A transfer bonus is the one moment a bank hands you airline miles for less than you earned them. Send 58,000 points during a 30 percent bonus and 75,400 miles arrive. You already own the points, so there is no sale price to compare against; the bonus simply cuts the price of a seat you were going to book anyway. Used with the one rule below, it is the cheapest business class in this guide. Used speculatively, it is how people end up with 90,000 miles in a program that repriced.
How a transfer bonus works
Bank points convert to airline miles at a base ratio, 1:1 for most pairs. During a bonus window, usually three to ten weeks, the airline credits 20 to 40 percent extra. The arithmetic is one line: miles needed, divided by one plus the bonus, equals points to send. A 60,000-mile award at 25 percent needs 48,000 points; at 30 percent, 46,154, which you round up to 47,000 because most banks transfer in blocks of 1,000.
Three details trip people up. The bonus sits on top of the base ratio, so Amex to Cathay at 5:4 with a 25 percent bonus only gets you back to 1:1. Minimums apply (Amex 1,000 points, RBC Avion 10,000). And the bonus miles usually post with the transfer but are occasionally credited separately a few days later; read the terms before you assume the award is fundable.
Who gave bonuses in 2026, and to whom
US issuers unless marked. “Window” is the end date where known.
| Bank to partner | Bonus | Window |
|---|---|---|
| Amex to AviosBA, Iberia, Aer Lingus | 30% | 15 Jul to 27 Sep |
| Amex to Flying Blue | 25% (20% in Oct 2025) | to 31 Oct |
| Amex to Virgin Atlantic | 30% | Jul to Dec 2025 |
| Amex to LifeMiles | 15% | to 15 Jul |
| Amex to Aeromexico | 20% | to 30 Oct |
| Amex to Marriott | 20% | to 30 Jun |
| Amex to Hilton | 30% | to 14 Oct |
| Chase to Marriott | 70% | to 15 Oct |
| Capital One to BA Avios | 20% | to 31 Oct |
| Citi to Qatar Privilege Club | up to 35% | to 31 Oct |
| Citi to JAL | 30% | to 24 Oct |
| Citi to LifeMiles | 25% | to 24 Oct |
| RBC Avion (Canada) to Avios | 30% | to 19 Jun |
| Amex Germany and Amex Canada to Marriott | 30% | to 31 OctDE |
| Marriott to Etihad | 40% | Oct |
| Payback (Germany) to Miles & More | 20 to 30% | recurring |
| Livelo and Esfera (Brazil) to Smiles | up to 80% | Aug |
The pairs that recur: Amex to Avios roughly once a year at 25 to 40 percent, usually in summer; Amex to Virgin Atlantic at 30 percent about annually; Amex to Flying Blue at 20 to 25 percent once or twice a year; Amex to Hilton and Marriott at 20 to 30 percent. Chase bonuses are rarer and smaller, which made the October Marriott 70 percent unusual. Citi was the most generous issuer of 2026 (JAL, Qatar, LifeMiles). Aeroplan, KrisFlyer and ANA almost never get bonuses; if your plan needs one, plan without it. Amex to Aeromexico has run six times since 2018, averaging about 23 percent and usually in September, April or May.
Most bonuses into airline programs paid 20 to 35 percent; Brazil's banks go higher
Transfer bonus by pair, 2026 unless marked. Bonuses into hotel programs are in the table only
Numbers
| Row | Range |
|---|---|
| Livelo and Esfera (Brazil) to Smiles. August | up to 80% |
| Marriott to Etihad. October | 40% |
| Citi to Qatar Privilege Club. To 31 Oct | up to 35% |
| Amex to Avios. 15 Jul to 27 Sep | 30% |
| Amex to Virgin Atlantic. Jul to Dec 2025 | 30% |
| Citi to JAL. To 24 Oct | 30% |
| RBC Avion (Canada) to Avios. To 19 Jun | 30% |
| Payback (Germany) to Miles & More. Recurring | 20 to 30%; marked 20% |
| Amex to Flying Blue. To 31 Oct; 20% in Oct 2025 | 25% |
| Citi to LifeMiles. To 24 Oct | 25% |
| Amex to Aeromexico. To 30 Oct | 20% |
| Capital One to BA Avios. To 31 Oct | 20% |
| Amex to LifeMiles. To 15 Jul | 15% |
DataRoame, current point transfer bonuses; Award Travel Finder, Amex transfer bonus history
As ofOct 8, 2026
The one rule
Find the seat, then transfer during the bonus. Never transfer speculatively, unless the program is one you use constantly.
