Transferable points from programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards and Amex Membership Rewards can be sent to partner airlines and hotels at a 1:1 ratio in most cases, meaning 1,000 Chase points becomes 1,000 United miles. Some transfers have different ratios, and occasionally card programs run transfer bonuses that give you 30 to 50% extra points during a promotion window.
How the transfer itself works
Log into your credit card account, find the transfer partners section, select the airline or hotel you want, enter how many points to transfer, and confirm. Points typically appear in your airline or hotel account within minutes to a few days depending on the program. Once they're there, you use them to book the award directly with that airline or hotel.
Critical things to know before you transfer
Transfers are almost always one-way and irreversible.
Once you move points from Chase to United, they're United miles. You can't move them back. This is why you confirm award availability first, then transfer.
Search for the award first, confirm it's bookable, then transfer.
The worst thing you can do is move 75,000 points to an airline and then discover the flight you wanted isn't available as an award booking. Always have the specific flight in hand before you move anything.
Keep an eye on transfer bonuses.
Card programs periodically run promotions where transferring to a specific airline gets you 25 to 40% more miles. These can make already-good redemptions significantly better.
The golden rule
Find the award. Confirm it's available and bookable at the price you expect. Then transfer the points. Never transfer speculatively.
Finding award space is the hard part
Knowing which airline program to transfer to, and confirming the award is actually available, is where most people get stuck. Part 6 covers the tools that make this dramatically easier.