Points Transfer Times (2018)
From Travel Strategies
Most transfers from Membership Rewards and Ultimate Rewards, and some transfers from ThankYou Rewards, are nearly instantaneous. Other transfers require days, or even weeks, to complete.
Many non-instantaneous transfer requests are processed in batches. If you get lucky, your transfer request will occur just before the next batch is processed, and the transfer will be completed quickly. If you are unlucky, you may need to wait much longer.
With any transfer, there is always the possibility of some sort of hiccup. So, even if the table indicates that a transfer will happen instantly, there is a small chance it will take some time. Don’t absolutely count on transfers occurring by the time indicated below.
| Airline | Membership Rewards | Ultimate Rewards | ThankYou Rewards | Marriott |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aegean | Up to 2 weeks | |||
| Aer Lingus | Instant | Instant | ||
| Aeroflot | ??? | |||
| Aeromexico | Up to 2 weeks | 1-2 days | ||
| Air Canada (Aeroplan) | Instant | Up to 1 week | ||
| Air China | 1 -2 days | |||
| Air France / KLM (Flying Blue) | Instant | Instant | Instant | Up to 1 week |
| Air New Zealand | 1 - 2 days | |||
| Alaska | 1-2 days | |||
| Alitalia | Instant | Up to 2 weeks | ||
| American Airlines | 1-3 days | |||
| ANA | 2-4 days | Up to 1 week | ||
| Asiana | Up to 2 weeks | |||
| Avianca | Instant | 1-2 days | ||
| British Airways | Instant | Instant | 3-5 days | |
| Cathay Pacific (Asia Miles) | 1-2 days | 1-2 days | 2-3 days | |
| China Eastern | Up to 2 weeks | |||
| China Southern | Up to 2 weeks | |||
| COPA | ??? | |||
| Delta | Instant | 1-2 days | ||
| Emirates | Instant | 2-7 days | ||
| Etihad | Instant | 2-9 days | Up to 2 weeks | |
| EVA | 1-4 days | |||
| Garuda | 1-2 days | |||
| Frontier | ??? | |||
| Hainan | Up to 2 weeks | |||
| Hawaiian | Instant | 1-2 days | ||
| Iberia | 1-2 days | 3-5 days | ||
| JAL | Up to 1 week | |||
| Jet (India) | Instant | Up to 1 week | ||
| Jet Blue | Instant | Instant | Instant | ??? |
| Korean | Up to 1 week | |||
| LAN Pass | 1-2 days | |||
| Lufthansa (Miles & More) | 3-4 days | |||
| Malaysia | 2-3 days | |||
| Qantas | 1-2 days | ??? | ||
| Qatar | 1-4 days | Up to 3-4 weeks | ||
| Saudia | Up to 3-4 weeks | |||
| Singapore | 1-3 days | 1-2 days | 1-3 days | Up to 1 week |
| South African | ??? | |||
| Southwest | Instant | ??? | ||
| TAP Air Portugal | ??? | |||
| Thai | Up to 1 week | Up to 2 weeks | ||
| Turkish | 1-2 days | ??? | ||
| United | Instant | 2-3 days | ||
| Virgin Atlantic | 1-2 days | Instant | Instant | 1-2 days |
| Virgin Australia | 1-2 days |
