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One of the most asked questions in the points and miles world is: “Can you transfer your points and miles from different frequent flyer programs?”
Sadly, the disappointing answer is that you generally can't combine your points and miles between most programs. For example, despite Alaska Airlines and American Airlines being partners in the Oneworld alliance, you can't transfer Alaska miles to American Airlines — or vice versa.
There are some workarounds, but these are generally not worth using as they destroy most of the value of your points and miles due to poor exchange rates. Overall, the general rule is that you shouldn't plan on transferring your miles between different frequent flyer programs.
However, like with most rules, there are some exceptions. And that's what we're here to discuss today.
Page Contents
- Avios are the Only Freely Transferable Mileage Currency
- Using Airline Miles to Book Partner Awards
- Transferring Hotel Points to Airlines
- Marriott Bonvoy® airline transfer partners
- Accor Live Limitless airline transfer partners
- Best Western airline transfer partners
- Choice Privileges airline transfer partners
- Hilton Honors airline transfer partners
- IHG One Rewards airline transfer partners
- Radisson Rewards airline transfer partners
- Shangri-La Circle airline transfer partners
- World of Hyatt airline transfer partners
- Wyndham Rewards airline transfer partners
- Transferring Airline Miles to Hotel Points
- Earning Credit Card Points is a Better Option
- Previous Ways to Transfer Points Between Frequent Flyer Programs
- Our Take
Avios are the Only Freely Transferable Mileage Currency
Avios are the best example of a freely transferable mileage currency. Five major airlines and one regional carrier share the Avios currency: British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus, all part of the International Airlines Group (IAG). Then, Qatar Airways adopted the Avios program in early 2022, Finnair followed suit in 2024, and finally, Loganair in early 2025.
Now, all six programs earn the same currency: Avios. And you can transfer Avios between programs at no cost, instantly, at a 1:1 ratio.
This ability makes Avios unique in the points and miles world. It's important to note that free, rapid transfers at a 1:1 ratio between programs are practically unheard of elsewhere!
Related: Best Credit Cards for Earning Avios
Using Airline Miles to Book Partner Awards
Even though you generally can't transfer miles between frequent flyer programs, that doesn't mean you can't leverage airline partnerships to make your airline miles more valuable. You have options when it comes to booking flights on one airline with the miles in another airline's loyalty program.
Realizing that they needed to meet their passengers' needs and that airlines don't operate every route in the world, airlines have formed alliances and partnerships. The three main airline alliances are Star Alliance, Oneworld, and SkyTeam.
- Star Alliance is the biggest alliance and features industry heavyweights like United Airlines, Air Canada, Lufthansa, Avianca, and Singapore Airlines.
- Oneworld is another big player and features American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, British Airways, and Qatar Airways, amongst others.
- SkyTeam is the other major alliance, featuring airlines such as Delta Air Lines, Air France, KLM, Korean Air, and Aeromexico.
Using airline alliances is an excellent way for you to earn and redeem miles in one program when you fly on another airline. For example, you can use Air Canada Aeroplan points to fly on over four dozen airlines. However, it doesn't end there. Most airlines have other partnerships with non-alliance partners.
Take, for instance, one of the major Middle Eastern carriers: Etihad Airways. It's possible to earn miles from paid flights on Etihad with miles from American Airlines (Oneworld member), Air France KLM Flying Blue (SkyTeam), and Air Canada (Star Alliance). Historically, you could also redeem miles for flights on Etihad with these partners, but this ability has been severely restricted since late 2024.
With an extensive list of partnerships, you have many options to use your miles to book a route. Not being able to transfer miles from one frequent flyer program to another won't be a roadblock if you understand how to use miles from one program to book flights on partner airlines.
Related: How to Find Airline Partner Award Flight Availability
Transferring Hotel Points to Airlines
While you can't transfer frequent flyer miles between airline programs (such as moving American Airlines AAdvantage miles to Delta Air Lines SkyMiles), it is sometimes possible to transfer hotel points to airline miles, and sometimes from airline miles to hotel points.
At best, some transfer rates are decent, and others are downright awful. But these options exist if you need just a few miles for a redemption.
