In the world of credit card points, Citi ThankYou® Points are often overlooked. Fair or not, they’re often treated fourth fiddle to the likes of Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards, and even Capital One Venture Miles. But that doesn’t mean Citi ThankYou points are worthless – far from it.
And that really boils down to a strong (and unique) set of Citi transfer partners: airlines and hotels to which you can directly send your Citi points. In all, there are 15 airlines and five hotel loyalty programs that partner with Citi … and some are better than others. Especially its latest addition.
At long last, Citi officially added American Airlines as its newest transfer partner in late July. That’s huge for two reasons:
- It makes Citi points the best and easiest way to earn American AAdvantage miles – easily among the most valuable airline miles on the planet, whether you fly American or want to book its excellent partner carriers
- It solves one of Citi’s core weaknesses: While Chase had United and Southwest and American Express has Delta, Citi lacked a marquee domestic airline among the mix of transfer options
The list of 20 airlines and hotels to which you can send your ThankYou points is a mixed bag. There are a few niche options like American and Turkish Airlines, a handful of other decent partners, and several airlines and hotel programs that are borderline worthless, even unusable for U.S. travelers.
Let’s dive into all the Citi ThankYou transfer partners.
A Quick Glance at Citi ThankYou Transfer Partners
Sure, you could redeem your ThankYou points like cash through the Citi Travel Portal. But if you really want to extract the most value out of your Citi ThankYou points, you’ll want to transfer them to airline miles.
In total, there are currently 20 different transfer partners, as of publication. So long as you have one of Citi’s top travel cards like the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card, the new Citi Strata Elite℠ Card, or the Citi Prestige Credit Card (which is no longer open to applications), most of them transfer on a 1:1 basis (with the exception of hotel partners Choice, Accor, and The Leading Hotels of the World).
Here’s the full list of Citi transfer partners.
| Program | Type | Transfer Ratio | Transfer Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aeromexico | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Air France/KLM | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| American Airlines | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Avianca LifeMiles | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Cathay Pacific | Airline | 1:1 | 12-24 hours |
| Emirates | Airline | 1,000:800 | Instant |
| Etihad | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| EVA Air | Airline | 1:1 | 1-3 days |
| JetBlue | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Qantas | Airline | 1:1 | 1-2 days |
| Qatar Airways | Airline | 1:1 | 1-2 days |
| Singapore | Airline | 1:1 | 12-48 hours |
| Thai Airways | Airline | 1:1 | 4-7 days |
| Turkish Airlines | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Virgin Atlantic | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Accor | Hotel | 1,000:500 | TBD |
| Choice Hotels | Hotel | 1:2 | Instant |
| Wyndham Rewards | Hotel | 1:1 | Instant |
| The Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) | Hotel | 1,000:250 | TBD |
| Preferred Hotels and Resorts | Hotel | 1:4 | TBD |
Only cardholders with the Citi Strata Premier, Citi Strata Elite, Citi Prestige Card (discontinued), or the AT&T Acccess More card transfer at these ratios. If you only have the Citi Double Cash Card, Citi Rewards+ Card, or the Citi Custom Cash Card, your points will transfer at a poorer ratio.
The Best Transfer Partners to Use Your Citi Points
While it’s a mixed bag, a handful of Citi’s transfer partners are among the best in the game. And one is far, far better than the rest.
American Airlines
We saved the best – and newest – Citi transfer partner for first.
After American hinted at the prospect in late 2024 when it signed an exclusive deal with Citi, the airline officially became one of the bank’s transfer partners in July 2025. That means you can now transfer a stash of 60,000 or 75,000 points from the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card and instantly get 60,000 or 75,000 AAdvantage miles. You could snag the new Citi Strata Elite℠ Card and earn a bonus of 80,000 points (or even more), then turn them into 80,000-plus AAdvantage miles.
The list of great ways to redeem AA miles is far too long to list here. But a few highlights include:
- Domestic one-ways for 5,000 miles or less
- Roundtrips to the Caribbean for as low as 12,000 miles, sometimes less!
- Flash sales to Europe for under 35,000 miles roundtrip!
- Japan Airlines (JAL) business class to Tokyo – or JAL first class for 80,000 miles!
- Book Qatar Qsuites for 70,000 miles … but while finding the award space from the U.S. to Doha (DOH) is tough these days, you can easily book flights between the Middle East and Europe, Asia, or beyond for even fewer AAdvantage miles!
Avianca LifeMiles
Avianca LifeMiles is a quirky program that can require some patience when booking flights. But it rewards patience with one of the best loyalty programs to book business class seats around the world.
