Guide to Citi ThankYou Rewards transfer partners

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Published on August 15, 2024 | 3 min read

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Key takeaways

Citi ThankYou Rewards offers flexible redemption options, including transfers to airline and hotel partners.
Points transfers typically offer more value than other redemption options, with a ratio of 1,000:1,000.
It may be beneficial to pair multiple Citi credit cards, such as a no-annual-fee card and a premium card, to earn and transfer more points.

The Citi ThankYou Rewards program is known for its flexible redemption options. You can redeem Citi ThankYou points for the usual options like cash back, gift cards or merchandise, plus the most lucrative redemption option: transferring points to Citi ThankYou Rewards partners. Like other flexible rewards programs, Citi ThankYou Rewards has a number of airline and hotel transfer partners; it even has one retail transfer partner. If you want to make the most of this rewards program, keep reading to learn more about earning ThankYou points, why points transfers are the best redemption option and all of Citi’s many transfer partners.

How to earn Citi ThankYou points

Because the Citi ThankYou Rewards program is a credit card loyalty program, you can earn points by using the right credit card to pay for your purchases. Citi credit cards that let you rack up ThankYou points each have a unique earning structure that may or may not work for your needs. Some also offer a welcome bonus you can earn after meeting time-sensitive spending requirements, allowing you to earn even more points.

Best credit cards for earning Citi ThankYou points

The best Citi credit cards for earning rewards in this program are:

Cards	Welcome offer	Rewards rate	Benefits and perks	Annual fee
Citi Prestige® Card*	N/A	5X points on air travel and dining 3X points on hotels and cruises 1X points on all other purchases	Up to $250 annual travel credit Up to $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck Complimentary 4th-night-free hotel stay (terms apply) Priority Pass Select airport lounge access Access to Citi concierge service	$495
Citi Rewards+® Card	20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,500 within 3 months of account opening	5X points on rental car, hotel and attraction purchases booked through Citi Travel (ends 12/31/2025) 2X points at supermarkets and gas stations on the first $6,000 you spend each year (then 1X points) 1X points on all other purchases	All points automatically rounded up to the nearest 10 points Get 10% of your points back on the first 100,000 points you redeem each year 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months (then 17.99% - 27.99% (Variable) APR)	$0
Citi Custom Cash® Card	20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,500 within 6 months of account opening	5% cash back on your top spending category each billing cycle (on up to $500 each billing cycle, then 1%)	0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months (then 18.49% - 28.49% (Variable) APR)	$0
Citi Double Cash® Card	Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.	2% back on all eligible purchases — 1% when you make a purchase and another 1% when you pay it off 5% cash back on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked through Citi Travel (ends 12/31/2024)	0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months when made within 4 months of account opening (then 18.49% - 28.49% (Variable) APR)	$0

*The Citi Prestige Card is no longer taking new applicants as of July 2021, although existing cardholders can still use the card. Those interested in the Citi Prestige can check out the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card instead.

Citi ThankYou transfer partners

If you want to make the most of Citi transfer partners, keep in mind you’ll need to create a free loyalty account with any airline, hotel or retail programs you plan to transfer points to. You can do this by heading to the desired program website, finding the sign-up page and entering basic personal information to create your account.

Citi ThankYou airline transfer partners

Each of the following Citi travel partners lets you transfer Citi ThankYou points at a 1,000:1,000 ratio (unless otherwise specified):

Air France/KLM Flying Blue
Aeromexico Rewards
Avianca LifeMiles
Cathay Pacific
Emirates Skywards
Etihad Guest
EVA Air Infinity MileageLands
JetBlue TrueBlue (1,000:1,000 for the Citi Prestige and Citi Strata Premier; 1,000:800 for the 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

As for the best Citi ThankYou transfer partners, it really depends on where you live and where you plan to fly the most. While any points transfer to an airline partner can be lucrative, the following airlines offer some of the best deals:

Air France/KLM Flying Blue

While this program doesn’t offer an award chart, you can frequently fly round-trip to Europe from the United States for as little as 20,000 miles. Award seats also tend to be plentiful when you book early, which is a major benefit for large families.

JetBlue TrueBlue

There’s no award chart with the JetBlue TrueBlue program, but you can frequently find round-trip domestic flights for 20,000 points or less. Round-trip international flights to Central America or the Caribbean tend to be affordable in points, and some flights may be as cheap as domestic itineraries.

