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The Complete Guide to Transferring Hotel Points to Airline Miles

by Scott Mackenzie
Last updated April 25, 2018

As I just spent some time comparing hotel loyalty programs, I decided to also look at the opportunities to transfer hotel rewards points. This post contains a simple table for each of the six major hotel chains and their airline transfer partners. (I’ve done this before, but it is two years out-of-date.)

Update: You may be interested in trying a new tool I created, the Points Transfer Calculator, which will help you explore all your transfer options and calculate the number of points you can expect to receive.

Many people like to transfer their hotel rewards points to different airline loyalty programs to make it easier to book a free flight. This has two advantages: (1) You’ll earn miles faster, making it easier to book high value rewards. (2) You’ll sometimes get a better return with airline redemptions since these are based on distance and not cost. Contrast this with hotel loyalty programs that have added many more tiers and enabling them to better match the cost of a hotel with a higher award cost.

I’ll save more of the analysis for future posts. For now, I’ve at least gathered all the data. You’ll find the minimum number of points required to make a transfer and the number of miles you’ll receive. I also created a new metric –“MPP” or “miles per point” — that represents the number of miles you’ll earn in return for transferring 1,000 hotel rewards points. This makes it easier to compare programs when one has a minimum transfer of 2,500 points and the other has a minimum of 10,000. However, MPP says nothing about value; read the next section to learn why.

Use these links to jump down to the program of interest. Otherwise, the very first table summarizes the transfer options according to MPP (including bonuses for transferring large blocks of points.)

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  • Starwood Preferred Guest
  • Hilton HHonors
  • Hyatt Gold Passport
  • IHG Rewards
  • Club Carlson
  • Marriott Rewards

Which Program Is the Best Transfer Partner?

To give you a sense of where I’m going next with this information, take American Airlines as an example. You could earn as many as 1,250 miles for each 1,000 Starpoints transferred, or 357 miles for each 1,000 Marriott Rewards points. Which is better?

Well, I think Starpoints are worth about 2.5 cents each, so $25 in points gets me 1,250 miles — a “cost” of 2 cents per mile. Marriott Rewards points are worth maybe 0.7 cents each, so $7 in points gets me 357 miles — just under 2 cents per mile.

It’s a slightly better deal to exchange Marriott Rewards points for American Airlines miles rather than SPG Starpoints. Many people would have picked Starwood by default because of its reputation as a good transferable currency, but Marriott is a competitive alternative.

I’d eventually like to integrate this table with my award chart search tool and custom valuations to help you find the best way to accumulate the miles you need for your next award flight.

IHG Hilton Marriott Hyatt Starwood Carlson
Aegean Airlines 1,250
Aeroflot 150 250
Aeromexico 200 260 357 1,000 1,250 100
Air Canada (Aeroplan) 100
Air Baltic 100
Air Berlin 200 100 250 1,250 100
Air Canada (Aeroplan) 200 357 1,250 100
Air China 200 100 250 800 1,250 100
Air France/KLM (Flying Blue) 200 50 250 500 1,250 100
Air New Zealand 2.5 2 19.25
Alaska Airlines 200 100 357 1,250
Alitalia 200 250 1,250
All Nippon Airways (ANA) 200 100 250 500 1,250
American Airlines 200 150 357 500 1,250 100
Amtrak 150
Asiana 200 250 500 1,250 100
Avianca 100 250
British Airways (Avios) 200 100 357 500 1,250 100
Cathay Pacific (Asia Miles) 200 100 250 500 1,250 100
China Airlines 500
China Eastern 200 250 800 1,250
China Southern Airlines 200 100 250 1,250
Copa Airlines 357
CSA Czech Airlines 100 100
Delta Air Lines 200 100 357 500 1,250 100
El Al 4
Emirates 200 250 500 1,250 100
Etihad Airways 200 100 250 500 1,250 100
Frontier Airlines 150 357 100
GOL 357 625
Gulf Air 200 150 100
Hainan Airlines 200 1,250
Hawaiian Airlines 200 150 357 500 1,250
Iberia (Avios) 357
Icelandair 100 100
Japan Airlines (JAL) 200 100 250 500 1,250 100
Jet Airways 200 100 250 500 1,250 100
JetBlue 100 179
Korean Air 500 1,250
LAN 200 260 250 500 1,875 100
Malaysia Airlines 200 100
Miles & More (Luftansa, Swiss, Austrian) 200 100 250 500 1,250 100
Philippine Airlines 100
Qantas 200 150 250 600
Qatar Airways 100 250 500 1,250
Royal Brunei Airlines 500
SAS 100
Saudia 200 100 250 1,250 100
Singapore Airlines 200 100 250 500 1,250 100
South African Airways 200 150 250
Southwest Airlines 357 600 100
Srilankan Airlines 100
TAM 150 250
TAP Portugal 200 250
Thai Airways 200 100 500 1,250
Turkish Airways 250
United Airlines 200 100 446 500 625 100
Virgin America 100 179
Virgin Atlantic 200 150 357 750 1,250
Virgin Australia 200 150 1,250

