Why you should master a few credit card transfer partners, and (most likely) leave the rest behind

I'm a big fan of earning transferable rewards via credit cards. I love the flexibility of being able to choose how to redeem my points or miles among several airline and hotel loyalty programs. Plus, when I factor in the odd transfer bonus, I can really maximize my travel rewards.

I currently collect Chase Ultimate Rewards points, American Express Membership Rewards points, Capital One miles and Citi ThankYou Rewards points, and I like to keep a fairly even balance of the four. This means I have access to dozens of transfer partners.

You might assume someone who writes full time about earning and redeeming points and miles would use every transfer option available and have endless loyalty accounts.

But here's my secret: I've never transferred my credit card points to half of the transfer partners that are available to me, and I probably never will.

Here's my transfer partner strategy and why I only invest in a chosen few programs as a points and miles enthusiast.

I don't use every credit card transfer partner, and that's OK

While credit card transfer bonuses can be the difference between a good redemption and a great redemption, I don't capitalize on every one. Sure, it's great that I can transfer my rewards to Etihad Guest, Emirates Skywards and Aeromexico Rewards, but I don't find myself actively using these programs.

For me, I find that certain programs don't offer great redemptions, or the transfer ratio is not 1:1. Mostly, I usually end up utilizing a small handful of transfer partners because the programs are easy to understand, and they provide me with enormous value.

However, my select set of transfer partners may not be the right ones for you. If you've felt overwhelmed by the transfer partner options available, here's how to choose a select few that will work for you.

Related: How (and why) you should earn transferable credit card points in 2025

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Choose an airline loyalty program based on which airport(s) you fly from

A good place to start is choosing an airline loyalty program based on your home airport. If an airline operates most of the flights from that airport, then it makes sense to either choose that airline's loyalty program or a partner airline program that will let you redeem your rewards.

For example, if I wanted to book an American Airlines flight, none of my transferable points and miles would directly transfer to the American AAdvantage program. Therefore, I would choose a Oneworld airline partner program, which would still allow me to redeem my points or miles on American Airlines flights.

If your local or preferred airport has multiple airlines with significant operations, such as Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), in which no one operator is that dominant, then choose the airline you fly frequently or that flies to the places you want to go.

Since I'm based in London, Heathrow Airport (LHR) is the airport I fly out of the most. Both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are based there, so it would make sense to focus on either British Airways Club or Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. Fortunately, both these programs partner with most transferable currencies.

I've been an active member of both, but I currently favor British Airways Club primarily because the program still has a fixed award chart, while Virgin Atlantic has switched to dynamic pricing (and recently increased carrier surcharges). BA also flies to more places I want to visit.

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Pick an airline program that offers great rates to places you want to travel

While British Airways Club offers plenty of flights from my home airport and has great rates, the airline imposes carrier surcharges on long-haul, premium-cabin flights, such as those across the Atlantic. So it's not a perfect program.

Therefore, I've been invested in researching and trying out a few different programs, and settled on Air Canada's Aeroplan program. While the program does price flights operated by Air Canada, Emirates and United Airlines dynamically, which can mean very high rates on peak dates, it has retained an award chart for flights operated by several partner airlines, including Lufthansa, Swiss, LOT Polish Airlines, Air India, Copa Airlines and TAP Air Portugal.

This means I have access to a huge range of transnational award flights, with business-class flights costing 60,000 miles on routes up to 4,000 miles, such as from the East Coast to Western Europe, or 70,000 miles on flights between 4,001 and 6,000 miles, like from LAX to Zurich Airport (ZRH).

While I rarely travel to Canada, I've transferred hundreds of thousands of points and miles from credit card programs to Aeroplan because I know I can get great value redeeming them for premium-cabin flights operated by partner airlines.

When I can't find availability through Aeroplan (or the program's airlines don't fly where I want to go), I also like Air France-KLM's Flying Blue program for the same reasons I like Aeroplan: good award rates and plenty of premium availability across the Atlantic.

Related: Why Air Canada Aeroplan has become my favorite Star Alliance loyalty program

Choose a hotel loyalty program with good rates and properties

For many, it will probably be easier to maximize your rewards for flights than for hotel stays. Though most credit card issuers have a handful of hotel partners with 1:1 transfer ratios, you may lose some value. However, I still recommend finding a hotel transfer partner that works for you to include in your list, so you're covered for both flights and accommodation when you're booking travel.

While selecting an airline program may be based on where you live and the airline(s) operating from your nearest airport, a hotel loyalty program should focus more on where you want to travel.

For many years, I was happy with the Hilton Honors program as my go-to loyalty program. I received complimentary Gold elite status by having The Platinum Card® from American Express in my wallet (enrollment is required for select benefits), and loved that I received complimentary breakfast at properties outside of the United States, though I'm less of a fan of the daily food-and-beverage credit at properties in the United States.

Alongside its expansive footprint in Europe, where I live, Hilton Honors redemption rates were pretty decent. However, over the years, I've seen redemption rates skyrocket, and 200,000 points for a single-night stay at top-tier properties is not unheard of, so the program no longer works for me.

With that in mind, I've begun to favor World of Hyatt as my hotel loyalty program of choice. If you regularly read TPG, you already know how much the staff loves this program. As a unicorn among loyalty programs, World of Hyatt has retained a very reasonable award chart with Category 1 properties starting at just 3,500 points per night on off-peak rates.

While the program's footprint of properties in Europe isn't as large as that of some other hotel loyalty programs, the list has been growing steadily thanks to several major acquisitions.

Bilt Rewards Points and Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to World of Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio. So, one of the primary reasons I earn Chase points is to be able to transfer them to Hyatt, and this has been how I've redeemed most of my Chase points over the years.

I can't count the number of times I've checked the nightly redemption rates to redeem Hilton Honors or Marriott Bonvoy points to be shocked at fairly forgettable midrange properties costing upward of 50,000 points per night. Luckily, I found similar World of Hyatt properties at a rate of 20,000 points or less.

Sure, Mr & Mrs Smith properties are priced dynamically and may not always represent the best use of Hyatt points, but that doesn't bother me because I have found value at most Hyatt-branded hotels within the program.

Bottom line

Having access to more than 10 transfer partners from a single credit card program might sound like a terrific benefit, but the reality is, even if you're points and miles obsessed like I am, it's unlikely you'll use all of the transfer partners — you might not even use half of them.

My advice is, don't get overwhelmed and flustered by the number of options available to you. Instead, just narrow it down to a handful of programs that you understand and that work for you. And as programs evolve or, unfortunately, devalue, your partner program strategy may change.

Related reading:

• Best hotel rewards programs in the world: Which one is right for you?
• With 5 airline loyalty programs using Avios, here's why I focus on British Airways Club
• Best frequent flyer programs for US travelers
• Traveling in 2025? These 12 apps and websites make award redemptions easier to find