Emirates Skywards

Emirates Skywards boasts one of the most luxurious travel experiences in the skies and offers significant value. First-class awards tend to be on the pricey side, but travel enthusiasts love to use Emirates Skywards miles to book premium flights with partners like Japan Airlines.

Citi ThankYou hotel transfer partners

Citi has four hotel transfer partners, all of which include different points transfer ratios:

ALL – Accor Live Limitless

Choice Hotels has over 40 hotel brands, including Raffles, Fairmont, Sofitel, and Novotel. ALL Reward points can be redeemed toward unique experiences, charitable donations and merchandise. Transfer ratios from Citi ThankYou points to ALL Reward points are:

1,000:500

Choice Privileges

Choice Hotels has 22 hotel brands — including Comfort Hotels, Country Inn & Suites, Radisson Blu and the Ascend Hotel Collection — so you’ll have plenty of options to choose from. Transfer ratios from Citi ThankYou points to Choice Privileges points are:

1,000:2,000 for Citi Prestige and Citi 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, the loyalty program for The Leading Hotels of the World, allows Citi cardmembers to redeem points at over 400 hotels in over 80 destinations. Transfer ratios from Citi ThankYou points to Leaders Club Points are:

1,000:200

Wyndham Rewards

Wyndham Rewards members can redeem points at any eligible Wyndham Hotels & Resorts brand, including La Quinta, Days Inn, Wyndham Grand and Super 8. Transfer ratios from Citi ThankYou points to Wyndham Rewards points are:

1,000:1,200 for Citi Prestige and Citi Strata Premier
1,000:960 for Citi ThankYou Preferred Card, Citi Rewards+ Card, Sears Mastercard and Citi Double Cash Card

Citi ThankYou retail transfer partners

Sears Shop Your Way program

The Citi ThankYou Rewards program has one non-travel transfer partner you can transfer points to — the Sears Shop Your Way program. With this rewards program, you can earn Shop Your Way points on qualifying purchases, redeem points for gift cards or even transfer Citi ThankYou points to Shop Your Way points. 1X Citi ThankYou point is worth 10X Shop Your Way points.

How to transfer Citi ThankYou points

You’ll typically receive more value from your points if you transfer them to one of Citi’s frequent flyer partners. After all, most Citi redemption options — like cash back and gift cards — come with a valuation of just 1 cent per point, whereas Citi ThankYou points are worth roughly up to 1.0 cents each for travel, according to recent valuations from Bankrate. Note that not all Citi credit cards let you transfer points to Citi partners on their own. For example, the Citi Rewards+ Card and the Citi Custom Cash earn basic ThankYou points that do not transfer to Citi partners. For the Citi Double Cash, you can convert your cash back to the same basic ThankYou points. However, you can combine any of these cards with a premier travel credit card — like the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card — to transfer your rewards to airlines. To redeem your Citi ThankYou points online, follow these steps:

Head to the Citi ThankYou website and log in to your account. From there, you can choose to transfer points to Citi partners.
To do so, click “More ways to redeem,” followed by “Points transfer.”
Decide where you want to transfer your points, such as to an airline or hotel loyalty program. Keep in mind you’ll need to enter your airline or hotel loyalty program information for the transfer to take place.
Enter the number of points you want to transfer.
Read and agree to the terms and conditions.
Confirm the transfer request.

Note that not all Citi transfers are automatic and some can take up to one week to complete. Additionally, if you’d rather transfer your points over the phone, you can call the ThankYou Service Center at 1-800-THANKYOU (1-800-842-6596).

How to redeem Citi ThankYou points in other ways

The Citi ThankYou Rewards program has more redemption options than many people realize. Outside of transfer partners, you can redeem your points for:

Statement credits
Direct deposits
Checks
Gift cards
Merchandise
Charitable contributions
Travel through the Citi portal
Shopping on Amazon.com, Best Buy, PayPal, Walmart and more

To redeem your points in any of the above ways, simply log in to your account and choose which redemption method you’re interested in from the toolbar.

The bottom line

If you’re looking to get the most value out of your ThankYou points, transferring them to a Citi partner — especially an airline partner — is the best course of action. With that in mind, you may want to consider pairing two or more Citi credit cards, such as a no-annual-fee Citi card and a premium Citi card, if you want to maximize your earnings and transfer points to airlines or other partners.

*The information about the Citi Prestige® Card, Citi ThankYou® Preferred Card and Sears Mastercard® has been collected independently by Bankrate. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.