Oneworld Points Transfer: Easy Guide to Booking Flights

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Oneworld points transfer How to Book Oneworld Flights Using Transferable Points

All major transferable points can be used to book Oneworld flights: American Express (Amex), Chase, Citi, and Capital One. With the right oneworld points transfer strategy, these currencies unlock access to dozens of partner airlines and award options across the alliance.

Since American Airlines (AA) has a hub at my home airport of Dallas (DFW), most of my family’s flights are on AA. However, I have limited opportunities to earn AA miles—primarily through credit card sign-up offers, the AA shopping portal, or cash flights.

If you’re in a similar situation, it’s essential to maximize credit card sign-up bonuses on large purchases to build up your balance with transferable currencies. So, how did I book 26 flights—75 tickets with Oneworld in the last three years? Transferable currency!

No transferable currency transfers directly to AA. I know what you’re thinking: “Well, then how do I book AA?” The answer: award partner booking. This means using airline miles or points from one airline’s loyalty program to book a flight with a partner airline.

With an award partner booking, we can use Alaska, American, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Iberia, Qatar, or any other Oneworld partner to book a Oneworld flight. In essence, this is how a smart Oneworld points transfer strategy comes into play—even though you’re not transferring directly to AA, you’re still accessing those flights through partner programs.

If you need a refresher on the difference between miles and points check out this article.

Which Transferable Points Support a Oneworld Points Transfer?

Capital One miles transfer to the following Oneworld airline partners:

British Airways Executive Club (Avios) – 1:1
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles – 1:1
Finnair Plus – 1:1
Qantas Frequent Flyer – 1:1

American Express Membership Rewards transfers to the following Oneworld airline partners:

British Airways Executive Club (Avios) – 1:1
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles – 1:1
Iberia Plus (Avios) – 1:1
Qatar Airways Privilege Club (Avios) – 1:1

Chase Ultimate Rewards transfers to the following Oneworld airline partners:

British Airways Executive Club (Avios) – 1:1

Citi ThankYou Points transfer to the following Oneworld airline partners:

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles – 1:1
Qantas Frequent Flyer – 1:1
Qatar Airways Privilege Club (Avios) – 1:1

Oneworld Points Transfer: How to Maximize Avios Redemptions

We will focus on the Oneworld Avios carriers, but it’s worth exploring other options before transferring your points. Avios is a rewards currency shared by multiple airline loyalty programs, allowing you to earn and redeem points across several carriers.

All major transferable currencies have at least one Avios-associated carrier, making them valuable tools for a strategic oneworld points transfer. We can transfer points freely between these carriers and even between family members through family pooling.

You can use the carriers’ websites or Avios.com to transfer Avios between your linked accounts. I prefer to transfer Avios using the British Airways website, as I find Avios.com prone to errors.

How to Transfer Avios Between Accounts

Before transferring Avios, you must first link your accounts. It’s best to set them up and link them in advance to avoid delays.

All account information must match exactly—any discrepancies will prevent the transfer from going through. Unfortunately, there isn’t a single portal that manages all transfers, so you may need to use multiple platforms depending on your oneworld points transfer strategy. Linking is just logging into one portal from another. If your account is not linked, you will be prompted to link it when attempting the transfer.

British Airways to or from: Iberia, AerClub, Qatar, or Finnair

Once you log in, click your name at the top right of the page, then go to “Executive Club,” and then to “Combine Your Avios.”

Here’s a direct link for the webpage – Combine your Avios

From here, you can transfer Avios to Iberia, AerClub, Qatar, and Finnair. When you select your preferred partner, a login screen will appear, as shown below.

After logging into your account, you will see a screen that shows your linked accounts. The “Transfer Avios” button will be under the screen displaying your linked accounts.

Iberia to or from: British, Vueling, or AerClub

Click Hello “Your Name Here” at the top right of the page
Find and click “My Iberia Plus,” then scroll to the bottom
Click Combine Avios — it will drop down this menu:

From here, you will be prompted to log in to the account you are transferring to. Once you log into the receiving airline’s account, enter the number of points you want to transfer and click Submit.

Examples of Award Bookings

You have Citi ThankYou points and want to book an AA Flight.

Check availability and compare taxes and fees with Qatar, Qantas, British Airways, AerClub, and Iberia. Each airline has different fees and award availability. For example, if you’re booking a domestic AA award flight and BA and Iberia offer the same price, it’s best to book through BA because it requires fewer transfers. In this case, you would:

Transfer Citi points to Qatar
Transfer from Qatar to BA
Book the AA flight using BA Avios

You have Chase Ultimate Rewards and want to book a Cathay Pacific flight.

Transfer from Chase to BA
Transfer from BA to Cathay Pacific

Oneworld Points Transfer: Taxes, Fees & Booking Tips

Now that you know the basics of transferring Avios, it’s important to consider taxes and fees. These vary by airline and can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars. When planning a oneworld points transfer, it’s smart to factor in these potential costs to avoid surprises.

To maximize the value of your points, keep in mind that some countries have laws limiting these fees. However, if you book a round-trip flight originating in the U.S. to one of these countries, you will likely be charged full taxes and fees both ways. A way to avoid some of the fees is by booking two one-way tickets instead of a round-trip ticket. This not only helps reduce fees but also provides greater flexibility if you need to change your flights.

Example: Taxes and Fees on a Business Class Seat to Madrid

Below is a comparison of taxes and fees for a business class flight to Madrid, departing from Dallas, versus a departure from Mexico City.

The fees on the flight from Mexico City (MEX) are $152.01 lower. However, this is just an example — I wouldn’t fly to MEX to save $150 (or technically $100, as I would pay $50 in fees to get from DFW to MEX).

That said, availability out of MEX for international premium cabins is often much better than from the U.S. In this case, I would consider taking a positioning flight to MEX.

Taxes and Fees Comparison

Many taxes and fees can be quite egregious, with $1,000+ not being uncommon for British Airways business class from the U.S. to Europe. In contrast, you can book American Airlines from DFW to LAX through BA and only pay $5.60 in fees. The best way to see fees for the route you’re interested in is to head over to your favorite award search tool or airline website to see what’s available.

Make sure to check all Avios Oneworld partners and any other program where you have accumulated sufficient miles to find the lowest fees on partner award bookings.

Aer Lingus is not a Oneworld Alliance member but does use Avios.

List of Countries with Fuel Surcharge Restrictions:

Oneworld Points Transfer Countries that have limited or no surcharges.

Argentina
Australia
Brazil
China (on domestic routes)
Hong Kong
Maldives
Mexico
New Zealand
Philippines
Saudi Arabia
South Korea
Taiwan
Thailand
Turkey
Vietnam

Note: While many countries regulate fuel surcharges, the extent of these regulations varies. Some only restrict surcharges on flights departing from their borders, meaning that starting your journey in one of these countries can help reduce or eliminate extra fees. Additionally, certain frequent flyer programs, such as Air Canada, Avianca, and United, do not impose fuel surcharges on award tickets.

Final Thoughts: Mastering the Oneworld Points Transfer Strategy

Make sure to check all Avios Oneworld partners and any other program you have miles in to find the lowest fees on partner award bookings. Strategic planning and a clear understanding of transfer partners—especially how to approach a oneworld points transfer—will allow you to maximize your points and get the best redemption value!