And you don’t need to fly Avianca to get the best deals. Instead, you’ll fly one of its many Star Alliance airline partners like Lufthansa, Swiss, or United.
While LifeMiles recently raised award rates, the program is still loaded with sweet spots, including …
- Business Class to Europe for 69,000 miles one-way from anywhere in North America
- Business Class to Brazil for 50,000 miles one-way
- Business Class to Africa for 78,000 miles one-way
There are also some hidden discounts on a few random routes that price lower than its award chart shows. For example, you can still book SWISS business class from New York City (JFK) to Zurich (ZRH) for just 55,000 miles each way. Economy on this same route to Zurich is cheaper than the rest, too.
Booking with LifeMiles can be a pain. The customer service is not great so if things go wrong you may be in for a frustrating experience. But if you can get it to work, it could be one of the most valuable transfer partners on this list.
Air France-KLM Flying Blue
If you’re new to points and miles, redeeming Air France-KLM Flying Blue miles may be your best bet to score a deal on a flight over to Europe – or even North Africa.
The award availability to fly Air France business class or KLM business class is relatively easy to find and you can also book amazing economy awards to Europe – sometimes as low as 15,000 miles one-way during its monthly Flying Blue promo rewards sales.
Here are some of our favorite ways to redeem Flying Blue miles:
Read our full review of the new Air France business class suites!
You’ll pay slightly more taxes & fees when redeeming Flying Blue miles than you will with some other loyalty programs, but it’s still reasonable.
EVA Air Infinity MileageLands
For years, EVA Air’s loyalty program went unexamined because it was so easy to book EVA Air business class from the U.S. to Taipei (TPE) and back using partner airline programs like Avianca LifeMiles or Air Canada Aeroplan.
But while the airline has slammed the door shut on those partner award redemptions, the floodgates are open to book with EVA’s own miles. That makes “Infinity MileageLands miles” – and Citi ThankYou points, by extension – incredibly valuable.
The airline charges between 75,000 to 80,000 miles for a one-way business class award between the U.S. and Asia, whether you fly nonstop to Taiwan or connect onward. Longer flights departing from airports like Chicago-O’Hare (ORD), New York City (JFK), and others clock in at that higher, 80,000-mile sum while shorter flights from airports like Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), and Seattle (SEA) will set you back 75,000 miles.
Importantly, Citi points are the only ones that transfer to EVA on a 1:1 basis.
Just beware: EVA’s site is far from intuitive, and booking can be a real hassle if you’re looking to book for two (or more) passengers. And it also takes two to four days for transfers from Citi to hit your EVA account, so there’ll be a wait.
Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles
There isn’t a cheaper way to fly to Hawaii than with Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles. And it’s just one of many sweet spots of using Turkish Miles.
Here are our favorites:
- Hawaii for 20,000 miles roundtrip from all over the U.S.
- Business class to Europe for 65,000 miles one-way
- Business class to the Middle East for 47,000 miles one-way
This is another program that will take some patience with a quirky website. It’s easiest to sign up for the loyalty program through the Turkish Airlines mobile app and you’ll need to jump through some hoops to actually get flights booked. But, the incredible value you’ll get when redeeming Turkish miles may be worth your time.
Read more: Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles: The Ultimate Guide
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Last – but certainly not least – on our list of favorites is Virgin Atlantic. Virgin points are some of the best points to have for booking awards through its many unique partnerships – including flying Delta, Air France-KLM, and All Nippon Airways (ANA).
You can search for and book most (but not all) of these flights online at VirginAtlantic.com. Unfortunately, you can’t book either Air New Zealand or ANA flights with Virgin points online – you’ll need to find the award space elsewhere and call Virgin to book.
Honorable Mentions
Other than the top Citi ThankYou points transfer partners, there are a few others worth mentioning.
Qatar Privilege Club
For a long time, Citi ThankYou points were the only easy way to earn Qatar Privilege club miles.
But now, you can transfer Amex points as well as Citi points straight to Qatar. And since Qatar has adopted Avios and has a closer relationship with British Airways, there are plenty of easy ways to earn Qatar miles by combining them between the many Avios airlines.
But because Avios have emerged as the #1 way to book Qatar Qsuites, they deserve a spot on this list.
Read our full review of Qatar Qsuites business class!
British Airways
Since you can transfer Avios between Qatar and British Airways, there is also a roundabout way to transfer Citi ThankYou points to British Airways (first from Citi to Qatar, then combine your Avios with British). Redeeming British Airways Avios for short, nonstop flights on American Airlines is a great way to score a cheap domestic flight or a flight down to Mexico.
Worst Citi ThankYou Transfer Partners
There are plenty of valuable Citi ThankYou transfer partners, but there are several in the portfolio that aren’t worth the time and effort for U.S. travelers.
