It’s apparently “20% transfer bonus to Avios” month. Citi kicked things off last week with a 20% bonus when transferring ThankYou points to Qatar Airways, then British Airways prematurely announced a 20% transfer bonus from Chase Ultimate Rewards that, in fact, will be starting on March 1.
American Express is getting in on the act too because there’s a new 20% transfer bonus to Qatar Airways.
The Deal
- Get a 20% bonus when transferring American Express Membership Rewards to Qatar Airways.
Key Terms
- Expires March 31, 2025.
Quick Thoughts
It’s nice to have another option for getting a transfer bonus to an Avios program because it gives you even more flexibility to transfer points from a program with which you have a higher balance.
Remember that Avios lets you link your various Qatar Airways, British Airways, Iberia, etc. Avios accounts so that the points are transferable and redeemable between them. This Qatar Airways transfer bonus is therefore, in effect, a transfer bonus to those other Avios programs.
Best Uses for Avios
- Business class to Europe from 34K one-way via Iberia. This is one of our favorite Avios redemptions. Iberia charges as few as 34K miles off-peak for one-way in business class on its own flights from New York, Boston, Chicago, or DC to Madrid during off-peak season. The fuel surcharges are quite reasonable and they also run seasonal promotions (usually during the Winter) where the prices drop down even further.
- Business class South America from 22K one-way via British Airways. Availability can be tricky to find. But when you can find it, BA has excellent pricing for shorter distance non-stop American Airlines award flights.
- Long Haul Business Class on Qatar Airways. After Qatar's addition to Avios, BA lowered many of their award prices on Qatar. It's now possible to travel between the United States and Doha in business for only 70,000 Avios with minimal surcharges.
Things to Know
- Avios Purchases are processed by Points.com and DO NOT count as airfare.
- Avios can be easily transferred between Aer Lingus, Iberia, Finnair, Qatar and British Airways
- Avios expire after 36 months of no activity
- British Airways has near-extortionate fuel surcharges when flying on BA metal. It's best to keep Avios for use with partners or the Iberia Plus
Other Transfer Bonuses
| Transfer From | Transfer Bonus Details | End Date |
|---|---|---|
| Citi ThankYou Rewards | 25% transfer bonus from Citi ThankYou Rewards to Avianca LifeMiles | 04/12/25 |
| Bilt | Up to 100% transfer bonus from Bilt to British Airways Avios | 04/01/25 |
| Bilt | Up to 100% transfer bonus from Bilt to Aer Lingus Avios | 04/01/25 |
| Bilt | Up to 100% transfer bonus from Bilt to Iberia Avios | 04/01/25 |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards | 20% transfer bonus from Chase Ultimate Rewards to British Airways Avios | 03/31/25 |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards | 50% transfer bonus from Chase Ultimate Rewards to Marriott Bonvoy | 03/31/25 |
| Amex Membership Rewards | 20% transfer bonus from Amex Membership Rewards to Qatar Privilege Club Avios | 03/31/25 |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards | 20% transfer bonus from Chase Ultimate Rewards to Aer Lingus Avios | 03/31/25 |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards | 20% transfer bonus from Chase Ultimate Rewards to Iberia Avios | 03/31/25 |
| Capital One Miles | Up to 40% transfer bonus from Capital One Miles to Etihad Guest | 03/31/25 |
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Neither AmEx, nor Qatar airways is aware of this 20% transfer bonus….someone please advise
When you log in to your Amex account and go to transfer your Membership Rewards, you’ll see the transfer bonus listed there.
Just to check though, are you based in the US? If not, that’ll likely be why you’re not seeing it as the transfer bonus is (as far as I’m aware) only for cardholders in the US.
Thank you for the reply. I did go to my AmEx to transfer points, I even had an AmEx operator on the phone, no-one could find it. And yes, I am in the U.S.
That’s strange – I didn’t think this was a targeted offer.
Any remedies?
If this is a targeted offer and you’ve not been targeted, there’s nothing you can do I’m afraid.
Doesn’t exist
Nvm found it.
It doesn’t appear possible to transfer aer Lingus Avios to any of the other programs anymore. Not sure if that is the case for the others but no option in the combine points anymore.
You can use your BA account as the central hub. To move points between BA and Aer Lingus, go to your BA account, go to Combine Avios, then under “Iberia Plus and AerClub” click “Combine my Avios”