Airline + Hotel Transfer Partners Cheat Sheets

Airline Transfer Partners Cheat Sheet

Hotel Transfer Partners Cheat Sheet

If you’re new to points and miles, transfer partners can feel like one of the most confusing parts.

You earn points with Chase, Capital One, or American Express… but then what? Where can those points actually go? And which airlines and hotels can you book with them?

That’s exactly why I made these two cheat sheets.

I wanted something simple that I could look at and immediately see which airline and hotel programs partner with each major credit card points program -- without having to Google it every single time.

So I made one for airline transfer partners and one for hotel transfer partners, and you can save or print both!

First, What Is a Transfer Partner?

When you earn flexible credit card points, you don’t necessarily have to use those points through your credit card’s travel portal.

Instead, you can often transfer your points directly to an airline or hotel loyalty program.

For example, Chase Ultimate Rewards points can transfer to World of Hyatt. So instead of using your Chase points to book a Hyatt hotel through the Chase travel portal, you could transfer those points to your Hyatt account and book directly with Hyatt using points.

This is one of my favorite ways to use points because transferring them can often get you way more value than simply redeeming them through a credit card travel portal.

And the same idea applies to airlines.

You might transfer your credit card points to an airline loyalty program and use those miles to book a flight that would have cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars in cash.

Why Transfer Partners Matter

This is one of the biggest things I wish more beginners understood about points and miles:

Not all points are created equal.

Knowing which programs your points transfer to can completely change how valuable they are.

It’s also why I recommend thinking about where you actually want to travel before choosing a new credit card.

If you love Hyatt hotels, for example, knowing which credit card points transfer to Hyatt is pretty important.

If you’re trying to fly your family to Europe, you’ll want to know which airline programs you can access with the points you’re earning.

That’s where these cheat sheets come in.

Airline Transfer Partner Cheat Sheet

My Airline Transfer Partner Cheat Sheet shows you the airline programs you can transfer points to from:

Hotel Transfer Partner Cheat Sheet

I also made a separate Hotel Transfer Partner Cheat Sheet showing the hotel loyalty programs that partner with American Express, Capital One, and Chase.

Hotel transfer partners are one of my favorite ways to use flexible points.

We’ve been able to use points for hotel stays that would have cost us thousands of dollars out of pocket -- and transferring credit card points to hotel programs has played a huge part in that.

One Important Thing Before You Transfer Points

Don’t transfer your points until you’re ready to book.

Transfers are generally one-way. Once you move your flexible credit card points to an airline or hotel program, you usually can’t move them back.

I like to find the flight or hotel I want first, confirm that the award availability is there, and then transfer the points I need.

I also recommend checking the current transfer ratio before moving your points. Most transfers may be straightforward, but ratios can vary by program, and credit card companies sometimes offer transfer bonuses that can make your points go even further.

If transfer partners have ever made your head spin, save these sheets somewhere easy to find.

You definitely do not need to memorize all of this!