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5 incredible sweet spots of Capital One’s revamped transferable miles program
Chris was a reporter at The Points Guy, where he covered the intersection of credit card rewards and travel. At TPG, he wrote a broad array of stories ranging from in-depth features and reports to trending travel news as it related to loyalty, card benefits and consumer behavior.
November 2, 2021 • 9 min read
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Quick summary
A major transferable points program recently overhauled its airline and hotel transfer options, now offering 1:1 transfer ratios with most partners.
The program currently features 16 active transfer partners, with a majority allowing streamlined point transfers for easier redemptions.
Recent improvements include new partners, better transfer ratios and expanded opportunities to access valuable airline award tickets.
Notable sweet spots include business class to South America, economy flights to Hawaii, and first class on select international routes.
What to consider
Some previously available offers and partners, such as JetBlue, are no longer part of the program.
Award availability and transfer processing times can affect your ability to secure desired flights, so plan bookings carefully.
Transferred points cannot be reversed, making it important to confirm availability before moving points.
What you'll miss from the article
Detailed examples of top-value airline redemptions and step-by-step guidance on maximizing transfer partner sweet spots.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
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With access to 17 airlines and hotels — 15 of which are at a streamlined 1:1 transfer ratio — there has never been a better time to accumulate Capital One miles. You can earn 75,000 miles with the sign-up bonus on the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card by spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Let’s review what the recent Capital One updates indicate for how you can redeem your miles. Here are five sweet spots of the revamped transfer program.
In early 2020, Capital One added several transfer partners. Months later, the bank announced the addition of several more partners and a new 1:1 transfer ratio for select partners.
But the best update came just last month. In October, Capital One further expanded its roster of 1:1 transfer partners. The program has come a long way in just a short amount of time.
Currently, Capital One fields 16 active transfer partners (with Choice Rewards coming later this year). However, Capital One did lose an airline partner in JetBlue in October.
With all that in mind, here are some of the best transfer options to take advantage of using Capital One miles and the individual loyalty programs whose sweet spots make this possible.
1. Business class to South America: 50,000 Capital One miles
Mileage program: TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go.
Capital One transfer ratio: 1:1.
What’s new about it? Capital One is TAP’s first major transferable miles partner, so this partnership is significant if you’re a TAP and Star Alliance fan. TAP miles can also pretty consistently be purchased for around 1 cent each when there’s a promotion. You can currently buy 60,000 TAP miles for $870. (Screenshot courtesy of TAP) Related: Maximizing points and miles to book a flight to Brazil
Sweet spot details
TAP Air Portugal is a member of the Star Alliance, which unlocks the ability to redeem miles for flights with various carriers, including United Airlines. Below is TAP’s published award chart for Star Alliance flights originating from the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean (one-way, business class). (Screenshot courtesy of TAP)
Here, the sweet spot is flying to anywhere in South America — including Brazil, Argentina and Chile — for 50,000 miles one-way in business class.
What’s new about it? Earlier this year, Turkish Airlines became a brand-new transfer partner for Capital One. Then, in early October, the transfer ratio improved from 2:1.5 to 1:1. You can also transfer Citi ThankYou Rewards points to Turkish at a 1:1 ratio, but note that it can take up to two days for the transfer to process.
Sweet spot details
Similar to TAP Air Portugal, Turkish Airlines is a member of Star Alliance. Turkish has perhaps the most generous domestic redemption awards of any award chart.
You can fly United flights from the mainland U.S. to Hawaii for only 7,500 miles each way in economy class. With the updated 1:1 transfer ratio, you need just 7,500 Capital One miles to go one-way from the mainland to the Aloha State. (Photo by Zach Griff/The Points Guy)
If business class is more your style, United flights (sometimes equipped with Polaris business class) cost just 12,500 Turkish miles each way. Of course, the roadblock here is going to be finding United saver availability to Hawaii.
3. Economy flights up to 651 miles long: 6,000 Capital One miles
Mileage program: British Airways Avios.