The reasons are the same ones that govern buying points. Transfers are irreversible. In 2026 Aeroplan (June), LifeMiles (April), Flying Blue (September), Emirates (May) and Cathay (May) all repriced, and LifeMiles, Turkish and Virgin have repriced partner awards with no notice in the past twelve months. A 30 percent bonus does not survive a 40 percent devaluation. A bonus also cannot fix a bad program: 30 percent off Avios still leaves BA metal with GBP 300 to 500 in surcharges.
The exception is real but narrow. If you live in London and book Avios every quarter, or in Amsterdam on Flying Blue, or in Toronto on Aeroplan, those points will be spent within months on something, and a 30 percent bonus is a 23 percent discount on your next year of flying. Everyone else waits for the seat.
How long transfers take
Typical times from the US banks, as reported in 2026. The faster the transfer, the less you need to hold a seat.
| Program | Typical time | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Aeroplan, Avios (all five clubs), Virgin Atlantic, Qatar | Instant to a few minutes | Search, confirm price at checkout, transfer, book |
| Flying Blue | Instant to same day | Promo Rewards sell out in days; have the points in the Flying Blue account first if you chase them |
| Turkish Miles&Smiles | Same day in most reports | Partner awards often need a phone call anyway |
| Singapore KrisFlyer | About 1 to 2 days | Waitlist the Saver award while you wait |
| ANA Mileage Clubfrom Amex | 1 to 3 days | ANA holds nothing for partners; space can vanish |
| Marriott Bonvoy to any airline | 1 to 8 days, most 2 to 3 | Iberia, Avianca and Hawaiian about 1 day; Hainan up to 8 |
Aeroplan, Avios, Virgin and Qatar arrive in minutes; via Marriott it can take eight days
Typical transfer time from the US banks, in days, as reported in 2026
Numbers
| Row | Range |
|---|---|
| Aeroplan, Avios, Virgin Atlantic, Qatar | Instant to a few minutes |
| Flying Blue | Instant to same day |
| Turkish Miles&Smiles | Same day in most reports |
| Singapore KrisFlyer | About 1 to 2 days |
| ANA Mileage Club (from Amex) | 1 to 3 days |
| Marriott Bonvoy to any airline. Most take 2 to 3 days | 1 to 8 days |
DataTraveling For Miles, Amex transfer partners and transfer times 2026
As ofOct 8, 2026
For the instant partners, nothing needs to be held. For ANA, KrisFlyer and anything via Marriott, either hold the award where the program allows it (Aeroplan does; Qatar and Virgin hold policies are not confirmed for 2026) or accept that you are taking a position. Fees: Amex US charges USD 0.0006 a point, capped at USD 99, on transfers to Delta and other US programs; Singapore banks charge about SGD 25 to 27 per conversion batch; Hong Kong and Thai banks have their own conversion fees.
Ratios cut in 2026
Every change below is permanent as of October 2026. The positive changes are at the bottom.
| Date | Currency to partner | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 15 Dec 2025 | Amex Australia to Qantas | 1:1 to 2:1 on affected tiers |
| 13 Jan 2026 | Capital One to Emirates | 1:1 to 1:0.75 |
| 25 Jan 2026 | Citi to Aeromexico | removed |
| 23 Feb 2026 | Amex Singapore to KrisFlyer, Asia Miles, Qantas, Emirates and others | 400:250 to 600:250 (Platinum Charge); Avios 400:250 to 500:250 |
| 1 Mar 2026 | Amex US to Cathay Asia Miles | 1:1 to 5:4Emirates Skywards since 16 Sep 2025 |
| 2 Apr 2026 | Axis Bank (India) to Marriott, Accor, Qatar | removed, no notice |
| 2026 | HDFC (India) to Turkish and LifeMiles | 1:1 to 2:1 |
| 15 Jun 2026 | Amex Germany to Etihad | removed |
| 30 Jun 2026 | Amex US to Etihad | removed |
| 1 Jul 2026 | Amex Netherlands to Flying Blue | 1:0.8 to 1:0.5 |
| Positive | Citi to American AAdvantage 1:1 (2025); Capital One added JAL at 4:3 (Sep 2025) and Qatar (2026); Wells Fargo added Cathay (Apr 2026); Amex US added Leading Hotels 4:1 (Jul 2026); Qatar added as an Amex partner in Singapore and the UK |
The pattern is clear enough to plan around. Amex outside the US cut hardest; Citi and Capital One added partners; the Gulf carriers lost bank partners everywhere. If your route to Etihad or Emirates ran through Amex, it now runs through Citi, Capital One or Bilt in the US, or through Marriott.
