I love transferable points. The ability to transfer points to multiple airline and hotel programs makes it possible to get far outsized value from your points. Want to book ANA First Class from the U.S. to Japan for only 55,000 or 60,000 points one-way? Great. Once you find available award space, you can transfer points from Amex, Chase, Citi, or Marriott to Virgin Atlantic to book this sweet-spot award. The problem is that not all transfers are instant. That coveted first class award space may disappear before your points have converted to miles. This resource post is intended to help with that. For each major transferable points program, you’ll find below data-driven estimated times for point transfers. Note that if you prefer to see the transfer times arranged by loyalty program rather than by transferable points program, see our Transfer Partner Master List.
AwardWallet is a tool that helps you keep track of your points and other rewards (details about AwardWallet, including a free 6 month upgrade to AwardWallet Pro can be found here). AwardWallet also has a cool feature called Balance Watch that will check your account balance frequently and alert you when points post (details about Balance Watch can be found here). This is great to use when transferring points to book an award because you’ll get an alert when points post. That’s far preferable to logging into your rewards account over and over to check.
Another cool feature of AwardWallet is that they use real world Balance Watch data to come up with data-driven transfer time estimates. You can find their results here or in the post below. Most of the time estimates shown below come from AwardWallet’s data, but in a few cases where they didn’t have data we provided our own results (for example, Nick found that transfers from Capital One to Turkish Miles & Smiles were instant!). We’ve also added this information to our Transfer Partner Master List. One nice surprise (to me) when compiling this information was finding that a number of Marriott Bonvoy transfers only take about 1 day to complete. I had the mistaken notion that most took much longer.
American Express Membership Rewards
For details about Amex points, see: Amex Membership Rewards Points Complete Guide.
| Rewards Program | Amex Transfer Ratio (and transfer time) |
|---|---|
| Aer Lingus Avios | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| AeroMexico ClubPremier | 1 to 1.6 (1 to 2 days) |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| Air France KLM Flying Blue | 1 to 1 (~10 minutes to 1 day) |
| ANA Mileage Club | 1 to 1 (~1 day) |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| British Airways Avios | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| Choice | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| Delta SkyMiles | 1 to 1 plus excise tax (Instant) |
| Emirates Skywards | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| Etihad Guest | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| Hawaiian Miles | 1 to 1 plus excise tax (Instant) |
| Hilton | 1 to 2 (1 day) |
| Iberia Avios | 1 to 1 (~12 - 72 hours (slower over weekend)) |
| JetBlue | 250 to 200 plus excise tax (Instant) |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 1 to 1 (~1 day) |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| Qatar Privilege Club Avios | 1 to 1 via BA (Instant) |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
Capital One “Miles”
For details about Capital One points, see: Capital One “Miles” Complete Guide.
| Rewards Program | Capital One Transfer Ratio (and transfer time) |
|---|---|
| Accor Live Limitless | 1000 to 500 (Unknown) |
| Aer Lingus Avios | 1 to 1 via BA (Unknown) |
| AeroMexico ClubPremier | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| Air France KLM Flying Blue | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| British Airways Avios | 1 to 1 (Unknown) |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 1 to 1 (4 to 5 days) |
| Choice | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| Emirates Skywards | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| Etihad Guest | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| EVA Air Infinity MileageLands | 1000 to 750 (~1 day) |
| Finnair Plus+ | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| Iberia Avios | 1 to 1 via BA (Unknown) |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | 1 to 1 (~1 day) |
| Qatar Privilege Club Avios | 1 to 1 via BA (Unknown) |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 1 to 1 (~7 hours) |
| TAP Air Portugal | 1 to 1 (Unknown) |
| Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 1 to 1 (Unknown) |
| Wyndham | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
Chase Ultimate Rewards
For details about Chase points, see: Chase Ultimate Rewards Complete Guide.
| Rewards Program | Chase Transfer Ratio (and transfer time) |
|---|---|
| Aer Lingus Avios | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| Air France KLM Flying Blue | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| British Airways Avios | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| Emirates Skywards | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| Hyatt | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| Iberia Avios | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| IHG | 1 to 1 (5 hours) |
| JetBlue | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 1 to 1 (~1 day) |
| Qatar Privilege Club Avios | 1 to 1 via BA (Instant) |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 1 to 1 (~17 hours) |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| United MileagePlus | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
Citi ThankYou Rewards
For details about Citi points, see: Citi ThankYou Rewards Complete Guide.
