Credit Cards » Credit Card Guides » How to Transfer And Combine Citi ThankYou Points
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How to Transfer And Combine Citi ThankYou Points

Citi ThankYou points can be easily transferred to Citi travel partners, combined with other Citi cards, or moved to another person’s account.
Author: Baruch Mann (Silvermann)
Baruch Mann (Silvermann)

Writer, Contributor

Experience

Baruch Silvermann is a financial expert, experienced analyst, and founder of The Smart Investor.  Silvermann has contributed to Yahoo Finance and cited as an authoritative source in financial outlets like Forbes, Business Insider, CNBC Select, CNET, Bankrate, Fox Business, The Street, and more.
Interest Rates Last Update: October 20, 2024
The banking product interest rates, including savings, CDs, and money market, are accurate as of this date.
Author: Baruch Mann (Silvermann)
Baruch Mann (Silvermann)

Writer, Contributor

Experience

Baruch Silvermann is a financial expert, experienced analyst, and founder of The Smart Investor.  Silvermann has contributed to Yahoo Finance and cited as an authoritative source in financial outlets like Forbes, Business Insider, CNBC Select, CNET, Bankrate, Fox Business, The Street, and more.
Interest Rates Last Update: October 20, 2024

The banking product interest rates, including savings, CDs, and money market, are accurate as of this date.

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When you save points and miles balances, it’s possible to unlock some great redemption deals, including aspirational hotel stays, first-class flights, and more. But, it can be a challenge to get sufficient points to qualify for premium awards.

That said, there are reward programs that allow members to pool their points and make direct transfers between members. The rewards may be limited to select groups of people and/or family members.

The Citi ThankYou Rewards program is different, it offers more flexibility for points sharing and combining, and this will be the focus of this article.

How Does The Citi ThankYou Points Portal Work?

The Citi ThankYou Rewards program allows eligible credit card or bank customers to collect “ThankYou” points on purchases that they make with qualified card accounts. These points are valuable, and they are especially useful for frequent travelers. But, for the uninitiated, this program can be challenging to navigate. Let’s take a look at the basics:

  • The ThankYou point values can vary.
  • Citi allows transfer to multiple travel loyalty programs, but this will vary on the card you have, and only one travel partner has a domestic rewards program.
  • The redemption options are variable depending on the exact Citi card that you use.

Redeeming Citi ThankYou Points

You can redeem your ThankYou points in the following ways:

  • Travel
  • Cashabck
  • Gift cards
  • Statement credits
  • Charity gifts
  • Shopping with participating retail outlets
  • Mortgage or student loan payments

In certain cases, you can redeem points to pay bills. If you have an eligible Citi credit card, you can transfer ThankYou points to specific travel loyalty programs, or the points can be shared with other members.

Which Citi Cards Have Transferable Points?

Card
Rewards
Bonus
Annual Fee

citi double cash

Citi® Double Cash Card
1% – 2% 2% cash back rewards rate – 1% every time you swipe and another 1% upon payment.
N/A $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening
$0

Citi Strata Premier℠ Card

Citi Premier® Card
1X – 10X 10X per dollar on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com, 3X points on restaurant, supermarket, gas station, and air travel and other hotels purchases, and 1X points per dollar on all other purchases
75,000 points 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $750 in gift cards or travel rewards on thankyou.com
$95
citi rewards
Citi Rewards+® Card
1X – 5X Earn 5X points on rental car, hotel and attraction purchases booked through cititravel.com (ends 12/31/2025), 2X points at supermarkets and gas stations (on up to $6,000 in purchases per year, then 1X points) with 1X points on all other purchases [/sc]
20,000 points Earn 20,000 bonus points after you spend $1,500 in purchases with your card within three months of account opening; redeemable for $200 in gift cards at thankyou.com
$0
citi-custom-cash_
Citi Custom Cash℠ Card
1-5% 5% cash back on your highest eligible spend category each billing cycle up to the first $500 spent and 1% cash back thereafter
$200 $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening (20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back)
$0

There are multiple Citi cards that can be used to earn the ThankYou reward points:

