,000 Chase or Amex points turn into 1,250 Flying Blue miles. Sometimes these are great to have, but some transfer bonuses aren’t as good as they want you to think they are… I’ll give you an example with Hilton Honors below.

4. Read the cancellation fine print

With most points redemptions, bookings are more lenient on cancellations and changes, but make sure you look at the fine print. With United, you can cancel up to the day of departure and get all your miles and taxes and fees back. It’s the same with American Airlines, Delta, and Alaska from my experience. Partner programs can be a whole different story though… LifeMiles, Qantas, Virgin Atlantic, and KrisFlyer can all charge cancellation fees, so check before you book.

Part I: My Favorite Hotel Transfer Partners

1. World of Hyatt

My favorite hotel (and probably my favorite overall) loyalty program to transfer Chase and Bilt points to. I know Hyatt has made changes recently that make its points less valuable, but it’s still on top of the hotel points game compared to the other major hotel chains (Marriott, Hilton, and IHG). I value these points at around 1.7 to 1.8 Cents Per Point.

What makes World of Hyatt so valuable is that it’s still the only major hotel chain to publish an award chart. There are five pricing tiers now (Lowest, Low, Moderate, Upper, and Top), so dates matter more than they used to, but it’s still a chart and not fully dynamic pricing where points go up and down with the cash rate. Every hotel has a category (1 to 8 for hotels and A to F for all-inclusive resorts, with 8 and F being the highest), which lets me map out how many points I need for the places I pick… that’s so beneficial for planning ahead.

Category	Lowest	Low	Moderate	Upper	Top
1	3,000	4,500	6,000	7,500	9,000
2	6,000	7,500	10,000	12,000	15,000
3	8,000	12,000	15,000	17,500	20,000
4	12,000	15,000	20,000	22,500	25,000
5	15,000	20,000	25,000	30,000	35,000
6	20,000	25,000	30,000	35,000	40,000
7	25,000	30,000	35,000	45,000	55,000
8	35,000	45,000	55,000	65,000	75,000

Who can transfer

This is a top transfer partner, and you can only transfer from Chase and Bilt. As of October 1, 2026, customers with ONLY a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Ink Business Preferred transfer to World of Hyatt at a 4:3 rate, meaning 1,000 Chase points only turn into 750 Hyatt points. Bilt will implement the same 4:3 ratio on January 1, 2027. Customers with the Chase Sapphire Reserve still get 1:1.

Where I look for value

When looking at hotels, I usually start with the flagship properties in a location: Park Hyatt, extravagant Grand Hyatts, Alila, Andaz, the Unbound Collection, or all-inclusives such as Secrets or Impression. A lot of these hotels have high cash prices that I wouldn’t dare spend… so in comes the points. I can view the award chart for each hotel and see if there’s available inventory.

I also look at lower-tier properties that have HIGH cash prices, which could be due to an event in town or peak season. Here are some real examples of how I get the most CPP.

Hotel	Cash price	Points	CPP
Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort, 3 nights (Sept 7-10, 2027)	$3,024.78	105,000 (35,000 per night)	2.88
Hyatt Centric Magnificent Mile Chicago, 3 nights during a big convention	$1,410 ($470 per night)	45,000 (15,000 per night)	3.13
Hyatt Centric Milan Centrale, 3 nights during the Eras Tour	$1,650 ($550 per night)	45,000 (15,000 per night)	3.67
Hyatt Centric Milan Centrale at the 20,000-point price today	$1,650	60,000 (20,000 per night)	2.75

Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort (Category 8) is the luxury example, priced at the Lowest tier for Category 8. More on this one below, when I put it up against the Ritz.

Hyatt Centric Magnificent Mile Chicago (Category 4) is an upscale hotel in downtown Chicago. We were going to stay three nights for 15,000 points a night, but a big convention was happening during our time there and the hotel’s prices skyrocketed to $470 a night. Since this isn’t a luxury hotel (the flagship there is the Park Hyatt Chicago), it would typically go for around $250 a night, so 15,000 points a night was a steal.

It was the same thing for Hyatt Centric Milan Centrale. We were there with friends for the Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert… yes, I was there for a Taylor Swift concert… lol. For typical summer prices, it usually hovers around $230 to $300 a night, but with the concert happening it was around $550 a night because hotels were surging for the concert-goers and their families.

