How to Use Credit Card Points for Thanksgiving Flights
Transfer bank points to airline partners now, then compare portal and miles prices to save on peak seats.
Use credit card points for Thanksgiving flights by transferring them to an airline partner for an award ticket, or by using them directly in your card travel portal. Transferable points are bank points that move to airline programs, and transfers often stretch further for scarce peak seats. Thanksgiving week is a peak award-travel period with higher points prices and fewer saver seats.
With travel just weeks away, compare your options now instead of waiting for prices to drop.
Verification note: Program terms and availability can change. This page was checked against linked sources on November 02, 2026.
Why do Thanksgiving flights cost more points?
Thanksgiving week brings full flights and limited saver award space for all U.S. holiday flyers. According to The Points Guy, peak dates carry higher points prices because airlines open fewer low-cost seats, as described in its Thanksgiving award-travel guide.
Domestic Thanksgiving fares tracked about 13% above 2025 levels. Travel Bulletin reported that Halloween served as an effective cutoff for finding reasonable holiday prices in its holiday flight booking update. Since it is now November 02, 2026, expect cash-linked options to be high.
That makes transferred miles more useful for some routes because they follow award charts, not cash fares.
When should you have booked?
U.S. airlines open bookings about 330 days ahead. Going reports that award tickets should be booked as soon as space appears, ideally in the opposite season from Thanksgiving, in its advance booking guide.
For this year, that window has passed. Search immediately for any remaining saver space, and set alerts for added flights or schedule changes. If you miss this Thanksgiving, use the same rule for next year.
Check dates in spring when Thanksgiving inventory first appears.
How do point transfers work?
Some bank points move to airline programs. Thrifty Traveler reports that Chase Ultimate Rewards transfers to 14 airline and hotel partners, including 10 airlines, generally 1:1 in 1,000-point increments, in its Chase transfer partner guide. That means 1,000 bank points become 1,000 partner miles.
You must have an account with the airline program, and transfers usually cannot be reversed. Partner programs can book flights operated by U.S. airlines.
Examples include Flying Blue for Delta flights and Aeroplan for United flights. Search the partner site for your exact Thanksgiving date before you transfer.
Should you transfer points or use the travel portal?
Price the same Thanksgiving trip three ways before you decide: Thrifty Traveler notes that comparing cash, portal points, and transferred miles matters because transfers often beat portal value for scarce peak seats. Portal points have a fixed cash value, so they rise with cash fares. Transferred miles can cost fewer points when cash fares spike.
They also have limits, including fewer saver seats and possible fuel surcharges on some partners.
- cash price on the airline site
- points price in your card travel portal
- miles price after transfer to each partner program
What if you fly Southwest?
Southwest imposes no blackout dates, so any ticket for sale can be booked with Rapid Rewards points. The cost floats with cash price and demand, so Thanksgiving flights cost more points than off-peak flights. Check the points price on Southwest for your exact flight.
If the cash fare drops later, you can often rebook and keep the difference in points.