| Rewards Program | Citi Transfer Ratio (and transfer time) |
|---|---|
| Accor Live Limitless | 1000 to 500 (Unknown) |
| Aer Lingus Avios | 1 to 1 via Qatar, BA (1 to 2 days) |
| AeroMexico ClubPremier | 1 to 1 (~6 days) |
| Air France KLM Flying Blue | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| British Airways Avios | 1 to 1 via Qatar (1 to 2 days) |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| Choice | 1 to 2 (Instant) |
| Emirates Skywards | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| Etihad Guest | 1 to 1 (~1 hour) |
| EVA Air Infinity MileageLands | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| Iberia Avios | 1 to 1 via Qatar, BA (1 to 2 days) |
| Jet Airways Inter Miles | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| JetBlue | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| Malaysia Enrich | 1 to 1 (1 to 2 days) |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | 1 to 1 (~1 day) |
| Qatar Privilege Club Avios | 1 to 1 (1 to 2 days) |
| Shop Your Way Rewards | 1 to 10 (Instant) |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 1 to 1 (~1 day) |
| Thai Airways International Royal Orchid Plus | 1 to 1 (3 to 7 days) |
| Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles | 1 to 1 (~1 day) |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
| Wyndham | 1 to 1 (Instant) |
Marriott Bonvoy
For details about Marriott points, see: Marriott Bonvoy Complete Guide.
| Rewards Program | Marriott Transfer Ratio (and transfer time) |
|---|---|
| Aegean Miles + Bonus | 60K to 25K (~1 day) |
| Aer Lingus Avios | 60K to 25K (Unknown) |
| Aeroflot Bonus | 60K to 25K (Unknown) |
| AeroMexico ClubPremier | 60K to 25K (2 to 4 days) |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | 60K to 25K (4 to 5 days) |
| Air China Phoenix Miles | 60K to 25K (Unknown) |
| Air France KLM Flying Blue | 60K to 25K (1 to 3 days) |
| Air New Zealand Air Points | 60K to 307 (1 to 2 days) |
| Alaska MileagePlan | 60K to 25K (~2 days) |
| American AAdvantage | 3K to 1K (~2 days) |
| ANA Mileage Club | 60K to 25K (4 to 7 days) |
| Asiana | 60K to 25K (~1 day) |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 3K to 1K (~1 day) |
| British Airways Avios | 60K to 25K (~10 hours) |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 60K to 25K (~1 day) |
| China Eastern Airlines | 60K to 25K (Unknown) |
| China Southern Airlines’ Sky Pearl Club | 60K to 25K (Unknown) |
| Copa Airlines ConnectMiles | 60K to 25K (~3 days) |
| Delta SkyMiles | 3K to 1K (1 to 2 days) |
| Emirates Skywards | 60K to 25K (~3 days) |
| Etihad Guest | 60K to 25K (3 to 5 days) |
| Frontier Miles | 60K to 25K (Unknown) |
| Hainan Airlines | 60K to 25K (12 hours to 1 day) |
| Hawaiian Miles | 60K to 25K (1 to 2 days) |
| Iberia Avios | 60K to 25K (~1 to 2 days) |
| JAL (Japan Airlines) Mileage Bank | 60K to 25K (~2 days) |
| Jet Airways Inter Miles | 60K to 25K (~7 days) |
| JetBlue | 60K to 12.5K (Unknown) |
| Korean Airlines | 3K to 1K (~1 day) |
| LATAM Pass | 60K to 25K (~1 day) |
| Multiplus | 60K to 25K (Unknown) |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | 60K to 25K (~2 days) |
| Qatar Privilege Club Avios | 60K to 25K (3 to 4 days) |
| Saudia Airlines | 60K to 25K (~5 days) |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 60K to 25K (~1 day) |
| South African Airways Voyager | 60K to 25K (Unknown) |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards | 60K to 25K (1 to 2 days) |
| TAP Air Portugal | 60K to 25K (Unknown) |
| Thai Airways International Royal Orchid Plus | 60K to 25K (~4 days) |
| Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles | 60K to 25K (~1 day) |
| United MileagePlus | 60K to 30K (2 to 5 days) |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 60K to 25K (1 to 2 days) |
| Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer | 60K to 25K (Unknown) |
| Vueling Club | 60K to 25K (Unknown) |
Sorted by Loyalty Program
Note that if you prefer to see the transfer times arranged by loyalty program rather than by transferable points program, see our Transfer Partner Master List.
Want to learn more about miles and points? Subscribe to email updates or check out our podcast on your favorite podcast platform.
FYI I initiated a transfer of Marriott Bonvoy points to United on 10/18 (6 days ago). They still haven’t posted and when I contacted them they said it would take 6-8 weeks!! That may be their standard line they’re supposed to feed, but pretty unreal.
Exactly my experience since transferring miles on Oct 19th and haven’t posted yet. I don’t have any travel planned on the horizon yet but for someone who’s planning 6-8 weeks is outrageous.
