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The Citi ThankYou Rewards program is known for its flexible redemption options: Citi ThankYou points can be redeemed for the usual options like cash back, gift cards, and merchandise, as well as the most favorable redemption option: transferring points to a Citi ThankYou Rewards partner.
Like other flexible rewards programs, Citi ThankYou Rewards has numerous airline and hotel transfer partners, as well as one retail transfer partner. If you want to get the most out of this rewards program, keep reading to learn more about how to earn ThankYou points, why transferring points is the best redemption option, and Citi’s many transfer partners.
How to earn Citi ThankYou points
The Citi ThankYou Rewards program is a credit card loyalty program, so you can earn points by paying for purchases with an eligible credit card. Each Citi credit card that earns ThankYou points has its own earning structure that may or may not fit your needs. Some also offer welcome bonuses that you can earn by meeting time-limited spending requirements, allowing you to earn even more points.
Best Credit Cards to Earn Citi ThankYou Points
Here are the best Citi credit cards to earn rewards with this program:
| card | Welcome Offer | Reward Rate | Perks and benefits | Annual Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Citi Prestige® Card* | N/A |
| $495 | |
| Citi Rewards+® Card | Earn 20,000 bonus points after spending $1,500 within the first 3 months of opening your account |
|
| $0 |
| Citi Custom Cash® Card | Earn 20,000 bonus points after spending $1,500 in the first 6 months after opening your account |
|
| $0 |
| Citi Double Cash® Card | Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases within the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus reward will be awarded as 20,000 ThankYou® points that can be redeemed for $200 cash back. |
|
| $0 |
*The Citi Prestige Card is closed to new applications as of July 2021, but existing cardholders can still use their card. If you’re interested in the Citi Prestige, please see the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card instead.
Citi ThankYou Remittance Partner
If you want to make the most of Citi’s points transfer partners, keep in mind that you’ll need to create a free loyalty account with the airline, hotel, or retail program you plan to transfer your points to. To do this, go to your desired program’s website, find the sign-up page, and create an account by entering some basic personal information.
Citi ThankYou Airline Transfer Partner
Each of the Citi travel partners below allows you to transfer Citi ThankYou Points at a ratio of 1,000:1,000 (unless otherwise specified).
- Air France/KLM Flying Blue
- Aeromexico Awards
- Avianca LifeMiles
- Cathay Pacific
- Emirates Skywards
- Etihad Guest
- EVA Air Infinity Mileageland
- JetBlue TrueBlue (1,000:1,000 for Citi Prestige and Citi Strata Premier, 1,000:800 for Citi ThankYou® Preferred Card*, Citi Rewards+ Card, Sears Mastercard®* and Citi Double Cash Card)
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
- Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
The best Citi ThankYou transfer partner for you really depends on where you live and the destinations you plan to fly to most often. While all of the points transfers to airline partners are beneficial, the airlines below offer the best deals.
Air France/KLM Flying Blue
While the program doesn’t offer an award ticket chart, round-trip flights from the U.S. to Europe are frequent and available for just 20,000 miles. Award seats tend to be readily available if you book early, which can be a big plus for large families.
JetBlue True Blue
The JetBlue TrueBlue program doesn’t have an awards chart, but you can find domestic round-trip tickets for under 20,000 points. International round-trip tickets to Central America and the Caribbean tend to be affordable with points, and some tickets can be just as cheap as domestic itineraries.
Emirates Skywards
Emirates Skywards boasts one of the most luxurious experiences in air travel and offers great value. While first class benefits can be pricey, travel enthusiasts love using their Emirates Skywards Miles to book premium flights with partner airlines such as Japan Airlines.
Citi ThankYou Hotel Transfer Partner
Citi has four hotel transfer partners, each offering different points transfer rates.
