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Citi ThankYou Rewards
Citi ThankYou Rewards is the quiet overachiever. It leans into a deep international roster, 15 airline and 5 hotel partners, where the real award sweet spots live. It skips Delta and United as direct partners (American AAdvantage transfers only from the premium Strata cards). Turkish, EVA Air, Qatar, Avianca, Virgin Atlantic, and Japan Airlines are the names to know. You earn it on the Strata Premier, Strata Elite, and Prestige cards, and as with any transferable currency, the points are worth the most once you have a specific seat in mind.
Experiences
Citi Entertainment — Cardholder access →Sweet spots
Where your points punch above their weight.
Where this currency genuinely shines.
Show me the picks →
Sweet spots
Where your points punch above their weight.
Where this currency genuinely shines.
- Turkish Miles&Smiles (1:1): the cult pick, with very low pricing on United-operated domestic and Star Alliance awards once you learn the program.
- Qatar Privilege Club (1:1): Qsuites business, one of the best seats in the sky.
- EVA Air Infinity MileageLands (1:1): excellent business-class pricing to Asia.
- Avianca LifeMiles (1:1): no fuel surcharges on Star Alliance partners.
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (1:1): ANA First Class.
- Japan Airlines Mileage Bank (1:1 from premium cards, 1:0.7 from others): JAL business class between North America and Japan from 55,000 miles one way on base award space. The catch: JAL adds fuel surcharges to its own flights, and Award Ticket PLUS charges more once base seats run out.
Transfer out
20 places to send these points. Where the currency goes.
20 programs this transfers out to.
Meet the partners →
Transfer out
20 places to send these points. Where the currency goes.
20 programs this transfers out to.
Citi ThankYou Rewards transfers points or miles OUT to these programs.
| To | Ratio | Notes |
|---|---|---|
premium1:1 standard1:0.7 | AAdvantage Bonus Miles. Narrower eligibility - AT&T cards excluded from both tiers. | |
premium1:0.5 standard1:0.35 | ALL - Accor Live Limitless. Premium Citi cards only, base 2:1 (2,000 Citi ThankYou = 1,000 Accor points). Accor is a fixed-value currency, so transfer only to top off a planned stay, not speculatively. | |
premium1:1 standard1:0.7 | Avianca LifeMiles. | |
premium1:1 standard1:0.7 | Cathay Pacific Asia Miles. | |
premium1:1.5 standard1:1.05 | Choice Privileges hotel points. | |
premium1:0.8 standard1:0.56 | Effective Jul 27 2025, Citi premium cards transfer Skywards at 1000:800. | |
premium1:1 standard1:0.7 | Etihad Guest Miles. | |
premium1:1 standard1:0.7 | EVA Air Infinity MileageLands. | |
premium1:1 standard1:0.7 | Air France-KLM Flying Blue. | |
premium1:2.0 standard1:1.4 | Preferred Hotels iPrefer. 1,000 Citi ThankYou = 2,000 iPrefer points (1:2). Fixed-value currency - transfer only against a planned Preferred Hotels stay. | |
premium1:1 standard1:0.7 | JetBlue TrueBlue. Premium cards 1:1; cards with no annual fee 1:0.7. Citi ended JetBlue transfers for the legacy Citi ThankYou Mastercard effective Sep 20, 2026. | |
premium1:1 standard1:0.7 | Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Miles. | |
premium1:0.2 standard1:0.14 | Leaders Club (Leading Hotels of the World). Premium cards (Strata Elite, Strata Premier, Prestige, AT&T Access More): 1,000 ThankYou = 200. Other ThankYou cards: 1,000 = 140. Minimum 1,000 points, in 1,000 point increments; names must match on both accounts. | |
premium1:1 standard1:0.7 | Qantas Frequent Flyer points. | |
premium1:1 standard1:0.7 | Qatar Airways Privilege Club Avios. Qatar Airways bonus through October 31, 2026 (GMT+3): 15% bonus Avios on a conversion of up to 49,999 Avios, 25% on 50,000 to 99,999 Avios, 35% on 100,000 or more. The tier is set per transaction and counts Avios received, not ThankYou points. | |
premium1:1 standard1:0.7 | Thai Royal Orchid Plus. | |
premium1:1 standard1:0.7 | Turkish Miles and Smiles. | |
premium1:1 standard1:0.7 | Virgin Atlantic Flying Club + Virgin Red. | |
premium1:1 standard1:0.7 | Wyndham Rewards. Premium Citi cards transfer 1:1 (1,000 Citi = 1,000 Wyndham); other Citi cards 1,000:700. Go Free nights price 5,000 / 15,000 / 30,000 / 45,000 points per bedroom per night, so transfer only against a planned stay. | |
premium1:1 standard1:0.7 | Japan Airlines Mileage Bank. 1:1 from premium cards (Strata Elite, Strata Premier, Prestige, AT&T Access More), 1:0.7 from other ThankYou cards. Minimum 1,000 points in 1,000 point increments. |
How to spend
The high-leverage moves. Read this before you transfer a single mile.
The smart-money plays.
Get the playbook →
How to spend
The high-leverage moves. Read this before you transfer a single mile.
The smart-money plays.
- Transfer to airline partners, the highest-value play (see sweet spots).
- Book travel through the Citi Travel portal.
- Cover purchases, gift cards, and statement credits. All are weaker; use them only if you are not chasing travel.
Tips & quirks
Stopover rules, surcharges, the stuff nobody tells you until you've been burned once.
The fine print, decoded.
