Most families assume that premium award tickets especially for more than two people require half a million points per person or some kind of elite status to unlock. So they quietly rule it out. “Too many miles. Too much cash. Too complicated with kids.” But what if I told you that those sky-high redemption rates could shrink dramatically just by timing your transfer strategically?
Transfer bonuses from credit card points are one of the most overlooked tools in family award travel. When you stack them with the right airline program and use child discounts where available, you can take what looks like an “aspirational” trip and turn it into something doable, repeatable, and even normal. You just need to know what to look for, when to move, and how to earn points intentionally.
In this post, I’ll walk you through real examples of families booking Business Class seats for 2 ~ 9 people on some of the world’s top airlines while saving tens of thousands of dollars. And no, we’re not talking about obscure red-eye flights or off-season routes.
We’re talking about:
- 8 business class award seats from San Francisco to Amsterdam
- 9 award seats from Los Angeles to Tahiti
- 3 ~ 4 award seats to Asia during Lunar New Year
- And redemptions most people assume are “too expensive” that can be cut down by 25 ~ 30% or more with a transfer bonus
Once you understand how to pair a transfer bonus with the right redemption opportunity, you unlock an entirely different way to travel with your family. Let’s dive into what that looks like seat by seat, savings by savings.
What Airline Program Transfer Bonus Is Available In May 2025?
Here are the current and upcoming transfer bonuses:
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Details: 30% transfer bonus from Citi ThankYou Rewards
- Date: 5/1/2025 ~ 5/31/2025
- Air France / KLM Flying Blue
- Details: 25% transfer bonus from Chase Ultimate Rewards
- Date: 5/1/2025 ~ 5/31/2025
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- Details: (1) 30% transfer bonus from Citi ThankYou Rewards. (2) 25% transfer bonus from Chase Ultimate Rewards
- Date: (1) 4/13/2025 ~ 5/17/2025 (2) 5/1/2025 ~ 6/15/2025
Transfer Bonus (1): 25% Bonus From Chase Ultimate Rewards To Air France / KLM Flying Blue
Last night, I nearly dropped my coffee when I saw it: eight business class award seats available from San Francisco to Amsterdam on KLM, which is wide open and just waiting to be booked. This wasn’t a mistake fare, or one of those too-good-to-be-true deals buried deep in a Facebook forum thread. It was just smart timing, with the Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer bonus, and Flying Blue’s surprisingly generous child discount. They are all aligned in that rare moment when family award travel becomes actually doable.
San Francisco to Amsterdam in KLM Business Class By Using Flying Blue (8 Award Seats Available)
Let me set the scene: 99,000 miles + $236 in taxes per person for one way business class with a full-service carrier. And yes, for all 8 award seats. That’s the part that gets overlooked. It’s not just that you can book a lie-flat seat for under 100,000 miles per person one way. It’s that you can book multiple award seats on the same flight. And not just two, but enough for your whole family to Europe. With the 25% Chase transfer bonus, you’d only need to move 80,000 points per adult. And if your kids are under 11? Flying Blue knocks 25% off their award miles requirement. That drops their award to 80,000 miles which means just 64,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points with the bonus.
Let’s do the math for a family of five (two adults, three young kids). Instead of using 495,000 miles, you’d only need 348,480 Chase Ultimate Rewards points with both the transfer bonus and child discount. That’s about 350,000 transferable points for a $25,000 business class experience, which is a real 78.5% savings, and a meaningful savings for a memorable trip.
Los Angeles to Papeete, French Polynesia (Tahiti) In Air France Business Class By Using Flying Blue (9 Award Seats Available)
Like last evening I talked with a friend’s family of 7 (four adults and three kids) who wanted something special for this summer or winter break. Japan was on the table, but I suggested something different: Tahiti. It’s not just for couples but also it’s a dream for families too, with water activities, island culture, and relaxing resorts like the Conrad Bora Bora that feel like a world apart. When I ran the search, my jaw dropped again. There are 9 business class award seats available. Yes, 9 were available from Los Angeles to Papeete, French Polynesia. That kind of availability for a single family? Almost unheard of. What’s even better is there are the same availability on the return!
Here’s how it broke down:
- 103,500 miles + $236.50 taxes per person one way
- After a 25% transfer bonus, that’s only 83,000 points for adults
- Having kids under 11? Just 67,000 points after child discount and bonus
The outbound flight for four adults and three kids came to about 533,000 miles. And the return flight is even cheaper, which is 85,000 miles + $285 per person. With the transfer bonus, Every adult only paid 68,000 miles and every kid only paid 55,000 miles.
