Big New Transfer Partnerships—And Bonuses

If you have Citi or Bilt points, there are some interesting new ways to redeem them: Citi ThankYou points can now be transferred at a 1:1 ratio to Japan Airlines, while Bilt points can now be transferred at a 2:1 ratio to Amtrak. And both relationships are kicking off with solid transfer bonuses.

Citi → JAL ✈️🗾

Citi points already transfer to American Airlines, one of the best ways to get to Japan with points, especially in economy. Now they’ve added JAL, one of the best ways to get there in business class. Fuel surcharges are currently brutal at about $300 each way, so economy redemptions rarely make sense, but JAL typically has good availability in business class, and it only took me a few minutes to locate one-way business class seats for 55k JAL points from my home airport.

Beyond Japan redemptions, points nerds will sing the praises of JAL Mileage Bank for booking partner business class redemptions, thanks in part to a pricing quirk that can make round trips especially attractive. I spent about an hour trying to find one of these deals in the wild before giving up, though, so no “lazy” seal of approval there, but if you’re intrigued you can check out this video for tips on trying to locate these deals—they might be easier to find from your home airport. 

Citi is launching this partnership with a 30% transfer bonus until October 24, and if I had ThankYou points I would definitely consider taking advantage. Those 55k-point business class flights would require around 43,000 Citi points, only marginally more points than I typically redeem to fly economy. The extra ~$300 in fees for a one-way flight is probably too much for me, but for some people that would be a no-brainer (it’s usually a $4,000+ flight, after all). 

Bilt → Amtrak 🚆

A few programs (Bilt, Capital One, Rove) already had transfers to JAL, but no major points program has offered Amtrak transfers since Chase ended its partnership in 2015. Amtrak points are pretty valuable, so even at Bilt’s 2:1 transfer ratio, this is a solid use of Bilt points. And it’s not just useful if you’re an Amtrak commuter—there are actually some spectacular trips you can book if you dream of riding the rails in a private room. And as Daily Drop points out, this can offer extra value for couples or families.

Bilt is sweetening the deal by offering a transfer bonus to Amtrak for Rent Day, October 1st. As usual, the transfer bonus depends on your status. Here’s how many Amtrak points you would receive for each 1,000 Bilt points transferred:

• Blue: 625 (25% bonus)

• Silver: 750 (50% bonus)

• Gold: 875 (75% bonus)

• Platinum: 1,000 (100% bonus)

You can transfer up to a maximum of 100,000 Bilt points, and you can buy up to the next higher bonus for $400(!!) in Bilt Cash. Platinum members can buy up to a 125% bonus. At these transfer ratios, the estimated value per Bilt point (without spending Bilt Cash) ranges from about 1.67¢ for no-status Blue members to 2.67¢ for Platinum members, which is very solid.

This new partnership is going to offer decent value year-round, but the Rent Day bonus can take that value to the next level—and has me eyeballing a Coast Starlight roomette.  

Lazy Take 🦥

Citi and Bilt were already my two favorite transferable-points currencies, and these partnerships make both even better. JAL opens up some solid premium international awards, while Amtrak gives Bilt a rare and valuable non-airline redemption option. And if you already have some points in hand, the big transfer bonuses can definitely make them worth checking out. 

This week on the blog 📝

In my brain, the Bilt Palladium is a 3x-on-everything card, but that’s not quite right, technically. With a little setup, though, it’s possible to earn a 3x effective rate on all your Palladium purchases. 

Quick Points of the Week ⚡

Special offers ✨

Bilt Rent Day Hilton transfer bonus + status offer. It’s not just Amtrak, you can also get bonus points when transferring points to Hilton. Like last time, I’m not too impressed by this offer, but the added status offer makes it a little more interesting. (Miles Talk) 

Major News 🚨

Citi limits Strata bonuses. The issuer previously allowed you to earn a new bonus after about 48 months, but new terms exclude those who have previously had a given Strata card (Strata, Strata Premier, and Strata Elite) from welcome offers. (Award Wallet)

Bilt now allows upgrades—with bonuses. You can now change your Bilt card product, and you may be targeted with an upgrade offer to do so. (Miles to Memories)

New features 🆕

Going adds price drop alerts. The deal alert service now allows you to enter your flight details, and they’ll send you an alert if the price drops. (Going)

American Airlines adds automatic seat changes. Stuck in a bad seat? You can now request your preference (e.g. aisle, window) in the AA app and AA will automatically move you if a preferred seat opens up. This mirrors an existing feature in the United app that has saved me from middle seat purgatory in the past. (Upgraded Points)

Last chance ⏳

Monthly and quarterly credits expiring soon. Check to see if you can use them while you still can. (Thrifty Traveler)

Points for Charity 🕊️

Earn AA miles for hurricane relief. The airline is offering 10 miles per $1 donated to the American Red Cross. (AA)

Sign-up bonus of the week 🎯

Links marked with an * are affiliate or referral links, meaning we may earn if you apply via our link. 

The Chase Freedom Flex received a modest refresh this week, along with an increased welcome offer: $250 cash back after spending $500 in the first three months. The no-fee card earns 5% back on Chase Travel, 3% on dining and drugstores, and 5% on rotating categories each quarter (up to $1,500 in quarterly spending).  Although nominally a cash-back card, the card technically earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points, and you can move those points to another qualifying Chase card like the Sapphire Preferred, then transfer them to airline or hotel partners.

Although the ability to earn 5x on a few different categories throughout the year is nice, I don’t think the marginal value is actually all that high, and the $250 welcome offer is far less than you can get with other cards. But if you have a Chase-centric card strategy or just want a no-fee card to micromanage to truly optimize your earning rates, now is a decent time to pick up the Flex. 

Other great sign-up bonuses this week

Up to 80k points + $250 on the Delta Gold (our take: 🔥🔥🔥)

70k points + a free night certificate on the Hilton Honors (our take: 🔥🔥)

150k points + $250 on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant (our take: 🔥🔥) ends 9/30

200k points on the Hilton Aspire (our take: 🔥🔥)

Up to 90k points + $300 on the Delta Platinum (our take: 🔥🔥)

Up to 50k points + two flight certificates on the Delta Reserve (our take: 🔥🔥)

75k points + $300 stays credit on the Capital One Venture (our take: 🔥🔥)

60k points on the Choice Privileges Mastercard (our take: 🔥) 

90k points on certain Avios-earning cards (our take: 🔥) 

125k miles on the Citi AAdvantage Executive (our take: 🔥)

75k (+ 40k after $20k spend) on the Chase Aeroplan Card (our take: 🔥)

Up to 100/175k on the Amex Gold/Platinum (our take)

50,000 points + $300 Bilt Cash + Bilt Gold status on the Bilt Palladium (our take)

How we rate bonus offers. 

Enjoy the weekend! 🦥

I’m going to try to convince my wife that 22 hours on a train is a good vacation. 🚆

Sometimes we include referral or affiliate links (we’ll mark them clearly). If you use them, we may earn a commission—never at extra cost to you. We do our best to share great offers, but always double-check for the best deal available. Thanks for supporting LazyPoints 🦥