I’ve missed my fair share of monthly bank transfer bonuses, and some of them have been pretty good.  What is a transfer bonus you ask?  The four big banks: AMEX, Citi, Capital One, & Chase all have airline/hotel travel partners that you can transfer points to, to book travel.  Every month, all or some (and sometimes even none) may have a promotion (or multiple) where you can transfer points to a certain travel partner, and get more than the 1:1 ratio.  Let’s walk through a recent redemption I made.

Chase Transfer Bonus

Chase Bank currently has a transfer bonus that is going on right now for its airline travel partner, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.  The transfer ratio is normally 1:1, but throughout this month, until June 15, you get a 30% transfer bonus – making the ratio 1:1.3.  Sweet!  BUT, keep in mind it’s only great IF you have a redemption in mind.  Don’t transfer points in the hopes of making use of it in the future: 1 – Points can lose value over time if not used, and 2 – If you don’t end up actually booking with the respective airline/hotel partner – your points will stay “stuck” with that travel partner until you do so.  Transfers are final, and can’t be undone.

The stars of having enough points do have to align with a respective transfer bonus that can work in your favor, along with of course – award availability for where/when you are going.  Let’s not forget weather – as for many places, there’s also ideal times to visit.  That’s multiple factors to consider, which is why planning ahead is key.  (We didn’t even discuss school and work schedules here.)

The Cards

From about last fall to until recently, the Chase Ink business cards had increased offers for 90k points.  My husband and I each signed up for a Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card these last couple months, spacing it out one at a time as the minimum spend was slightly higher.  With no annual fees, its best offer yet of 90k points, and both of us having small businesses – it was a no brainer!  You can also earn referral points by referring one another to the cards, so that’s more points earned for travel together.

The two cards combined gave us over 200,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards to work with.  We have also currently been using my Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card for all monthly expenses so continuously earn Chase points through regular expenditure.  Another travel creator shared a deal that would work just in line with the current Chase to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club transfer bonus:  Seattle to Tokyo (nonstop, direct flight) for less than 39k points/person round trip!  (It’s showing 55,000 Virgin points/person, yes, but you will actually need to transfer 38,500 

points from Chase bank thanks to the 30% transfer bonus.)  Like whoa!  

 

(Here’s what the cost looks like per person.)

Planning Ahead Is Key

I had actually been planning a trip to Japan for tentatively next year, but when a promotion like this pops up – well, you certainly think twice!  Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is an airline partner of Chase Bank.  And as a reminder, you need a Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, or Chase Sapphire Reserve® in order to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards to travel partners.  I have the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and combine points across all our Chase cards (including business and no fee cards) into this one card.

I transferred 215,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club – I needed 275,000 total for the 5 of us (but remember, thanks to the transfer bonus giving me 30% more points, I was able to transfer over less).  This fall, during Thanksgiving break we are heading to Tokyo, Japan!  We had no plans to visit Japan this year, but the deal was too great to pass up.  Now mind you, we still have to book flights from Dallas to Seattle (hello Southwest Airlines!), and back – but the main leg, which is the more costly one – is booked.  And yes, I also need to book our hotel stay – so there is still lots to plan for this trip.

Less than $300 in taxes for flights for 5 people, yes please!

Chase Ultimate Rewards

This is just another reason why I love earning Chase Ultimate Rewards for family travel.  Transfers are instant, and there are 14 travel partners to choose from when booking travel.  If you’re looking to earn (more) Chase points, start with the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card if you don’t have it already.  It is a great starter, and staple card to have and keep.  (Remember, in order to transfer points to travel partners, you will need to have one of the two Sapphire products.)  You can also refer a spouse or partner, aka “Player 2,” and earn referral points.  You can then move on to other Chase cards – such as business cards (if eligible) – and earn even more points.

Earn flexible rewards currency for the best options in booking travel, plan ahead as much as feasible, and pay attention to those monthly bank transfer bonuses – you never know when one may just work out for you.  We are so excited to visit a side of the world we have never been to.  This is our last family vacation for 2023; what a way to close out the year!

 

Picture: Granada, Spain – Fall of 2018