Starwood Preferred Guest

In general, the minimum transfer amount is 2,500 points. This minimum is reduced to 1,500 points for SPG Gold members and waived entirely for SPG Platinum members. You can receive 25% more miles when you transfer a block of 20,000 Starpoints (not reflected here). Read more details about Starwood’s airline transfer program.

Points Redeemed Miles Received MPP
Aegean Airlines 2,500 2,500 1,000
Aeromexico 2,500 2,500 1,000
Air Berlin 2,500 2,500 1,000
Air Canada (Aeroplan) 2,500 2,500 1,000
Air China 2,500 2,500 1,000
Air France/KLM (Flying Blue) 2,500 2,500 1,000
Air New Zealand 2,500 38.5 15.4
Alaska Airlines 2,500 2,500 1,000
Alitalia 2,500 2,500 1,000
All Nippon Airways (ANA) 2,500 2,500 1,000
American Airlines 2,500 2,500 1,000
Asiana 2,500 2,500 1,000
British Airways (Avios) 2,500 2,500 1,000
Cathay Pacific (Asia Miles) 2,500 2,500 1,000
China Eastern 2,500 2,500 1,000
China Southern Airlines 2,500 2,500 1,000
Delta Air Lines 2,500 2,500 1,000
Emirates 2,500 2,500 1,000
Etihad Airways 2,500 2,500 1,000
GOL 2,500 1,250 500
Hainan Airlines 2,500 2,500 1,000
Hawaiian Airlines 2,500 2,500 1,000
Japan Airlines (JAL) 2,500 2,500 1,000
Jet Airways 2,500 2,500 1,000
Korean Air 2,500 2,500 1,000
LAN 2500 3,750 1,500
Miles & More (Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian) 2,500 2,500 1,000
Qatar Airways 2,500 2,500 1,000
Saudia 2,500 2,500 1,000
Singapore Airlines 2,500 2,500 1,000
Thai Airways 2,500 2,500 1,000
United Airlines 2,500 1,250 500
Virgin Atlantic 2,500 2,500 1,000
Virgin Australia 2,500 2,500 1,000

Hilton HHonors

The minimum transfer amount is 10,000 points unless otherwise indicated. Read more details about Hilton’s airline transfer program.

Hilton HHonors Points Redeemed Miles Received MPP
Aeroflot 10,000 1,500 150
Aeromexico 25,000 6,500 260
Aeroplan (Air Canada) 10,000 1,000 100
Air Baltic 10,000 1,000 100
Air Berlin 10,000 1,000 100
Air China 10,000 1,000 100
Air France/KLM (Flying Blue) 20,000 1,000 50
Air New Zealand 10,000 20 2
Alaska Airlines 10,000 1,000 100
All Nippon Airways (ANA) 10,000 1,000 100
American Airlines 10,000 1,500 150
Amtrak 10,000 1,500 150
Avianca 10,000 1,000 100
British Airways (Avios) 10,000 1,000 100
Cathay Pacific (Asia Miles) 10,000 1,000 100
China Southern Airlines 10,000 1,000 100
CSA Czech Airlines 10,000 1,000 100
Delta Air Lines 10,000 1,000 100
Etihad Airways 10,000 1,000 100
Frontier Airlines 10,000 1,500 150
Gulf Air 10,000 1,500 150
Hawaiian Airlines 10,000 1,500 150
Icelandair 10,000 1,000 100
Japan Airlines (JAL) 10,000 1,000 100
Jet Airways 10,000 1,000 100
JetBlue 10,000 1,000 100
LAN 10,000 2,600 260
Malaysia Airlines 10,000 1,000 100
Miles & More (Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian) 10,000 1,000 100
Philippine Airlines 10,000 1,000 100
Qantas 10,000 1,500 150
Qatar Airways 10,000 1,000 100
Saudia 10,000 1,000 100
Singapore Airlines 10,000 1,000 100
South African Airways 10,000 1,500 150
Srilankan Airlines 10,000 1,000 100
TAM 10,000 1,500 150
Thai Airways 10,000 1,000 100
United Airlines 10,000 1,000 100
Virgin America 10,000 1,000 100
Virgin Atlantic 10,000 1,500 150
VIrgin Australia 10,000 1,500 150

Hyatt Gold Passsport

The minimum transfer amount is 5,000 points unless otherwise indicated. Additional points may be transferred in increments of 1,250. You can receive 25% more miles when you transfer a block of 50,000 Gold Passport points (not reflected here). Read more details about Hyatt’s airline transfer program.

