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There are plenty of great travel credit cards cobranded with individual airlines and hotel chains. But freedom of choice ultimately reigns supreme for burning your hard-earned loyalty points. That’s why the likes of American Express, Capital One, Chase, and Citi have all created their own proprietary loyalty programs, which can then be transferred to various airline and hotel programs.
Often—but not always—these transfer ratios are completed at a 1:1 ratio and allow credit cardholders to bank and keep their points in the currency of their chosen credit card, transferring to airline and hotel partners as and when needed. This situation gives consumers the power to transfer only when they’ve found the right match—say, a business-class seat to Paris on the cheap on Air France (transfer to Air France/KLM Flying Blue), a lovely room at the Conrad Bora Bora (transfer to Hilton Honors), or a suite upgrade at Park Hyatt New York City (transfer to World of Hyatt).
We’ve gathered everything you need to know about the loyalty programs of American Express, Chase, Citi, and Capital One in brief, how to rack up points quickly in each, and how they compare when it comes to transfer partners.
American Express Membership Rewards transfer partners
Membership Rewards is the loyalty currency of American Express. These points are earned through welcome bonuses and spending on Amex credit cards, namely the Gold and Platinum varieties. Once accrued, Membership Rewards points are transferable to 18 airline partners—3 domestic and 15 international—and 3 hotel partners. A total of 21 transfer partners makes Membership Rewards the best loyalty program overall for transferable points:
- Aer Lingus AerClub (1:1 ratio)
- Aeromexico Club Premier (1:1.6 ratio)
- Air Canada Aeroplan (1:1 ratio)
- Air France/KLM Flying Blue (1:1 ratio)
- ANA, Japan (1:1 ratio)
- Avianca LifeMiles (1:1 ratio)
- British Airways Executive Club (1:1 ratio)
- Cathay Pacific - Asia Miles (1:1 ratio)
- Choice Privileges (1:1 ratio)
- Delta SkyMiles (1:1 ratio)
- Emirates Skywards (1:1 ratio)
- Etihad Guest (1:1 ratio)
- Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles (1:1 ratio)
- Hilton Honors (1:2 ratio)
- Iberia Plus (1:1 ratio)
- JetBlue TrueBlue (1:0.8 ratio)
- Marriott Bonvoy (1:1 ratio)
- Qantas Frequent Flyer (1:1 ratio)
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club (1:1 ratio)
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (1:1 ratio)
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (1:1 ratio)
Boost your Membership Rewards balance big-time with hefty welcome bonuses from:
- American Express® Gold Card (annual fee $250): Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 on purchases within the first six months. (Terms apply. See rates and fees.)
- The Platinum Card® from American Express (annual fee $695): Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $8,000 on purchases within the first six months. (Terms apply. See rates and fees.)
Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partners
Chase Sapphire cards earn Ultimate Rewards points, which can be transferred to partners or used for statement credits, gift cards, and more. Currently, there are 11 airline partners and 3 hotel partners, including:
- Aer Lingus AerClub (1:1 ratio)
- Air Canada Aeroplan (1:1 ratio)
- Air France/KLM Flying Blue (1:1 ratio)
- British Airways Executive Club (1:1 ratio)
- Emirates Skywards (1:1 ratio)
- Iberia Plus (1:1 ratio)
- IHG Rewards Club (1:1 ratio)
- JetBlue True Blue (1:1 ratio)
- Marriott Bonvoy (1:1 ratio)
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (1:1 ratio)
- Southwest Rapid Rewards (1:1 ratio)
- United Mileage Plus (1:1 ratio)
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (1:1 ratio)
- World of Hyatt (1:1 ratio)
While that’s fewer than the 21 partners found through American Express’s Membership Rewards, Chase ties Amex for its number of domestic airlines (3) and hotel partners (3).
Get Ultimate Rewards points quickly with the current introductory offers from:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (annual fee $95): Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® (annual fee $550): Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months.
Citi ThankYou Points transfer partners
The Citi Premier® Card accrues Citi ThankYou points, which are transferable to over a dozen airline frequent flier programs and three hotel programs, including:
- Aeromexico Club Premier (1:1 ratio)
- Air France/KLM Flying Blue (1:1 ratio)
- ALL - Accor Live Limitless (1:0.5 ratio)
- Avianca LifeMiles (1:1 ratio)
- Cathay Pacific - Asia Miles (1:1 ratio)
- Choice Privileges (1:2 ratio)
- Emirates Skywards (1:1 ratio)
- Etihad Guest (1:1 ratio)
- Eva Air Infinity MileageLands (1:1 ratio)
- JetBlue True Blue (1:1 ratio)
- Qantas Frequent Flyer (1:1 ratio)
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club (1:1 ratio)
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (1:1 ratio)
- Thai Royal Orchid Plus (1:1 ratio)
- Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles (1:1 ratio)
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (1:1 ratio)
- Wyndham Rewards (1:1 ratio)
Kickstart your ThankYou points balance with the current welcome bonus from the Citi Premier Card (annual fee $95): Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou points after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first three months.
