Transferring & Redeeming Citi ThankYou Points: Different Ways to Use Your Rewards

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Citi ThankYou Points are one of the most valuable transferable currencies out there. With a compact yet impactful credit card portfolio and impressive transfer partners, it’s a terrific option for those who want a well-rounded rewards portfolio. By familiarizing yourself with the program’s true potential, you’ll be well-equipped to maximize its value. Here’s a look at everything you need to know about Citi ThankYou Points:

Citi ThankYou Points: Quick Facts

• Citi ThankYou Points are a rewards currency issued by Citi through credit cards and checking accounts.
• Sources across the web value Citi ThankYou Points at about 1 to 1.5 cents each, depending on how you redeem them.
• You’ll get the most value from high-end travel redemptions and the lowest from cash back or statement credits.

Transferring & Redeeming Citi ThankYou Points

Now on to the fun part: Redeeming Citi ThankYou Points. Citi ThankYou Points are among the most underrated transferable rewards currencies out there. There are multiple options for redeeming points, including:

• Transferring your points to one of 16 travel partners, which will get you the most value.
• Redeem points for travel on the Citi ThankYou Travel site.
• Transferring ThankYou points for cash: Unlike other transferable rewards programs like Amex Membership Rewards, Citi allows cardholders to redeem their points for cash rewards at a reasonable rate. 

Transferring Citi ThankYou Points: Airline & Hotel Partners

The Citi ThankYou program has 16 airline and hotel partners you can transfer points to. They include well-known domestic programs and some international partners that offer cheap flights to popular destinations. ThankYou Points transfer to most of them at a 1:1 ratio, with a few noted exceptions:

• Mexico Club Premier
• Air France/KLM Flying Blue
• Avianca Lifemiles
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
• Choice Privileges (1:2 for Premier + Prestige, 1:1.5 for all others)
• Emirates Skywards
• Etihad Guest Miles
• Eva Air
• JetBlue TrueBlue (1:1 Citi Premier + Prestige, 1:0.8 for all others)
• Qantas Frequent Flyer
• Qatar Privilege Club
• Sears Shop Your Way (1:10)
• Singapore Krisflyer
• Thai Royal Orchid Plus
• Turkish Miles& Smiles
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
• Wyndham Rewards (1:1 Citi Premier + Prestige, 1:0.8 for all others)

Transferring Citi ThankYou Points for “Sweet Spot” Airline Offers

Several Citi transfer partners offer “sweet spot” redemptions. These are award tickets that cost significantly fewer miles than most other loyalty programs. Here’s a look at some “sweet spot” awards you can book with Citi ThankYou partners:

• Turkish Miles&Smiles: 7,500 miles one-way for United Airlines economy class to Hawaii
• Air France/KLM Flying Blue: 15,000 miles one-way for economy class between the U.S. and Caribbean
• Etihad Guest: 44,000 miles one-way for Royal Air Maroc business class from the East Coast to Morocco 
• Virgin Atlantic: 50,000 miles one-way for Delta One Suites to Europe
• Avianca Lifemiles: 87,000 miles one-way for Lufthansa first class to Europe

Redeeming on Citi Travel Portal vs. Transferring Points to Partners

It’s definitely worthwhile to compare rates on the Citi ThankYou travel site for potential savings. When travel is expensive, transferring points to a loyalty program seems to make the most sense. Transferring points is ideal when booking business and first-class tickets or traveling during peak season so you can save your cash. However, when hotel rooms are on sale or airfare is low, redeeming points through the Citi ThankYou Travel site might be better.

For example, a room at the Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Disney Springs Resort goes for 30,000 Wyndham points per night. But you can book the same room through the Citi travel site for around 20,000 ThankYou points in the fall. By booking through Citi rather than transferring ThankYou points to Wyndham, you can book the same room for 10,000 fewer points.

Redeeming Citi ThankYou Points for Cash Back

Cash back isn’t the best use of any points, but in rare cases, it makes sense. At the start of the pandemic, when travel became impossible and people lost their jobs, redeeming points for cash back made sense. Citi lets you do this at 0.8-1 cent per point, depending on the method. 