Update here: They posted on the 7th day. Almost exactly a week down to the hour after I initiated the transfer. They probably quote the 6-8 weeks since they’re told to, but this was not a quick experience.
I transferred Marriott Bonvoy Points to United MileagePlus it’s day 6 not yet recieved
Yikes. Once your miles post please let us know how long it took so that we can update this.
New data point for transfers from Amex to Singapore. They MIGHT be instant. Transferred today 10/19 and was surprised to see a message saying something to the effect of “most transfers are immediate…but may take up to 48 hours…” I didn’t think much of it, but when I checked my Singapore account a couple hours later the miles were there.
Interesting. That would be a nice improvement!
Circling back on this because I made another Amex to Singapore transfer and can confirm that transfers are indeed instant now. Big improvement.
Thanks! I updated the table accordingly.
[…] from 48 hours to seven days. Yep, seven! Read my sad story and weep. Although, per Award Wallet and Frequent Miler, things might have improved since […]
[…] When you are ready to redeem your bank points please do not do so for merchandise, this is always a very bad deal! Another good reference to use when you decide to transfer out to partners: How long does it take to transfer points to airline and hotel programs? […]
Wife transferred Chase points to Flying Blue recently.. It supposed to be instant, instead it was ~20 hours, and in the meanwhile all seats were gone for our trip except one that has a suboptimal arrival. I’ll now have to drive 3 hours immediately after flying for 14, boo.
I transferred Chase UR to Hyatt and it took about 24 hours (July 2021)
That’s strange. I’ve done many transfers and they were always instant. I wonder if there was a technical issue at the time you did yours
It might have been. The next day when I had to cxl and rebook (it wouldn’t let me adjust the dates), the system went down for the next 20 minutes and there were issues here and there checking the reservation.
[…] How long does it take to transfer points to airline and hotel programs? […]
Great summary Greg! AmEx to Iberia transfers are finicky. The transfer in my case took 5 or 6 days, so I had to take a train to MAD instead to make it for my flight home. Both AmEx and Iberia told me it takes up to 1 week. I think, Iberia does transfers in batches on certain day of the week, so it’s a pure luck and depends on when you initiate the transfer.
Thanks Andy. That’s interesting. In talking with AwardWallet, they confirmed that listing Iberia as instant was a mistake. They have the following 3 datapoints via Balance Watch: 27, 22, and 25hrs. I ran a test yesterday and the result was about 12 hours. I’m going to test again today. My guess is that they’ve fixed the previous process and now have a process that automatically runs every night. It’s just a guess at this point, though, until we get more datapoints.
That’s good to know if true. Iberia can work wonders for short hauls in Spain, and fares can change faster than you can blink from $20-30 to big $$$, while Avios stay the same.
Well… I’m 48 hours into my second test and still waiting. So much for “1 day”. Maybe the point movers take the weekends off.
[…] Transfer Times For Points: How long does it take for your transferable points to hit your airline and hotel programs. Depending on the transfer, they can be instant or as long as a few days. Here’s a good guide to help you plan ahead for your next award trip. […]
Transfer from MR to Iberia Avios is NOT instant. Amex says 4-7 business days. In my experience it’s about 4 calendar days. Lost out on a primo business class seat as a result of the delay.
Oh bummer. Thanks for letting us know. I’ll research that and update it.
Brex?
BTW, I would comment that TPG, as much as I dislike that site, and OMAT have these lists. I wonder if this is worth your effort?
AwardWallet didn’t have enough Brex datapoints yet to be worth adding that section yet to this post. But you can find Brex timings here: https://frequentmiler.com/transfer-partner-master-list/
Yes, other blogs have numbers that they came up with at some point in time, but I think that AwardWallet’s timings are more likely to be accurate and up to date. Plus, it’s not much effort to borrow the data from AwardWallet!
[…] long does it take to transfer points to airline and hotel programs? This is a great resource on Frequent Miler. I recently had to transfer points from programs into Air France. When an award becomes available, […]
Great resource and list. I’m surprised to see that transfers from Chase UR to IHG and Marriott are not instant. I would have assumed they would be.
Me too. Those particular transfers were already poor value and non-instant transfers makes them worse.
You should also have a list by airline and hotel program
e.g., aeroplan
Membership rewards 1 day
Ultimate rewards
Marriott 5 days
etc etc
That is far more useful
Most often we have a specific need for an airline point
– then we have to figure out how to send it there
We do have that, here: https://frequentmiler.com/transfer-partner-master-list/
I had a transfer from bonvoy to AA that took two weeks. Multiple calls didn’t help. Finally appeared after two weeks which included 20k additional customer service points. I was still able to make my booking I wanted but still…..This was in April.
Wow, that’s awful.