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Capital One miles are a popular transferable rewards currency that you can redeem in a variety of ways. Some of the ways — such as redeeming them through Capital One’s travel portal — net only 1 cent per mile in value. However, if you transfer your miles to Capital One’s transfer partners, it’s possible to get even more value out of them.
Of Capital One’s 22 transfer partners, four are hotel loyalty programs and 18 are airline loyalty programs. Like real-world currencies, some program currencies are worth more than others.
To maximize the value of your Capital One miles, it helps to know which are the best Capital One transfer partners and which you should skip.
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» Learn more: The ultimate guide to Capital One miles
Capital One miles transfer ratios
Before we consider the best Capital One transfer partners, it’s important to understand how mile transfers work. With most transfer partners, you will exchange miles at a 1:1 ratio, meaning for every 1,000 Capital One miles you transfer, you will get 1,000 miles or points in the partner program.
However, some Capital One partners transfer at a ratio less than 1:1. Those include:
- Emirates Skywards (2:1.5, meaning 1,000 Capital One miles will transfer to 750 Emirates Skywards miles).
- EVA Air Infinity MileageLands (2:1.5, meaning 1,000 Capital One miles will transfer to 750 Infinity MileageLands miles).
- Japan Airlines Mileage Bank (2:1.5, meaning 1,000 Capital One miles become 750 JAL Mileage Bank miles).
- JetBlue TrueBlue (5:3, meaning 1,000 Capital One miles will transfer to 600 TrueBlue miles).
- Accor Live Limitless (2:1, meaning 1,000 Capital One miles will transfer to 500 ALL points).
Generally, you’ll want to avoid these transfer partners unless you have a specific high-value redemption in mind and you need to top off your account. Otherwise, you’ll likely find the 1:1 transfer partners offer better value.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
Before making a transfer to any partner, check for award availability with the partner you are transferring Capital One miles to. If you don't, you might end up with orphaned miles or points in a program where you may not have another use for them. The best Capital One transfer partners
Air Canada Aeroplan
Air Canada’s Aeroplan points are a great way to book Star Alliance partner awards, thanks to a distance-based award chart. That opens up a lot of opportunities for finding excellent redemptions. While Aeroplan had been a good way to snag domestic flights on United Airlines, the program implemented dynamic award pricing for some of its partners, including United, making some redemption rates less predictable.
NerdWallet values Aeroplan points at 1.1 cents each for economy flights on Air Canada, which is decent — but the program's award chart makes it easy to find much higher-value redemptions. That’s especially true if you’re looking to book premium cabins on Air Canada’s Star Alliance partners, such as Lufthansa first class between the U.S. and Europe.
» Learn more: A guide to Air Canada’s Aeroplan rewards loyalty program
Avianca LifeMiles
Avianca is also a member of the Star Alliance, which means you can use Avianca LifeMiles to book flights on partners like United and Lufthansa among others. The lack of fuel surcharges and low redemption rates with Avianca LifeMiles make this an attractive transfer partner.
A big con of the program is the website interface, which can be hard for new users to navigate. You’ll need some patience when trying to book a LifeMiles award. However, there are some quirks to the program that do end up working out to the passenger’s benefit, such as potentially cheaper mixed-cabin award pricing, when you have an economy flight paired with a premium cabin flight on the same itinerary.
British Airways Club, Finnair Plus and Qatar Airways Privilege Club
British Airways, Qatar Airways and Finnair’s loyalty programs all use Avios, a points currency shared by a number of airlines, including Aer Lingus. It’s possible to move points between these programs, making it a versatile currency.
Even though the currency is the same, each program has its own rules and sweet spots to explore. According to NerdWallet’s valuations, British Airways Avios are worth about 1.2 cents each.
You don’t have to park your miles there, though. For example, if you want to fly Aer Lingus business class, you might transfer Capital One miles to British Airways Club and then move them to Aer Lingus, since Aer Lingus usually offers more award space to its own loyalty members.
Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles are easily attainable through various transfer partnerships, including Capital One, Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards and Citi ThankYou. That’s a good thing if you have multiple transferable points currencies because Singapore awards can be pricey, especially if you’re trying to book the airline’s first class cabin or one of its swanky Singapore Suites, where passengers get not only a seat, but also a separate bed to sleep in.
Other sweet spots include partner awards to Hawaii on Alaska Airlines, with one-way flights from the West Coast costing 13,500 KrisFlyer miles.
Virgin Red
Virgin Red is the loyalty program for the Virgin Group’s portfolio of companies, including Virgin Atlantic. While you can use Virgin points in a variety of ways, one of the best uses is booking flights via Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. NerdWallet values Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points at 1.4 cents each.
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club offers cheap redemptions for its own flights, whether you’re flying economy or business class.
It’s also a great way to book premium cabin awards on partner airlines like All Nippon Airways. However, keep in mind that you may need to pay high taxes and fees for some flights when booking through Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.
Solid Capital One transfer options
Air France-KLM Flying Blue
NerdWallet estimates that Flying Blue miles are worth 0.8 cent each for economy awards, which is relatively low — but the program offers some good deals that make it possible to get much better redemption values. Flying Blue has monthly Promo Rewards that discount certain routes by up to 50%. If you can stack that with a credit card transfer bonus, then it’s an even better deal.
» Learn more: The ultimate guide to Flying Blue
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
Cathay Pacific uses a distance-based award chart that can vary in value depending on where you are going and whether you’re flying only Cathay Pacific or including additional Oneworld partners. That means shorter flights will often get you better value.
Asia Miles can also be a good way to book Cathay Pacific premium cabin flights, such as business class and first class, since airlines often release more award availability for their own loyalty program members. North American travelers can even snag an award in Cathay Pacific’s newest business class product, the Aria Suite, on flights between Vancouver and Hong Kong.
Etihad Guest
The Abu Dhabi-based airline uses a distance-based award chart that can offer great value, providing you can find award availability at the cheapest prices. While it isn’t a part of an alliance, it has partnerships with multiple airlines, including American Airlines, ANA and Air Canada, allowing you to book more than just Etihad flights. However, if you’re looking to travel in one of the airline’s luxurious premium cabins, booking with Etihad Guest miles is one of the easiest ways to find availability.
Qantas Frequent Flyer
Qantas offers a distance-based award chart, but award redemption rates will change starting in August 2025 — mostly for the worse. For now, Qantas points can offer good value, especially if you’re looking to travel in a premium cabin on Emirates. In fact, Qantas Frequent Flyer is one of the only ways to book Emirates first class on points, now that Emirates is restricting first class awards for its own elites when booking through its loyalty program.
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
Turkish Airlines’ Miles&Smiles loyalty program used to offer some of the best award redemption rates, but a 2024 devaluation largely wiped out many sweet spots. It also implemented per-segment pricing, meaning that each flight on a connecting itinerary would be priced individually and added together for the total cost. However, if you’re able to snag a promotional award, you can still get an excellent deal on Turkish Airlines flights. It’s also possible to book one-way domestic economy flights on United for just 10,000 miles, assuming you can find availability.
Wyndham Rewards
This hotel loyalty program is often overlooked, but it can offer excellent value, especially in cities like New York City where cash rates are high. That’s because Wyndham only has three redemption tiers: 7,500, 15,000 or 30,000 points a night. NerdWallet values Wyndham Rewards points at 0.7 cent per point, making this a solid choice for travelers.
The least valuable Capital One transfer options
Aeromexico Rewards
Aeromexico’s award booking interface can be complicated and difficult to use, without offering much additional upside. With so many other great Capital One transfer partners, we recommend avoiding this one unless you have a specific use case for the miles. Plus, American Express Membership Rewards points transfer at a more favorable 1:1.6 ratio to Aeromexico Rewards, so consider using AmEx points before Capital One points if needed.
