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Credit card transfer bonuses offer new opportunities for booking award travel this month

Credit card transfer bonuses offer new opportunities for booking award travel this month
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Zach Griff Senior reporter | The Points Guy

This month, several major credit card rewards programs are offering more transfer bonuses to airline and hotel loyalty partners than usual. According to The Points Guy (TPG), these offers provide an opportunity for travelers to book flights at lower points costs, but experts caution that transfers should only be made with a specific booking in mind because transfers are irreversible and partner programs can change redemption rates without notice.

Among the highlighted offers is Citi ThankYou Rewards’ 50% transfer bonus to Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles through October 18, 2025. This allows travelers to book a one-way business-class flight from the U.S. to Turkey for just 44,000 Citi ThankYou Rewards points instead of the standard 65,000 miles required by Miles&Smiles. Availability was reported from several U.S. airports including Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD), New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Miami International Airport (MIA), Dulles International Airport (IAD), and Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) for travel between January and August 2026.

American Express Membership Rewards is offering a 20% transfer bonus to Air France-KLM’s Flying Blue program until October 31, 2025. With this promotion, a typical business-class award ticket from the U.S. to Europe that usually requires 60,000 Flying Blue miles can be booked for just 50,000 Amex Membership Rewards points. There is also discounted pricing on some routes: "Although they're not officially listed as one of this month's Promo Rewards, Flying Blue has also quietly discounted flights from IAD to Europe in business class to start at just 45,000 miles right now. At that price, you would need just 38,000 American Express Membership Rewards points to fly KLM or Air France in business class to Europe, an exceptional deal on two quality airlines."

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Chase Ultimate Rewards members can take advantage of a 30% transfer bonus both to Iberia Club Avios and British Airways Club Avios through October 31, 2025. For Iberia Club Avios redemptions, this means economy flights from select U.S. cities like Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), ORD, IAD and MIA to Madrid are available for as few as 5,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after the bonus.

For Qatar Airways Qsuite business-class tickets booked via British Airways Club Avios program, the same Chase bonus enables booking a one-way flight from the U.S. to Doha for only 54,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points (which yields enough Avios for the ticket). "In practice, we consistently see better Qatar Airways Qsuite award availability through Avios programs like British Airways Club and especially Qatar Airways Privilege Club than through American Airlines AAdvantage," TPG notes.

Citi ThankYou Rewards is also offering a 30% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club through October 18, allowing Saver reward seats in economy from Northeast U.S. airports like JFK and BOS to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) for as little as 5,000 Citi ThankYou points plus taxes.

The same Virgin Atlantic partnership provides access to LATAM business-class seats between JFK/ATL/MIA and Lima’s Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM) for just 39,000 Citi ThankYou points after the transfer bonus—an option that TPG describes as “a fantastic deal for lie-flat seats on flights of up to eight hours in length.”

"This is an unusually strong month for generous transfer bonuses from the major transferable credit card currencies," according to The Points Guy team. They recommend confirming award seat availability before transferring any points since these transactions cannot be reversed and some bonuses will end soon.

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