Earning points is step one. Knowing where to send them is where the real money is. This guide covers four transferable currencies relevant to families — Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One Miles, Bilt Points, and Amex Membership Rewards — including who transfers to who, at what ratio, and the specific sweet spots that matter most.
A note on ratios before we start
A transfer ratio of 1:1 means 1,000 points from your card become 1,000 miles or hotel points in the partner program. This is what you want. Some programs have worse ratios (like 2:1.5, meaning you lose 25% of your points in the transfer) — we’ll call those out specifically so you know to avoid them.
One critical rule that applies to all three programs: confirm award availability before you transfer. Transfers are irreversible. Points sent to an airline or hotel partner cannot come back. Check the flight or hotel is actually bookable first.
Chase Ultimate Rewards
Cards that unlock transfers: Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, Ink Business Preferred, Ink Business Premier.
(Freedom/Freedom Unlimited cards earn Ultimate Rewards too, but they can’t transfer directly. Stack them into your Sapphire account first, then transfer from there — a great way to get 5x category earnings into a transferable currency without a second Sapphire card.)
Transfer ratio
Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to all airline and hotel partners at a 1:1 ratio. Every Chase airline partner transfers at parity — no 5:4 penalty ratios like you find with some competing programs.
One exception: Hyatt. New Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholders who apply on or after June 15, 2026 transfer Chase points to World of Hyatt at a 4:3 rate. Existing cardholders can continue transferring at 1:1 through September 30, 2026, before moving to 4:3 on October 1, 2026. The Sapphire Reserve continues to transfer to Hyatt at 1:1.
Top transfer partners
World of Hyatt (hotel) The single best hotel partner for families, even with the new 4:3 ratio for Preferred cardholders. Category 1–2 hotels start at 3,500–8,000 points per night for rooms that cost $150–$250 in cash — a value of up to 4.5 cents per point. Hyatt Ziva and Zilara all-inclusive properties in Mexico and the Caribbean are regularly bookable on points and are some of the best family redemptions available.
United MileagePlus (airline) Strong for Star Alliance flights to Europe and Asia. United domestic flights start at 8,000 miles one-way. Good coverage from most major U.S. hubs.
Southwest Rapid Rewards (airline) Underrated for family domestic travel. Free checked bags, no change fees, and award pricing tied to cash fares means you can get solid value when Southwest runs sales. Transfers at 1:1.
Air Canada Aeroplan (airline) Strong sweet spots for business class to Europe (around 60,000 miles) and stopover awards that add value for multi-destination family trips.
Air France/KLM Flying Blue (airline) Dynamic pricing but excellent for Europe routes, especially during monthly promo awards. Chase has dramatically increased the frequency of transfer bonuses in recent years, with periodic bonuses to partners like Flying Blue that temporarily boost your miles by 20–30%. Only transfer during a bonus if you have a confirmed redemption.
Partners to avoid
IHG One Rewards transfers at 1:1 but IHG points are worth roughly 0.5–0.6 cents each, making you better off booking through the Chase Travel portal or redeeming for cash back instead.
Capital One Points
Cards that unlock transfers: Venture X, Venture, VentureOne, Venture X Business, Venture Business.
Transfer ratios
Most Capital One airline partners transfer at 1:1. Emirates Skywards, EVA Air, and Japan Airlines offer a 2:1.5 conversion ratio, meaning 1,000 Capital One miles become 750 miles in those programs. JetBlue transfers at 5:3 (1,000 Capital One miles become 600 TrueBlue points). Accor Live Limitless transfers at 2:1.
Avoid the sub-1:1 partners unless you’re specifically topping off an existing balance.
Top transfer partners
Air Canada Aeroplan (1:1) One of the strongest partners in the Capital One lineup. You can find great sweet spots with Aeroplan’s fixed award pricing — such as 60,000 miles in business class from the Northeast to Europe on carriers like Lufthansa, Swiss, and Austrian Airlines.
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles (1:1) A sleeper pick. Turkish’s award chart has incredible sweet spots, including the ability to fly to Hawaii from the contiguous U.S. for just 7,500 miles one-way in economy (12,500 in business class) on United Airlines — because Turkish considers Hawaii as part of the U.S. for pricing purposes.
Air France/KLM Flying Blue (1:1) Same value as the Chase side. Watch for periodic transfer bonuses.
Avianca LifeMiles (1:1) Useful for Star Alliance bookings without fuel surcharges. Good for Europe and Asia routes.
I Prefer Hotel Rewards (1:2) Yes, that’s a favorable ratio — 1,000 Capital One miles become 2,000 I Prefer points. Good for boutique and luxury hotel properties when cash rates are high.
Partners to avoid
Accor Live Limitless — the 2:1 transfer ratio combined with relatively low point values means you’re better off booking directly through Capital One Travel or paying cash.
Bilt Points
Cards that unlock transfers: Bilt Blue (no annual fee), Bilt Obsidian, Bilt Palladium. All Bilt card tiers transfer to the same partners.
Transfer ratios
Bilt Rewards has 25 transfer partners, all at a 1:1 ratio. Accor Live Limitless is the only exception at 3:2 (1,000 Bilt points become approximately 667 Accor points).
