Marriott Airline Transfer Partners of 2024

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• You can transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to 40 global airlines including United, Delta, and American.
• You'll get 5,000 bonus miles on most airlines for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points transferred.
• Your points may be most valuable on airlines that don't partner with other loyalty programs.
• Read Business Insider's guide to the best Marriott Bonvoy credit cards.

Marriott operates some of my favorite hotels around the world. But you can miss a ton of value if you think of Marriott Bonvoy solely as a hotel loyalty program. Some of my favorite award redemptions of all time, including memorable long-haul flights in Cathay Pacific and Emirates first class, were made possible by transferring my Marriott points to the right airline.

That's why we strongly recommend building your travel rewards strategy around the best credit cards that earn transferable points such as the Chase Ultimate Rewards® or Amex Membership Rewards programs, instead of limiting yourself to a single airline.

Introduction to Marriott transfer partners 

Most people overlook the one loyalty program that offers the most transfer options of all: Marriott Bonvoy. 

Overview of Marriott's airline transfer program 

Let's take a look at everything you need to know about Marriott airline transfers, including how they work and some of the best options to consider.

Benefits of transferring Marriott Bonvoy points to airline miles 

Many of the world's best airline loyalty programs are inaccessible for most U.S. travelers without points and miles. Some airlines, like Emirates and Etihad, have great transfer partnerships with major credit card rewards programs. Others, like, Hainan Airlines, can be impossible to book on points if you don't have an alternative outlet to top up your stash of Fortune Wings Club points.

That's where Marriott comes in. You can quickly transfer unused Marriott points to unique airlines you want to try with minimal cash outlay, giving you access to a far wider array of travel options than before. 

Not only can you redeem your Marriott points for free stays at thousands of hotels around the globe — you can also transfer them to 40 different airlines! That's more transfer options than Chase and Amex combined have to offer.

List of Marriott airline transfer partners

The transfer ratio is one of the most important things to remember when transferring Marriott points to airlines. 

Major airline partners and transfer ratios

You can transfer Marriott points to the 40 airline partners listed below. Bonvoy points transfer to most airlines at a 3:1 ratio. Air New Zealand is the one exception to this 3:1 rule, with a transfer ratio of 200 Marriott points to 1 Air New Zealand Airpoint (200:1).

3:1 transfer rate partners (Marriott points : airline miles) 

1. AEGEAN Miles+Bonus 
2. Aer Lingus AerClub
3. Aeromexico ClubPremier
4. Air Canada Aeroplan
5. Air China PhoenixMiles
6. Air France-KLM Flying Blue
7. Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
8. American Airlines AAdvantage
9. ANA Mileage Club
10. Asiana Airlines Asiana Club
11. Avianca LifeMiles
12. British Airways Executive Club
13. Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
14. China Southern Airlines Sky Pearl Club
15. Copa Airlines ConnectMiles
16. Delta SkyMiles
17. Emirates Skywards
18. Etihad Guest
19. FRONTIER Miles
20. Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings Club
21. Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles
22. Iberia Plus
23. InterMiles
24. Japan Airlines JAL Mileage Bank
25. Korean Air SKYPASS
26. LATAM Airlines LATAM Pass
27. Multiplus Fidelidade LATAM Pass
28. Qantas Frequent Flyer
29. Qatar Airways Privilege Club
30. Saudia Alfursan
31. Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
32. Southwest Rapid Rewards
33. TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go
34. Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
35. Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
36. United MileagePlus
37. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
38.  Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer
39. Vueling Club

200:1 transfer rate partners (Marriott points:airline miles) 

1. Air New Zealand Airpoint

Minimum points required to transfer Bonvoy points

You must transfer a minimum of 3,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per transaction. You're allowed to transfer up to 240,000 Marriott points a day.

Transfer bonuses

You'll receive a 5,000-mile bonus for every 60,000 Marriott points transferred to any airline partners except for the following four:

• American Airlines
• Avianca
• Delta Air Lines
• Korean Air

On top of this bonus, you'll get 5,000 more miles when you transfer 60,000 Marriott points to United MileagePlus for a total of 10,000 bonus miles per 60,000 points.

This way, 60,000 Marriott points become 30,000 United miles — effectively a 2:1  transfer ratio. This is part of the partnership between Marriott and United, which offers reciprocal elite status for select members as well as other benefits.

