Is a transfer bonus worth it?
- Only transfer for a specific booking. Transfers are one-way: points can't come back, so find the award seat or hotel night first.
- Compare against cash. A 30% bonus on a bad redemption is still a bad redemption. Check what the same trip costs in cash.
- Hotel bonuses need a big bonus. Hotel points are usually worth less per point than airline miles, so a hotel bonus of 50% or more is often just break-even.
- Watch the fine print. Some bonuses are targeted, capped, or post days later.