  • Citi Double Cash Card – This is a very straightforward reward card with no spending categories or caps. You’ll simply earn 2% cash back on your purchases as ThankYou points, 1% when you make a purchase, and 1% when you have paid your bill.
  • Citi Rewards+® Card – The Citi Rewards+ card has a tiered reward structure weighted towards supermarket and gas station purchases. The card has no annual fee, making it a great option for those looking for rewards on everyday purchases. However, there is a $6,000 spending cap on these purchases. After this cap, you’ll earn the base rewards rate.
  • Citi Custom Cash℠ Card – This is a two-tiered cashback reward structure where you earn ThankYou points on the top eligible class at 5% cash back on your highest eligible spend category each billing cycle up to the first $500 spent and 1% cash back thereafter. The eligible categories include grocery stores, select travel and transit purchases, fitness clubs, live entertainment, gas stations, and restaurants, all with no annual fee.
  • Citi Rewards+℠ Student Card – This card earns you 2 ThankYou points for every $1 spent at gas stations and supermarkets up to a cap of $6,000 per year. For other purchases, the user can earn 1 point for every $1 spent, and rewards are rounded up to the nearest 10 points for each purchase. There is no annual fee, and you get 10% of the points back for the first 100,000 that are redeemed annually.
  • Citi Premier® Card – This card offers a two-tiered reward system of 10X per dollar on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com, 3X points on restaurant, supermarket, gas station, and air travel and other hotels purchases, and 1X points per dollar on all other purchases. The annual fee is $95 , and there is a $100 annual saving on $500 single hotel stays that are purchased with ThankYou.com.
  • Citi Prestige® Card  – This card offers a three tiered reward structure with an annual fee of $495. Every $1 spent on air travel and dining out earns the member 5 ThankYou points. This drops to 3 points per $1 spent on hotel and cruise line purchases. All other qualifying purchases earn the member a single point for each $1 spent. This card is not currently accepting new applications online. 
man hold the Citi Custom Cash Card
Citi Custom Cash Card (Photo by photobyphotoboy/Shutterstock)

How to Transfer Citi Points to Travel Partners

Citi ThankYou points are transferable to 16 different partners, including a pair of hotels and 14 airline loyalty programs. Citi ThankYou transfer partners share considerable overlap with other rewards ecosystems, such as Amex Travel, Capital One Rewards, and others.

Some of the top partners are Flying Blue (Air France and KLM), Qatar Privilege Club, Singapore KrisFlyer, Avianca LifeMiles, Emirates Skywards, Turkish Miles&Smiles, and more. The Citi ThankYou points transfer process to partner loyalty programs is simple:

  1. Log into your Citi ThankYou account that has full access to the partner programs. Click “More Ways to Redeem.” Then click “Points Transfer”. You should now be on the page to make the Citi ThankYou transfer.
  2. Select the partner program and click “Continue.” The next pay has a slider to select the number of points that you wish to transfer in 1,000 point increments.
  3. Enter the loyalty program number. The loyalty program name is pre-populated with the Citi ThankYou account name for your convenience. If you wish, you can choose to save the loyalty account number to make future transfers even easier.
  4. Confirm the transaction. Most transfers are instant, but some may take up to 2 days.

You can transfer ThankYou points between your card accounts instantly, and this is free. Let’s take a look at some popular Citi transfer partners:

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Transferring Citi Points to Avianca LifeMiles

Avianca LifeMiles is a popular option for flights using Star Alliance carriers. The reasons for this are improved online booking, mixed cabin ticketing, and lower taxes and fees. The Avianca program has a number of great advantages and offers:

  • Lufthansa business-class one-way flights to Europe for 63,000 miles.
  • Lufthansa first class one-way flights to Europe for 87,000 miles.
  • United one-way domestic flight awards starting at 6,500 miles.
  • Transcontinental United one-way business-class flights at 25,000 miles.
  • Periodic discounted awards on selected routes.
  • No carrier surcharges are passed on to users.

Avianca is an Amex Membership Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy, and Capital One transfer partner. So you can transfer extra LifeMiles if you’re short after a Citi transfer.

There is even an option to purchase additional LifeMiles at discounted rates to further improve the redemption value. Make sure to check if it's better to use cash or miles.

Transfer Citi points to Avianca
New Lufthansa Business class cabin Airbus A350 (Photo by Tamme Wichmann/Shutterstock)

Transferring Citi Points to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

The Virgin Atlantic Flying Club's devaluation with the Delta awards didn’t degrade the value of this program for certain Delta flights to Europe. Booking flights with Virgin Atlantic Miles on routes that circumvent the U.K. are the best value options:

  • Economy-class flights from the U.S. to Europe are 30,000 miles each way.
  • Business-class flights from the Ú.S. to Europe are 50,000 miles each way.

If you’re planning a trip from the U.S. to Japan, there is a great value award chart on ANA-operated flights.

  • Economy round-trip flights are typically in the 45,000-65,000 miles value range.
  • Business-class round-trip flights are usually in the 70,000-95,000 miles value range.
  • First-class round-trip flights are found in the 90,000-120,000 miles value range.

Transferring Citi Points to JetBlue TrueBlue

The redemption of JetBlue TrueBlue points for flights is simple, the more they cost, the more points you need. Average valuations are $0.013 for each TrueBlue point redeemed, and select flights may offer better or worse value on a case-by-case basis.

A prime example would be Mint award ticket purchases which are valued at $0.01 per point.

JetBlue points can be redeemed for JetBlue Vacations at $0.013 per point, and a mixture of points and cash can be used for flights starting at 500 points. Using a combination of cash and points is not recommended because the redemption value drops to only $0.009 per point.

JetBlue points can be redeemed with Hawaiian Airlines with some excellent one-way flight deals at around 6,000 points for economy and 12,000 points for business class.

