{"id":111516,"date":"2025-02-19T23:59:49","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T23:59:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/?p=111516"},"modified":"2025-02-25T13:45:56","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T13:45:56","slug":"speculatively-transfer-points-bonus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/travel\/speculatively-transfer-points-bonus\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I Speculatively Transfer Points During Transfer Bonuses"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is a “rule” that I've heard on many occasions: You should never speculatively transfer points. This applies especially<\/em> to flexible bank points like American Express Membership Rewards<\/a> and Chase Ultimate Rewards<\/a>. For most points aficionados, the reason is obvious. “Flexible points”<\/a> are just that: flexible. You don't want to lock them into a specific program without an immediate use.<\/p>\n

But I am here to tell you why, on occasion<\/em>, I deliberately depart from this community wisdom.<\/p>\n

A Common Refrain: Don't Speculatively Transfer Points<\/span><\/h2>\n

As long as you keep your points as bank points, you retain all<\/strong> of their flexibility. This goes away the instant you complete a transfer to any travel partner. You can't reverse a points transfer, turning them back into bank points. It's a one-way street. Now, you can only redeem them with this one hotel\/airline program.<\/p>\n

I'll be honest that I've found myself with stranded points more than once. For example, I once transferred points during an Asia Miles transfer bonus<\/a> and used them to book Cathay Pacific first class. It's not the most ideal use of miles, but I wanted to fly this top-notch product.<\/p>\n

Then, COVID-19 hit. The trip was canceled. I didn't re-book it. Since my points were already converted to Asia Miles, I was now stuck with a stash of them. I ended up burning them \u2014 at least those about to expire \u2014 to fly American Airlines Flagship First from coast to coast<\/a>. I'm glad that Asia Miles has since changed their expiration policy<\/a>. I finally just used the last of my stash book an upcoming trip.<\/p>\n

In this case, I didn't speculatively transfer my points, but it was still a lesson in dealing with a stranded balance. You'd think I'd want to avoid this. Yet, there are still reasons why I transfer points speculatively.<\/p>\n

Why I Occasionally Break This “Rule”<\/span><\/h2>\n

The need to position for international flights<\/a> is an unfortunate reality for me. I live in a rural area, about five hours by car from the closest major airport. In order to save the time and hassle, I do my utmost to position to San Francisco (SFO) when needed, rather than drive.<\/p>\n

This means I fly the same little United Express hop a handful of times per year, if not more. Rather than use United MileagePlus<\/a> miles, which I prefer to save for partner business class awards when flexibility is important, Avianca LifeMiles<\/a> is my currency of choice. LifeMiles is the absolute cheapest as well. I can fly this short hop for just 7,500 LifeMiles. Cash prices can easily hit $200 each way, so this provides an excellent use of my Membership Rewards,<\/a>\u00a0Citi ThankYou Points<\/a>, and Bilt Rewards<\/a>. I often clear around 3 cents per point for these economy flights, which is the average value AwardWallet users get<\/a> from the currency for business class.<\/p>\n

Related: 511 United Award Routes That You Can Book for Just 6,500 Miles<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Thus, I've found holding a small stash of LifeMiles to be extremely convenient. Sure, I could transfer points anytime I need them. I always have Membership Rewards on hand. But why not get the extra value by converting them to LifeMiles during a transfer bonus<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Sure, the program could kill this shorthaul sweet spot at any point. We've seen yet another no-notice devaluation<\/a>. But I tend to use the miles quickly, so I'm happy to speculatively transfer points. I generally keep a balance of around 25,000 LifeMiles on hand.<\/p>\n

It comes down to this: I have high confidence that I'll use the miles in the coming 6-12 months. Given this near-certainty, transferring points during a transfer bonus makes sense. As a recent example, I just transferred 5,000 Bilt points to LifeMiles during a recent Bilt Rent Day bonus<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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I've spent a lot of time on these, unfortunately. Credit: Ian Snyder<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n

Keeping LifeMiles in My Pocket: Some Real-Life Examples<\/span><\/h2>\n

Here are a few situations where having LifeMiles on hand was extremely useful for me:<\/p>\n