Best Credit Cards & Their Transfer Partners
- Points By J
- Jun 12
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 4
The best way to use your credit card points? Book travel.
And the best way to book travel with points? Transfer them to your airline or hotel loyalty accounts.
💸 Why transferring points matters:
Cash back = 1 cent per point
Travel transfer redemption potential = 1.5 – 4+ cents per point
This is what makes “transferrable points” so powerful. And, why the right cards from Chase, Amex, Capital One, Citi, and Bilt are essential if you want to travel for less (or free).
🤓 Not sure how to transfer points?
Grab my free step-by-step guide. It walks you through a beginner-friendly example of how to search, transfer, and book. Bonus tip: scroll to the bottom for a quick breakdown of how airline alliances can help you unlock better flight deals with your points.
💳 Let’s get to the cards
If you’re considering applying for one of these cards, I’d be so grateful if you use my referral links below. They don’t cost you anything extra, but applying through them supports my small business.
Chase Ultimate Rewards
✅ Chase Points Tip: Transferring these points to Hyatt is one of the best travel deals available.
Best cards that allow you to transfer to travel partners:
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card ($95 annual fee) Note: this is one of my top-recommended cards, it has a special 75k point sign-up bonus right now after you spend $5k in the first 3 months of account opening
Chase Sapphire Reserve® ($795 annual fee)
Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card ($95 annual fee)
Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ ($795 annual fee)
Travel transfer partners:
Airlines: Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, British Airways, Emirates, Iberia, JetBlue, Singapore Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic
Hotels: Marriott Bonvoy, World of Hyatt, IHG Rewards Club
Capital One Venture Rewards
✅ Capital One Miles Tip: Want to use these to fly domestically? Explore options on Avianca and Air Canada. You'll often find great United flight deals that way.
Best cards that allow you to transfer to travel partners:
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card ($395 annual fee) Note: this is one of my top-recommended cards
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card ($95 annual fee)
Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card ($0 annual fee)
Capital One Venture X Business ($395 annual fee)
Capital One Spark Miles for Business ($95 annual fee, waived first year)
Travel transfer partners:
Airlines: AeroMexico, Air Canada, Avianca, British Air, Cathay Pacific, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, Emirates, Etihad, Finnair, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, TAP, Turkish Airlines, Virgin
Hotels: Choice Privileges, Wyndham Rewards
Non 1:1 transfer ratio partners: Accor Live Limitless, EVA Air, JetBlue
American Express Membership Rewards
✅ Amex Points Tip: Amex has some of the best transfer partners for international business class opportunities (don't sleep on options like Singapore Air, ANA, and Virgin).
Best cards that allow you to transfer to travel partners:
The Platinum Card® from American Express ($695 annual fee - see rates and fees)
American Express® Gold Card ($325 annual fee - see rates and fees)
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express ($695 annual fee - see rates and fees)
American Express® Business Gold Card ($375 annual fee - see rates and fees)
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express ($0 annual fee - see rates and fees)
Travel transfer partners:
Airlines: Aer Lingus, AeroMexico, Air Canada, Air France, ANA, Avianca, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Delta, Emirates, Etihad, Hawaiian, Iberia, JetBlue, Qantas, Qatar, Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic
Hotels: Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, Choice Privileges
Bilt Rewards
✅ Bilt Points Tip: This is the only $0-fee card that transfers to all 3 major hotel programs plus top airlines.
Best card that allows you to earn points on rent and transfer to travel partners:
Bilt Mastercard® ($0 annual fee, see rates and fees)
Travel transfer partners:
Airlines: Aer Lingus AerClub, Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, Alaska Airlines, Avianca Lifemiles, British Airways Executive Club, Cathay Pacific, Emirates Skywards, Iberia Plus, TAP Miles&Go, Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles, United MileagePlus, Virgin Red
Hotels: Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy, World of Hyatt, IHG One Rewards, Accor (3:2)
Citi ThankYou Points
✅ Citi Points Tip: Citi has a lot of partner overlap with Capital One.
Best card that allows you to transfer to travel partners:
Citi Strata Premier® Card ($95 annual fee)
Travel transfer partners:
Airlines: Aeromexico, Air France/KLM, Avianca, Cathay Pacific, Etihad Airways, EVA Air, JetBlue, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Thai Royal Orchid Plus, Turkish Miles & Smiles, Virgin Atlantic
Hotels: Wyndham
Non 1:1 transfer ratio partners: Accor Live Limitless (ALL), Emirates, EVA Air, Choice Privileges, Leading Hotels of the World, Preferred Hotels
So, what card is right for you?
It depends on where you want to go, and how you want to get there. But if you’re ready to start building a stash of flexible, high-value points, starting with a card that earns transferable points is a game-changer.
Not sure where to start?
👉 My go-to recommendation for most travelers: Chase Sapphire Preferred
👉 Want airport lounge access + premium perks? Venture X or Amex Platinum
These links are my referrals, and I’m so grateful when you use them.
Bonus Tips: How Airline Alliances Help You Book Great Deals
When it comes to credit card points, airline alliances are a secret weapon that make your transfer partners way more powerful.
Most travel credit cards don’t let you transfer points directly to every airline. But, thanks to alliances like Star Alliance, Oneworld, and SkyTeam, you don’t need to. You can transfer your points to one airline’s loyalty program, then use those points to book flights on dozens of partner airlines within the same alliance.
For example, if you have Capital One Venture Miles, you might notice that United isn’t one of their transfer partners. But here’s a trick: you can often find great United miles deals on AirCanada.com using Aeroplan points because they're in the same alliance.
Do you need to memorize which airlines are in the same alliance to get great points deals? Nope! Use a points award search tool to help you find the best deals. You can filter for which credit card points currencies you have, and the tool will do the hard work of finding the best transfer partner redemption value. A few of my favorites include:
Airfare:
PointsYeah.com (free version is great)
Seats.Aero (requires the paid version for this one to work well)
Hotels:
