Editor’s Note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.
Transferable credit card points and miles are among the most flexible rewards you can earn. You can use them to book award travel with various airline and hotel partners, even if you’re not loyal to those specific brands.
For instance, one traveler transferred Chase Ultimate Rewards points to World of Hyatt and redeemed them for a weeklong stay in Hawaii — even though she’d never set foot in a Hyatt.
You might be planning to transfer credit card rewards once you’ve earned a lucrative welcome bonus. Or, if a great redemption option comes up, you could find yourself transferring points or miles unexpectedly. In that case, you’ll want the process to go as quickly and painlessly as possible, so it’s worth doing a little setup now to save yourself time later.
Your point transfers could be slowed down if your partner loyalty account is relatively new, which can affect your redemptions. Here’s why we recommend setting up loyalty accounts as soon as possible, even if you don’t have any transfers planned.
Why Transfer Times Matter
Hana-Maui Resort. ETHAN TWEEDIE/HYATT
Even the most well-planned redemption can fall through if award availability gets snapped up while you’re waiting for your points to appear in your airline or hotel account.
Transfer times range from a few seconds to several days, depending on the type of credit card rewards and the transfer partner. See the guides to transfer times for American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt, Capital One miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Wells Fargo Rewards to learn more.
These transfer times can be even longer if you recently opened your partner account. The longer you have to wait for the transfer, the more likely award space will disappear before your points or miles make the journey.
One traveler experienced this firsthand when she transferred Chase Ultimate Rewards points to her Air Canada Aeroplan account — which she had opened just five days earlier — for a business-class redemption on Swiss.
Although Chase points typically transfer to Aeroplan instantly, the points took around 36 hours to reach the Aeroplan account. Thankfully, the seats were still available when the transfer finally completed. If they hadn’t been, she would have been stuck with no tickets and thousands of Aeroplan points that she may or may not have been able to use elsewhere.
Why You Should Register for Loyalty Accounts Now
United Polaris business class. ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
You can minimize transfer times — and protect your award redemptions — by registering for loyalty program accounts before you ever need to transfer points into them. Signing up is free and takes only a few minutes. Having an established account means that when a great award opportunity arises, your transfer is far more likely to go through quickly, keeping that coveted seat or room in your hands rather than someone else’s.
