How to Transfer Credit Card Points to Airlines and Maximize Your Travel Rewards

If you were to implement just one strategy to maximize your points and miles and take more vacations, it would be learning how to transfer your credit card points to an airline or hotel program where they can give you a better deal. When you also combine that strategy with the flexibility of knowing the cheapest day to find flights, you can make your points and miles stretch even further.

That's exactly what we're going to do in today's article.

Hey, my name is Lisa Mecham, and I'm the founder of Her Travel Club, where I teach women how to maximize their credit card points and travel rewards so they can take more adventures.

In this video, I'm booking a daddy-daughter trip to Tokyo, and I'm so excited for them! I'm going to be transferring my American Express Membership Rewards points to Delta SkyMiles so I can make this trip happen.

You're going to see exactly how the process works, including what the screens look like on your computer and how I decide how many points to transfer.

And here's what's really cool: this same basic strategy applies to many different types of transferable credit card points.

If you have Capital One miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards points, or American Express Membership Rewards points, you can often transfer those rewards to participating airline and hotel loyalty programs.

Once you understand how transferable points work, you have so many more options than simply using the rewards within one airline's program.

Let's dig into it.

What Are Transferable Credit Card Points?

Before we start booking the trip, let's talk about the difference between transferable points and points that are tied directly to a specific airline or hotel.

The key is to make sure you're accumulating flexible rewards that can be transferred to multiple travel partners.

For example, if your credit card rewards are locked into a single airline or hotel program, you're limited to the deals and availability offered by that particular program.

But when you have a credit card that earns transferable rewards, you can move those points to different airline and hotel partners.

That gives you much more flexibility.

Instead of asking, "What can I book with this one airline's miles?" you can ask:

"Which airline or hotel partner is going to give me the best deal for the trip I want to take?"

That's a huge difference.

It allows you to shop around for the best award travel opportunities and potentially get significantly more value from your credit card rewards.

How I'm Using Points to Book a Trip to Tokyo

Right now, I'm going to walk you through how I'm transferring my points to Delta SkyMiles so I can use them to book a reward flight to Tokyo.

I'm starting on Delta's website.

One important tip: when you're searching for the best SkyMiles deals, I recommend using a web browser rather than the Delta app.

The website gives you access to the calendar and information we need to compare dates and find the best redemption.

I'm already logged into my Delta account, and I currently have 28,341 SkyMiles.

That's not enough to fly two people round trip to Tokyo, which is why we're going to transfer additional points.

How to Search for the Best Delta Award Flights

On Delta's website, I want to select the option to shop with miles.

I'm also selecting flexible dates because flexibility is one of the best ways to maximize your travel rewards.

For our destination, I'm searching for Tokyo's Haneda Airport using the airport code HND.

We're booking a round-trip flight for two passengers, and we're looking at January travel dates.

Once I click "Find Flights," Delta gives me a calendar-style view that makes it much easier to compare the number of SkyMiles required for different dates.

And this is where doing your research can make a huge difference.

For example, if I were to leave on a Monday, the flight would cost 178,700 points per person.

But if I leave on Sunday, the price drops to 70,300 points per person.

That's an enormous difference.

The flight isn't necessarily that different. I'm simply changing the date.

This is why flexible travel dates can be one of your most powerful tools when you're trying to book flights with points and miles.

Why Flexible Dates Can Save You Thousands of Points

When you're booking award flights, don't assume that every date will have the same redemption price.

Airlines can have enormous differences in the number of miles required for flights on different days.

In this case, changing the departure date allows me to book the flight for less than half the number of points.

I've already done my research and determined that January 31 through February 10 works best for this particular daddy-daughter trip.

Now I can continue through the booking process and make sure the flights I'm looking at actually exist and have availability.

This step is important.

Sometimes you'll find what looks like an amazing reward flight, only to discover that it's already sold out, that the availability disappears, or that there was an error in the search results.

Before transferring any points, I always recommend going through the booking process far enough to confirm that the flight is actually available.

How Many Points Do I Need to Transfer?

Once I confirmed the flights were available, I reached the point where I couldn't continue because I only had 28,341 SkyMiles.

The flight for two people required 140,400 SkyMiles plus $136.26 in taxes and fees.

That means I was short more than 111,000 miles.

This is where transferable credit card points become incredibly valuable.

Instead of needing to earn another 111,000 Delta SkyMiles directly, I can transfer points I've already accumulated through American Express.

Why I Prioritize Transferable American Express Points

When I look at my American Express account, I have both Delta SkyMiles and American Express Membership Rewards points.

I have 28,341 Delta SkyMiles and 126,609 American Express Membership Rewards points.

