Capital One offers a popular suite cards that earn valuable Capital One miles, which can be redeemed at a fixed value for travel. However, to truly maximize the value of these miles, you will want to utilize the issuer’s transfer partners.
Capital One has an impressive roster of 15-plus transfer partners, both airlines and hotels, most of which transfer at a 1:1 ratio. By utilizing transfer partners, you can get higher value per mile, often beating TPG’s July 2025 valuation of Capital One miles at 1.85 cents apiece.
You may be ready to transfer miles to a partner and are wondering how long it takes to transfer Capital One miles. Several TPG staffers performed test transfers and recorded the time each transfer took.
Let’s dive into the results.
Capital One miles transfer times
For each of the program’s transfer partners, TPG staffers transferred 1,000 miles from our Capital One accounts to see how long it would take for them to show up in our loyalty program accounts.
One thousand miles is the minimum requirement to make a transfer, and after that, you can transfer points in increments of 100, which is perfect for those redemptions that don’t end on a round thousand (i.e., 23,500 miles). Here’s how long each transfer took:
| Program | Transfer time | Transfer ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Aeromexico Rewards | Instant | 1:1 (1,000 miles = 1,000 Club Premier points) |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Instant | 1:1 (1,000 miles = 1,000 Aeroplan points) |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | Instant | 1:1 (1,000 miles = 1,000 Flying Blue miles) |
| Avianca LifeMiles | Instant | 1:1 (1,000 miles = 1,000 LifeMiles) |
| ALL Accor Live Limitless | Two business days | 2:1 (1,000 miles = 500 ALL points) |
| British Airways Club | Instant | 1:1 (1,000 miles = 1,000 Avios) |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 24-hours | 1:1 (1,000 miles = 1,000 Asia Miles) |
| Choice Privileges | 24-hours | 1:1 (1,000 miles = 1,000 Choice Privileges points) |
| Emirates Skywards | Instant | 1:1 (1,000 miles = 1,000 Emirates Skywards miles) |
| Etihad Guest | Instant | 1:1 (1,000 miles = 1,000 Etihad Guest miles) |
| EVA Infinity MileageLands | 36 hours | 2:1.5 (1,000 miles = 750 Infinity MileageLands miles) |
| Finnair Plus | Instant | 1:1 (1,000 miles = 1,000 Finnair Plus points) |
| JetBlue TrueBlue | Instant | 5:3 (1,000 miles = 600 JetBlue TrueBlue points) |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | Instant | 1:1 (1,000 miles = 1,000 Qantas Frequent Flyer points) |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | Instant | 1:1 (1,000 miles = 1,000 Singapore KrisFlyer miles) |
| TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go | Instant | 1:1 (1,000 miles = 1,000 TAP Miles&Go miles) |
| Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles | Instant | 1:1 (1,000 miles = 1,000 Turkish Miles&Smiles miles) |
| Virgin Red | Instant | 1:1 (1,000 miles = 1,000 Virgin Red points) |
| Wyndham Rewards | Instant | 1:1 (1,000 miles = 1,000 Wyndham Rewards points) |
While the above transfer times are based on data from TPG staffers, it is possible that transfer times can take shorter or longer. Some TPG staffers have reported transfer times of up to two weeks for All Accor.
Note that the times listed above represent personal experience and shouldn’t be taken as hard and fast rules. Your transfer experience could be faster or slower, but these times can serve as a baseline for you when transferring Capital One miles.
Related: How to maximize Capital One miles
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Tips for transferring Capital One miles
The biggest tip we can recommend is to have a plan before transferring your miles. Transfers are irreversible, so make sure you have a plan and a redemption in mind. Transferring miles without a plan is never a good idea, as loyalty programs are subject to frequent devaluations, meaning the miles you transferred could be worth less. Here are some other tips for transferring Capital One miles:
- Have your loyalty program information handy: Unlike Amex and Chase, Capital One does not save your loyalty account information, so you’ll have to pull it up each time you want to transfer miles to a partner. This can be a slight inconvenience, but it’s well worth it for the value you can get with some redemptions.