The award chart at the time was only 15,000 points a night (it was a Category 4 when we stayed). So instead of around $1,650 for three nights, it was 45,000 points… so happy I jumped on it as soon as my wife and her friend got their tickets! Even now that it’s a Category 5 hotel, that time frame would go up to 20,000 points a night, or 60,000 for the three nights, and that’s still a great deal.

Why I’d transfer to Hyatt over Marriott Bonvoy: the Ritz vs. the Andaz in Maui

Now let’s talk to my Marriott loyalists out there… because this one might sting a little. Chase transfers to both World of Hyatt and Marriott Bonvoy (Hyatt is 1:1 with a Sapphire Reserve and 4:3 with a Sapphire Preferred), so you could send your points to either one. Let’s look at what those points actually buy you at two luxury resorts on the same island, on the exact same dates in September 2027.

3 nights in Maui	The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua	Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort
Dates	Sept 7-10, 2027	Sept 7-10, 2027
Cash price	$3,411.78 (refundable, includes a $100 daily resort credit)	$3,024.78
Points	444,000 (148,000 per night)	105,000 (35,000 per night)
Resort fee on a points stay	$59 per day, so $177	Waived
Chase points with a Sapphire Reserve	444,000	105,000
Chase points with a Sapphire Preferred	444,000	140,000 (4:3)
CPP with a Sapphire Reserve	0.73 (Marriott average: 0.76)	2.88 (Hyatt average: 1.68)
CPP with a Sapphire Preferred	0.73 (Marriott average: 0.76)	2.16 (Hyatt average: 1.68)

Yes… you’re reading that right. Three nights at the Andaz costs 339,000 fewer points than three nights at the Ritz. That’s about 76% fewer, or less than a quarter of the points, and the Andaz is in Hyatt’s highest category! The Ritz’s cash price is only $387 higher, and that includes the resort credit, yet it costs over 4 times the points. You’re also still paying the Ritz’s $59 daily resort fee on top of those 444,000 points, while Hyatt waives it on award nights.

Here’s another way to look at it. Those same 444,000 Chase points get you 3 nights at the Ritz… or 12 nights at the Andaz if you can find the 35,000-point rate. Even with a Sapphire Preferred at the 4:3 rate, that’s still 9 nights, and you’re still getting 2.16 CPP, about three times the Ritz’s 0.73. Twelve nights versus three… I mean, come on!

And before you tell me to wait for a transfer bonus, Chase just ran a 70% bonus to Marriott that ended on October 15, 2026. Even at that rate, you’d need about 261,000 Chase points for this Ritz stay, which is still way more than the Andaz at 105,000 or even 140,000.

Now, I’m not saying the Ritz is a bad hotel, and I get why people love their Marriott status. If your points are already sitting in Bonvoy, you can’t move them to Hyatt, so use them where they make sense. And 0.73 CPP is right around Marriott’s 0.76 average, so this isn’t some unusually bad redemption, which is exactly my point. But if your points are still in your Chase account, sending them to Marriott is just losing value when you could be staying at one of my favorite resorts in Hawaii for a fraction of the points!

When I pay cash instead: Hyatt House Kanazawa

Being a Hyatt fan doesn’t mean I always use points. We booked Hyatt House Kanazawa with cash, paying around $87 per night, and for a clean, spacious hotel right next to Kanazawa Station, I thought that was a steal. I usually check the points rate when booking a Hyatt, but at a price like this, I just don’t see the need to use them.

It’s a Category 2 hotel, so a standard room costs 6,000 to 15,000 points a night depending on your dates. Even at the Lowest tier, that’s 1.45 CPP, which is under what I value Hyatt points at. At the 15,000-point Top tier, it falls all the way to 0.58 CPP. So I’d rather pay cash and save my World of Hyatt points for a hotel with a much higher cash rate. Rates change though, so be sure to compare cash and points for your own dates.

My verdict: World of Hyatt is the program I’d transfer to first, as long as the math clears. Look for flagship properties or event-week spikes, and pay cash when the room is already cheap.