Choice Privileges
While Choice Privileges can offer good value, we don’t rank it as a top Capital One transfer partner. That’s because Citi ThankYou points transfer to Choice Privileges at a better 1:2 ratio, meaning for every 1,000 Citi points you transfer, you’ll get 2,000 Choice points. If you’d like to take advantage of Choice Privileges sweet spots, consider opening a card that earns Citi ThankYou points.
I Prefer Hotel Rewards
I Prefer Hotel Rewards lets you use points to book hotels across four luxury hotel collections.
While the 1:2 transfer ratio from Capital One miles to I Prefer points seems favorable, it isn't as good as what other credit card rewards offer. For example, Citi ThankYou Rewards points convert at a 1:4 rate—1,000 Citi ThankYou points become 4,000 I Prefer points. Additionally, I Prefer points typically offer less value compared to points from hotel programs like Hyatt or Marriott. Because of this, most travelers will likely get better value by transferring their Capital One miles to other partners.
TAP Miles&Go
This loyalty program doesn’t offer particularly attractive redemption rates, making it an easy skip. Since TAP Air Portugal is a Star Alliance carrier, you can find better value looking at one of its partners instead.
Avoid partners with less favorable transfer ratios
Finally, we don’t recommend using miles for Capital One partners with less favorable transfer ratios, since that means you’re immediately starting at a disadvantage. If it’s the only travel option you have, then go for it. Just know that you could get more value elsewhere. Those transfer partners are Accor Live Limitless, Emirates Skywards, EVA Air Infinity MileageLands, Japan Airlines Mileage Bank and JetBlue TrueBlue.
If you’re looking to replenish your stash of JetBlue points, you can transfer points from Chase Ultimate Rewards® to TrueBlue at a 1:1 ratio instead. If you have Bilt Points, those transfer to JAL Mileage Bank at a 1:1 ratio.
» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now
How to earn Capital One miles
To earn Capital One miles, you must have an eligible Capital One travel credit card. Depending on which card you have, you can earn between 1.25 and 2 miles per $1 on everyday spending. There are four personal credit cards and two business credit cards that earn Capital One miles.
Here's a selection of popular Capital One travel cards, along with their perks.
Popular Capital One travel cards
Annual fee
$395.
$95.
$0.
$0 intro for the first year, then $95.
Earn rate
• 10 miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars through Capital One Travel.
• 5 miles per $1 on flights and vacation rentals through Capital One Travel.
• 2 miles per $1 on everything else.
• 5 miles per $1 on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
• 2 miles per $1 on all other purchases.
• 5 miles per $1 on hotels, vacation rentals and car rentals booked through Capital One Travel.
• 1.25 miles per $1 on all purchases.
• 5 miles per $1 on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars through Capital One Travel.
• 2 miles per $1 on everything else.
Welcome offer
Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.
LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening - that’s equal to $1,000 in travel.
Earn a bonus of 40,000 miles once you spend $1,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $400 in travel.
Earn a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles – equal to $500 in travel – once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
Learn more
If you already have a Capital One travel card, you can boost your miles balance by signing up for a Capital One cashback card that offers higher rewards on spending categories that you frequently use.
When you pair a travel card with a cashback card, you’re able to convert your cashback rewards into Capital One miles. This can be a powerful tool to help you rack up more miles.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
While you can convert cashback into miles, you can’t do it the other way around. Make sure you have a redemption in mind before you transfer your cashback, since you won’t be able to reverse the transaction. For example, the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card earns 3% cash back at grocery stores and on dining, entertainment and popular streaming services. If you convert your earnings to Capital One miles, you would be getting 3 miles per dollar spent on those spending categories — 50% more than you would if you used your Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2026:
- Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph® Card
- Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- Luxury perks: American Express Platinum Card®
- Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
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