ALL – Accor Live Limitless
Choice Hotels has over 40 hotel brands including Raffles, Fairmont, Sofitel and Novotel. ALL Rewards points can be redeemed for unique experiences, charitable donations and merchandise. The conversion rates from Citi ThankYou points to ALL Rewards points are as follows:
Selection privilege
Choice Hotels offers 22 hotel brands, including Comfort Hotels, Country Inn & Suites, Radisson Blu and Ascend Hotel Collection, giving you plenty of options to choose from. The conversion rates from Citi Thank You Points to Choice Privilege Points are as follows:
- 1,000:2,000 for City Prestige and City Strata Premier
- 1,000: 1,500 for Citi ThankYou Preferred Card, Citi Rewards+ Card, Sears MasterCard and Citi Double Cash Card.
Leaders Club
Leaders Club is the loyalty program of The Leading Hotels of the World, allowing Citi cardmembers to redeem their points at over 400 hotels in over 80 destinations. The conversion rates from Citi Thank You Points to Leaders Club Points are as follows:
Wyndham Rewards
Wyndham Rewards members can redeem their points at participating Wyndham Hotel & Resort brands, including La Quinta, Days Inn, Wyndham Grand and Super 8. The conversion rates from Citi Thank You Points to Wyndham Rewards points are as follows:
- 1,000: 1,200 for Citi Prestige and Citi Strata Premier
- 1,000:960, Citi Thank You Preferred Card, Citi Rewards+ Card, Sears MasterCard, Citi Double Cash Card
Citi ThankYou Retail Transfer Partner
Sears Shop Your Way Program
The Citi ThankYou Rewards program has one non-travel transfer partner to which you can transfer points: the Sears Shop Your Way program. With this rewards program, you can earn Shop Your Way points on eligible purchases, redeem points for gift cards, and transfer your Citi ThankYou points to Shop Your Way points. 1x Citi ThankYou points is equivalent to 10x Shop Your Way points.
How to transfer Citi ThankYou points
Typically, your points become more valuable if you transfer them to one of Citi’s frequent flyer partners. After all, most of Citi’s redemption options, like cash back or gift cards, are worth just 1 cent per point, while Citi’s ThankYou points are worth about 1.0 cent per point for travel, according to a recent valuation from Bankrate.
Keep in mind that not all Citi credit cards let you transfer points to Citi partners on their own. For example, the Citi Rewards+ card and Citi Custom Cash earn base ThankYou points that can’t be transferred to Citi partners, and Citi Double Cash lets you convert the cash back into the same base ThankYou points. However, you can pair any of these cards with a premier travel credit card, such as the Citi Strata Premier℠ card, to transfer rewards to airlines.
To redeem your Citi ThankYou points online, follow these steps:
- Go to the Citi ThankYou website and log into your account. From there, you can choose to transfer your points to Citi’s partners.
- To do this, click on “Other ways to redeem” and then “Transfer points.”
- Decide where you want to transfer your points (for example, to an airline or hotel loyalty program). Note that you must enter your airline or hotel loyalty program information in order to complete the transfer.
- Enter the number of points you want to transfer.
- Read and accept the terms and conditions.
- Review the transfer request.
Please note that not all Citi points transfers are automated and may take up to a week to complete, or if you would prefer to transfer your points over the phone, please call the ThankYou Service Center at 1-800-THANKYOU (1-800-842-6596).
Other ways to use your Citi ThankYou points
The Citi ThankYou Rewards program has more redemption options than most people realize. Outside of points transfer partners, you can redeem your points for:
- Statement Credit
- Direct deposit
- check
- Gift Cards
- merchandise
- Charitable Donations
- Travel via the Citi Portal
- Shop with Amazon.com, Best Buy, PayPal, Walmart and more
To redeem your points in any of the ways above, simply log into your account and select your preferred method from the toolbar.
Conclusion
If you want to get the most out of your ThankYou points, your best bet is to transfer them to Citi partners, especially airline partners. With that in mind, if you want to maximize your points earning and transfer them to airlines and other partners, consider combining two or more Citi credit cards, such as a no annual fee Citi card and a premium Citi card.
*Information about the Citi Prestige® Card, Citi ThankYou® Preferred Card and Sears Mastercard® was collected independently by Bankrate. Card details have not been verified or endorsed by the issuers.