2. Hilton Honors

Why it’s one of my favorites

Okay, this is an interesting one because Hilton Honors points are valued at only around 0.5 CPP, which is extremely low, BUT there are some great properties you can redeem them at for standard rooms. Hilton Honors takes American Express points (1:2) and Bilt points (1:1). Amex’s 1:2 ratio already provides better value than Bilt’s 1:1, so avoid transferring from Bilt unless you need to top up.

The caveat: I’d wait on transferring to this program. If you have a lot of Amex points, there are sometimes transfer bonuses that give you 2.6 Hilton points for every 1 Amex point. At 0.5 CPP, that makes each Amex point worth about 1.3 cents, up from 1.0 cent at the normal 1:2. Better, but remember that a big-looking bonus doesn’t mean much if you’re redeeming at a bad CPP. Look to transfer if there’s a bonus OR if you find a deal at a property you can’t beat.

The two perks that make it work

Hilton Honors also has 5th night free awards, which are INCREDIBLY valuable if you want to stay at a property for a while, like on a beach trip. You book a standard room with points for five nights, and the fifth one costs 0 points… how awesome is that?! It gives you all the more reason to stay at an expensive luxury resort for less. You need Silver status or higher to get it, and the Hilton Amex cards hand you that status automatically.

If you have the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, you also get a free night each year to redeem at almost any Hilton property, as long as it has standard award availability. Put these together and you can essentially get 6 nights for the points price of 4… incredible value! One catch: the fifth night free doesn’t apply to nights you book with a certificate, so book the five points nights as one reservation and use the certificate on a separate reservation for the extra night, which is exactly what I did.

Where I look for value

• Waldorf Astoria hotels and resorts.
• Conrad hotels and resorts.
• Five-night standard room award stays at luxury properties.

My redemptions, and two to avoid

Stay	Cash price	Hilton points	CPP
Waldorf Astoria Seychelles, 6 nights with 5th night free + Aspire certificate	About $14,000	600,000	2.33
Waldorf Astoria Seychelles, 6 nights with 5th night free only	About $14,000	750,000	1.87
Hampton Inn in Washington, DC, 2 nights	$747.66	140,000	0.53
Hampton Inn Manhattan-Chelsea, 3 nights	$636.87	195,000	0.33

Waldorf Astoria Seychelles Platte Island. This was one of my best redemptions yet… this Forbes 5-Star resort is still the best resort I’ve been to. Let’s break it down. We stayed for 6 nights, and the cash price was around $14,000… yikes… am I paying that? Absolutely… NOT.

It was 150,000 Hilton points per night, so it should have been 900,000 points for 6 nights. But remember what I said about the 5th night free? I booked 5 nights on points, which knocked off 150,000 points. Then I booked a separate reservation for the 6th night using the free night from my Hilton Aspire card, which is another 150,000 points off. So it was 600,000 points for the stay, or 2.33 CPP. If you don’t have the credit card, it would be 750,000 points, or 1.87 CPP, which is still an amazing redemption.

To put that in credit card terms, 600,000 Hilton points takes 300,000 Amex points at 1:2, or about 230,800 with a 2.6 bonus. That works out to about 4.67 and 6.07 cents per Amex point. That’s why this program can make sense.

The ones to avoid. On the flip side, I’d avoid redeeming at a lot of Hilton hotels that aren’t on the luxury or resort side of things. For example, the Hampton Inn in Washington, DC was $747.66 for two nights, but the redemption for this limited-service, run-of-the-mill hotel was a staggering 70,000 points per night! That’s 0.53 CPP, so it technically beats the average, but that’s a LOT of points for really nothing in return. Those same 140,000 points get you nearly a full night at the Waldorf in Seychelles, which is exactly where you want to be spending them.

And it can get even worse. For 3 nights at the Hampton Inn Manhattan-Chelsea on January 19-22, 2027, it’s 65,000 points a night, or 195,000 total, versus $636.87 in cash for the flexible rate. That’s only 0.33 CPP, well under Hilton’s 0.46 average. Those same 195,000 points would cover more than a full night at the Waldorf in Seychelles, so save those points and pay cash!

My verdict: Hilton is the program where the average CPP looks awful and the best redemptions look incredible. Save it for luxury resorts on long stays, transfer from Amex rather than Bilt, and wait for a bonus if you can.

