If you already know what a transferable point is, here’s the next layer of strategy: issuers periodically run transfer bonuses — temporary promotions that boost your transfer ratio, sometimes by 50% or more. But a bigger bonus doesn’t automatically mean better value, and knowing when to actually use one (versus when to ignore it entirely) is where real strategy separates from just chasing a shiny percentage.
In This Guide
- How Transfer Bonuses Actually Work
- Real Examples Happening Right Now
- The Trap: A Bonus Doesn’t Mean Good Value
- Bilt’s Different Approach: Rent Day
- When a Transfer Bonus Is Actually Worth Using
- Frequently Asked Questions
How Transfer Bonuses Actually Work
Most transferable points programs — Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles, and Bilt Points — normally transfer to airline and hotel partners at a fixed ratio, most commonly 1:1. A transfer bonus temporarily increases that ratio for a specific partner, for a limited time. For example, a 20% bonus means 1,000 of your points become 1,200 points in the partner program instead of the usual 1,000.
These promotions are typically targeted (not every cardholder sees the same offers), rotate unpredictably across different partners throughout the year, and almost always come with a firm expiration date — sometimes just a few weeks out.
Amex’s transfer bonus to Marriott Bonvoy has run about every 129 days on average, historically as high as 50% — but at the time of this writing, Marriott had zero active bonus at all. These promotions genuinely come and go; timing is the whole strategy.
Real Examples Happening Right Now
As of this writing, American Express has two active transfer bonuses worth examining side by side, since they illustrate the exact trap covered in the next section:
- Amex Membership Rewards → Hilton Honors: a 20% bonus (through July 14, 2026), boosting the standard 1:2 ratio to 1,000 Amex points = 2,400 Hilton points.
- Amex Membership Rewards → Marriott Bonvoy: a 20% bonus (through June 30, 2026), boosting the standard 1:1 ratio to 1,000 Amex points = 1,200 Marriott points.
Same 20% bonus on both — but as the next section explains, that doesn’t mean they’re equally good deals.
The Trap: A Bonus Doesn’t Mean Good Value
Here’s the piece most people miss: a transfer bonus only matters relative to what the destination points are actually worth. Hilton points are commonly valued around 0.35-0.5 cents each, while Marriott points run closer to 0.77-0.80 cents each — Marriott points are worth roughly double Hilton’s, before any bonus even enters the picture.
Run the math on the Hilton example above: 1,000 Amex points (worth around 1.5-2 cents each transferred elsewhere) become 2,400 Hilton points worth roughly 0.35-0.5 cents each — landing you at less than 1 cent of value per original Amex point. That’s a worse outcome than simply transferring those same Amex points to an airline partner at standard rates with no bonus at all.
Compare that to our Hilton Honors guide and Marriott Bonvoy guide for the full redemption picture on each program — the bonus is only one half of the equation.
Bilt’s Different Approach: Rent Day
Unlike Amex’s rotating, targeted, unpredictable bonuses, Bilt runs a scheduled promotion called Rent Day — typically offering double points on transfers to airline and hotel partners on the first of each month. This predictability is genuinely useful: rather than waiting on an uncertain targeted offer, Bilt cardholders can plan a transfer around a known monthly date. See our Bilt card reviews for more on how the broader program works.
When a Transfer Bonus Is Actually Worth Using
- You already have a specific redemption identified. The strongest use case by far: you know exactly which flight or hotel stay you’re booking, you’ve confirmed award availability, and the bonus simply reduces how many points that redemption costs you.
- You’re topping off a small balance. If you’re a few thousand points short of a redemption you’ve already planned, a bonus transfer to close that specific gap is a reasonable, low-risk use — even for a program with modest per-point value.
- The destination program is already strong on its own. A bonus to an already-valuable currency (like Hyatt, historically one of the stronger transfer partners) compounds genuinely good value. A bonus to a weaker currency mostly just makes a mediocre deal slightly less mediocre.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are transfer bonuses available to everyone?
Not always. Many are targeted offers only visible to specific cardholders after logging into their account — the presence of a publicly reported bonus doesn’t guarantee you personally have access to it.
How often do transfer bonuses happen?
It varies significantly by partner. Some pairings see a bonus every few months; others go long stretches with none at all. Frequent bonus partners historically include Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, Virgin Atlantic, and Air France-KLM Flying Blue.
Can I undo a points transfer if I change my mind?
No — transfers are permanent once submitted. Always confirm the exact award you’re planning to book before initiating any transfer.