Capital One Rewards transfer partners
Capital One overhauled its rewards program to include 15 airline and 3 hotel transfer partners, with a transfer ratio to 1:1 for most partners:
- Aeromexico Club Premier (1:1 ratio)
- Air Canada Aeroplan (1:1 ratio)
- Air France/KLM Flying Blue (1:1 ratio)
- ALL - Accor Live Limitless (1:0.5 ratio)
- Avianca LifeMiles (1:1 ratio)
- British Airways Executive Club (1:1 ratio)
- Cathay Pacific - Asia Miles (1:1 ratio)
- Choice Privileges (1:1 ratio)
- Emirates Skywards (1:1 ratio)
- Etihad Guest (1:1 ratio)
- Eva Air Infinity MileageLands (1:0.75 ratio)
- Finnair - Finnair Plus (1:1 ratio)
- Qantas Frequent Flyer (1:1 ratio)
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (1:1 ratio)
- TAP Miles&Go (1:1 ratio)
- Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles (1:1 ratio)
- Virgin Red (Virgin’s group wide rewards club) (1:1 ratio)
- Wyndham Rewards (1:1 ratio)
Right now, thanks to the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (annual fee $395), it’s possible to earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
Transferring credit card points to international airline partners
Here’s how all four of the aforementioned credit card programs compare in terms of partners and transfer ratios when it comes to international airline loyalty programs.
| Mileage Program | Amex | Chase | Citi | Capital One |
| Aer Lingus AerClub | 1:1 | 1:1 | — | — |
| Aeromexico Club Premier | 1:1.6 | — | 1:1 | 1:1 |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | 1:1 | 1:1 | — | 1:1 |
| Air France/KLM Flying Blue | 1:1 | 1:1 | 1:1 | 1:1 |
| ANA, Japan | 1:1 | — | — | — |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 1:1 | — | 1:1 | 1:1 |
| British Airways Executive Club | 1:1 | 1:1 | — | 1:1 |
| Cathay Pacific - Asia Miles | 1:1 | — | 1:1 | 1:1 |
| Emirates Skywards | 1:1 | 1:1 | 1:1 | 1:1 |
| Etihad Guest | 1:1 | — | 1:1 | 1:1 |
| Eva Air Infinity MileageLands | — | — | 1:1 | 1:0.75 |
| Finnair - Finnair Plus | — | — | — | 1:1 |
| Iberia Plus | 1:1 | 1:1 | — | — |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | 1:1 | — | 1:1 | 1:1 |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 1:1 | — | 1:1 | — |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 1:1 | 1:1 | 1:1 | 1:1 |
| TAP Miles&Go | — | — | — | 1:1 |
| Thai Royal Orchid Plus | — | — | 1:1 | — |
| Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles | — | — | 1:1 | 1:1 |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 1:1 | 1:1 | 1:1 | — |
| Virgin Red (Virgin’s group wide rewards club) | — | — | — | 1:1 |
Transferring credit card points to domestic airline partners
Oddly enough, U.S.-based credit card issuers have few domestic airline partners, with Capital One bottoming out at zero and Citi with just one. Here’s how they compare.
| Mileage Program | Amex | Chase | Citi | Capital One |
| Delta SkyMiles | 1:1 | — | — | — |
| Hawaiian Airlines, Hawaiian Miles | 1:1 | — | — | — |
| JetBlue True Blue | 1:0.8 | 1:1 | 1:1 | — |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards | — | 1:1 | — | — |
| United Mileage Plus | — | 1:1 | — | — |
Transferring credit card points to hotel chain partners
Finally, each credit card loyalty program has its own hotel partners and transfer ratios that vary dramatically. Here’s how they compare.
| Mileage Program | Amex | Chase | Citi | Capital One |
| ALL - Accor Live Limitless | — | — | 1:0.5 | 1:0.5 |
| Choice Privileges | 1:1 | — | 1:2 | 1:1 |
| Hilton Honors | 1:2 | — | — | — |
| IHG Rewards Club | — | 1:1 | — | — |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 1:1 | 1:1 | — | — |
| World of Hyatt | — | 1:1 | — | — |
| Wyndham Rewards | — | — | 1:1 | 1:1 |
Analysis
The proprietary loyalty programs of American Express, Chase, Citi, and Capital One allow cardholders to bank in one program but spend in many. By each having its own airline and hotel chain partners, there’s no need for cardholders to remain loyal to one carrier or hotel brand. They can pick and choose when and where they’d like to transfer their points. In most cases, transfers can be done directly through the credit card’s website, and often they are instantaneous. Acquiring a travel credit card with myriad transfer partners is a smart choice for those who want to rack up points now for travel later. It’s the best way to achieve the freedom to choose when it comes to how and when to spend points.
This article was most recently updated on October 3, 2023. While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they are subject to change at any time, and may have changed or may no longer be available.