One of the reasons I prioritize accumulating flexible American Express Membership Rewards points is that I can transfer them to different airline and hotel partners.

That means I'm not locked into one travel program.

If Delta has a great redemption, I can transfer points to Delta.

If another airline or hotel program has a better deal for a different trip, I may be able to transfer my points there instead.

The flexibility is the whole point.

How to Transfer American Express Points to Delta

Now let's look at what the actual transfer process looks like.

Inside my American Express account, I'm going to select the option to find ways to redeem my points.

American Express may show you different redemption options, including statement credits.

But this is where it's important to understand the value of your points.

For example, if I redeemed my points for a statement credit, I would receive only $60 back for every 10,000 points.

That's not nearly as exciting as what I can potentially get by transferring those points to an airline and using them for an award flight.

Instead, I'm going to the travel section and selecting the option to transfer points.

Because I've transferred points to Delta before, my Delta SkyMiles account is already connected.

The transfer ratio I'm seeing is 1:1.

That means for every 1,000 American Express Membership Rewards points I transfer, I receive 1,000 Delta SkyMiles.

Now I know my credit card amount transfer needs to be 111,659 additional points to book these flights, so I'm going to round that up and transfer 112,000 Membership Rewards points.

There is a small fee associated with this transfer, which I'll account for as part of the cost of the trip.

How Long Does a Points Credit Card Amount Transfer Take?

When you're transferring credit card points to an airline, you may see a warning that the transfer can take up to 48 hours.

This is something to be aware of when you're booking award travel.

In my experience, however, I've never had a transfer take that long.

The longest I've personally experienced for a points transfer between partners has been around two to three hours, and many transfers have been much faster.

That said, you should never assume your transfer will be instant.

If you're transferring points for a flight with limited award availability, it's a good idea to confirm the transfer timing before moving your points.

Once you transfer points, you generally can't reverse that transaction.

So make sure the flight you want is actually available before you click "Submit Transfer."

My Points Have Arrived — Now I Can Book the Flight

After submitting the transfer, I can head back over to Delta and refresh my account.

And there they are.

I now have 140,341 Delta SkyMiles available.

That's enough for me to continue booking the flights for our Tokyo trip.

From here, I'm going through the same booking process, selecting the flights and seats I want, and now I can actually complete the checkout.

Instead of paying the full cash price for two round-trip tickets to Japan, I'm using the Delta SkyMiles I've created by transferring my American Express Membership Rewards points.

And that's the power of transferable points.

Why Transferring Points Can Make Your Rewards More Valuable

The biggest lesson I want you to take away from this is that your credit card points don't necessarily have to stay where you earned them.

If you're accumulating transferable travel rewards, you can often move those points to an airline or hotel partner when that program offers the best redemption for your trip.

This gives you significantly more flexibility.

Instead of being restricted to whatever deals are available through one loyalty program, you can compare your options and choose the program that works best for you.

That's how you can stretch your points further and potentially take more vacations without spending as much money out of pocket.

The Simple Strategy for Maximizing Points and Miles

If you're just getting started with travel hacking and points and miles, this strategy is one of the first concepts I'd recommend learning.

Here's the basic process:

1. Earn transferable credit card points.
2. Search for the trip you want using airline or hotel award programs.
3. Compare dates and redemption prices.
4. Confirm that the award availability actually exists.
5. Check the transfer ratio and any available transfer bonuses.
6. Transfer only the number of points you need.
7. Complete your booking through the airline or hotel program.

The key is to search first and transfer second.

Don't transfer a huge balance of points simply because you think you might use them someday.

Find the flight or hotel you want, confirm the availability, calculate how many points you'll need, and then make the transfer.

That's how you can avoid getting stuck with points in a program you don't actually need.

Final Thoughts: Transfer Your Points Where They Work Best

I really hope this walkthrough was useful in showing you exactly how simple and straightforward it can be to transfer your points and make them go further.

The world of credit card rewards, airline miles, hotel points, and travel hacking can feel complicated when you're first starting out.

But the actual process of transferring points can be surprisingly simple.

The biggest shift is learning to think of your credit card rewards as flexible currency.

Instead of asking, "How many points do I have?"

Start asking:

"What can I do with these points, and where will they give me the most value?"

That's how you can turn the points you're already earning into more flights, more hotel stays, more adventures, and ultimately, more vacations.

And in this case, those points are helping make a daddy-daughter adventure to Tokyo possible.

That's pretty amazing.

So, I really hope that this was useful and helpful in showing you exactly how simple and straightforward it can be to transfer your points. You can really make them go far so that you have the most experiences, and can use them in the most beneficial way for you.