The 4 Best Transfer Partners Nobody Talks About

Nowadays, transferable credit card points are all the rage, and it’s easy to understand why. They offer flexible redemption options, which make them more valuable than your typical airline or hotel loyalty program. Unfortunately, most travelers tend to transfer points to the same few popular programs.

However, there are some programs out there that are talked about far less that still offer tremendous potential. In some cases, these programs offer even more value than the well-known ones.

Here’s a look at the world of transfer partners, including the best ones nobody talks about.

What Are Transfer Partners?

Credit card programs, such as American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One miles, and Citi ThankYou Rewards, can be redeemed in numerous ways.

One of the most popular ways (and the one that typically yields the highest value) is to redeem these points by transferring them to airline and hotel travel or transfer partners.

For example, say you have 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points. You can redeem them in several ways, including for travel, statement credits, or transferring them to Chase’s transfer partners, such as Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, or World of Hyatt.

So what makes transfer partners so valuable? The answer is simple: They provide flexibility. Instead of being locked into a single airline, your valuable credit card points can potentially be converted into miles with several different airlines.

1. ANA Mileage Club

ANA Mileage Club is the loyalty program of the Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways (ANA). Although ANA is widely considered one of the world’s best airlines, its loyalty program is not nearly as well-known. This is rather unfortunate, as the program offers some of the lowest redemption rates in the industry and tremendous overall value.

Though many airline programs have switched to dynamic pricing, with rates based on demand, ANA Mileage Club still uses award charts. ANA has several award charts, including one for domestic redemptions, another for international redemptions on ANA, and a third specifically for Star Alliance partner redemptions. 

Each of the award charts offers excellent pricing, including a few sweet spots, particularly on the ANA international award and Star Alliance partner award charts.

For example, one of my favorite redemptions is for ANA-operated flights between the U.S. and Japan. Here is the region-based, round-trip award pricing for flights between North America (excluding Hawaii) and Japan based on seasonal pricing:

According to the award chart, you can book round-trip economy flights for as few as 40,000 Mileage Club miles during the low season, which is as good as it gets. Similarly, round-trip flights during the low season in business and first class can be booked for as few as 100,000 and 150,000 miles, respectively.

While the mileage requirement for award redemptions varies significantly by travel season, it’s understandable, given that Japan experiences extremely high travel demand during peak seasons, which justifies the higher mileage costs.

Another compelling redemption is for travel on Star Alliance partner airlines. Here’s the round-trip award pricing for flights operated by Star Alliance partners between North America (excluding Hawaii) and Europe:

This is tremendous award pricing, especially in business class, as some programs charge more miles for one-way redemptions. Best of all, you can fly on various Star Alliance airlines.

ANA Mileage Club is a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy. Amex Membership Rewards transfers to ANA Mileage Club at a 1:1 ratio. Meanwhile, Marriott Bonvoy transfers at a 3:1 ratio, and for every 60,000 points you transfer to ANA Mileage Club, you receive 5,000 bonus points. 

2. Avianca LifeMiles

Avianca LifeMiles is a relatively well-known program but tends to be underutilized due to its many quirks. Though the program has undergone several brutal devaluations in recent years, it still has a ton to offer.

Though Avianca is based in Colombia, the LifeMiles program allows members to redeem miles across Star Alliance partners. While many travelers look to Air Canada Aeroplan or United MileagePlus, there are many circumstances in which LifeMiles offers comparable award pricing.

Unfortunately, Avianca LifeMiles does not officially publish an award chart, though partner award pricing follows a regional pricing system with zone-based patterns. For example, you can book a one-way business class award to Europe for roughly 70,000 to 80,000 miles, plus taxes and fees, depending on the route.

Like with ANA Mileage Club, you can fly with various Star Alliance airlines, like SWISS, Turkish Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Air Canada, and United Airlines. Additionally, if you have a LifeMiles+ membership, you receive a 10% discount, which further reduces the mileage requirements.

One of the best perks of booking through LifeMiles is that the program does not pass along carrier-imposed fuel surcharges on partner awards. In many cases, this can represent hundreds of dollars in savings.

Avianca LifeMiles is a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One miles, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy. All programs transfer to LifeMiles at a 1:1 ratio, except Marriott Bonvoy, which transfers at a 3:1 ratio, and for every 60,000 points you transfer to Avianca LifeMiles, you receive 5,000 bonus points. 

3. Cathay Pacific Cathay

Cathay Pacific Cathay is another loyalty program that tends to be skipped over. The program is particularly appealing to those looking for premium cabin redemptions.

Cathay Pacific is a member of the Oneworld alliance, which includes airlines such as American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Japan Airlines, Qatar Airways, and Qantas. With so many excellent partner airlines, there are numerous ways to redeem Cathay Pacific Asia Miles.

The program has long been considered difficult to master because of its convoluted award redemption system. The program has multiple award charts with somewhat complex rules. Cathay Pacific offers flexible redemption options, including 3 different award charts that cover different types of redemptions:

• An award chart for award tickets on Cathay Pacific-operated flights 
• An Airline partners award chart for award tickets on Oneworld and nonalliance partner carriers
• A Oneworld multicarrier award chart for award tickets operated by 2 or more Oneworld partners (which can also be used for round-the-world tickets)

The program does not impose fuel surcharges for Cathay-operated flights, but it does levy fuel surcharges for most Oneworld carriers. Unfortunately, booking premium cabins can be challenging due to limited award seat availability. Still, if you can find the award space, there is tremendous value.

For example, you can book a one-way business class award between Seattle (SEA) and Hong Kong (HKG) for as little as 88,000 Cathay Pacific Asia Miles plus taxes and fees.

Cathay Pacific Cathay is a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One miles, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy, Rove Miles, and Wells Fargo Rewards.

4. Wyndham Rewards

Lastly, we also have a hotel loyalty program that is often overlooked: Wyndham Rewards. Though the hotel chain has roughly 9,000 properties in more than 90 countries, the program is still less known than popular programs like Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, and World of Hyatt.

The program recently introduced a fourth tier for award redemptions, but the core redemption structure has stayed the same. Wyndham hotels can be booked for 5,000, 15,000, 30,000, or 45,000 points per night.

There is immense value in the simplified award — free nights start at as few as 5,000 points. While those rates are reserved for many of the program’s more budget-friendly properties, it still represents excellent value.

Wyndham Rewards is a transfer partner of Bilt Rewards, Capital One miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Wells Fargo Rewards.

Final Thoughts

Transferable rewards currencies are extremely valuable because they can be transferred to many partner airline and hotel loyalty programs. However, many transfer partners are overlooked and can still provide immense value.