How to transfer Marriott points to airlines

Step-by-step guide on transferring Marriott points to airline partners

1. To transfer points to Marriott airline partners, log into your Bonvoy account via the website.
2. From there, click the "Transfer Points" button in the center of the page to see a dropdown menu of airline partners.
3. Once you've selected the airline of your choice, enter your frequent flyer number on that airline.
4. After that, type in the number of Bonvoy points you want to transfer. The calculator will show you how many airline miles will transfer into your frequent flyer account.
5. If everything looks correct, click "Continue." The next page will ask you to verify that you want to convert your desired number of points to your frequent flyer account. 
6. If everything is accurate, click "Convert."

What to consider before you transfer:

• Unfortunately, Marriott transfers can take a couple of days to post. It depends on what airline you're transferring to, but in my experience, the transfer can be instant or it can take up to three business days or more.
• The name listed on your airline loyalty program must match your Bonvoy account's first and last name.
• Remember that American Airlines AAdvantage, Avianca LifeMiles, Delta SkyMiles and Korean Air SKYPASS transfers do not earn an additional 5,000 miles per 50,000 Bonvoy points transferred.
• Finding available award seats can be challenging, especially on popular airlines with aspirational first or business-class cabins.
• Marriott's terms and conditions say that miles will post to your account within a week in most cases, though I've never had it take quite that long.

Maximizing the value of transferred points

With 40 options to pick from, it can be hard to decide which airlines are worth transferring Marriott points to. There are plenty of airlines on the list that aren't worth considering at all, as well as a few hidden gems

Best practices for point transfers

Before we start walking through some of the best transfer options, I want to highlight a group of airlines that probably aren't the best transfer options. Paradoxically, they're the ones you might fly the most.

United, Delta, British Airways, and Air Canada, for example, aren't great Marriott transfer options. That's because you can easily transfer to these airlines from other programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards (United, British Airways, and Air Canada) and Amex Membership Rewards (Delta, British Airways, and Air Canada).

You'll get the best value by holding on to your Marriott points for more niche transfers to airlines whose miles are harder to earn.

Strategic use of transferred points: Choose these airline partners

Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan sits at the top of this list because Alaska miles are incredibly valuable, and the program has no other transfer partners. However, you can often buy miles on sale, or earn them through actual flying or by spending on the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card or Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card.

Alaska is part of the Oneworld alliance with non-alliance partners as well, with very competitive award charts.

If you remember that first example we talked about, I said that 180,000 Marriott points would be enough to earn a free Cathay Pacific first-class award ticket if you transferred them to 75,000 Alaska Airlines miles. Technically, the Cathay Pacific ticket only costs 70,000 miles to fly first class from the U.S. to Asia — but if you transfer fewer Marriott points, you'll miss out on the last 5,000-mile bonus and come up short.

Cathay offers one of the most luxurious and refined first-class experiences in the sky, making you wish that the 16-hour flight from JFK to Hong Kong would stretch even longer. You can even build in a free stopover, spending a few days (or weeks) in Hong Kong before connecting to somewhere else in Asia. Just note that these awards won't show up directly on the Alaska website; you'll need to search for award seats with American Airlines or British Airways and call to book.

American Airlines

American is the only one of the major U.S. carriers that doesn't have a major bank transfer partner.

Chase has a close relationship (and offers point transfers) with both United and Southwest, and Amex has a similar relationship with Delta. While American Airlines credit cards are issued by both Citi and Barclays, neither offers the ability to transfer miles to American Airlines AAdvantage.

The American Airlines AAdvantage program isn't as valuable as it used to be, after years of devaluation and the expansion of dynamic award pricing. That being said, flexible travelers can take advantage of many award sales that are worth booking. These include first-class award flight ss to Hong Kong for only 61,000 miles (as opposed to the normal price of ~200,000 miles or more), and plenty of 5,000-mile specials around North America.

That's to say nothing of all the amazing Oneworld partner awards you can book with American Airlines, including flying Qatar's industry-leading Qsuite to the Maldives for just 70,000 miles each way, or again, 180,000 Marriott points.

Mediocre value for Marriott transfers: Use these airline partners when you need the points

There are many airlines on the list of Marriott transfer partners that offer a decent value under the right circumstances. But many are plagued by some combination of high award rates, limited availability, excessive taxes, or poor IT that makes the booking process painfully complicated.

