Seven points transfer bonuses are live in July 2026, from 15% to 50%. The honest ranking: grab Virgin Atlantic, EVA Air, and Avianca; Accor only if you use it; skip Hilton and Frontier. Real math on each, and the rule that saves you from a wasted transfer.
TL;DR
- Seven transfer bonuses are live this month. The biggest one (Accor, 50%) is not the best, and one of them (Hilton, 20%) is a downgrade dressed as a deal.
- Grab: Amex/Chase to Virgin Atlantic (30%) for ANA premium cabins, Capital One to EVA Air (30%) for lie-flat business to Asia, and Amex to Avianca LifeMiles (15%) for Star Alliance business with almost no surcharges.
- Only if you'll use it: Citi to Accor (50%). Biggest bonus, but the points are worth a fixed ~2¢ and only shine on Accor luxury stays.
- Skip: Amex to Hilton (20%) and Rove to Frontier (25%). A bonus on a weak currency is still weak.
- Rule for all of them: never transfer on speculation. Points are more flexible sitting in your bank account. Move them only once you've found the exact award seat.
Every few weeks the banks run "transfer bonuses." Move your points to an airline or hotel partner and get 15% to 50% extra. They're great when they line up with a trip you actually want, and a quiet trap when they don't. Right now there are seven live at once. Here's the honest sort, ranked by what the points are worth, not by which number is biggest.
| Transfer | Bonus | Ends | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chase UR → Virgin Atlantic | 30% | Jul 14 | ✅ Grab |
| Amex MR → Virgin Atlantic | 30% | Jul 31 | ✅ Grab |
| Capital One → EVA Air | 30% | Jul 31 | ✅ Grab |
| Amex MR → Avianca LifeMiles | 15% | Jul 15 | ✅ Sleeper grab |
| Citi ThankYou → Accor (ALL) | 50% | Jul 18 | 🟠 Only if you use Accor |
| Amex MR → Hilton Honors | 20% | Jul 14 | ❌ Skip |
| Rove → Frontier Miles | 25% | Jul 31 | ❌ Skip (niche) |
This is the best value on the board, and you can feed it from either Chase Ultimate Rewards (bonus ends July 14) or Amex Membership Rewards (ends July 31). Both transfer 1:1, so the 30% bonus turns 1,000 points into 1,300 Virgin points.
Why Virgin points are worth it comes down to their partners:
The catch: ANA premium space is scarce and can't be booked online. You call Virgin Atlantic, have the agent confirm the seat, and only then transfer your points. Do it in that order every time, because transfers are one-way and can't be reversed.
EVA Air's Infinity MileageLands is one of the few programs that releases most of its long-haul business space only to its own members, so transferring in unlocks seats partner programs never see. Business class between the US and Asia runs 75,000 to 80,000 EVA miles one-way, and availability is genuinely good, including far in advance.
One honest note on the math: Capital One transfers to EVA at a 1,000:750 base ratio, so even with the 30% bonus you end up at roughly 1,000 Capital One miles to 975 EVA miles, a hair under 1:1 rather than over it. That still makes EVA's Royal Laurel business a strong use of Capital One miles, especially with the surcharge-free redemptions. Bonus ends July 31.
The smallest bonus here is attached to one of the best currencies. LifeMiles books Lufthansa, SWISS, and Austrian business class to Europe with no fuel surcharges, roughly $75 in taxes instead of the ~$770 those same tickets carry on other programs. Pricing is dynamic now, so figure about 54,000 to 80,000 miles one-way depending on the airline and route, with SWISS usually the cheapest.
At 1:1, the 15% bonus only nudges 1,000 Amex points to 1,150. Small, but on a currency this strong it's still worth topping up if you have a specific Star Alliance award in mind. Bonus ends July 15, the tightest window after Virgin.
Fifty percent is the largest bonus of the batch, and it's the one people most often transfer for the wrong reason. On the premium ThankYou cards that can transfer (Strata Premier, Strata Elite), Citi moves points to Accor at a 2:1 base, so with the bonus 1,000 ThankYou points become 750 Accor points. Accor points are fixed at about 2¢ each, which makes those 750 points worth about $16, or roughly 1.6¢ per ThankYou point.
That's a fine rate if you're booking a Sofitel, Fairmont, Raffles, or SLS stay. It's a weak rate compared with what those same ThankYou points do on airline partners. So this one is a genuine grab only if you already have an Accor stay in mind. Bonus ends July 18.
This is the one to watch out for. Amex transfers to Hilton at 2:1, so with the 20% bonus 1,000 Membership Rewards points become 2,400 Hilton points. That sounds huge until you price it: Hilton points are worth about 0.5¢ each, so 2,400 of them is roughly $12, about 1.2¢ per Membership Rewards point.
Send those same Amex points to an airline and they're worth closer to 2¢. A 20% bonus doesn't fix a weak currency, it just puts a bigger number on a smaller value. Keep your Amex points for Virgin or Avianca. Bonus ends July 14.
Rove added Frontier Miles as a transfer partner on July 1 with a 25% launch bonus (1,000 Rove becomes 1,250 Frontier). Frontier is a low-cost carrier, and its miles behave like one: redemption value is thin and priced dynamically, usually around a cent or less. Unless you fly Frontier often or you're chasing Frontier elite status, there's little reason to lock flexible points into this currency. Bonus ends July 31.
The single most important habit with any transfer bonus: find the award seat first, transfer second. Transfers are usually instant, always one-way, and can't be undone. If you move points hoping the seat will be there, you can end up stuck with an airline balance you didn't want.
So the order is:
Step 2 is where most people get stuck, because airline sites hide partner space and the good seats move fast. An award-search tool like Roame scans every program at once and shows you which flights actually have award space before you commit a single point. It's a paid tool, and the annual membership is currently 30% off, about $110 a year.
Disclosure: Roame is a partner we're affiliated with. If you subscribe through our link we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Want to know which of your cards earns the points worth transferring in the first place? Our free tools at rewardsguru.club show what your balance is actually worth before you move a thing.
Which transfer bonus is the best right now? For most people, Virgin Atlantic at 30% (from Chase or Amex). It unlocks ANA premium cabins for modest taxes. Capital One to EVA Air at 30% is the best for lie-flat business to Asia.
Is the 50% Accor bonus worth it? Only if you'll stay at an Accor hotel. The points come out to about 1.6¢ each, which is good for Accor luxury brands and weak compared with airline transfers.
Why skip the Hilton bonus? Because Hilton points are worth about 0.5¢. Even with the 20% bonus, your Amex points end up around 1.2¢ each, versus roughly 2¢ when you send them to an airline.
Do transfer bonuses reverse if I change my mind? No. Transfers are one-way and can't be undone. Confirm your award seat before you transfer.
When do these end? July 14 (Chase to Virgin, Amex to Hilton), July 15 (Amex to Avianca), July 18 (Citi to Accor), and July 31 (Amex to Virgin, Capital One to EVA, Rove to Frontier).