Capital One now transfers to Copa Airlines, a Star Alliance member based in Panama City. The partnership launched on November 2, 2026, with a 30% transfer bonus through December 1.
Copa follows Citi, which added ConnectMiles in October. The program has one of the better Emirates business class deals around, with no carrier-imposed fuel surcharges.
Transfer ratios
Capital One miles normally transfer to Copa at less than 1:1, but the launch bonus gets you close:
- Standard transfer rate: 1,000 Capital One miles to 750 ConnectMiles
- Bonus rate: 1,000 Capital One miles to 975 ConnectMiles
- Transfer bonus: 30%
- Bonus ends: 11:59pm ET on December 1, 2026
- Minimum transfer: 1,000 Capital One miles
Capital One has run a 30% bonus to Japan Airlines, which has the same standard rate, four times since September 2025. So there's no need to rush a transfer without a trip in mind.
Transfers cannot be reversed, so confirm your award seat before you transfer your miles.
For the full partner list, check out the Capital One transfer partners overview.
Why Copa is worth a look
While most airlines have dropped their award charts, Copa ConnectMiles still uses a fixed award chart.
Even better, ConnectMiles usually skips carrier-imposed surcharges on partner awards. You still need to pay taxes, but without the fuel surcharges, the total fees are much lower.
ConnectMiles round-trip awards also allow 1 free stopover and 2 open jaws, which is generous by today's standards.
Here are some sample one-way prices in ConnectMiles:
- Within the US or Canada: 12,500 in economy, 25,000 in business
- US to Central America or the Caribbean: 15,000 in economy, 30,000 in business
- US to northern South America: 15,000 in economy, 35,000 in business
- US to Dubai on Emirates: 80,000 in business
The Emirates sweet spot
Probably the best use case for ConnectMiles is flying Emirates business class from the US to Dubai for 80,000 miles one-way, with no carrier-imposed fuel surcharges.
Capital One already transfers to Emirates Skywards, but Skywards awards usually come with big surcharges. Here's how the two compare on a JFK to Dubai round trip in business class:
Booking through | Award price | Capital One miles needed | Surcharges |
|---|---|---|---|
Copa with 30% bonus | 160,000 | 164,000 | None |
Copa after December 1 | 160,000 | 213,000 | None |
Emirates Skywards | 192,000 | 256,000 | Yes, up to $1,719 with taxes and fees |
Award prices change often, so confirm them before you transfer.
On paper, Copa saves about 91,000 Capital One miles over Skywards during the bonus. Even after December 1, it still saves about 42,000 miles.
For what it's worth, there is a catch. Saver Emirates space through Copa is hard to find, and Frequent Miler struck out on a batch of searches in September.
Copa's online booking engine also has a reputation for being glitchy. If a partner seat doesn't show up, you may need to call ConnectMiles to book it.
Emirates Business Class: Photo courtesy of Emirates
A few more perks
Copa's stopover program lets you spend up to 15 days in Panama at no extra airfare.
Cirium ranked Copa the most punctual airline in Latin America in 2025, with 90.75% of its flights on time.
Starlink Wi-Fi is also rolling out across the fleet.
Copa Airlines business class. Photo courtesy of Copa Airlines
Finding award space
Finding saver space on Copa's partners can be hit or miss. That's where Roame SkyView comes in handy. You can scan a full month of award space at once and find the dates that work.
Once you spot a seat, confirm that ConnectMiles shows the same space and price on its website before you transfer your miles.
Final Thoughts
Copa is a solid new option for Capital One miles. The 30% bonus, the fixed chart and the surcharge-free partner awards make it worth a look through December 1.
Just make sure you find the seat first.