Marriott Bonvoy® airline transfer partners
Marriott Bonvoy® points transfer to 39 airlines. Almost all transfers are at a reasonable 3:1 transfer ratio, and you'll get a 5,000-mile bonus when transferring at least 60,000 points to most partners. These features make Marriott the most well-known and best option for transferring points from a hotel program to airline miles.
One thing to keep in mind is that the following programs do not qualify for the 5,000-point bonus when you transfer 60,000 points.
- American Airlines AAdvantage
- Avianca LifeMiles
- Delta SkyMiles
You can transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to all of the following airlines:
Accor Live Limitless airline transfer partners
You can also transfer points from Accor Live Limitless to certain airlines:
Best Western airline transfer partners
Best Western Rewards has these airline transfer partners:
Choice Privileges airline transfer partners
You can transfer Choice Privileges points to these airline partners:
Hilton Honors airline transfer partners
These are the transfer partners for Hilton Honors:
IHG One Rewards airline transfer partners
IHG One Rewards points transfer to the following airlines:
Radisson Rewards airline transfer partners
Radisson Rewards points can be transferred to these airline miles:
Shangri-La Circle airline transfer partners
You can transfer from Shangri-La Circle to the following:
World of Hyatt airline transfer partners
These are the World of Hyatt transfer partners:
Wyndham Rewards airline transfer partners
And Wyndham Rewards offers these:
Transferring Airline Miles to Hotel Points
Accor airline transfer partners
Of all of the hotel programs, Accor Live Limitless offers travelers the most opportunities to transfer airline miles into hotel points. Here are the current options:
Other airline-to-hotel transfer options
When you exclude Accor, only a few hotel programs allow miles transfers from airlines:
Earning Credit Card Points is a Better Option
So far, we've covered transferring points between airlines (rarely possible), transferring hotel points to airline miles (generally not worth it), and transferring airline miles to hotel points (usually even worse value). However, there's one more type of points transfer we need to discuss — and it's our favorite: transferring bank points to airlines/hotels.
We generally recommend earning flexible credit card points instead of individual airline miles or hotel points. Choosing flexible credit card points is ideal for these reasons:
- Flexibility: You can transfer your points to various airlines and hotel programs and redeem them for a flight. You can even opt to redeem them directly via your card issuer's travel portal, but you aren't locked into one program the way you are with an airline's frequent flyer miles. You can redeem them in the way that's best for your current vacation planning.
- Mimics elite perks: With premium travel rewards credit cards, you can score some of the benefits of airline elite status, like airport lounge access.
Let's take a look at the main flexible points currencies.
American Express Membership Rewards
The points program of American Express, Membership Rewards can be transferred to 21 airline and hotel partners, redeemed in the American Express Travel® portal, redeemed for statement credits on your bill, and much more. You can earn Membership Rewards with numerous cards, including these:
- The Platinum Card® from American Express
- American Express® Gold Card
- American Express® Green Card
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
- The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
(Terms apply)
- 4X Membership Rewards® Points at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. (on up to $50,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
- 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels and other eligible travel booked on amextravel.com
- 1X on other eligible purchases
(Terms apply)
- Earn 5X points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® (up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year).
- Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
(Terms apply)
- Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com.
- Earn 1.5X Membership Rewards® points on each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more.
- Earn 1.5X Membership Rewards® points on each eligible purchase with U.S. construction material and hardware suppliers.
- Earn 1.5X Membership Rewards® points on each eligible purchase with U.S. electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers.
- Earn 1.5X Membership Rewards® points on each eligible purchase with U.S. shipping providers.
- 1.5X earning rates are subject to a cap of $2 million in purchases per calendar year.
