Transfer Partners

Workflow

Step 1: Get Award Availability

Use seats.aero (API or web) to search for award flights. Each result includes:

• Source (the loyalty program: "united", "aeroplan", "flyingblue", etc.)
• Points cost per cabin (e.g., 55,000 business)

Step 2: Map Seats.aero Sources to Transfer Partners

Seats.aero source names map to transfer-partners.json keys:

Programs with "no direct transfer" can only be booked by earning miles directly or through alliance partner bookings.

Step 3: Calculate Effective Cost

For each award option, calculate the cost in each transferable currency:

effective_cost = award_miles / transfer_ratio

Example: Aeroplan business at 55,000 miles

• Chase UR: 55,000 / 1.0 = 55,000 UR points
• Amex MR: 55,000 / 1.0 = 55,000 MR points
• Capital One: 55,000 / 1.0 = 55,000 Cap One miles

Example: Emirates business at 72,500 miles

• Bilt: 72,500 / 1.0 = 72,500 Bilt points
• Amex MR: 72,500 / 0.8 = 90,625 MR points (worse ratio)
• Capital One: 72,500 / 0.75 = 96,667 Cap One miles (worst ratio)

Step 4: Calculate Opportunity Cost (CPP)

Use points-valuations.json to assess what each currency is "worth":

opportunity_cost = effective_cost × point_value_cpp / 100

This tells you the "cash equivalent" you're giving up. Lower is better.

Step 5: Present Results

Always use markdown tables.

After the table:

• Recommendation: "Book via Alaska using Bilt points. 37,500 Bilt = $638 opportunity cost vs next best United/Aeroplan at $935."
• Check balance: Verify the user has enough points in the recommended currency.
• Transfer bonus? Check if any current transfer bonuses apply (Roame.travel or TPG bonus tracker).

jq Recipes

Find all currencies that transfer to a program

jq -r '
  to_entries | .[] | select(.key != "_meta") |
  .key as $currency | .value.display_name as $name |
  (.value.airlines // {}) + (.value.hotels // {}) |
  to_entries[] | select(.key == "PROGRAM_KEY") |
  "\($name): \(.value.ratio):1 → \(.value.program)"
' data/transfer-partners.json

Replace PROGRAM_KEY with the key (e.g., united, aeroplan, flying_blue).

Calculate effective costs for an award

# Given: 55000 miles via aeroplan
PROGRAM="aeroplan"
MILES=55000
jq -r --arg prog "$PROGRAM" --argjson miles $MILES '
  to_entries | .[] | select(.key != "_meta") |
  .key as $currency | .value.display_name as $name |
  ((.value.airlines // {}) + (.value.hotels // {}))[$prog] // null |
  select(. != null) |
  "\($name): \(($miles / .ratio) | floor) points (ratio \(.ratio):1)"
' data/transfer-partners.json

Find cheapest path for multiple award options

# Given: united at 55000, aeroplan at 55000, alaska at 37500
echo '[
  {"program": "united", "miles": 55000},
  {"program": "aeroplan", "miles": 55000},
  {"program": "alaska_hawaiian", "miles": 37500}
]' | jq -r --slurpfile tp data/transfer-partners.json '
  .[] | .program as $prog | .miles as $miles |
  ($tp[0] | to_entries | .[] | select(.key != "_meta") |
    .value.display_name as $name |
    ((.value.airlines // {}) + (.value.hotels // {}))[$prog] // null |
    select(. != null) |
    {currency: $name, program: $prog, miles: $miles, points_needed: (($miles / .ratio) | floor), ratio: .ratio}
  )
' | jq -s 'sort_by(.points_needed)'

Cross-Alliance Optimization

Sometimes the cheapest path involves booking through a different program than the obvious one. Check data/partner-awards.json for cross-alliance highlights:

• Virgin Atlantic → ANA: 52.5K business from West Coast. Cheaper than any Star Alliance program.
• Etihad → American Airlines: Fixed chart often beats AA's dynamic pricing.
• Flying Blue → Delta: Often cheaper than SkyMiles, plus free stopovers.
• Alaska → Starlux: Only points booking option for Starlux.

Notes

• Transfer ratios rarely change, but verify against issuer websites before large transfers.
• Transfers are usually instant but can take up to 48 hours. Don't transfer until you've confirmed award availability.
• Some programs run transfer bonuses (10-30% extra). Check Roame.travel for current bonuses.
• The "best" currency depends on what you have the most of AND what you value it at. A 1:1 transfer from a currency you value at 2.0 cpp costs more in opportunity than a 1:1 from one you value at 1.5 cpp.