In these cases, you might consider transferring Marriott points if you're just short of a specific reward, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend planning to acquire Marriott points just to use with these airlines.

Air France-KLM Flying Blue

The joint loyalty program of Air France and KLM, Flying Blue was one of the first international frequent flyer programs to fully embrace dynamic pricing.

There are still deals to be had, especially if you're able to take advantage of one of the carrier's monthly Promo Rewards, which offer 25% to 50% discounts on flights between select cities and Europe (note that some monthly promos don't include any U.S. routes). Just be warned that, even if your mileage cost is low, you'll likely have to pay $200+ per person each way in taxes and fees.

Poor Marriott transfer value: Avoid these airline partners unless absolutely necessary

There are an undeniable number of duds on this list — programs that aren't worth paying attention to because they don't offer competitive award charts or useful alliance networks. It's not worth getting into the details of why these programs aren't valuable, but suffice it to say, you probably won't want to transfer your Marriott points to airlines like Aegean, Copa, or Saudia.

Emirates used to be a reasonable Marriott partner, but it's experienced some harsh devaluations, making it a non-starter for most of us.

Special promotions and bonuses

Transfer partners occasionally offer special transfer rates or bonus points to incentivize award winners to take action. Here's how to evaluate these promotions and understand the value conversion of your points between travel programs. 

Transfer bonuses and promotional offers

From time to time, you may be able to transfer Bonvoy points to partners at an elevated rate.

How to stay informed about upcoming promotions 

Transfer deals can be few and far between, so signing up for Marriott Bonvoy marketing emails can be your best bet for staying informed about potential bonuses. 

How to get more Bonvoy points

There are several ways you can top up your Bonvoy account if you're a few thousand points short of the perfect transfer.

Transfer points from other reward programs

Marriott can receive transfer miles from select partner airlines, or points from several credit card rewards programs. However, you'll typically lose a lot of value by doing so, since Bonvoy points are worth significantly less than most airline miles or credit card rewards. 

Business Insider values Marriott Bonvoy points at just 0.7 cents apiece on average, while points from most issuers like Chase Ultimate Rewards or Amex Membership Rewards are usually worth at least twice as much. On occasion, however, it might make sense to send over a few thousand points from one of your other reward "currencies" to help you reach the required number of points you need to transfer into airline miles. 

Get a Marriott co-branded credit card

One of the easiest and best ways to earn Marriott Bonvoy points is by signing up for a co-branded hotel credit card. The following Marriott cards all earn Bonvoy points at accelerated rates:

• Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card: three Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first three months from your account opening (read our Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card review)
• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card: 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership (read our Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex card review)
• Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card: three Free Night Awards, valued at up to 50,000 points each for eligible stays, after you use your new card to make $6,000 in eligible purchases within the first six months of card membership (read our Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex card review)
• Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card: 60,000 bonus points and one free night award after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening (read our Marriott Bonvoy Bold credit card review)
• Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card: 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership (read our Marriott Bonvoy Bevy credit card review)
• Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card: 85,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 in purchases in your first three months from your account opening (read our Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful credit card review)

Frequently asked questions about Marriott point transfers

Can you reverse a points transfer?

No, you cannot reverse point transfers in either direction. The Marriott Bonvoy points transfer page has a separate verification page before you complete a transfer, which gives you a second chance to reconsider your decision before sending points through. 

How long do Marriott Bonvoy point transfers take to appear in my airline account?

Bonvoy point transfers typically take a day or two to process, so plan a few days ahead if you need the miles or points to hit your airline partner account by a certain date. 

Do transferred points count toward airline elite status?

No, transferred points do not count toward elite status with any airline. They can only be used to book award travel.

What is the transfer ratio for Marriott points to partner airlines?

Marriott Bonvoy points transfer at a 3:1 ratio to most partner airlines: 3,000 Marriott points become 1,000 airline miles. Air New Zealand is the exception: 3,000 Marriott Bonvoy points become 15 Airpoints.

Which airlines give 5,000-mile bonuses for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points?

Most airlines offer an additional 5,000 miles for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points transferred. The exceptions are American Airlines, Avianca, Delta Air Lines, and Korean Air, which do not offer any bonus transfer miles. United Airlines offers an extra 10,000 miles for every 60,000 Bonvoy points.