- Put your award reservation on hold before transferring: Only a select handful of airlines still allow you to do this, but it’s worth checking whether you can put your award reservation on hold before transferring Capital One miles. This is especially useful if you’re transferring to a program that doesn’t offer instant transfers. After all, it’s frustrating to transfer miles only to find that another traveler has scooped up the award seat you wanted.
- Choose flights that have ample award seats available: While not likely you’ll be able to hold a reservation, you can look for routes that have ample award availability. This improves the chances that you’ll be able to book a seat once your miles have transferred to your account. You can use tools like ExpertFlyer (owned by TPG’s parent company, Red Ventures) or Seats.aero to find how many award seats are available on a flight. Pro tip: Search for three or four passengers so it will give you a better estimate of how many seats are available.
- Let availability determine your destination: If you have some flexibility with destination and dates, you can really get excellent value for your miles. If your plan A itinerary is no longer an option due to availability changes, you could opt for a different destination. I always like to say look for the deal, not the destination, and this mindset has led me to getting some outstanding redemptions. Additionally, keep in mind that award availability changes frequently and seats can increase or decrease as it gets closer to your departure date; so it’s always a good practice to have backup plans, whether it be leaving from a different departure city or having an entirely different destination.
- Select less popular routes: You can improve your chances of finding an award ticket by flying routes that are less popular or unusual, or depart from non-hubs, as these routes often have better availability. Those often have better award availability. For example you if you are looking to fly to Tokyo from the western U.S., you could look at flights departing from San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) and San Diego International Airport (SAN) instead of San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
- Determine the best transfer options for transferring: If you want to use Capital One miles for domestic flights, or if you want to redeem Capital One miles for domestic flights, you may want to consider Turkish Miles&Smiles or Avianca LifeMiles. Want to get to Hawaii? You might want to use British Airways Avios to book awards on either American Airlines or Alaska Airlines. For flights to Europe, you might find additional award availability on Air France and KLM by using their own Flying Blue miles. In all cases, it pays to think strategically and creatively. Plus, with partners in all three major air alliances, there are multiple opportunities to redeem on Star Alliance airlines, on Oneworld airlines and on SkyTeam airlines. Make sure to do your homework and determine the best redemption option before transferring your miles to a specific program.
Related: Ultimate guide to searching award availability for the major airlines
Which cards earn Capital One miles?
Only select Capital One credit cards earn transferable Capital One miles. Here’s a quick overview of these five cards:
| Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card | Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. |
|
$395 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card | Earn 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. |
|
$95 |
| Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card | Earn 20,000 bonus miles after spending $500 within the first three months from account opening. |
|
$0 |
| Capital One Venture X Business | Earn 150,000 bonus miles after spending $30,000 in the first three months from account opening. |
|
$395 |
| Capital One Spark Miles for Business | Earn 50,000 bonus miles after spending $4,500 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. |
|
$0 introductory annual fee for first year, then $95 a year |
The great thing about these Capital One miles-earning cards is that they offer earnings simplicity. With all of these cards, you’ll earn at least 1.25 miles per dollar spent on all purchases. Additionally, all Capital One cards have no foreign transaction fees, making them excellent cards for use abroad.
Can you transfer Capital One miles to someone else’s account?
You can only transfer Capital One miles to an airline or hotel loyalty program registered to the name registered on the Capital One account. The same applies to authorized users. There is no fee to transfer your points to loyalty partners.
However, you can transfer Capital One miles from one Capital One account to another at no charge. You will have to call Capital One to do this and will need the name and card number of the person you want to transfer miles to.
This is a huge bonus for Capital One miles, as transferring rewards to another person with other issuers is not as smooth, and some issuers don’t allow it.
Related: Ultimate guide to points pooling and sharing
Bottom line
Before you transfer your Capital One miles, make sure you have a plan for using them. Most Capital One mile transfers are instant, but some could take longer.
Regardless of what program you transfer your Capital One miles to, there are plenty of excellent redemption options.
Related: Capital One vs. Chase: Which bank has better credit cards?