Part II: My Favorite Airline Transfer Partners

Now for the fun part… the flights! I’ve pulled together the redemptions I’d look for, from short domestic hops to long-haul business class to Europe, Africa, and Asia, plus a few I’ve actually booked. Prices are one way, checked in early November 2026, and they’re the lowest you can hope to find, so you still have to find the seats and run the CPP math for your own dates.

3. Air Canada Aeroplan

Transfer from: Amex, Chase, Capital One, and Bilt (all 1:1)

Ohhhh Air Canada… one of my favorite Star Alliance redemption programs! Aeroplan can book a massive network of partner airlines, and it publishes a distance-based award chart with fixed prices on most of them. Not every Star Alliance member opens up its award space to Air Canada, because they’d rather keep it for themselves, but when the seats are there, this is where I start. You can also add a stopover for just 5,000 points on a one-way award (just not within Canada or the U.S.)… that’s two trips in one!

Where I’d look

Trip	Example	Points (one way)	Good to know
Short haul	Newark to Boston on United (0-500 miles)	Economy from 6,000, business from 15,000	United’s price moves. Air Canada’s own median here is 13,000 in economy, so 6,000 is the best case.
Short haul	Within Europe, up to 1,000 miles	Economy 7,500, business 12,500	Handy once you are already over there.
Europe	JFK/EWR to Frankfurt on Lufthansa (under 4,000 miles)	Business 60,000, economy 32,500	This is the one I’d jump on. Just taxes and the booking fee, no fuel surcharges.
Europe	Chicago to Frankfurt or DC to Istanbul on Turkish (4,001-6,000 miles)	Business 75,000, economy 42,500	Up from 70,000 in June 2026. Connections count toward the distance.
Africa	DC to Addis Ababa on Ethiopian (6,001-8,000 miles)	Business 90,000, economy 60,000	Past 8,000 miles (think Johannesburg with a connection), business is 110,000.
Asia	Seattle to Tokyo on ANA (under 5,000 miles)	Business 55,000, first 90,000	West Coast friends, this one is for you. Finding the seat is the hard part.
Asia	JFK/EWR/IAD to Tokyo on ANA (5,001-7,500 miles)	Business 85,000, first 120,000	Up from 75,000 in June 2026.

Aeroplan has some amazing Star Alliance partner redemptions even domestically, such as United from Dulles to Chicago or Dulles to San Francisco, with economy starting at 10,000 and 12,500 points on the chart. Always keep an eye out for these.

Now the annoying parts. A lot of long-haul partner awards went up in June 2026, and Asia got hit hard. There’s also a C$39 booking fee on partner tickets. And be careful with Air Canada’s own flights and other “select” partners like United, because the chart only shows their starting prices. The median for business class to Europe under 4,000 miles is 133,800 points with them, versus a flat 60,000 on other partners. So stick to the other partners and you’ll be just fine.

Also… if you see something that seems too good to be true… it just might be. Aeroplan is notorious for mixed cabin deals. A “business class” award from Seoul to Chicago could really be United economy from Seoul to San Francisco, with only San Francisco to Chicago in domestic first class. No way would I pay business class points when the only “premium experience” is a 4-hour domestic first class flight and the long haul is in economy… Just look underneath the points amount for the flight, and it will tell you which portion is in economy.

That said, when Aeroplan works, it really works. I was able to book last minute flights from Newark to Frankfurt on Lufthansa’s 747-8 upper deck Business Class for 60,000 Aeroplan points, transferred from Amex. As an aviation geek, that is a bucket list item for me… I remember flying a United 747-400 from Dulles to Beijing back in 2008, but I was still too young to fully appreciate the beauty of this aircraft.

I was also able to snag one of the world’s longest flights, Newark to Singapore on Singapore Airlines’ A350-900ULR, for 87,500 Aeroplan points. Now that was a high rarity, but it was an option out there at the time… that same distance is 102,500 on today’s chart. I also added a stopover in Singapore and continued on to Phnom Penh for just 5,000 more points!

