You typically aren't able to transfer miles between partner airlines (or any airlines). But what you can do is use your loyalty program points to book an award flight on a partner airline. While searching for a flight on your favorite airline's website, choose the option to book or redeem using points or miles.

While you cannot usually "move" points from one airline's account directly into another's (e.g., moving Delta miles to Air France), you can redeem partner miles across an alliance. In 2026, the three major alliances—Star Alliance, SkyTeam, and Oneworld—allow you to use the miles in your "home" account to book award flights on any partner airline. For example, you can use United MileagePlus miles to book a Lufthansa flight. A few rare exceptions exist, such as the Avios ecosystem (British Airways, Iberia, Qatar Airways, Aer Lingus), where you can move points at a 1:1 ratio between accounts using the "Combine My Avios" tool. For most other carriers, the best strategy is to use flexible credit card points (like Amex, Chase, or Capital One), which act as a "central hub" that can be transferred to dozens of different partner airlines as needed for a specific reward flight.