A worked example
You want Qatar Qsuite from Singapore or Bangkok to Europe via Doha, 75,000 Avios off-peak, about USD 80 in taxes, against a cash fare of about USD 4,000 one-way. You hold Amex Membership Rewards in the US.
- On qatarairways.com, logged in to Privilege Club, you find Saver space on your date at 75,000. You do not transfer yet.
- The Amex 30 percent Avios bonus is running (15 July to 27 September 2026). You need 75,000 divided by 1.30, which is 57,693. You transfer 58,000 points to British Airways Club and receive 75,400 Avios, instantly.
- You move 75,000 Avios from BA to Qatar Privilege Club with Combine my Avios, also instant and free. BA is the hub for all five clubs, so a bonus to BA is a bonus to Qatar, Iberia, Finnair and Aer Lingus.
- You book. The seat cost 58,000 bank points plus USD 80.
Compare: buying 75,000 Avios through Finnair at 1.41 cents costs USD 1,058; through a Qatar 50 percent sale, USD 1,148. With the Citi 35 percent Qatar bonus the same seat is 56,000 ThankYou points; with no bonus at all, 75,000. The bonus saved 17,000 points, which at the Finnair purchase price is about USD 240, or roughly a quarter of the next award.
The same arithmetic works for Flying Blue: a 75,000 Standard award to Europe during the 25 percent Amex bonus is 60,000 points; the 60,000 Light award is 48,000. It does not work for Amex to Cathay, where the 5:4 ratio eats the first 25 percent of any bonus.
The 30 percent bonus cut the Qsuite award from 75,000 to 58,000 bank points
Qatar Qsuite, Singapore or Bangkok to Europe via Doha, 75,000 Avios off-peak, plus about USD 80 in taxes either way. Bank points sent
Numbers
| Option | Parts | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Amex, no bonus | Bank points sent 75,000 | 75,000 |
| Amex during the 30% Avios bonus. 58,000 sent, 75,400 Avios received | Bank points sent 58,000 | 58,000 |
| Citi during the 35% Qatar bonus | Bank points sent 56,000 | 56,000 |
DataAwardWallet, Amex 30% Avios transfer bonus; Roame, current point transfer bonuses
As ofOct 8, 2026
Where it breaks: when the bonus window and the seat do not line up. The temptation is to transfer during the bonus and find the seat later; that is how the 2026 devaluations hurt people. It also breaks when a bonus pushes you into a worse redemption (Avios on BA metal, Flying Blue Light with no changes) or into a program with a hard expiry (Turkish, three calendar years) or a short one (LifeMiles, twelve idle months).
The most common way to lose points in 2026 was transferring during a bonus with no seat held, then watching the program reprice or the space disappear. A 30 percent bonus is worth about 23 percent of the award. A missed seat is worth 100 percent of it. Seat first, every time.
Check the Sweet spot finder for the award, confirm the seat on the program’s own site, and then, only then, look up the current bonuses. The next part, starting with Award search tools: which to pay for, covers how to find that seat in twenty minutes.
Sources checked
- Roame, current point transfer bonuses, Oct 2026
- Award Travel Finder, Amex Membership Rewards transfer bonus history, Oct 2026
- AwardWallet, Amex 30% Avios transfer bonus, Sep 2026
- Traveling For Miles, Amex transfer partners and transfer times 2026, Jul 2026
- Platinum Flyer, Amex Netherlands Flying Blue devaluation, Jul 2026
- Mileage Spot, Amex points transfer changes 2026, 2026