Aeromexico, Qantas Frequent Flyer & Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
Aeromexico, Australian airline Qantas, and Thai Airways are all airlines to avoid if you’re looking to maximize value from your Citi ThankYou points.
Unlike many other airlines where you can instantly transfer Citi ThankYou points to their mileage programs, it takes around 1-3 days for your points to show up in in your Qantas Frequent Flyer account – and up to seven days for Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus. Aeromexico, meanwhile, is just a dud of a program – especially considering you can also transfer Amex points to Aeromexico … but at a 1:1.6 ratio.
Citi Hotel Transfer Partners
While you’ll usually get a much better value for your points through Citi’s airline transfer partners, you can also use Citi hotel transfer partners to book accommodation. And the list of options keeps growing.
In late 2021, Citi added two hotel transfer partners to its mix: Choice Privileges and Wyndham Rewards. What’s interesting about Choice is that it’s the only transfer partner with a 1:2 transfer ratio (if you hold one of the Strata or Prestige cards, anyways). This means 1,000 Citi ThankYou points = 2,000 Choice points. But, even with a 1:2 transfer ratio, Choice isn’t a particularly valuable option except in niche situations – like hotels in Scandinavia and Japan.
The best use of transferring Citi points to Choice is probably to book Preferred Hotels: an offshoot of 300-plus luxury properties where you can routinely book at decent rates, even when they’re charging hundreds of dollars per night. Citi also recently added the option to transfer points directly to Preferred’s I Prefer program – on a 1:4 basis, no less! – so that’s another option worth exploring. You’ll want to check into whether it’s cheaper to book via Choice or directly with I Prefer points before transferring your points.
One novel option available with the Wyndham Rewards program is that you can use those points for vacation rentals on Vacasa. This can actually be a pretty decent deal as homes go 15,000 points per bedroom, per night. Given that many of the properties available for rent on Vacasa typically tack on outrageous cleaning and other service fees – which you won’t pay when using points – this can be a great way to use points to book a vacation rental.
After a couple of years with only Choice and Wyndham as hotel options, Citi has steadily expanded with the addition of Accor and The Leading Hotels of the World (LHW). Both Accor and LHW offer more upscale, boutique options than what was previously available with the Choice Privileges and Wyndham Rewards programs – and when it comes to LHW’s Leaders Club, you can sometimes get really good value for your ThankYou points by using them this way.
Take the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo for example: A one-night stay at this property could cost $420 … or 3,928 LHW points.
Since ThankYou points transfer to LHW at a 4:1 ratio (1,000 ThankYou points gets you 250 “Leaders Club” points), you’d need to transfer under 16,000 ThankYou points in order to book a one-night stay.
While this is a good example of the value you can get with The Leading Hotels of the World’s Leaders Club, it’s not the only one. With upscale properties around the world in far-flung locations from Morocco to the Maldives, you’ll be able to use your Citi ThankYou points for a memorable stay wherever your travels take you.
How to Transfer Citi ThankYou Points
Transferring points to Citi ThankYou transfer partners couldn’t be any easier.
Just head to ThankYou.com and log into your Citi account, then click “Travel” and move down to select “Points Transfer.”
That will quickly pull up the full list of options. Click whichever partner you need to book a flight (or hotel) and get ready to send your Citi ThankYou Points on their way. You can simply enter how many Citi points you’d like to transfer or use the slider.
With every partner on the list, you must transfer ThankYou points in increments of 1,000 points.
Of course, you’ll first need to open up an account with the program you’re transferring points to if you don’t already have an account. When creating your accounts with Citi transfer partners, make sure your name matches exactly what you have on your Citi account to help with a smooth transfer process.
How to Earn Citi ThankYou Points
From co-branded airline and hotel cards to even Costco credit cards, Citi is a popular name in wallets. But to open up the world of Citi’s transfer partners, you need a card that specifically earns Citi ThankYou® Points.
Some Citi credit cards don’t earn ThankYou points at all, only cash back. Others only allow you to get ThankYou points and transfer to a select few partner airlines or hotel chains, while others allow you to do one or the other.
Let’s focus on the cards that will get you the most bang for your buck, starting with the best of the best.
Citi Strata Elite℠ Card
There’s a new kid on the Citi block.
After years of rumors and speculation, Citi launched the long-awaited Citi Strata Elite℠ Card, a new premium card with perks like lounge access, an annual hotel credit, better earning bonuses on select spending categories, and an annual fee of $595. It’s Citi’s way of (finally) competing with mainstay cards like *amex platinum*, the *chase sapphire reserve*, and the *venture x*.
