Get Up to 30% More Points With These Current Transfer Bonuses!

Got a stash of transferable points but find yourself still shy of that dream getaway? Don't write it off just yet.

Banks like American Express, Capital One, and Chase routinely roll out bonuses when transferring points to a specific airline or hotel partner, meaning you don't have to transfer as many points as you normally need to book an award flight. Think of these transfer bonuses as a way to get free miles.

Just how good of a transfer bonus you'll get will vary from bank to bank and program to program, but you can generally expect to see bonuses in the range of 10% to 40% – sometimes even more. They're typically offered for a limited time, and it can be tough to keep track of them all, especially if you have transferrable points with multiple credit card companies.

Here are all the current transfer bonuses available as of publication, broken down by bank.

Wondering why you should transfer your points? Read up on how it can help you book flights for less!

Taking advantage of these transfer bonuses can be critical to getting even more value out of your points. But there are a few things you'll want to keep in mind before rushing to transfer your points.

Here's the most important one: These transfers are a one-way street. Once you send the points to an airline 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 you want are actually available to book) before transferring your points.

Time and time again, we've seen loyalty programs devalue their points by raising award rates with little to no warning. The best way to safeguard against these sudden devaluations is to keep your points safe (and flexible) in your bank account until you're ready to use them.

Read next: When Does it Make Sense to Speculatively Transfer Your Points?

And keep in mind that you'll still have to pay taxes and fees on when booking an award ticket. For some airlines, those fees are negligible. But others charge much more when booking award flights with points and miles – especially if you're flying business or first class with your miles.

Let's take a closer look at each of the current transfer bonuses and how you might want (or not want) to use them.

See our master list of credit card transfer partners! 

30% Bonus on American Express Transfers to Avios

American Express is offering a 30% bonus when moving points to a trio of Avios-using airlines: British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Iberia. This transfer bonus is available through Sept. 30, so you've still got nearly a month to take advantage of it.

With this transfer bonus, you can take one of the cheapest ways to fly business class to Europe and make it even cheaper. By flying Spanish flag carrier, Iberia, you can get from one of several U.S. gateways to Madrid (MAD) for just 34,000 Avios plus $130 in taxes and fees one-way – or less than 27,000 American Express Membership Rewards when combined with this transfer bonus.

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!

The key to booking these awards is focusing on off-peak travel dates, from cities like Boston, Washington D.C., New York City, and Chicago to Madrid. Since Iberia has a generous definition of what's considered off-peak, you can find these ultra-low rates for a good majority of the year. Only late June through mid-September and the winter holidays (plus a few more random dates throughout the calendar) will trigger higher peak pricing.

Flying lie-flat to Europe for 27,000 points and $130 in fees is tough, if not impossible, to beat. But there are other options.

Thanks to Qatar Airways' adoption of Avios, the floodgates are open to book Qatar's world-leading Qsuite business class seats using Amex points. Factor in this 30% transfer bonus, and you can do it for fewer points.

Here's the easiest route: You could book a simple nonstop from many cities in the U.S. over to Doha (DOH) for just 70,000 British Airways Avios and about $100 in fees. Find the award availability you want, transfer 54,000 Amex points to your BA account, and book it. Done. It doesn't get much cheaper or easier than that.

But if you want to take it next level and connect elsewhere – Dubai (DXB) or Muscat (MCT) in the Middle East, Cairo (CAI), or maybe even the Maldives (MLE) or Seychelles (SEZ) in Indian Ocean – you'll want to turn to Qatar Airways Avios. Tacking on another another leg to one of these other destinations will only raise the cost to 75,000 or 85,000 Avios.

And even though Amex isn't offering this bonus on transfers to Qatar, you can easily combine your Avios balances between British Airways and Qatar.

Get even more ideas for how to use this bonus by reading our guide!

20% Bonus on Capital One Transfers to Air France/KLM Flying Blue

Travelers with cards like the *venture x* and the *capital one venture card* can get a 20% bonus when transferring Capital One miles to Air France/KLM Flying Blue, a great mileage program to get from the U.S. to Europe, one of the best ways to book business class, and the best new way to book many Delta flights for fewer miles. This transfer bonus makes those deals even better. 

This new bonus runs all the way through Sept. 29, so you've got a few weeks to put it to use. 

Whether you want to get to Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG), Amsterdam (AMS), or connect almost anywhere flying business class to Europe, Flying Blue charges as low as 50,000 each way. With this transfer bonus, you’d need just 41,700 Capital One miles to make it happen. 

Read next: How to Book Award Tickets with Air France/KLM Flying Blue

With low rates and fairly solid availability to actually book these flights with your miles, this is one of the best ways to book business class to Europe.

You can also book economy awards to Europe using Air France and KLM miles – including one-way trips from several U.S. cities for less than 20,000 miles. But Flying Blue also passes on some hefty cash surcharges on award tickets that make it less appealing for economy prices, while it can easily be worth paying $200 or so for a one-way business class ticket for Europe. 

Finding flights at these low rates may require some flexibility, as you won't find them on every single date. Luckily, Air France and KLM allow you to easily scroll through up to a month's worth of flights to find the best deals. 

Get even more ideas for how to use this bonus by reading our guide! 

30% Bonus on Amex Transfers to Hilton

Amex is currently running a transfer bonus that gives cardholders 30% more points when moving Membership Rewards to the Hilton Honors loyalty program. This bonus ends Sept. 30, so you have a few weeks to take advantage. 

Membership Rewards typically transfer 1:2 to Hilton Honors, so transferring 1,000 Amex point typically gets you 2,000 Hilton Honors points. With this bonus, you'd be getting 2,600 Hilton Honors points instead,

On the surface that might seem like a steal. But keep in mind that it typically takes a whole lot of Hilton points to book a free night. Even with this transfer bonus, it may not be the slam dunk you think it is.

That said, this transfer bonus could be great if you need to top off your Hilton account to get enough points for a free night. Same goes if you have a particularly high-value redemption in mind. 

For example, let's say you find standard room award availability at the Conrad Bora Bora Nui. This 30% transfer bonus means you could book a free night using just 47,000 Amex Membership Rewards. Considering cash prices are typically north of $1,000 per night, this could be an excellent use of your Amex points.

And if you've got a free night award from one of the Hilton Honors American Express credit cards, you could even tack that on for an additional night in paradise.

Read more: A Complete Guide to Hilton Honors: Free Nights, Credit Cards & More

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 will rarely be a good option.