A new month often brings new transfer bonuses to get even more out of your credit card points. And travelers with cards like the *venture x* and the *capital one venture card* have an excellent new option to kick off November.
You can now get a 20% bonus when sending Capital One Venture miles to British Airways. This brand-new transfer bonus runs through Dec. 1, so you've got a full month to put it to use.
British Airways Executive Club isn't just good for BA flights to London – just the opposite. It's one of the best ways to book flights to Hawaii from the mainland U.S.; score flights to Spain in economy or business class for a bargain; and even book Qatar Qsuites business class seats.
Not sure how (or why) to transfer your miles? Read our full guide to Capital One transfer partners!
Capital One doesn't offer transfer bonuses as often as other credit card companies like Chase or American Express – it's been two full years since we've seen the bank offer this bonus to British Airways. But when they do, it's well worth Capital One cardholders' attention..
These transfer bonuses are basically free airline miles: It’s a great way to get even more value out of your credit card points. Just remember: These transfers are a one-way street.
Once you send your credit card points to an airline or hotel chain, you can't get them back. That means you'll want to have a specific redemption in mind – and confirm those flights have award availability – before sending them to British Airways.
How to Use This Transfer Bonus
British Airways might be the largest airline in the U.K., but that doesn't mean your only focus for using these miles should be on transatlantic flights to London. Far from it.
There are plenty of great ways to use British Airways Avios. And with this 20% transfer bonus, those redemptions get even better.
Hawaii and Back for Under 34K Miles (or Less)
Even after a recent devaluation, one of the best ways to book flights to Hawaii is using British Airways Avios. I know, it doesn't make much sense … but it's true.
You can book flights to Hawaii with miles from the massive U.K. carrier, using British Airways Avios to book flights on American Airlines or Alaska Airlines out to the islands.
While American and Alaska frequently charge 50,000 miles or more for these flights, you can fly from the West Coast to Hawaii for just 40,000 Avios roundtrip. Factor in the 20% transfer bonus, and you need just 33,400 Capital One miles to make it happen. Unlike other banks, Capital One lets you dial in mileage transfers in increments of 100 – though you must transfer at least 1,000 miles.
The trick to getting these ultra-low rates is starting your search in Los Angeles (LAX) or Phoenix (PHX), both of which have nonstop service to the islands. You can also start from other cities like Seattle (SEA), Portland (PDX) San Francisco (SFO), San Jose (SJC), or San Diego (SAN), as Alaska Airlines nonstops to Hawaii are also bookable at these rates.
Read more on the cheapest ways to get to Hawaii using points and miles!
Availability to book these American Airlines flights via British Airways is typically quite solid – especially if you’re looking at least a few months in advance. The same is true of Alaska Airlines.
Willing to put in some extra legwork? This deal can get even better.
While this transfer bonus only works to British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus, you can transfer Avios between British Airways and Finnair as well as Qatar Airways, too. That means you could send your Capital One miles to British Airways with a 20% bonus, then kick them over to Finnair.
And you might want to: Finnair charges just 15,000 Avios each way for flights between the mainland and Hawaii. And while you'll pay that rate for nonstop flights from the West Coast, it even applies to one- and two-stop trips from the Midwest and beyond!
Factor in the 20% transfer bonus, and you could book roundtrip flights to Hawaii from all across the U.S. for just 25,000 Capital One miles!
The problem is that you won't find these flights online at Finnair.com, so you'll need to call the airline at +1 929 474 6049 or +1 323 694 7646 in order to book. Search through British Airways' website first to find flights that are available. And even then, it may require some trial and error: Not every Finnair agent knows how to book these American or Alaska flights.
Roundtrip to Spain for Under 29K Points
Most airlines charge about 60,000 to 70,000 miles to fly from the U.S. to Europe and back. One airline can get you there and back for half that price.
Yes, it's British Airways again – but you're using those miles to fly Iberia, the Spanish flag carrier, straight to Madrid (MAD). Depart from the right cities and at the right time, and you can score round-trip flights straight to Madrid (MAD) for just 34,000 miles plus about $200 in taxes and fees – or just 28,400 Capital One miles with this transfer bonus.
For many years, you'd much rather book these flights with Iberia itself rather than partner British Airways because the U.K.-based airline program tacked on hundreds of dollars in extra fees. No more: Now you'll pay the same amount in fees no matter which of the two airlines' miles you use to book. And that makes it much easier to book a roundtrip flight to Madrid like this.
The trick? Iberia’s distance-based award pricing system means you have to start your journey from the East Coast hubs of Boston (BOS), Washington, D.C.-Dulles (IAD) or New York City (JFK). Luckily for Midwesterners, Chicago-O’Hare (ORD) works at this price, too. Departing from other Iberia outposts like Miami (MIA), Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), San Francisco (SFO), or Los Angeles (LAX) will cost you more miles.
You also need to time it right. Iberia uses peak and off-peak pricing, which means getting these cheap flights at 34,000 miles requires traveling during the off-peak season. Luckily, Iberia’s definition of “off-peak” is typically quite generous: It means you can fly at the lowest rates for nearly 2/3 of the year. Mid-June through mid-September are generally considered peak summer season, with some scattered weekends and holidays blocked off, too. Check out Iberia’s full calendar to scope out the dates.