Points Redeemed Miles Received MPP
Aeromexico 5,000 4,000 800
Air China 5,000 3,200 640
Air France/KLM (Flying Blue) 5,000 2,000 400
All Nippon Airways (ANA) 5,000 2,000 400
American Airlines 5,000 2,000 400
Asiana 5,000 2,000 400
British Airways (Avios) 5,000 2,000 400
Cathay Pacific (Asia Miles) 5,000 2,000 400
China Airlines 5,000 2,000 400
China Eastern 5,000 3,200 640
Delta Air Lines 5,000 2,000 400
Emirates 5,000 2,000 400
Etihad Airways 5,000 2,000 400
Hawaiian Airlines 5,000 2,000 400
Japan Airlines (JAL) 5,000 2,000 400
Jet Airways 5,000 2,000 400
Korean Air 5,000 2,000 400
LAN 5,000 2,000 400
Miles & More (Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian) 5,000 2,000 400
Qantas 5,000 2,400 480
Qatar Airways 5,000 2,000 400
Royal Brunei Airlines 5,000 2,000 400
Singapore Airlines 5,000 2,000 400
Southwest Airlines 5,000 2,400 480
Thai Airways 5,000 2,000 400
United Airlines 5,000 2,000 400
Virgin Atlantic 5,000 3,000 600

IHG Rewards

IHG Rewards allows you to transfer blocks of 10,000 points and in most cases awards 2,000 miles for each partner. The exceptions are El Al and Air New Zealand, which use very different accounting methods. Read more details about IHG’s airline transfer program.

Points Redeemed Miles Received MPP
Aeromexico 10,000 2,000 200
Air Berlin 10,000 2,000 200
Air Canada (Aeroplan) 10,000 2,000 200
Air China 10,000 2,000 200
Air France/KLM (Flying Blue) 10,000 2,000 200
Air New Zealand 10,000 25 2.5
Alaska Airlines 10,000 2,000 200
Alitalia 10,000 2,000 200
All Nippon Airways (ANA) 10,000 2,000 200
American Airlines 10,000 2,000 200
Asiana 10,000 2,000 200
British Airways (Avios) 10,000 2,000 200
Cathay Pacific (Asia Miles) 10,000 2,000 200
China Eastern 10,000 2,000 200
China Southern Airlines 10,000 2,000 200
Delta Air Lines 10,000 2,000 200
El Al 10,000 40 4
Emirates 10,000 2,000 200
Etihad Airways 10,000 2,000 200
Gulf Air 10,000 2,000 200
Hainan Airlines 10,000 2,000 200
Hawaiian Airlines 10,000 2,000 200
Japan Airlines (JAL) 10,000 2,000 200
Jet Airways 10,000 2,000 200
LAN 10,000 2,000 200
Malaysia Airlines 10,000 2,000 200
Miles & More (Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian) 10,000 2,000 200
Qantas 10,000 2,000 200
Saudia 10,000 2,000 200
Singapore Airlines 10,000 2,000 200
South African Airways 10,000 2,000 200
TAP Portugal 10,000 2,000 200
Thai Airways 10,000 2,000 200
United Airlines 10,000 2,000 200
Virgin Atlantic 10,000 2,000 200
Virgin Australia 10,000 2,000 200

Club Carlson

Club Carlson allows you to transfer blocks of 2,000 points and in all cases awards 200 miles for each partner. Read more details about Club Carlson’s airline transfer program.

