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There’s more than one way to earn the points or miles you need for an award flight or free night stay. And if you don’t already have enough in your account, two of the quickest methods are transferring points from a transferable rewards program or simply buying miles outright.
But before you click transfer or make a purchase, it’s important to consider how long it’ll take for those points or miles to arrive in your account. Setting your expectations matters for a lot of reasons.
Thankfully, AwardWallet makes this process simple — and can even alert you the moment your miles arrive. In this post, we’ll explain why posting times are important and show you where to find our resources on average purchase and transfer timelines so you can make the most of these features.
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Page Contents
Why Purchase and Transfer Times Matter
If you’ve booked even a few trips with points or miles, you’ve probably experienced the disappointment of missing out on your preferred itinerary because award availability changed or someone else booked it first. Or maybe you’ve purchased or transferred points for a last-minute hotel stay, only to find yourself anxiously waiting to see whether they’ll post to your account in time to use them.
Both situations are stressful, but they’re a little easier to manage when you know what to expect.
If you need to buy or transfer points to book an award, you can’t take action until those points actually post. That’s also one of the reasons we built Balance Watch, which notifies AwardWallet members as soon as their account balance changes.
By using Balance Watch — or simply referring to our resources on average transfer and purchase times — you can hopefully avoid some of that disappointment and uncertainty.
Transfer Times: How Long Does It Take for Transferred Miles to Arrive?
There are all kinds of transferable points offerings. Some programs are run by banks and financial institutions, while others originate from airlines, hotels, and more. But not every transfer to every partner takes the same amount of time. Some are instant, some take a few hours, and others can take days.
To help you understand which programs offer the fastest transfers (and which take a bit longer), AwardWallet publishes the average posting times for major transferable points programs and their partner loyalty programs.
Click here to access the transfer times resource. Then type the name of the airline, hotel, or program you’re curious about into the search bar.
And if there's an ongoing transfer bonus, you'll see it flagged there as well.
You may have also noticed transfer times widgets in many AwardWallet blog posts. For instance, here are the transfer partners and transfer times for Chase Ultimate Rewards points:
These widgets are powered by the same backend database, so you should see the same details.
Purchase Times: How Long Does It Take for Purchased Miles to Arrive?
Similar to the above, AwardWallet also tracks the average amount of time it takes for purchased points and miles to deposit into users’ loyalty accounts. And just like with transfer times, some programs post faster than others.
So, if you’re hoping to book a coveted award flight or a hotel stay that frequently sells out, it may be worth purchasing points from a program that typically posts quickly rather than one that can take several days.
Click here to access the points and miles purchase times resource. Then type the name of the airline, hotel, or program you’re considering purchasing from into the search bar.
Plus, if a program is selling points or miles with a bonus or discount, we’ll flag that deal there as well and provide a direct link to make a purchase if you want to top off your account.
Here's a text version of the full list — along with current buy points and miles deals:
Why Your Points and Miles Might Post Later Than Expected
Like most things in travel, your experience may vary. Purchased miles might post faster than average, while transferred points could take a few extra hours or even an extra day.
A few common factors can cause delays:
- Technical issues: When transfer partners run into system problems, averages go out the window. We don’t automatically flag unusual delays, so if you notice something out of the ordinary, let us know in the comments.
- Incorrect details: Typos happen. Entering an incorrect account number or name when transferring or purchasing points can cause delays or failed transactions. Taking an extra moment to double-check details can save a lot of frustration, since resolving these issues can take a long time.
- Selection bias: For programs that usually post instantly, our data may skew toward longer wait times. When transfers happen immediately, users often don’t activate Balance Watch, so we don’t capture those instant data points.
It’s also worth noting that if a transfer or purchase takes much longer than the program’s stated terms, reaching out to the originating program can help identify and resolve any underlying issues (should there be any).
Final Thoughts
Before you buy or transfer points or miles, it’s worth taking a moment to set your expectations for when those rewards will arrive in your loyalty account. That way, you’ll have a better sense of how quickly you can actually use them.
And if you’d like alerts whenever your balances change, consider upgrading to AwardWallet Plus for access to Balance Watch and tons of other useful features.
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