Capital One transfer ratio: 1:1.
What’s new about it? British Airways is a 1:1 transfer partner of both Chase Ultimate Rewards and Amex Membership Rewards. Earlier this year, Capital One cardholders got access to Avios for the first time at a 2:1.5 ratio. Now, the ratio has been improved to 1:1, matching that of Chase and Amex.
Sweet spot details
British Airways is part of the Oneworld alliance, unlocking the ability to redeem miles for flights with various carriers.
For non-North American flights on Oneworld partner airlines, it costs just 6,000 Avios each way in economy class for flights up to 651 miles long (or 7,500 Avios for all flights to, from or within North America). At the new 1:1 ratio for flights outside of the U.S., that’s 6,000 Capital One miles.
This redemption is great for hopping around international Oneworld hubs where cash prices are high, such as Hong Kong (Cathay Pacific) or Japan (Japan Airlines), potentially letting you stretch your miles far. Hong Kong (HKG) is a Cathay Pacific hub. (Screenshot courtesy of British Airways) Related: How to book awards using British Airways Avios
4. 44,000-50,000 miles for American and Royal Air Maroc business class
Mileage program: Etihad Guest.
Capital One transfer ratio: 1:1.
What’s new about it? While Etihad has long been a Capital One transfer partner, it now costs fewer miles with a 1:1 transfer ratio (it previously was 2:1.5). That means you’ll use 33% fewer Venture miles than before.
If you find saver award availability, you can use just 50,000 Etihad miles each way to fly business class to Europe, or up to 55,000 miles to any of American's destinations in Asia. Royal Air Maroc 787-9 business class. (Photo by Brendon Dorsey/The Points Guy) Related: Review of Royal Air Maroc business class
Another option is using 44,000 Eithad miles one-way in business class to fly Royal Air Maroc from the U.S. to Casablanca, Morocco (CMN). Any connections from Casablanca require more mileage. Again, the transfer ratio from Capital One to Etihad is now just 1:1, so that’s just 44,000 Capital One miles.
5. 87,000-90,000 miles in Lufthansa and ANA first class
Mileage program: Avianca LifeMiles.
Capital One transfer ratio: 1:1.
What’s new about it? While Avianca has long been a Capital One transfer partner, it now costs fewer miles with a 1:1 transfer ratio (it previously was 2:1.5). That means you’ll use 33% fewer miles than before here, too.
Sweet spot details
Avianca LifeMiles offers quite a few sweet spots. Two of my favorites are ANA and Lufthansa first class. For just 87,000 LifeMiles and $5.60 in taxes, I flew Lufthansa first class from the U.S. to Europe. After suspending service during the pandemic, Lufthansa recently reintroduced first class on select U.S. routes. Lufthansa first class, booked with Avianca LifeMiles. (Photo by Chris Dong/The Points Guy)
Meanwhile, ANA flies its new “Suite” first class on several routes between the U.S. and Tokyo, including from New York-JFK and Los Angeles (LAX). I had the opportunity to fly in this luxurious cabin right before the pandemic. Air Canada Aeroplan and United MileagePlus charge significantly higher award rates, but Avianca will let you book this amazing long-haul ticket for just 90,000 LifeMiles (transferred at a 1:1 ratio from Capital One). ANA Suite, booked using Avianca LifeMiles. (Photo by Chris Dong/The Points Guy)
Bottom line
Leveraging transfer partners is often seen as the most lucrative way (on a cents-per-point basis) to use credit card points. This is also a reason why we often typically value credit card points and miles higher than other rewards currencies.
Keep in mind that point transfers can’t be reversed, so you should only move your points over from a credit card currency when you are ready to book. Also, be mindful of how long a transfer takes. The last thing you want is to transfer your hard-earned points only to have award availability disappear.
The value of transferable points allows you to access sweet spots in each partner program and ultimately gives you more opportunities to redeem points efficiently. Capital One does exactly that by unlocking more sweet spots with its latest revamp.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