4. Avianca LifeMiles

Transfer from: Amex, Citi, Capital One, Bilt, and Wells Fargo (all 1:1)

This is the other big way to book Star Alliance premium cabins, and there are no fuel surcharges on partner awards. It’s also the answer for Citi and Wells Fargo cardholders, since they can’t transfer to Aeroplan at all. And Africa at 78,000 points? That’s the best price I found of the Star Alliance programs here.

Trip	Example	Points (one way)	Good to know
Short haul	Domestic United flights, like Salt Lake City to Grand Junction via Denver	From 7,500, often 15,000	Only about 140 of 1,225 routes studied hit 7,500, and fees were around $58 versus $5.60 through United. Not a slam dunk!
Europe	US to Europe in Star Alliance business	63,000 to 75,000	It depends on the route, so price yours. DC to Frankfurt via Toronto on Air Canada was 69,000.
Africa	Toronto to Cape Town via Addis Ababa on Ethiopian	Business 78,000	Beats Aeroplan and United.
Asia	Hawaii to Tokyo in business	48,000 + about $25	From the mainland, expect about 90,000 or more.

If you’re chasing Lufthansa first class, it’s been reported at about 87,000 miles plus about $75, usually very close to departure. I am trying VERY hard to snag one of these seats because I would love to experience the classic Lufthansa 747-8 First Class cabin, but I’ve been running into only 1 seat of availability, and if I sat in First Class and my wife didn’t… yeah, I wouldn’t have a very long marriage.

Just watch the fees. There’s usually a $25 booking fee that doesn’t show up until checkout, change and cancellation fees have been reported anywhere from $30 to $250, and the website can be clunky. Miles also expire after 12 months with no qualifying activity, and redeeming doesn’t count. So only transfer when you’re ready to book, because backing out can cost you. I’ve also heard from others that you’d better hope you never have to deal with their customer service…

5. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Transfer from: Amex, Chase, Citi, and Wells Fargo (1:1), plus Capital One and Bilt through Virgin Red

I could sum this one up in one word… ANA. Virgin charges some of the lowest prices you’ll find for ANA business and first class to Japan. Look at this chart, straight from Virgin’s website:

ANA to Japan, one way	Economy	Business	First
Western US	30,000	52,500	72,500
Central and Eastern US	32,500	60,000	85,000

This is UNREAL, but there is a catch to booking these flights. You have to call Flying Club to book (you can’t book online), and ANA has to release the seat, but come on… first class to Japan for 72,500 points?! One first class example from Chicago to Tokyo had about $165 in fees, and Virgin passes along ANA’s fuel surcharges, so that number moves. Right now, Amex also has a 30% transfer bonus to Virgin through November 30, 2026 (Capital One has one through November 20), so a 60,000-point business class seat only takes about 46,200 Amex points. Just make sure the bonus is still showing in your account before you transfer.

The key to booking this is finding Saver award availability on United, or availability on Aeroplan, for Business Class on that specific ANA flight. Once you find it, call Virgin Atlantic, ask to book that ANA flight, and give them the flight details. If the agent is able to locate the flight you saw, then you transfer your points from Amex to Virgin Atlantic to book it. I was able to book Haneda to Dulles from our Japan trip at the Virgin Atlantic rate, and I found the award availability on Aeroplan first before calling.

Don’t have the points in your Virgin account yet? I wouldn’t count on the agent holding the seat for you. Some people report a 24 or 48-hour hold, while others were told ANA seats can’t be held at all, so ask before you transfer anything. Amex transfers to Virgin are usually pretty quick, so I’d have my Amex account pulled up while I’m on the phone. I’d also suggest opening your Virgin Atlantic account at least 24 hours before transferring to it, in case the system hasn’t updated yet.

London looks cheap until you see the surcharges

From the East Coast, Virgin’s own flights can look crazy cheap in points. One IAD to London example was 29,000 points in Upper Class (Virgin’s business class) and 6,000 in economy, which is WILD, and saver prices top out at 47,500 off-peak or 57,500 peak in Upper Class, and 10,000 or 20,000 in economy.

