You can redeem Citi ThankYou® points earned on your Citi credit card in multiple ways, including for gift cards, statement credits, Amazon purchases or booking trips on Citi Travel. However, just like the rewards programs offered by American Express, Capital One and Chase, one of the best ways to stretch your points is by transferring them to travel partners — and Citi has 19 of those.
This guide will help you learn more about Citi ThankYou® Rewards, including its travel partners, how to transfer your miles and how to maximize the value of your transfer.
[Read: Best Credit Cards.]
Citi ThankYou® Transfer Partners: The Full List
Citi ThankYou® has a strong roster of mostly international transfer partners, featuring 14 airlines and five hotel chains.
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How to Earn Citi ThankYou® Points
You can get ThankYou® points in multiple ways, such as earning the sign-up bonus on an eligible Citi card or using other qualifying Citi banking products, like a checking account or a corporate credit card.
However, one of the easiest ways is by charging expenses on a Citi card that earns ThankYou® points. If you have multiple Citi cards — or banking products — all of your points are pooled in a single ThankYou® account.
Citi Credit Cards That Earn ThankYou® Points
Most of these Citi cards that earn ThankYou® points come with no annual fee but have limited transfer options. If you want access to all transfer partners, you need to have a premium Citi card, such as the Citi Strata Premier? Card or Citi Prestige® Card. Note that the Prestige card is discontinued, but existing cardholders can still use and reap benefits from it.
All ThankYou® points have a redemption value of 1 point per cent on Citi Travel.
[Read: Best Airline Credit Cards.]
How to Transfer Citi ThankYou® Points
You can transfer your Citi ThankYou® points to a travel partner online via your ThankYou® account.
Log into your Citi account, select a card that allows transfers and click on the View/Redeem button.
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Then click on “More ways to redeem.”
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You’ll then be taken to your ThankYou® account. You can also log directly into ThankYou®.com using your Citi credentials.
Under the Travel tab on the main menu, select “Points Transfer.”
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You’ll then see the full list of travel partners. Scroll down to the partner of your choice and click on “Continue.”
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Enter the number of points you want to transfer by typing them in or using the slider provided. You can make transfers in 1,000-point increments — for example, if you need 11,600 points to complete a booking, you’ll have to transfer 12,000 points.
If this is the first time you transfer points to that particular partner, enter your loyalty program number and accept the terms and conditions for the transfer. You can save your loyalty number on your ThankYou® account for easy future transfers.
Click on “Continue.”
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Review the details. If everything looks good, click on “Transfer Now.” That’s it — your points are on the way. Transfers are usually completed within 24 hours according to Citi, but can take up to five business days.
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[Read: Best Hotel Credit Cards.]
How to Maximize Citi ThankYou® Points Transfers
Getting familiar with all redemption options on each partner is key to making the best use of your ThankYou® points.
Confirm availability before transfers. “You should never transfer points to a partner unless you’ve already identified an award and are going to book it immediately,” says Jason Steele, the founder of CardCon and a freelance journalist who has covered travel and credit cards for over a decade. “Otherwise, you risk having the goal posts moved and being unable to book your desired award.” If your redemption option is no longer available, “transfers can’t be reversed,” says Stephanie Zito, a freelance journalist who has covered travel and credit card loyalty programs for more than 10 years.
Pick the right card to leverage elevated transfer ratios. “Know the specific value of transfers based on the card that you’re earning on,” Zito says. “For example, some Citi ThankYou® points transfer to JetBlue at a 1-to-0.8 ratio, while others are 1-to-1.” Steele recommends using a card like Citi Strata to transfer points to Choice Hotels at a 1-to-2 ratio. Take advantage of transfer bonuses. Citi ThankYou® sometimes features limited-time transfer offers. For example, at the time of publishing, you could transfer points to LifeMiles and receive a 25% bonus through mid-April.
Use airline alliances. While Citi ThankYou® only has one domestic airline partner — JetBlue — you can book domestic award flights through some of its international airline partners thanks to airline alliances. For example, you can book Delta Air Lines flights through Virgin Atlantic or KLM’s Flying Blue.
Compare transfer options. To fully leverage airline partnerships, shop around. “For example, both Flying Blue and Virgin Atlantic are part of SkyTeam, and you might find the same partner award flights on both sites,” says Steele. “Look at both to find the one that has the lowest costs in both miles and surcharges.”
Transferring Citi ThankYou® Points to Travel Partners vs. Redeeming Through Citi Travel
Transferring ThankYou® points to one of Citi’s travel partners can help you stretch the value of your points, especially if you have a card that offers elevated transfer ratios with certain partners — like transfers to Choice Privileges using the Citi Strata card — or take advantage of airline alliances.
Here’s an example of a round-trip flight from New York to Boston in early April: *Depending on the Citi card you have.
Here’s another example of a two-night stay in San Diego in late April: *Depending on the Citi card you have.
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Citi ThankYou® Rewards: Transfer Partners Guide originally appeared on usnews.com