Points Redeemed Miles Received MPP
Aeromexico 2,000 200 100
Air Berlin 2,000 200 100
Air Canada Aeroplan 2,000 200 100
Air China 2,000 200 100
Air France/KLM (Flying Blue) 2,000 200 100
American Airlines 2,000 200 100
Asiana 2,000 200 100
British Airways (Avios) 2,000 200 100
Cathay Pacific (Asia Miles) 2,000 200 100
CSA Czech Airlines 2,000 200 100
Delta Air Lines 2,000 200 100
Emirates 2,000 200 100
Etihad Airways 2,000 200 100
Frontier Airlines 2,000 200 100
Gulf Air 2,000 200 100
Icelandair 2,000 200 100
Japan Airlines (JAL) 2,000 200 100
Jet Airways 2,000 200 100
LAN 2,000 200 100
Miles & More (Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian) 2,000 200 100
SAS 2,000 200 100
Saudia 2,000 200 100
Singapore Airlines 2,000 200 100
Southwest Airlines 2,000 200 100
United Airlines 2,000 200 100

Marriott Rewards

Marriott Rewards is the only program with a tiered transfer system (although Hyatt and Starwood both provide a 25% bonus on large transfers). What this means is that you can transfer 10K, 20K, 30K, or 70K points and will receive more miles per point when you transfer larger blocks. There’s another option for transferring 140K points, but because the ratio is the same as if you transfer 70K, I saw no reason to repeat a row in what is already a large table. Read more details about Marriott Rewards’ airline transfer program.

