The complete guide to Citi ThankYou Rewards: How to earn, redeem and transfer points

1 month ago 13

While Citi offers many different rewards credit cards, only some Citi credit cards provide access to the company's valuable ThankYou Rewards program. You'll also need to hold a premium Citi ThankYou card in order to gain full access to Citi ThankYou Rewards transfer partners.

Whether you're applying for your first credit card or are a seasoned pro looking for a new travel rewards card, one or more cards in Citi's portfolio might be right for you.

In this guide, we'll examine the program in more detail, including some of the best cards offering Citi ThankYou points and how to redeem them.

Best Citi ThankYou Rewards cards

Citi Prestige® Card: Best for restaurants, airlines and travel agencies
Citi Strata Premier℠ Card: Best for earning full-fledged ThankYou points with a low annual fee (see rates and fees)
Citi Rewards+® Card: Best for supermarkets, gas stations and small purchases (see rates and fees)
Citi Double Cash® Card: Best for everyday spending (see rates and fees)
Citi Custom Cash® Card: Best for bonus earnings in different categories each billing cycle (see rates and fees)

The information for the Citi Prestige has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

CardSign-up bonusEarning ratesAnnual feeStandout benefits

Citi Prestige Card	This card is not available to new applicants.	5 points per dollar spent on restaurant, airline and travel agency purchases 3 points per dollar spent on hotel and cruise line purchases 1 point per dollar spent on other purchases	$495	Complimentary fourth-night benefit on up to two hotel stays per calendar year when you book your hotel through the Citi travel portal Priority Pass Select membership that includes restaurants Up to $250 travel credit every calendar year Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit every five years Provides access to all the Citi ThankYou Rewards transfer partners
Citi Strata Premier Card	Earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.	10 points per dollar spent on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com 3 points per dollar spent on restaurant, supermarket, gas and electric vehicle charging station purchases, plus other hotels and air travel 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases	$95 (see rates and fees)	$100 annual hotel benefit once per calendar year when you book a single hotel stay of $500 or more, excluding taxes and fees, through the Citi travel portal No foreign transaction fees Provides access to all the Citi ThankYou Rewards transfer partners
Citi Rewards+ Card	Earn 20,000 bonus points after spending $1,500 on purchases within three months of account opening.	5 points per dollar spent on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi travel portal through Dec. 31, 2025 2 points per dollar spent on supermarket and gas station purchases for the first $6,000 in combined purchases each year, then 1 point per dollar 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases	$0 (see rates and fees)	Citi automatically rounds earnings on each purchase up to the nearest 10 points 10% points back for the first 100,000 ThankYou points you redeem per calendar year
Citi Double Cash Card	Earn $200 in cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first six months of account opening. Note that this bonus will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou points, which can then be redeemed for $200 cash back.	5% cash back on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi travel portal through Dec. 31, 2025 2% cash back on all other purchases (1% cash back when you purchase and 1% cash back when you pay your bill)	$0 (see rates and fees)	$0 liability on unauthorized charges
Citi Custom Cash Card	Earn $200 in cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first six months of account opening. Note that this bonus will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou points, which can then be redeemed for $200 cash back.	5% cash back on your top eligible spend category (restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, select travel, select transit, select streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs or live entertainment), up to $500 spent each billing cycle An additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi travel portal through June 30, 2026 1% cash back on all other purchases	$0 (see rates and fees)	Free FICO credit score check

How to earn Citi ThankYou points

As you can see, many Citi cards earn ThankYou points. But not all ThankYou points are created equal.

TPG's November 2024 valuations peg the value of Citi ThankYou Rewards points at 1.8 cents each, but we base our valuation on the potential value you can get by transferring your ThankYou points to one of the program's airline or hotel partners. However, to transfer points to most Citi ThankYou transfer partners, you must hold a premium Citi ThankYou Rewards card like the Citi Prestige Card (which is no longer accepting new applications) or the Citi Strata Premier Card.

If you only have the Citi Rewards+ Card, the Citi Double Cash Card or the Citi Custom Cash Card (or another nonpremium Citi ThankYou card), you'll earn what we'll call "basic" ThankYou points. They're worth 1 cent each when redeemed for cash back via a statement credit, direct deposit or check.

