When should I transfer points to airlines?

29% View from the Wing
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If you’re looking to get the most value, move your points when you have a concrete redemption in mind and before any upcoming program changes or limited‑time bonuses expire.

Key timing cues

  • Before a devaluation deadline – Citi’s ThankYou points are being devalued for transfers to Choice Privileges and I Prefer. Lock in the current 2:1 ratio by transferring before April 18 2026 Traveling for Miles Travel Codex .
  • Before points‑sharing ends – Citi will stop allowing point transfers between cardholders on May 17 2026. If you rely on sharing points with family or friends, make any needed transfers before that date FrequentMiler .
  • During limited‑time airline transfer bonuses
    • Capital One points to Japan Airlines receive a 30 % bonus in April (effectively near‑1:1) View from the Wing .
    • Chase points to Air Canada Aeroplan get a 20 % bonus in April, stackable with other Aeroplan offers View from the Wing .
    • Choice Privileges to Flying Blue enjoy a 100 % bonus from March 24 to April 24 2026 One Mile at a Time .
      Transfer during these windows to maximize mileage value.
  • When you have a near‑term redemption – If you’re planning a flight soon (e.g., a premium‑cabin award or a short‑haul partner award), moving points now can lock in better ratios before the program adjusts again Traveling for Miles .

Practical steps

  1. Identify your target airline and required miles for the flight you want.
  2. Check for any active transfer bonuses for that airline (see the dates above).
  3. Transfer before the relevant deadline (April 18 for Citi hotel devaluation, May 17 for Citi points‑sharing, or the end of the bonus period).
  4. Confirm the transfer completes and that the miles appear in the airline account before the 90‑day window expires (Citi’s points must be moved within 90 days after transfer) FrequentMiler .

By aligning your transfers with these dates and bonuses, you’ll avoid devaluations, keep sharing options alive, and capture the best possible mileage value.

Traveling for Miles
Citi is devaluing transfers to two key hotel partners
It’s another week in the miles and points world and unfortunately, we’re starting with news of a devaluation which hit late on Friday and which affects holders of the Citi Strata Premier® Card and the premium Citi Strata Elite℠ card. Effective 19 April 2026, Citi is significantly changing its transfer ratios to two key hotel partners: Choice Privileges and I Prefer Hotel Rewards. Let’s look at the damage. If you’ve been sitting on a stash of ThankYou points specifically for hotel redemptions, your purchasing power is about to take a massive hit. To put this simply: If
FrequentMiler
Citi ThankYou Points about to end points-sharing between cardholders?
Citi ThankYou Points might be my favorite transferable currency due to its excellent portfolio of transfer partners and appealing credit cards. However, it has a rather draconian policy for transferring points between cardholders. Each calendar year, you can send a maximum of 100,000 points to another cardholder and receive a maximum of 100,000. The catch is that those transferred points then expire 90 days after they’re moved, a ~~bug~~ feature that I’ve seen burn countless folks. Unfortunately, Citi may be about to make its transfer policy even worse, as some cardholders (including me) have received the following message on
View from the Wing
Pay Extra For A Drink At Delta One Lounge JFK — And Amex May Not Count It Right [Roundup]
News and notes from around the interweb: I'd also note the restaurant doesn't code as such when using Amex. And, despite receiving a Resy solicitation for feedback, it doesn't code as Resy, either. So don't use your SkyMiles Amex card to pay. @xJonNYC — Jamie Baker (@bakernevery) April 1, 2026 Flagship® lounge menus will include:Braised short rib and roasted thyme tomato sauce — Los Angeles (LAX) Chilled carrot and coconut soup — Chicago (ORD) Tamagoyaki French toast with ginger maple syrup — Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Green lentil curry — DFW
Travel Codex
Citi Devalues ThankYou Points for Hotel Transfers
If you hold the Citi Strata Premier and transfer ThankYou Points to hotel loyalty programs, there’s an unwelcome change coming to Hotel Transfer and point values. Citi has announced a devaluation of ThankYou Points transfers to Choice Privileges and I Prefer, effective April 19, 2026. While the notice arrived via a routine “program update” email, the math tells a different story: fewer hotel points for the same number of Citi points. Your points tomorrow are worth less than today. As usual, the impact will be felt most by travelers who actually use their points strategically via point transfers
One Mile at a Time
100% Choice Privileges To Flying Blue Transfer Bonus: I Went All-In
While this is niche, here’s a promotion that I took advantage of, and which caused me to empty out my Choice Privileges account. I’m not saying it’s the best deal on earth, but in my specific situation, I think it made sense. In this post: Choice Privileges lets members convert hotel points into airline points, and typically these transfers are at a 5:1 ratio. However, between March 24 and April 24, 2026, you can receive a 100% bonus when you move Choice Privileges points to Air France-KLM Flying Blue. So that means you get 2,000 Flying Blue miles

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