Points Redeemed Miles Received MPP
Aeroflot 10,000 1,500 150
Aeroflot 20,000 3,500 175
Aeroflot 30,000 7,000 233
Aeroflot 70,000 17,500 250
Aeromexico 10,000 2,000 200
Aeromexico 20,000 5,000 250
Aeromexico 30,000 10,000 333
Aeromexico 70,000 25,000 357
Air Berlin 10,000 1,500 150
Air Berlin 20,000 3,500 175
Air Berlin 30,000 7,000 233
Air Berlin 70,000 17,500 250
Air Canada (Aeroplan) 10,000 2,000 200
Air Canada (Aeroplan) 20,000 5,000 250
Air Canada (Aeroplan) 30,000 10,000 333
Air Canada (Aeroplan) 70,000 25,000 357
Air China 10,000 1,500 150
Air China 20,000 3,500 175
Air China 30,000 7,000 233
Air China 70,000 17,500 250
Air France/KLM (Flying Blue) 10,000 1,500 150
Air France/KLM (Flying Blue) 20,000 3,500 175
Air France/KLM (Flying Blue) 30,000 7,000 233
Air France/KLM (Flying Blue) 70,000 17,500 250
Alaska Airlines 10,000 2,000 200
Alaska Airlines 20,000 5,000 250
Alaska Airlines 30,000 10,000 333
Alaska Airlines 70,000 25,000 357
Alitalia 10,000 1,500 150
Alitalia 20,000 3,500 175
Alitalia 30,000 7,000 233
Alitalia 70,000 17,500 250
All Nippon Airways (ANA) 10,000 1,500 150
All Nippon Airways (ANA) 20,000 3,500 175
All Nippon Airways (ANA) 30,000 7,000 233
All Nippon Airways (ANA) 70,000 17,500 250
American Airlines 10,000 2,000 200
American Airlines 20,000 5,000 250
American Airlines 30,000 10,000 333
American Airlines 70,000 25,000 357
Asiana 10,000 1,500 150
Asiana 20,000 3,500 175
Asiana 30,000 7,000 233
Asiana 70,000 17,500 250
Avianca 10,000 1,500 150
Avianca 20,000 3,500 175
Avianca 30,000 7,000 233
Avianca 70,000 17,500 250
British Airways (Avios) 10,000 2,000 200
British Airways (Avios) 20,000 5,000 250
British Airways (Avios) 30,000 10,000 333
British Airways (Avios) 70,000 25,000 357
Cathay Pacific (Asia Miles) 10,000 1,500 150
Cathay Pacific (Asia Miles) 20,000 3,500 175
Cathay Pacific (Asia Miles) 30,000 7,000 233
Cathay Pacific (Asia Miles) 70,000 17,500 250
China Eastern 10,000 1,500 150
China Eastern 20,000 3,500 175
China Eastern 30,000 7,000 233
China Eastern 70,000 17,500 250
China Southern Airlines 10,000 1,500 150
China Southern Airlines 20,000 3,500 175
China Southern Airlines 30,000 7,000 233
China Southern Airlines 70,000 17,500 250
Copa Airlines 10,000 2,000 200
Copa Airlines 20,000 5,000 250
Copa Airlines 30,000 10,000 333
Copa Airlines 70,000 25,000 357
Delta Air Lines 10,000 2,000 200
Delta Air Lines 20,000 5,000 250
Delta Air Lines 30,000 10,000 333
Delta Air Lines 70,000 25,000 357
Emirates 10,000 1,500 150
Emirates 20,000 3,500 175
Emirates 30,000 7,000 233
Emirates 70,000 17,500 250
Etihad Airways 10,000 1,500 150
Etihad Airways 20,000 3,500 175
Etihad Airways 30,000 7,000 233
Etihad Airways 70,000 17,500 250
Frontier Airlines 10,000 2,000 200
Frontier Airlines 20,000 5,000 250
Frontier Airlines 30,000 10,000 333
Frontier Airlines 70,000 25,000 357
GOL 10,000 2,000 200
GOL 20,000 5,000 250
GOL 30,000 10,000 333
GOL 70,000 25,000 357
Hawaiian Airlines 10,000 2,000 200
Hawaiian Airlines 20,000 5,000 250
Hawaiian Airlines 30,000 10,000 333
Hawaiian Airlines 70,000 25,000 357
Iberia (Avios) 10,000 2,000 200
Iberia (Avios) 20,000 5,000 250
Iberia (Avios) 30,000 10,000 333
Iberia (Avios) 70,000 25,000 357
Japan Airlines (JAL) 10,000 1,500 150
Japan Airlines (JAL) 20,000 3,500 175
Japan Airlines (JAL) 30,000 7,000 233
Japan Airlines (JAL) 70,000 17,500 250
Jet Airways 10,000 1,500 150
Jet Airways 20,000 3,500 175
Jet Airways 30,000 7,000 233
Jet Airways 70,000 17,500 250
JetBlue 10,000 1,000 100
JetBlue 20,000 2,500 125
JetBlue 30,000 5,000 167
JetBlue 70,000 12,500 179
LAN 10,000 1,500 150
LAN 20,000 3,500 175
LAN 30,000 7,000 233
LAN 70,000 17,500 250
Miles & More (Luftansa, Swiss, Austrian) 10,000 1,500 150
Miles & More (Luftansa, Swiss, Austrian) 20,000 3,500 175
Miles & More (Luftansa, Swiss, Austrian) 30,000 7,000 233
Miles & More (Luftansa, Swiss, Austrian) 70,000 17,500 250
Qantas 10,000 1,500 150
Qantas 20,000 3,500 175
Qantas 30,000 7,000 233
Qantas 70,000 17,500 250
Qatar Airways 10,000 1,500 150
Qatar Airways 20,000 3,500 175
Qatar Airways 30,000 7,000 233
Qatar Airways 70,000 17,500 250
Saudia 10,000 1,500 150
Saudia 20,000 3,500 175
Saudia 30,000 7,000 233
Saudia 70,000 17,500 250
Singapore Airlines 10,000 1,500 150
Singapore Airlines 20,000 3,500 175
Singapore Airlines 30,000 7,000 233
Singapore Airlines 70,000 17,500 250
South African Airways 10,000 1,500 150
South African Airways 20,000 3,500 175
South African Airways 30,000 7,000 233
South African Airways 70,000 17,500 250
Southwest Airlines 10,000 2,000 200
Southwest Airlines 20,000 5,000 250
Southwest Airlines 30,000 10,000 333
Southwest Airlines 70,000 25,000 357
TAM 10,000 1,500 150
TAM 20,000 3,500 175
TAM 30,000 7,000 233
TAM 70,000 17,500 250
TAP Portugal 10,000 1,500 150
TAP Portugal 20,000 3,500 175
TAP Portugal 30,000 7,000 233
TAP Portugal 70,000 17,500 250
Turkish Airways 10,000 1,500 150
Turkish Airways 20,000 3,500 175
Turkish Airways 30,000 7,000 233
Turkish Airways 70,000 17,500 250
United Airlines 8,000 2,000 250
United Airlines 16,000 5,000 313
United Airlines 24,000 10,000 417
United Airlines 56,000 25,000 446
Virgin America 10,000 1,000 100
Virgin America 20,000 2,500 125
Virgin America 30,000 5,000 167
Virgin America 70,000 12,500 179
Virgin Atlantic 10,000 2,000 200
Virgin Atlantic 20,000 5,000 250
Virgin Atlantic 30,000 10,000 333
Virgin Atlantic 70,000 25,000 357
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About Scott Mackenzie

Scott is a former scientist and business student who created Travel Codex to unravel the complexity of travel loyalty programs. After 11 years in Seattle, he now lives in Austin with his wife and flies over 100,000 miles every year.

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