However, with that comes… the fees… ugh… That Upper Class seat, based on seats.aero availability, has surcharges of up to $700+, which is astronomical for taxes and fees. But if you think about it, that’s a Business Class lie-flat seat for about what an economy ticket can cost. Economy awards aren’t off the hook either, with fees of up to around $400. So do your math with the fees included, because Virgin’s prices move around too. London flights (even layovers) are NOTORIOUS for sky high surcharges…

Delta One, because Delta is sky high

Delta’s own SkyMiles prices can get ridiculous, so Virgin is worth checking for Delta One to Europe. It’s 47,500 off-peak or 57,500 peak from the East Coast and Central US, and 67,500 or 77,500 from the West Coast. Short domestic hops are also on the chart, at 7,500 points in economy up to 500 miles. I’d skip Delta to Africa or Asia through Virgin though, since the longest flights are 165,000 points in business. Just run your exact flight through to the payment page before you transfer, so you can see the taxes and fees first.

6. Air France-KLM Flying Blue

Transfer from: Amex, Chase, Citi, Capital One, Bilt, and Wells Fargo (all 1:1)

This is one of my go-to programs for Europe. Every major bank transfers here, so nearly anyone reading this can use it. My favorite part is Promo Rewards, a monthly list of routes at up to 25% off. New York to Paris or Amsterdam in business for 45,000 miles?! Yes, please!

Trip	Example	Points (one way)	Good to know
Short haul	Paris or Amsterdam to cities around Europe	Recent business promos around 18,750	Not domestic flying, but great when it shows up.
Europe	East Coast to Paris or Amsterdam in economy	From 25,000, promo from 18,750	November promos include DC and Atlanta.
Europe	New York to Paris or Amsterdam in business	From 60,000, promo 45,000	Standard runs about 75,000 and Flex about 110,000.
Africa	New York to Nairobi in premium economy, or Mauritius in economy	Promo 48,750 and 30,000	November promos. Mauritius for 30,000 is a great price for a beach that far away.
Asia	Long-haul business, like Paris to Beijing	From 85,000, recent promos 63,750 to Bangkok	Add the US leg and check the total.
Asia	Atlanta or Houston to Beijing in economy	Promo 30,000	Chicago to Shanghai in premium economy was 48,750.

The November promo prices above need to be booked by November 30, 2026 for travel through April 30, 2027, and a new list comes out every month.

Two warnings. Expect about $275 to $500 in taxes and fees on business class to or from Europe (one example went above $600), so put that in your CPP math. Also, since September 2026, Air France and KLM awards come as Light, Standard, or Flex. Light is the cheapest and it’s what promos use, but in business it doesn’t include changes, refunds, or the lounge. So make sure your dates are locked in first! Miles expire after 24 months with no activity, too.

7. British Airways Club and the Avios Ecosystem

Transfer from: Amex, Chase, Capital One, Bilt, and Wells Fargo to British Airways (all 1:1). Other Avios programs vary (see below).

Okay, stay with me on this one, because it can get confusing. Avios are basically one currency across several airlines. You can move them between programs, and each program charges its own price and fees for the same seat. So you get to shop around before you commit.

Program	Who transfers directly (1:1)	What it’s good for
British Airways Club	Amex, Chase, Capital One, Bilt, Wells Fargo	Moving Avios around, plus short American flights
Qatar Airways Privilege Club	Amex, Citi, Capital One, Bilt	Qsuite (Qatar’s business class), plus the cheapest short American flights in Avios
Iberia Club	Amex, Chase, Bilt, Wells Fargo	Business class to Madrid
Finnair Plus	Capital One	Finnair flights to Helsinki and beyond
Aer Lingus AerClub	Amex, Chase, Bilt, Wells Fargo	Cheap economy to Dublin

Moving Avios between British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, and Finnair happens for free through Avios.com, and Qatar moves through British Airways. Your personal details have to match across accounts, and some travelers report Qatar transfers getting held up, so only move them once you’ve found your seat. Just open your accounts early, because a new British Airways, Iberia, or Aer Lingus account can’t move Avios out for its first 30 days.

