Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
FREQUENT FLYER GLOSSARY
What is transfer time?
Transfer time is the interval between a card or hotel loyalty programme accepting a request to move points into a partner airline or hotel account and those points becoming usable in that partner account. The length of that gap decides whether a transfer can still be used for a particular award, because a completed transfer is normally one-way — American Express states that all Membership Rewards points transfers are final and cannot be reversed. [2]
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- Transfer time is the stretch between asking for a points transfer and being able to spend the points in the partner programme; it matters most when a specific award has to be booked before someone else takes it.
- American Express advises Membership Rewards cardholders to check award availability and how many points are needed before completing a transfer, because transfers are final and cannot be reversed. [2]
- Marriott Bonvoy publishes a daily transfer band of 3,000 to 240,000 points to airlines, at a 3-to-1 ratio with most partner programmes. [3]
What transfer time means
A points transfer moves value out of a flexible currency — a card rewards programme or a hotel loyalty programme — and into a named airline or hotel partner account. Transfer time covers both halves of that move: the sending programme taking the points off the balance, and the receiving programme adding them so they can be spent. It is a different measurement from the time needed to redeem once the points are sitting in the partner account.
Two features of transfers make the gap important. The first is finality. A transfer that has gone through cannot normally be pulled back by the sender, so points sent for an award that disappears in the meantime are stranded in the partner programme. American Express makes this explicit for Membership Rewards, telling cardholders to check availability and how many points are needed before completing a transfer, because all points transfers are final and cannot be reversed. [2] The second is that award space is not reserved for a transfer in progress, so a booking that depends on points arriving later carries the risk that the seat or room goes first.
Transfer time is therefore best read as a planning figure rather than a promise. Where a programme states one, it is an estimate that applies to particular accounts and particular partners, and the receiving programme's rules take over once the points land: American Express says that, once points have been transferred into a partner programme account, they are subject to the terms and conditions of that partner's loyalty programme. [2]
How do Membership Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy transfers work?
American Express Membership Rewards (United States). A transfer cannot be requested until the Rewards Account is linked to the partner frequent flyer or hotel programme account, and the name on the card and the name on the partner account must match for the accounts to link and the transfer to succeed. [2] The partner account must be held by the cardholder or by an Additional Card Member linked to the Rewards Account, and the Additional Card must have been issued at least 90 days before the linking is done — a condition that can add weeks to the plan before any points move. [2] Much of the preparation therefore happens ahead of the transfer request, and once the points arrive the receiving airline's or hotel's rules apply. [2]
Marriott Bonvoy. Transfers to airlines run at 3 Bonvoy points to 1 mile with most partner programmes, and Marriott publishes a per-day transfer band and a list of 38 participating airlines. [3] The daily band is the figure to check when an award needs a large block of miles at once. [3] For most airline partners, the member name on the frequent flyer account must match the member's Marriott Bonvoy first and last name. [3] Marriott's programme rules add that the terms of the applicable airline frequent flyer programme control the redemption, transfer and distribution of miles. [4]
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Airline partners | 38 airlines participate [3] |
| Standard ratio | 3 Bonvoy points to 1 mile with most programmes [3] |
| Air New Zealand Koru | 200:1 ratio [3] |
| Bonus miles | 5,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 points transferred [3] |
| United MileagePlus bonus | 10,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 points [3] |
| Bonus exclusions | American Airlines AAdvantage, Avianca LifeMiles and Delta SkyMiles [3] |
| Daily transfer band | 3,000 to 240,000 points per day [3] |
How do you check that transferred points have arrived?
The receiving account is where a transfer becomes visible. American Express advises cardholders to check the frequent flyer or hotel loyalty programme account to confirm the points have transferred, and then to redeem those partner points directly with the airline or hotel for the booking. [2]
Marriott Bonvoy members who believe eligible points or miles are missing can request missing credit through Marriott channels or Member Support, subject to any timing, documentation and programme-specific requirements, and such requests must generally be received within one year of the activity unless the programme rules state otherwise. [4]
Where a booking is time-critical, the order the programmes describe is: confirm the award is available and how many points it needs, transfer, then confirm in the partner account before redeeming. [2]
Exceptions and limits
- Transfers cannot be undone. For American Express Membership Rewards, all points transfers are final and cannot be reversed, including a transfer made for a booking that turns out to be unavailable. [2]
- The partner's rules take over. Points transferred from Membership Rewards into a partner account are subject to that partner loyalty programme's terms. [2] Marriott Bonvoy states that the applicable airline frequent flyer programme's terms control the redemption, transfer and distribution of miles. [4]
- Who may hold the receiving account. A Membership Rewards transfer into an account held by an Additional Card Member requires the Additional Card to have been issued at least 90 days before the accounts are linked. [2]
- Daily limits. Marriott Bonvoy sets a transfer band of 3,000 to 240,000 points per day. [3]
- Name matching. Membership Rewards requires the card name and the partner account name to match [2], and Marriott Bonvoy requires the frequent flyer name to match the Bonvoy first and last name for most airline partners [3].
- Balance movements that are not transfers. Marriott Bonvoy says points from a transaction at a Participating Outlet may take up to ten days to post to a member's account. [4]
Frequently asked questions
Can a points transfer be cancelled?
Not with American Express Membership Rewards: the programme states that all points transfers are final and cannot be reversed, which is why it advises checking availability and the points needed before completing a transfer. [2]
How many Marriott Bonvoy points can you send to an airline in one day?
Marriott Bonvoy states a transfer band of 3,000 to 240,000 points per day, at a 3-to-1 ratio with most partner programmes. [3]
Do the names on both accounts have to match?
Membership Rewards requires the name on the card and the name on the partner loyalty account to match for the accounts to link and the transfer to succeed. [2] Marriott Bonvoy requires the member name on the frequent flyer account to match the Bonvoy first and last name for most airline partners. [3]
What can you do if transferred points do not appear?
Check the partner programme account first: American Express advises cardholders to confirm there that the points have transferred before redeeming. [2] Marriott Bonvoy members can request missing credit for eligible points or miles through Marriott channels or Member Support, generally within one year of the activity. [4]
Can you transfer points into someone else's airline account?
With Membership Rewards, the partner account must be held by the cardholder or by an Additional Card Member linked to the Rewards Account. [2] With Marriott Bonvoy, the frequent flyer account name must match the member's Bonvoy name for most airline partners. [3]
Sources
Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. Transfer timing for other card and hotel currencies, including Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Capital One Miles, Bilt Rewards, Hilton Honors and World of Hyatt, is not covered here; see the glossary for related terms.
- American Express: How do I transfer Membership Rewards points?, checked 18 October 2026
- Marriott Bonvoy: Transfer points to miles, checked 18 October 2026
- Marriott Bonvoy loyalty programme terms and conditions, checked 18 October 2026