It starts with a big welcome bonus, as you can earn 80,000 Citi ThankYou Points after spending $4,000 within the first three months … though we’ve heard whispers that you can nab a 100,000-point bonus by applying in-person at a Citi branch or through select links floating around on Reddit and other forums.
Beyond that, you’ll earn:
- 12x points per dollar on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on cititravel.com
- 6x points per dollar on airfare booked through cititravel.com
- 6x points per dollar at restaurants on “Citi Nights,” available on Fridays and Saturdays from 6 p.m. through 6 a.m. ET
- 3x points per dollar at restaurants at other times
- 1.5x points per dollar on all other purchases
Plus, the card comes stocked with benefits like lounge access, money-saving credits, and more.
Learn more about the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (for full disclosure, this is not an affiliate link).
Citi Strata Premier℠ Card
The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card is our favorite card from Citi, and it’s not particularly close.
The annual fee is quite reasonable for such a valuable card. You’ll earn 3x points per dollar spent at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel, and at hotels on an unlimited amount of spending. A big welcome bonus sweetens the deal even more.
Plus, you get a $100 annual hotel credit when you spend $500 or more on a single hotel stay that is booked through the Citi ThankYou travel portal. We think the Citi Strata Premier Card is one of the most underrated cards out there.
Welcome Bonus Offer: Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
Annual Fee: $95
Learn more about the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card (for full disclosure, this is not an affiliate link).
Citi Double Cash® Card
The Citi Double Cash® Card is one of the best cards that doesn’t charge an annual fee.
You’ll earn 2% cash back or 2x ThankYou® Points on every dollar you spend (1x point after making the purchase, and another 1x point after paying your bill).
Annual fee: $0
Learn more about the Citi Double Cash® Card (for full disclosure, this is not an affiliate link).
Citi Custom Cash® Card
We think the Citi Custom Cash® Card is one of the best cashback credit cards … but it can also earn you Citi ThankYou® Points, which will unlock a ton of value.
Earn 5x points on purchases made in your top eligible spending categories each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent. After that, you’ll earn 1x points on all other purchases. Best of all, there’s no annual fee.
Welcome bonus offer: $200 or 20,000 ThankYou® Points after spending $1,500 within the first six months of card membership.
Annual fee: $0
Learn more about the Citi Custom Cash® Card (for full disclosure, this is not an affiliate link).
Frequently Asked Questions
Got a stash of Citi ThankYou points burning a hole in your account? There are a few other things you should know to redeem them.
Can You Transfer Citi ThankYou Points to Another Person?
You can transfer Citi ThankYou points to anyone, be it a family member, friend, or a complete stranger, as long as they are a Citi ThankYou account holder. This makes it far easier than other card programs to pool points with family members and friends to book a ticket. Just beware that those points transferred between accounts expire within 90 days.
There’s one caveat, however: If you only hold the Citi Custom Cash Card, you are not eligible to share points.
What Airlines Can Citi ThankYou Points Be Used For?
There are currently 15 different airlines that are Citi transfer partners you can use ThankYou points to book flights with.
- Aeromexico Club Premier
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue
- American Airlines AAdvantage
- Avianca LifeMiles
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Emirates Skywards
- Etihad Guest
- EVA Air Infinity MileageLands
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
- Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Does Citi Transfer to United?
Citi points don’t transfer to United, but you can still fly on United by transferring points to one of their partner airlines. Avianca, EVA Air, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, and Turkish Airlines are all members of the Star Alliance along with United, which means you can transfer your Citi ThankYou points to any of those airlines to book United flights.
Can I Transfer Citi Points to Delta?
Just like United, you can’t transfer Citi ThankYou points to Delta either. However, you can transfer points to one of their partner airlines to book Delta flights. Of the Citi transfer partners, Delta has partnerships with Air France, KLM, Virgin Atlantic, and Aeromexico.
How Long Do Citi ThankYou Point Transfers Take?
The amount of time it takes to transfer Citi ThankYou points varies by airline and hotel program. For most, the transfer is instantaneous, allowing you to use your points to book flights or hotel stays right away. Others can take anywhere from 12 hours to several days to transfer.
Most notably, it can take up to a week for Citi ThankYou points to show up in your Thai Airways account.
Do Citi ThankYou Points Expire?
It depends on the card, but most Citi ThankYou points don’t expire as long as your account remains open and in good standing.
Bottom Line
Citi ThankYou points may not get as much love as other transferrable currencies, but there are several valuable Citi transfer partners.
Take your Citi points to the next level by transferring points to airline miles and you’ll be flying around the world for next to nothing.
Lead photo courtesy of Next Trip Network via Flickr