What makes Bilt unique
Bilt is the only major U.S. transferable currency that transfers to Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards at 1:1 — no other program (Chase, Amex, Capital One, Citi) can do this. If your family lives near a Pacific Northwest hub or has Alaska/Hawaiian routes in your plans, this is the exclusive pathway.
Bilt is also the only non-Chase pathway to World of Hyatt. Chase Ultimate Rewards and Bilt Rewards are the only two major transferable currencies that can transfer into Hyatt.
Top transfer partners
World of Hyatt (1:1) As mentioned above, Bilt’s access to Hyatt at 1:1 (with no annual fee required on the card) is one of the most powerful things in the entire points space. Category 1–4 hotels regularly deliver 4–6 cents per point in value.
Japan Airlines (1:1) One of the best ways to secure business class seats from the USA to Japan from 55,000 miles.
Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards (1:1) Exclusive to Bilt. No other program transfers to Atmos Rewards. If Alaska is your home carrier, Bilt is essential.
United MileagePlus (1:1) Combined with Alaska access, Bilt gives you the only card-to-miles pipeline to both Alaska and United — two competitor programs — from a single card.
Rent Day bonuses
On the first of each month, Bilt runs limited-time transfer bonuses to select partners — sometimes up to 100% bonus — making that day worth checking before any planned transfer. These bonuses are exclusive to Rent Day and don’t carry over.
Amex Membership Rewards
Cards that unlock transfers: Amex Gold Card, Amex Platinum Card, Amex Business Gold Card, Amex Business Platinum Card, Amex Green Card, Blue Business Plus.
Amex has the largest transfer partner list of any major U.S. transferable currency — 17 airline partners and 3 hotel partners as of June 2026. This depth is its biggest advantage. For families, the Gold Card in particular earns at a level that rewards real household spending: 4x at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000/year) and 4x at restaurants worldwide. A family spending $1,000/month on groceries alone earns 12,000+ points per quarter just from that category.
Transfer ratios
Most Amex airline partners transfer at 1:1. Notable exceptions to know:
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles: 5:4 (you lose 20% — use British Airways Avios for oneworld instead)
- Emirates Skywards: 5:4 (same 20% loss, plus Emirates’ fuel surcharges are high — generally avoid)
- JetBlue TrueBlue: 5:4 (Chase transfers to JetBlue at 1:1, making it a better source if that’s your target)
- Aeromexico Rewards: 1:1.6 (favorable ratio but poor redemption options — skip)
- Hilton Honors (hotel): 1:2 (looks attractive but Hilton points are worth ~0.4 cents each, making your net return lower than it appears)
Important: Amex charges a transfer fee for U.S. domestic airline partners (Delta, JetBlue). The fee is 0.06 cents per mile transferred, capped at $99. Factor this into your math before transferring to a domestic carrier.
Critical June 2026 note: Amex’s transfer partnership with Etihad Guest ends permanently on June 30, 2026. If you have Etihad miles you want to use, transfer before that date — this partnership will not return.
Top transfer partners
Air Canada Aeroplan (1:1) The single best Amex airline transfer for most families. Aeroplan’s fixed-price award chart offers business class to Europe for around 60,000 miles on Lufthansa, Swiss, and Austrian — carriers known for excellent family-friendly business class cabins. Aeroplan also allows stopovers, adding a second destination to a trip at no extra cost.
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (1:1) One of the highest-value Amex transfers, especially with periodic 25–30% transfer bonuses that Amex runs on Virgin Atlantic several times a year. The key sweet spot: book ANA business class from the U.S. West Coast to Japan for 52,500 Virgin Atlantic miles one-way — one of the best Japan redemptions available from any program.
British Airways Avios (1:1) Excellent for short-haul flights priced on distance. Avios prices flights by miles flown, making it unusually good value for short domestic or regional routes. Avios is also interchangeable with Iberia, Aer Lingus, and Qatar Airways Avios — giving you flexibility across four separate oneworld programs from a single transfer.
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (1:1) Strong for business and first class redemptions to Asia and Oceania. A bucket-list option for a family trip to Japan or Singapore.
Marriott Bonvoy (1:1) Transfer 60,000 Amex points to Marriott during a 25% transfer bonus and receive 75,000 Marriott points — Amex periodically runs these bonuses, making Marriott transfers more efficient than the standard 1:1 rate suggests. Useful for topping off an account for a specific hotel redemption.
Partners to avoid
Hilton Honors: Despite the attractive 1:2 ratio, Hilton points are worth roughly 0.4 cents each, making the effective value roughly 0.8 cents per Amex point — less than you’d get from most airline transfers. Marriott Bonvoy (standard rate): At 1:1 with no bonus, Marriott points are worth ~0.7–0.8 cents each. Wait for a transfer bonus or use Amex portal instead. Emirates Skywards: 5:4 ratio plus high fuel surcharges on Emirates-metal flights erase most of the value.
What Amex can’t do that others can
Two significant gaps worth knowing: Amex does not transfer to Southwest (Chase only) and Amex does not transfer to World of Hyatt (Chase and Bilt only). If Southwest domestic travel or Hyatt all-inclusive resorts are central to your family’s strategy, Amex points alone won’t cover those — you’ll want a Chase or Bilt card alongside.
Always verify transfer ratios and award availability at the program’s website before transferring. Program rules, ratios, and sweet spots change — sometimes with little notice.
The Points Parents 
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