Trip	Example	Points (one way)	Good to know
Short haul	American or Alaska under 650 miles, like Miami to Nassau, DC to Boston, or Philadelphia to Boston	Qatar 9,500, British Airways 13,500	British Airways charges per segment, so stick to nonstops.
Short haul	American from 651 to 1,151 miles, like New York to Chicago or DC to Miami	Qatar 13,000, British Airways 18,000	Business is 27,000 through Qatar and 35,500 through British Airways.
Domestic lie-flat	New York to Dallas on American	Business from Qatar 34,000, British Airways 44,000	A big plane on a domestic route for way less than you would expect.
Europe	New York, Boston, or DC to Madrid on Iberia	Business around 40,500 off-peak	This is my favorite one here. Few prices to Europe come close.
Europe	US to Dublin on Aer Lingus	Economy from 13,000	Fees vary, so go all the way to checkout.
Middle East	US to Doha on Qatar Qsuite	Business 70,000	Connect beyond Doha for Asia and Africa, but price the full route first.
Asia	US to the Maldives on Qatar Qsuite	Business 85,000	Qsuite all the way to the Maldives. Sign me up!

Why bother comparing? On one Miami to Madrid business class award on Iberia, the Avios price was the same in all three programs, but look at the fees:

Booked through	Avios	Fees
Iberia	Same price	$121.40
British Airways	Same price	$121.40
Aer Lingus	Same price	$829.80

That’s over $700 for the same seat! British Airways’ own transatlantic flights carry big fees too, with a round-trip Club World award starting at 154,000 Avios plus £350. Finnair is one to price live (Seoul to Helsinki in business was 62,500). And a Citi to Qatar bonus of up to 35% that made Qsuite cheaper ended on October 31, 2026, so keep an eye out for the next one.

8. Qantas Frequent Flyer

Transfer from: Amex, Citi, and Capital One (all 1:1)

You don’t have to be heading to Australia to use Qantas points! Qantas prices American Airlines flights by distance with no fuel surcharges, and the short ones are super cheap.

Trip	Example	Points (one way)	Good to know
Short haul	Under 600 miles on American, like Miami to Key West (126 miles), Nassau (182), or Cancun (530)	Economy 9,200, business 19,300	The lowest price I found for short American flights. It’s total distance, so connections count.
Domestic	601 to 1,200 miles, or 1,201 to 2,400 miles	Economy 13,800 or 20,700, business 29,000 or 43,600	Compare with Avios, since Qatar is 13,000 for the shorter band.
Europe	JFK to London on American (3,451 miles)	Economy 23,300, business 68,400	No fuel surcharge on American, unlike British Airways’ fees.

Miami to Nassau on American is 9,200 with Qantas, 9,500 with Qatar Avios, and 13,500 with British Airways. Value these points at around 1.3 cents and 9,200 points is about $120, so it only makes sense if the cash ticket costs more than that plus the fees.

I wouldn’t come here first for Africa or Asia, since long-haul partner business class often runs around 100,000 points and up. Changes and cancellations also cost points (around 5,000 to change and 6,000 or more to cancel, per passenger), and points expire after 18 months with no activity. So keep this one for cheap American flights.

9. Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

Transfer from: Amex, Chase, Citi, and Capital One (all 1:1)

I’m putting this one on the list for one flight: Newark to Singapore in business class for 117,000 miles on a Saver award, which I have done before (I can’t recommend this flight enough). It’s one of the longest flights in the world, so you want a bed, and Singapore keeps most of its best seats for its own KrisFlyer members. That makes this often the only realistic way to book it with points.

Here’s what else I’d look at:

• Asia: premium economy Saver from Newark to Singapore is 84,500. JFK to Singapore via Frankfurt is 46,000 in economy or 156,000 in first (if you can find it), since those cabins aren’t on the Newark nonstop. Already in Asia? Tokyo to Singapore is 25,500 in economy or 54,500 in business.
• Europe: JFK to Frankfurt on Singapore is 27,500 in economy, 89,000 in business, or 106,500 in first.
• Africa and US domestic: nothing here I’d recommend, so use the programs above.

But be picky. The Advantage level (KrisFlyer’s pricier award tier) for that same Newark seat is 165,000, which I’d skip. Miles expire 36 months after you earn them no matter what you do, so don’t park them here, and Saver seats can vanish while your points are on the way. Reported transfer times average about 11 hours for Amex, 18 for Capital One, 20 for Citi, and about a day for Chase. It’s $75 to cancel a Saver award, and date changes can carry a fee too. So only transfer when that seat is sitting right in front of you!