So the full round-trip cost for seven persons in business class of 9-hour flight is 970,000 miles. What is the cash value? It would be over $44,000 for all seven of them. By using the right programs and stacking transfer bonuses along with child discounts, they used around $14,800 in points value, a savings of nearly $30,000. And they didn’t just get there. They flew comfortably, slept on the plane, and arrived refreshed. That changes everything for a family trip.
Transfer Bonus (2): 30% Bonus From Citi ThankYou Rewards To Virgin Atlantic Flying Club / 25% Bonus From Chase Ultimate Rewards To Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Manchester, United Kingdom To New York On Virgin Atlantic Business Class By Using Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (4 Award Seats Available)
One of my sisters is planning to fly in from the United Kingdom for a fall reunion. When using Virgin Atlantic’s Reward Seat Checker, we spotted an insanely good deal: one way business class from Manchester to New York for just 29,000 points + taxes per person. After the 30% transfer bonus from Citi ThankYou Rewards, it is just 23,000 points one way per person.
For a flight that normally costs $3,700, it’s a no-brainer. And if her entire family of four comes along? That’s over $14,000 saving by using just 92,000 transferable points.
Virgin Atlantic now allows up to 10 members of the same household to pool miles, which makes redemptions like this far more accessible. And even if you’re not in the same household, you can transfer your miles to another Virgin Atlantic member for just $15, which is a small price for a big reward.
San Francisco To Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam On Vietnam Airlines Business Class By Using Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (3 ~ 4 Award Seats Available)
And there’s more. What about flying from San Francisco to Ho Chi Minh City on Vietnam Airlines? Virgin Atlantic charges 140,000 points one way in Business. I know it sounds too high! However, with a 30% transfer bonus, you only need 108,000 Citi ThankYou Rewards points. Cash fares hover around $6,000 round trip, so the value per point is off the charts. Even better, I have found 3 ~ 4 business class award seats available, which is a perfect fit for families heading to Asia for Lunar New Year.
Transfer Bonus (3): 30% Bonus From Citi ThankYou Rewards To Qatar Airways Privilege Club
“Avios” is very valuable points currency because they are inter-transferrable among five different programs: British Airways, Qatar Airways, Finnair, Iberia and Aer Lingus. Now with 30% transfer bonus, there are plenty of possibilities for you to travel back home to see families in Asia or to plan on a dream vacation in Maldives.
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam To Hong Kong On Cathay Pacific Business Class By Using Qatar Airways Privilege Club (4 Award Seats Available)
Cathay Pacific business class from Ho Chi Minh City to Hong Kong? It only costs 16,500 Avios one way per person, or just 13,000 Citi ThankYou Rewards points after the 30% transfer bonus. And yes, there are 4 business class award seats available. It is exactly what I did in our summer 2024 trip.
New York to Maldives On Qatar Airways Business Class By Using Privilege Club For Your Dream Vacation (2 Award Seats Available)
Manchester, United Kingdom To Hong Kong on Qatar Airways Business Class By Using Qatar Airways Privilege Club (2 Award Seats Available)
From Manchester to Hong Kong on Qatar Airways in business class? That redemption is normally 75,000 Avios per person, but with the 30% transfer bonus, it’s just 58,000 points one way. For two persons’ round-trip, it originally costs 300,000 Avios. However, it drops to 231,000 points with the transfer bonus, which offers 36 hours of lie-flat travel with world-class lounge access at a fraction of the cost. These aren’t once-in-a-lifetime redemptions. They’re what’s possible when you earn strategically and stay ready for the right opportunity.
How Do You Earn These Miles?
This is the part I always get asked, especially after I show how a family saved $25,000+ on one trip alone. If you’re starting from scratch, or even if you already have some points on hand, here are my go-to credit cards for building a solid, flexible points foundation and you can get most out of the current transfer bonuses:
These cards are tools not just to save money, but to unlock travel your family will never forget. And when you combine transfer bonuses with smart redemptions and benefits like Flying Blue’s 25% child discount, the numbers start working in your favor is ultra fast.
Final Thoughts
So the next time someone tells you flying business class with kids isn’t realistic, feel free to show them this post. Tell them there are 8 business class award seats availability to Amsterdam, or 9 business class award seats availability to Tahiti. The family of seven can fly round-trip in lie-flat seats for less than 1 million points. The reunion that became possible because a few savvy transfers shaved off thousands in cost. Traveling in comfort as a family isn’t about being lucky. It’s about being ready. Once you know how to earn and where to look, you’re not just planning trips anymore. You’re building memories together.
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