Spill the gotchas →
Tips & quirks
Stopover rules, surcharges, the stuff nobody tells you until you've been burned once.
The fine print, decoded.
- Citi skips Delta and United as direct partners (you reach them only through alliance partners), but American AAdvantage IS a transfer partner from the premium Strata Premier, Strata Elite, and Prestige cards. The deepest value is still the international roster, so plan around partner award space.
- Some transfers are instant; others (and a few hotel partners) can take 1 to 2 days, so never transfer speculatively against a held award.
- A few ratios are not 1:1, so check before you move. Accor converts at a discount, and Leaders Club (Leading Hotels of the World) converts at 1,000 ThankYou to 200 from premium cards and 1,000 to 140 from other ThankYou cards. Japan Airlines Mileage Bank works the same way, 1:1 from the Strata Elite, Strata Premier, Prestige, and AT&T Access More, and 1,000 to 700 from other ThankYou cards.
- Points from multiple Citi cards combine under one login. Sharing points with another person ended May 17, 2026.
- No transfer fees.
Cards that earn into Citi ThankYou Rewards
Cards that earn Citi ThankYou Rewards directly, or that transfer into it from a flexible-currency program.
Frequently asked questions
- What can I transfer Citi ThankYou points to? Mostly airlines, plus a handful of hotel programs, with most airline transfers at 1:1 from the premium Strata Premier, Strata Elite, and Prestige cards. Standouts include Turkish, Qatar, EVA Air, Avianca, Virgin Atlantic, Japan Airlines, Cathay, Etihad, Qantas, Singapore KrisFlyer, and Flying Blue, plus Choice, Wyndham, Accor, and Leaders Club (Leading Hotels of the World) on the hotel side.
- Does Citi ThankYou transfer to American, Delta, or United? American, yes, but only from the premium Strata cards. Delta and United, no, Citi has no direct transfer to either, so you can reach them only through their alliance partners.
- What are the best Citi ThankYou sweet spots? Turkish, Qatar Qsuites, EVA Air, and Avianca LifeMiles for Star Alliance premium cabins with no fuel surcharges, plus Virgin Atlantic for ANA First and Delta One.
- Which Citi cards can transfer points to partners? The Strata Premier, Strata Elite, and Prestige transfer at 1:1. No annual fee cards like Custom Cash and Double Cash earn ThankYou points but transfer at a reduced rate and to fewer partners.
- Are Citi ThankYou transfers instant? Some are instant, others take 1 to 2 days. Never transfer speculatively against an award you have not confirmed is available.
- Do Citi ThankYou points expire? No, not on current Citi ThankYou cards while the account is open. If you close a card, use its points quickly, because you only get a limited window before they are gone.
Alerts
Citi ThankYou to Qatar Airways Avios: Up to a 35% Bonus Through October 31
Qatar Airways is paying a 15%, 25% or 35% bonus on Avios from converted partner points through October 31, and Citi ThankYou is on its participating list. The tier is set by the Avios you receive in one transfer.
Citi ThankYou to Avianca LifeMiles: 25% Transfer Bonus Through October 24
Citi ThankYou points transfer to Avianca LifeMiles with a 25% bonus through October 24. On premium Citi cards 1,000 points become 1,250 miles; on other ThankYou cards, 875.
Citi ThankYou Adds Japan Airlines, With a 30% Launch Bonus Through October 24
Japan Airlines Mileage Bank is now a Citi ThankYou transfer partner, and transfers get a 30% bonus through October 24. On premium Citi cards 1,000 points become 1,300 JAL miles; on other ThankYou cards, 910.
Citi Removes the 48 Month Bonus Reset From Strata Premier and Elite Terms
Citi quietly rewrote the fine print on its two premium Strata cards, and the old 48 month reset is gone. If you have had the Strata Premier or the Strata Elite before and were waiting out that clock to earn the bonus again, the terms no longer leave you a second shot.
Citi AAdvantage Executive Refresh: $695 Fee, New Credits, and Omni Hotel Status
The Citi AAdvantage Executive card (soon the World Legend Mastercard) is being refreshed effective August 23, 2026: the annual fee rises to $695, credits are restructured (up to $500 on AA Vacations, $100 inflight/club, $180 Lyft), and it adds automatic Omni Hotels Champion status.
Wyndham’s Four Tier Award Chart Is Now Live, From 5,000 to 45,000 Points
Wyndham replaced its three tier award chart with four tiers on September 15, 2026. Free nights now start at 5,000 points instead of 7,500, but a new 45,000 top tier means some premium hotels cost more. Stays booked before the switch kept their old rate, and a hotel that dropped a tier was refunded the difference automatically.
Archived alerts
Past offers for Citi ThankYou Rewards — searchable, click to view the original.
- ExpiredCiti ThankYou to Leaders Club: 25% Transfer Bonus Through September 19transfer bonus · ended Sep 19, 2026
- ExpiredCiti's No-Fee ThankYou Card Is Losing JetBlue (Don't Panic)partner change · ended Sep 20, 2026
- ExpiredPreferred Hotels Launches Preferred Wellbeing: 50+ Properties Globallyprogram change · ended Sep 30, 2026
Last reviewed: October 2026
Loyalty programs change rules, fees, transfer ratios, and award pricing all the time — sometimes without warning. We do our best to keep these pages current, but the program's own site is always the final word. Always confirm specifics directly with Citi ThankYou Rewards before transferring miles or booking an award. Treat anything on this page as a starting point, not a guarantee. Crazy4Points is not responsible for actions taken based on information here — see our Terms of Service for full details.