Capital One Rewards
You can transfer miles from Capital One to 19 airline and hotel programs. Other options for using your miles include statement credit, offsetting recent travel purchases, and booking travel through the portal. Some of the cards that earn Capital One miles include:
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card
- Capital One Spark Miles for Business
- Capital One Venture X Business
If you have a miles-earning card and a card that earns cash back, you can combine those earnings, meaning these cards can also help you earn Capital One miles:
- Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Capital One Spark Cash Plus
- 5X miles per dollar on purchases through Capital One Entertainment (through 12/31/2025)
- 5X miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per dollar on all other purchases
- 10X miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on purchases through Capital One Entertainment (through 12/31/2025)
- 5X miles per $1 on flights when booking via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on vacation rentals booked via Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per $1 on all other eligible purchases
- 10X miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on purchases through Capital One Entertainment (through 12/31/2025)
- 5X miles per $1 on flights booked via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on vacation rentals booked via Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per $1 on other eligible purchases
Chase Ultimate Rewards
Chase's points program is called Ultimate Rewards, and you can transfer these points to 14 airline and hotel partners. You can also redeem points with Pay Yourself Back, as a statement credit, or in the Chase Travel portal — though this happens at different rates depending on which card you have. Some of the cards earning Ultimate Rewards points include:
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees)
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees)
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (Rates & Fees)
It's also possible to combine cash-back earnings with points if you have both types of cards, so you could earn Ultimate Rewards with these cards as well:
- Chase Freedom Flex℠
- Chase Freedom Unlimited® (Rates & Fees)
- Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card (Rates & Fees)
- Ink Business Cash® Credit Card (Rates & Fees)
- 5X points on Lyft rides through September 2027
- 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide
- 3X points on eligible streaming services
- 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
- 2X points on all other travel
- 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases
- 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠
- 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly
- 3x points on dining worldwide
- 1x points on all other purchases
- 3X points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year
- 1X point per $1 on all other purchases
Citi ThankYou® Rewards
You can transfer Citi ThankYou® Points to 14 airline and five hotel partners. You can also redeem points in the Citi travel portal, for statement credits, or to pay with points when shopping at various merchants. The following cards earn ThankYou Points:
- Citi Strata Premier℠ Card
- Citi Rewards+® Card (not available to new applicants)
- AT&T Access Card from Citi
- Citi ThankYou® Preferred Card (not available to new applicants)
- Citi Prestige® Card (not available to new applicants)
Several Citi credit cards that are marketed as cash-back cards actually earn ThankYou® Points, though you'll have access to fewer transfer partners if you don't also hold a points-earning card with an annual fee. These include:
Bilt Rewards
You can also transfer Bilt Rewards Points to 16 airlines airline partners and five hotel partners. You can earn Bilt points for a range of activities, from paying your rent to making purchases with The Bilt Mastercard® (Rates & Fees).
- 3x points on dining
- 2x points on travel
- 1x points on rent payments without the transaction fee (up to 100,000 points each calendar year)
- 1x points on other purchases
Brex Rewards
Last (and certainly least) is Brex Rewards. Brex previously offered checking and spending accounts for small businesses before tightening up its requirements and closing most small business accounts. Then, in March 2023, Brex significantly devalued its points with no notice. Remaining Brex Rewards account holders can transfer points to seven airlines at the following rates:
Previous Ways to Transfer Points Between Frequent Flyer Programs
In the past, travelers could use Points.com to transfer miles from one mileage program to another. This wasn't a particularly good option as most transfers occurred at atrociously bad rates, removing most value in the process. It was only worth gritting your teeth and performing these transfers in rare circumstances.
For example, say you needed just a dozen more miles for an award redemption, needed them now, and were willing to sacrifice value to gain it from a high-value redemption that you couldn't accomplish in another way. That's where this transfer method was helpful.
Unfortunately, Points.com killed off its point transfer program in September 2022. And we aren't aware of another legitimate way to move points directly between airline programs.
Our Take
Being unable to transfer your points and miles between frequent flyer and loyalty programs is an unfortunate frustration of the points and miles world.
However, this inflexibility should not be a deal-breaker for getting involved with travel rewards. With a little planning and strategy, you can select the right mix of airline, hotel, and credit card programs to give you all the flexibility you need.
Transferring your miles freely would be the icing on the cake. Unfortunately, we can’t see that happening. Being able to transfer your points freely between programs would place the programs in direct competition with each other and drive the price of awards down. That is the last thing airlines want since it directly hits their bottom line.
A related topic is being able to share your points and miles with someone else within the same program. See here for our guide to sharing points and miles with others for free.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees), The Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees), The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees), Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees), Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees), Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (Rates & Fees), Chase Freedom Unlimited® (Rates & Fees), Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card (Rates & Fees), and Ink Business Cash® Credit Card (Rates & Fees)
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