While being able to redeem ThankYou Points for cash back is a nice option, you can get well over two cents per point by transferring them to a travel partner instead. However, when times are tough, redeeming points for mortgage statements might come in handy. In these circumstances, the one-cent-per-point redemption rate is reasonable. 

That being said, if you’re regularly redeeming points for cash back, you might want to consider getting a cash back card instead. You won’t pay an annual fee but can earn upwards of 2% on all purchases. Be sure to check out Citi’s cash back cards for the most rewarding option that fits your spending habits. 

How to Earn Citi ThankYou Points

Credit Card Rewards: Citi has a small but mighty lineup of rewards credit cards that can help you earn earn points in various ways including:

• Citi welcome bonuses: Citi’s rewards credit card selection is sparse compared to competitors like American Express or Chase. Despite the limited selection, these credit cards offer generous category bonuses, allowing you to keep earning ThankYou Points well after the sign-up bonus is spent.
• Targeted Spending Bonuses: Citi sometimes offers bonus points for meeting targeted spending thresholds. These offers are usually sent out to select cardmembers and the categories vary, but the earning rate goes as high as 5 points per dollar spent. If you opt-in to receive marketing emails from Citi, you’ll see offers like this in the mail or email. 
• Points on everyday spending: The category bonuses on these cards are also in line with most people’s spending habits. Cardmembers are rewarded for common purchases like gas, groceries and travel.
• Adding an Authorized User: Adding an authorized user to your Citi card is a great way to earn additional rewards on a significant other’s spending without shelling out an extra annual fee. Sometimes Citi will even offer around 2,500 bonus points for this activity. To get targeted for an authorized user bonus, make sure you opt in to receive marketing materials from Citi. Usually, these offers will arrive via email or regular mail.

Checking Account Rewards: The most passive option is keeping a qualifying Citi checking account open and making at least one debit transaction a month. This simple activity earns 350 ThankYou Points per month. Meanwhile, paying bills with a premium checking account will get you 650 points per month. These aren’t huge numbers, but they add up over time. Plus, with Citi’s various sweet spot redemptions, these activities will get you close to your dream vacation faster than you might think.

Credit Cards that Earn Citi ThankYou Points

• Citi Premier® Card: The Citi Premier® Card, from our partner Citi, is worth considering if you’re looking for accelerated travel rewards but don’t want to pay a huge annual fee. It’s easy to quickly rack up lots of points on this card. While you can redeem ThankYou points for gift cards, you’ll get more value when you redeem points for flights and hotels, and potentially even better value when you transfer points to travel partners.
• Citi Rewards+® Card: The Citi Rewards+® Card, from our partner Citi, rounds up all purchases to the nearest 10 ThankYou Points. For example, if you bought a cup of coffee for $2, you’d earn 10 ThankYou Points. Similarly, if a burger and fries cost $15, you’d earn 20 ThankYou Points. So if you make a lot of small purchases, like a morning cup of coffee, this could be the card for you.
• Citi Custom Cash® Card & Citi^® Double Cash Card: These are technically billed as a cash-back credit card, but you’ll actually earn ThankYou Points, which can be worth more than traditional cash-back rewards. You can really maximize your spending by using one of these cards for any purchases that don’t earn bonus points on Citi Premier, Citi Prestige or Citi Rewards+ cards (both from our partner Citi). 
• Citi Prestige^® Card: The Citi Prestige Card, from our partner Citi, no longer accepts new applicants, but if that ever changes, you may want to add it to your wallet. The card has a hefty $495 annual fee but offers many travel perks to make up for it. The card also earns 5X points on dining, airlines and travel agencies, 3X points at cruise lines and 1 point per dollar everywhere else. In addition, Citi Prestige cardholders get more favorable transfer ratios to Choice Privileges, JetBlue TrueBlue and Wyndham Rewards.

Why We Like Citi ThankYou Points

There aren’t many rewards programs out there that are both generous and accessible. Citi checks both boxes with its ThankYou rewards program. The program’s credit cards offer reasonable annual fees and lucrative category bonuses that makes earning points a breeze.

Leveraged correctly, Citi ThankYou Points can open up some incredible travel opportunities. Between their flexibility, generous credit cards and impressive line-up of travel partners, Citi ThankYou Points are an excellent addition to a robust travel rewards strategy. 

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