Quick Points: Why you should register for loyalty programs before planning your points transfers
Here at TPG, we love our transferable credit card points. You can use them to book award travel with various airline and hotel partners, even if you're not loyal to said airlines and hotels. For instance, I once transferred Chase Ultimate Rewards points to World of Hyatt and redeemed them for a weeklong stay in Hawaii — even though I'd never set foot in a Hyatt.
You might be planning to transfer credit card points once you've earned a lucrative welcome bonus, or if a great redemption option comes up, you could find yourself transferring points unexpectedly. In this case, you will want to be able to do this as quickly and painlessly as possible, so it's worth doing a little bit of 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.
Related: How (and why) you should earn transferable credit card points
Why transfer times matter
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 our guides to transfer times for Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards and Wells Fargo Rewards.
However, these times can be 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 make the journey.
TPG's Andrea Rotondo experienced this when she transferred Chase Ultimate Rewards points to her Air Canada Aeroplan account — which she had opened five days earlier — for a business-class redemption on Swiss Airlines. Although Chase points typically transfer to Aeroplan instantly, Andrea's points took around 36 hours to reach her Aeroplan account. Thankfully, the seats she was trying to book were still available when the transfer was 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 be able to use.
Related: Your guide to Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partners
Why you should register for loyalty accounts now
You can minimize your transfer times (and save yourself a step in the transfer process) by setting up loyalty accounts in advance. If your hotel or airline partner loyalty account is already established before you link your accounts and initiate a transfer, you can expect transfer times to be on par with our guides, and there won't be any added stress or complexity when you are ready to book that dream redemption.
This has the added benefit of helping you search for award availability, since some airlines and hotels make it harder or even impossible to search award rates if you're not logged into an account.
Bottom line
We recommend joining the loyalty programs of all the major U.S. carriers (or the most prominent airlines in your location) and hotel chains now. It's free to sign up, it can help you search for award availability and it will ensure your points transfer as quickly as possible when you're ready to redeem them.
Just keep track of your login info to avoid getting locked out of any loyalty accounts.
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.