Oh… oddly enough, since July 2026, Singapore Airlines requires a minimum KrisFlyer balance (reportedly about 1,000 miles) just to SEARCH for award availability on its site… weird… but please keep that in mind. If you don’t have any miles there yet, seats.aero can still show you availability first.

10. United MileagePlus: On Select Flights

Transfer from: Chase and Bilt (both 1:1)

United is rarely the cheapest option, so why is it on my list? Because you can sometimes grab its Polaris business class seats at a good price if you find a Saver award (United’s lowest-priced seats)… the only issue is that ever since April 2026, United has been giving its credit card holders and elite members extra Saver seats that everyone else can’t book… real bummer for people who don’t fly United frequently or hold their credit cards.

That’s why I put it at the bottom of the list. It CAN be good if you’re one of those people with the card or the status (having both is even better), but if not, it’s really not worth transferring to unless there’s a really cheap domestic flight.

Pricing is dynamic too, and one Newark business class route ranged from 80,000 to 395,000 miles in August 2026… yikes! If you do have a United card, you get at least 10% off United-operated Saver awards.

Trip	Example	Points (one way)	Good to know
Short haul	Domestic Saver economy, like Chicago to Denver	From about 13,500 to 15,000	Plus the $5.60 security fee. Check cash first, since short flights can be cheap.
Europe	Newark to London on United Polaris	As low as 80,000, 72,000 with a card, 68,000 with a card + Premier status	United’s own example. The discounts don’t work on partner flights.
Europe	Boston to Vienna on a partner	88,000 + $5.60	A 2025 example against a $3,673 cash fare, or 4.17 CPP.
Africa	US to Africa in partner business	About 88,000 to 90,000	LifeMiles and Aeroplan can beat or match this.
Asia	US to Asia on United Polaris	About 100,000	ANA from San Francisco to Tokyo was 110,000 in August 2026. Way too much (see the comparison below).

I wouldn’t send points here first. I’d do it for a Saver Polaris seat I can’t book anywhere else, or if I had a United card and could get the discount.

Same Seat, Very Different Price

See why I always compare? Here’s what two popular business class seats go for:

Flight	Program	Points (one way)	Extra to watch
JFK to Frankfurt on Lufthansa	Aeroplan	60,000	C$39 booking fee
	LifeMiles	63,000 to 75,000	$25 booking fee
	United	From about 88,000	Dynamic
San Francisco to Tokyo on ANA	Virgin Atlantic	52,500	Book by phone, plus fees
	Aeroplan	85,000	C$39 booking fee
	LifeMiles	About 90,000	$25 booking fee
	United	About 110,000	Dynamic

Final Thoughts: There Is No One-Size-Fits-All Transfer Partner

Like I said at the start, no single program wins every time… it comes down to the trip you actually want. My approach is pretty simple… be flexible. To get the best value out of your valuable transferable points, you can’t really be picky with your dates. Popular routes and hard-to-come-by redemptions sometimes come out of nowhere, and that’s when you have to pounce on them, because someone else will real quick. For instance, I booked my Newark to Singapore nonstop in Singapore Airlines business class for 87,500 Aeroplan points per person a year in advance, because that is when the alert dropped.

I would also map out the hardest portion of the trip to book and then plan your trip around that. What I mean by that is, if the long-haul business class flight you’re looking at is the hardest to come by, when a redemption comes through, book the flight first, then book everything around it. If a world-class resort or hotel is the hardest to book, then book that first when they have a great redemption and then book the flights around it.

ALWAYS make sure the redemption makes sense though. I cannot emphasize enough to make sure that you are getting the most CPP out of these points… they are hard to obtain, don’t waste them. I hope these picks for best transfer partners help you get the most out of your travels with points redemptions!

So… where are your points going next? Let me know your favorite transfer partners, because I’d love to hear which ones have treated you best!

Related Trailblazin’ Half Asian Resources

• Should I Book With Points or Cash?
• How to Transfer Credit Card Points to Airlines and Hotels
• Point Values (Points Toolkit)
• Where to Book
• Current Points Deals
• Hotel Review: Waldorf Astoria Seychelles Platte Island
• Hotel Review: Hyatt House Kanazawa
• Ethiopian Airlines: An Exhausting Flight Home