U.S. Bank Transfer Partners and How To Use Them [2026]

U.S. Bank has added transfer partners, giving cardholders a way to move points into airline and hotel programs.

There are now 5 partners: 4 airlines at 1:1 and 1 hotel program at 2:1. Transfers are currently limited to 4 credit cards, including the U.S. Bank Altitude^® Reserve Visa Infinite^® Card and several cards from the FlexPerks family, yet all of these are closed to new applicants.

The list launched in stages, and U.S. Bank says it should expand in the future.

Quick Overview: U.S. Bank Transfer Partners

U.S. Bank launched point transfers on August 11, 2026, starting with the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card. The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card has been closed to new applicants since November 2024, so only existing cardholders and holders of 3 older FlexPerks cards can transfer points at present.

The list launched with 4 partners, and a fifth partner was added at the end of August 2026. There are now 5 partners: Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Avianca Lifemiles, Ethiopian Airlines ShebaMiles, and Qantas Frequent Flyer at 1:1, plus ALL – Accor Live Limitless at 2:1.

All point transfers are final and cannot be reversed once the request is submitted (Source: U.S. Bank). Confirm award space before moving any points.

Qantas Frequent Flyer was pulled within roughly 24 hours of launch and returned in late August 2026. U.S. Bank has added 1 partner since the initial launch, and the issuer says it is working to add more partners.

How To Transfer U.S. Bank Points

1. Log in to your U.S. Bank account and select your eligible card.
2. Open the Rewards tab and follow the link to the Rewards Center.
3. Look for the button labeled “Rewards your way with loyalty rewards transfer.”
4. Accept the notice that you are leaving U.S. Bank. The link opens a U.S. Bank-branded version of Points.com, which processes the transfers.
5. Connect the loyalty program you want to transfer to. You will need your membership number and login credentials for that program.
6. Enter the number of points to transfer and confirm.
7. Book directly with the airline or hotel program once the points post.

U.S. Bank does not publish minimum transfer amounts or processing times for individual partners.

Best Ways To Use U.S. Bank Transfer Partners

Air France-KLM Flying Blue

Flying Blue is the most broadly useful partner on the list. Saver awards between the U.S. and Europe start at 25,000 miles one-way in economy, 40,000 in premium economy, and 60,000 in business. North Africa prices the same as Europe, so Morocco, Tunisia, and the Canary Islands cost no more than flying to Paris.

Flying Blue’s monthly Promo Rewards cut certain routes by 20% to 50%, and those discounts are where the program does its best work. Flying Blue is within the SkyTeam alliance, so Delta and Virgin Atlantic awards are bookable, and Delta doesn’t charge fuel surcharges on award tickets.

There are 2 caveats to consider when it’s time to use your miles. Air France and KLM levy surcharges that can run a few hundred dollars, and as of September 8, 2026, Flying Blue has unbundled award tickets on its own flights into Light, Standard, and Flex tiers.

Avianca Lifemiles

Lifemiles is the most unpredictable program on the list and the most likely to get you into a Star Alliance business class seat for less. Avianca publishes no award chart. Partner awards price in loose bands that shift without notice, so the same flight can return different numbers a week apart.

U.S. to Europe business class costs between 54,000 and 92,000 miles one-way, depending on route, carrier, date, and whether you have a connection. Nobody should assume those prices hold. Lifemiles has devalued 3 times in the last year and a half, and the April 2026 changes pushed transatlantic economy from a 40,000-mile baseline to about 48,400.

What Lifemiles doesn’t charge matters more than the sticker price. There are no fuel surcharges on Star Alliance partner awards, making awards like Lufthansa first class attractive when compared to other booking options.

Short-haul deserves a look too. United domestic economy awards start near 7,500 miles one-way, the West Coast to Hawaii costs about 18,150, Houston (IAH) to San Salvador (SAL) on Avianca starts around 8,050, and Washington, D.C. (IAD) to Bogotá (BOG) has priced from roughly 14,150.

Every award carries a $25 booking fee that can’t be waived. There are no free stopovers or open jaws, and fees to change or cancel can be expensive. The Lifemiles search engine sometimes shows space that fails at checkout, so confirm the seat through another website before you transfer any points.