… Or Do it in Business Class for Less than 57K
Flying business class to Europe doesn't get any cheaper than this. In fact, we consider it one of the best deals in points and miles. And with a 20% transfer bonus to British Airways, the best somehow gets even better.
After transferring to British Airways and again over to Iberia, it brings your final tally to just 28,400 miles for a one-way Iberia business class flight to Madrid – or 56,700 points roundtrip! That’s a roundtrip flight in business class for less than what almost every other airline would charge you to fly in economy.
Why not fly like this rather than back in economy when you can do it using fewer points?
Read our full review of Iberia business class!
Booking Iberia business class flights follows the same script as the economy example above. Focus on flights from New York City, Boston, Washington D.C., and Chicago to Madrid to get the lowest rates – and try to book off-peak travel times whenever possible.
Flying lie-flat to Europe and back for just 56,700 points and $250 in fees is tough, if not impossible, to beat.
Need more help? Read our guide to booking Iberia business class!
Book Qsuites for Cheap
We saved the best for last.
Thanks to Qatar Airways' recent adoption of Avios, the floodgates are open to book Qatar's world-leading Qsuite business class seats using Capital One miles. Factor in this 20% transfer bonus, and you can do it for fewer points than ever.
Check out our full review of Qatar Qsuites!
Here's the easiest route: You could book a simple nonstop from many cities in the U.S. over to Doha (DOH) for just 70,000 British Airways Avios and about $100 in fees. Find the award availability you want, transfer 58,400 Capital One miles to your BA account, and book it. Done. It doesn't get much cheaper or easier than that.
We send Thrifty Traveler Premium members award alerts when they can book the world's best business class using their points, plus cheap cash fares too!
But if you want to take it next level and connect elsewhere – Dubai (DXB) or Muscat (MCT) in the Middle East, Cairo (CAI), or maybe even the Maldives (MLE) or down to Cape Town (CPT) in South Africa – you'll want to turn to Qatar Airways Avios. Just like Iberia, you can combine your Avios balances between British Airways and Qatar.
And these multi-segment awards wind up being much cheaper by booking through Qatar itself than British Airways, which still charges mileage on a per-segment basis. Booking through Qatar, you could fly in Qsuites to …
- Middle Eastern destinations like Dubai (DXB), Abu Dhabi (AUH) or Muscat (MCT) for 75,000 miles – just 62,500 Capital One miles after the transfer bonus!
- Other destinations like Amman (AMM) and Cairo (CAI) as well as major Indian cities go up to 80,000 miles each way, or 66,700 Venture Miles with this bonus.
- Getting to the Seychelles (SEZ) or Maldives (MLE) will run you 85,000 miles each way, which works out to 70,900 Capital One miles.
- Both Southeast Asia and South Africa typically cost 95,000 miles each way – 79,200 Capital One miles with the 20% bonus.
Earlier this week, we alerted Thrifty Traveler Premium members to some wide-open award space to fly Qsuites from several U.S. cities to the Middle East and throughout much of Africa, too.
Qatar recently raised its surcharges to about $200 for a simple nonstop to Doha or $300 (or more) if you need to make a connection. But that's a price worth paying given you can book these incredible flights for as few as 58,400 Capital One miles with this bonus.
How to Transfer Capital One Miles
Used to simply swiping your Capital One card, then going back and covering the purchase with miles? We can't blame you: It's one of the easiest ways to book flights with points. But this is how you take things to the next level.
The bank behind the Venture cards has built up a stable of nearly 20 Capital One transfer partners: Airlines and hotel chains to which you can directly transfer your points. Transferring points to these partners is the best way to get maximum value from your miles – especially when there's a bonus like this one.
To start, log into your Capital One account and click the option to “View Rewards.” From there, select the “Transfer Rewards” button.
That should pull up the full list of Capital One transfer partners … with any available bonuses right at top marked as a “Special Offer,” including this 20% bonus to British Airways. Select British Airways, and it'll have you enter your Executive Club number – you'll need to sign up for a free account if you haven't already.
Once you've done that, it'll pull up a screen allowing you to enter how many Venture miles you'd like to transfer to British Airways. Capital One will also crunch the numbers and let you know how many British Airways Avios you'll get with the 20% bonus.
With Capital One, you'll need to transfer at least 1,000 miles at a time … but from there, you can transfer in 100-mile increments. That's quite nice, as it means you can tailor your transfer to precisely how many miles you need – and not a mile more.
So rather than transferring a flat 59,000 miles to British Airways so I can book a Qatar Qsuite, I can transfer 58,400 Venture miles instead to get the 70,000 Avios (and change) I need.
Read more: 5 Reasons Why Capital One is King in My Wallet
But keep in mind: These transfers are a one-way street – once you send them to an airline or hotel, you can't get them back to your Capital One account. That means you should almost never transfer points without a specific purpose in mind, even with a big bonus like this one. That means you'll want to scope out and confirm award availability – that the flights you want are actually bookable with miles – before hitting “Complete Transfer.”
Once you're done, Capital One transfers to British Airways are typically instant – and the bonus miles should hit your account instantly, too.
Bottom Line
Capital One is back with another transfer bonus, and it's one of our favorites.
Getting a 20% bonus is always exciting, but especially with a partner like British Airways. That's your key to booking great flights to Hawaii and business class to Spain or the Middle East (and beyond) for even less.
Just be sure to take advantage before this transfer bonus ends on Dec. 1!