You can also transfer "basic" ThankYou points to three loyalty programs — Choice Privileges, JetBlue TrueBlue and Wyndham Rewards — if you have the Citi Rewards+ Card or the Citi Double Cash Card, but these transfers will occur at a lower rate than if you had a premium Citi ThankYou card.

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However, suppose you also hold the Citi Prestige Card or the Citi Strata Premier Card. In that case, you can combine the "basic" ThankYou points into your Citi Prestige or Citi Strata Premier account and transfer your rewards to all the Citi ThankYou travel partners at the best transfer ratios.

The information for the Citi Prestige has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

If you want to add a new Citi ThankYou card to your wallet, read the fine print for the sign-up bonus and check our page on credit card application rules to ensure you're eligible for the bonus before clicking the "Apply" button.

How to redeem Citi ThankYou points

All the Citi ThankYou Rewards cards let you redeem ThankYou points for statement credits, cash rewards, third-party gift cards and travel booked through the Citi travel portal at a flat rate of 1 cent per point. Sometimes, you'll even find gift cards on sale that could give you a slightly higher redemption rate.

Be careful, though, as some redemption options (such as Shop With Points) provide less than 1 cent per point. Ensure you are getting at least 1 cent per ThankYou point before you redeem.

Keep in mind that you may get significantly more value when you redeem your ThankYou points by transferring them to airline or hotel partners. Suppose you don't have a premium ThankYou Rewards card like the Citi Prestige Card or the Citi Strata Premier Card. In that case, you can only transfer to Choice Privileges, JetBlue TrueBlue and Wyndham Rewards if you have the Citi Rewards+ Card or the Citi Double Cash Card (and your transfer ratio won't be as lucrative).

Check out the following table for the transfer ratios.

ProgramTransfer ratio

Aeromexico Rewards	1:1
Accor Live Limitless	2:1
Air France-KLM Flying Blue	1:1
Avianca LifeMiles	1:1
Cathay Pacific Cathay	1:1
Choice Privileges	1:2 (2:3 with non-premium cards)
Emirates Skywards	1:1
Etihad Guest	1:1
EVA Air Infinity MileageLands	1:1
I Prefer Hotel Rewards	1:4
JetBlue TrueBlue	1:1 (5:4 with nonpremium cards)
Leaders Club (Leading Hotels of the World)	5:1
Miles&Smiles (Turkish Airlines)	1:1
Qantas Frequent Flyer	1:1
Qatar Airways Privilege Club	1:1
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer	1:1
Thai Royal Orchid Plus	1:1
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club/Virgin Red	1:1
Wyndham Rewards	1:1 (5:4 for non-premium cards)

With so many transfer partners, your options are plentiful when redeeming Citi ThankYou Rewards points. Here are some Citi ThankYou sweet spots you could use in some of the programs that tend to provide the most value:

Transfer to Singapore KrisFlyer and snag a Spontaneous Escapes deal.
Transfer to Choice Privileges and redeem between 8,000 and 50,000 Choice points per night in most destinations.
Use Avianca LifeMiles to book one-way United Airlines-operated awards within the U.S. for as little as 6,500 LifeMiles and $5.60 in taxes and fees one-way in economy.
Use Virgin Atlantic Flying Club to fly on Delta Air Lines-operated flights.
Transfer to Wyndham Rewards and redeem as few as 7,500 Wyndham points per night (or even less if you have select Wyndham credit cards).
Transfer to Air France-KLM Flying Blue to book a Flying Blue Promo Rewards flight.

Bottom line

Citi ThankYou Rewards points are perhaps the most underappreciated of the major points and miles currencies. Despite some negatives, Citi ThankYou points remain valuable, especially for those looking to book award flights on international carriers.

Having a premium Citi ThankYou card like the Citi Prestige Card or the Citi Strata Premier Card is important to maximize the Citi ThankYou Rewards program. These cards unlock transfers to all the Citi ThankYou partners at the best rate, which can provide many high-value award booking options.

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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