Ethiopian Airlines ShebaMiles

Ethiopian is the most unique partner in the list. U.S. Bank is currently the only bank-based transferable currency that partners with ShebaMiles. Previously, 3:1 transfers from Marriott Bonvoy were the only U.S.-based way to move rewards into the program.

The best-documented sweet spot is Ethiopian’s fifth-freedom flying. Short-haul routes such as Bangkok (BKK) to Hong Kong (HKG), Singapore (SIN) to Kuala Lumpur (KUL), and Stockholm (ARN) to Oslo (OSL) price at 15,000 miles one-way in business and 10,000 in economy, available on B787s and A350s with lie-flat seats. Star Alliance partner awards start around 30,000 miles one-way in economy.

The program has rough edges. Award seats open 330 days out, changes cost $50, refunds cost $100, and the website and app do not always display the same inventory.

Qantas Frequent Flyer

Qantas is a member of Oneworld, and its Frequent Flyer program still uses fixed distance-based award charts rather than dynamic pricing, which keeps costs predictable. The program maintains several separate charts, so matching the right one to an itinerary matters.

Short round-trips on American Airlines under 600 miles each way cost 18,400 points, up from 16,000 before the August 2025 increase, and that pricing is hard to beat on Caribbean routes out of Miami (MIA).

Qantas Frequent Flyer also provides booking options with non-Oneworld partners, including Emirates and El Al, and it is one of the few programs left offering round-the-world award reservations, which permit 5 free stopovers across up to 35,000 flown miles. Be mindful of the carrier surcharges on British Airways and Iberia awards, though.

Emirates first class now requires Qantas Silver status and costs 20% more than it did before March 31, 2026.

ALL – Accor Live Limitless

Accor is the only hotel partner, and the 2:1 ratio needs context to make sense. Reward points redeem at a fixed rate of €20 (roughly $23) off a stay per 1,000 points, which works out to roughly 2.3 cents per point. Transfer 2 U.S. Bank points to get 1 Reward point, and 3 points per $1 on mobile wallet spending (up to $5,000 per billing cycle) becomes about 3.45% back toward Accor stays. That is a reasonable floor for a rewards program whose points otherwise cap at 1 cent.

Accor Live Limitless includes more than 5,100 hotels in 110 countries, including Banyan Tree, Fairmont, ibis, Mövenpick, Novotel, Raffles, and Sofitel. Reward points expire after 365 days without qualifying activity, so transfer close to a booking rather than stockpiling.

Which U.S. Bank Cards Have Transfer Partners?

Transfers were launched on the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card and later confirmed on 3 additional products: U.S. Bank FlexPerks^® Reserve Visa Infinite^® Card, U.S. Bank FlexPerks^® Travel Rewards Visa Signature^® Card, and U.S. Bank FlexPerks^® Business Travel Rewards Card. U.S. Bank’s program rules for U.S. Bank FlexPerks Travel Rewards include the same points transfer terms as the Altitude Reserve card (Source: U.S. Bank).

All 4 cards are closed to new applicants. The U.S. Bank Altitude^® Connect Visa Signature^® Card and U.S. Bank Altitude^® Go Visa Signature^® Card do not have transfer partners, and their program rules cover only point transfers between qualifying U.S. Bank accounts (Source: U.S. Bank).

Other Ways To Use U.S. Bank Points

Real-Time Rewards lets Altitude cardholders redeem against eligible purchases by text message at 1 cent per point, available without going through a portal. The U.S. Bank Travel Center also prices points at 1 cent each, down from 1.5 cents before December 2025, and portal bookings made with points cannot be reversed for a points refund.

Cash-back is available as a statement credit or as a deposit to an eligible U.S. Bank account, with the deposit option holding a full 1 cent per point. Gift cards redeem at 1 cent per point, merchandise runs closer to 0.9 cents, and charitable donations are matched by U.S. Bank at 100%.

Final Thoughts

U.S. Bank now has 5 transfer partners, a small list when compared to Chase and American Express, but Lifemiles, Flying Blue, and ShebaMiles open redemptions that U.S. Bank points could not reach before.

Transfers are final once submitted, so confirm award space first. Check the Rewards Center for current availability before transferring, since the partner list is new and subject to change.