Transferring Citi Points to Wyndham Rewards

Wyndham Rewards became a Citi ThankYou transfer partner in Q4 of 2021. The transfers are processed at a 1:1 ratio, and there are some good deals to explore. The award chart is easy to understand, and an award night could cost 7,500, 15,000, or even 30,000 points per night, depending on your needs.

Wyndham Rewards has some bargains even during peak travel times in high-end city properties or for longer holiday stays. The points can also be used to book Vacasa vacation rentals at 15,000 points per night per bedroom, with great deals on one-bedroom and studio apartment rentals.

Vacasa properties can be booked with points, but calling to find the award space and booking is required to secure the property in advance.

Wyndham Rewards is also a Capital One partner, so if you also transfer Capital One miles to Wyndham Rewards.

Transfer Citi Points to JetBlue
JetBlue Airbus A321 airplane flying from New York JFK Airport (Photo by Markus Mainka/Shutterstock)

Should You Transfer Citi Points or Use the Citi Travel Portal?

The Citi Travel Portal has a great reputation, making it easy to book travel purchases. But, is it a preferable option over transferring your Citi points? There are benefits to both methods.

Benefits of Transferring
Benefits of Using the Travel Portal
Better Redemption Values
Booking Flights on the Dates You Actually Want
Enhanced Program Status
Use Points to Book Non Chain Hotels
Wider Access
Hanging Onto Your Money
A Complimentary 4th Night Stay
  • Better Redemption Values: When you use the Travel Portal, you’ll get a typical value of one cent per point. However, if you transfer to a partner program you could get considerably more value for your points.
  • Enhanced Program Status: Some partner programs allow you to enjoy a higher status if you have and use more points. When you transfer your ThankYou points to the program and book stays or flights, it could help you work towards the next tier.
  • Wider Access: Although the Travel Portal provides access to some great flights and hotels, by transferring your points to other programs, you may be able to gain wider access to other airlines or brands via their partnership deals.
  • Booking Flights on the Dates You Actually Want: When you want to travel on very specific dates, you can struggle to get the seats that you need with your miles, You can avoid these hassles if you reserve an open seat on the plane when you book the same flight through the Citi ThankYou Rewards travel portal.
  • Use Points to Book Non Chain Hotels: Participation in hotel loyalty programs invariably means that you’re restricted to hotel chains. But, if you want to stay in a boutique hotel or an intriguing beachfront B&B the Travel Portal could provide a solution.
  • Hanging Onto Your Money: After you’ve saved a considerable number of Citi ThankYou points, it’s likely that you will have more than you need for your next trip. You can use the points to book the flights and rooms entirely to keep more of your cash in your pocket.
  • A Complimentary 4th Night Stay: Certain hotels in the Citi ThankYou travel portal give visitors a complimentary fourth night stay on eligible point deals. This can really help you to stretch your points further and get a lot of extra value for minimal effort.

How To Transfer ThankYou Points to Another Person’s Account

You can share up to 100,000 ThankYou points annually with other Citi members, but there are some restrictions that you need to understand:

  • The maximum ThankYou point transfer to other members is 100,000 points per calendar year. This is a total limit, not a limit to sharing with one person.
  • The shared ThankYou points will expire 90 days after they are received, and this limits the redemption period for the recipient.
  • Every ThankYou member can receive a 100,000 point maximum for each calendar year.
  • A recipient of shared points cannot share those received points with other members.

These policies are generous. If you want to transfer ThankYou points to other loyalty accounts that are not in your name, this is a good option. Let’s take a closer look at how you would do this:

  1. Log into your account.Click “More Ways to Redeem.” Then click “Points Sharing.”
  2. You will see a point transfer summary for the current calendar year. Click the “Begin Sharing” button.
  3. Use the slider to select the point transfer amount. Enter the ThankYou member recipient name and account number.
  4. The transfer process is instantaneous.
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The product offers that appear on this site are from companies from which this website receives compensation.
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Combining Points Between Citi Cards

The Citi ThankYou points redemption values will vary depending on the credit card that you’ve linked to the program.

If you’re using multiple cards that earn ThankYou points, they can be combined online, and this can be used with the best redemption rates and perks. Pooling the points in a single location simplifies management, and the combination process is easy.

  • Log into your Citi account.
  • Scroll to the dropdown menu at the top to find the “My Citi Accounts” link.
  • Click the “Combine My Accounts” on the next page.
  • Link together your ThankYou accounts that you want under a single login.

If you choose to close a Citi ThankYou card, the associated points will expire automatically after 60 days. This is applicable even if you have other Citi ThankYou cards open.

So, it’s important to transfer the points to a partner program to change the expiration policy. This is a significant drawback that is not encountered with Amex, Chase, and Capital One rewards programs.

FAQs

No, Citi Thank Your Points cannot be transferred to Delta, but they can be transferred to Virgin Atlantic, Flying Blue (Air France and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines), and those programs can be used to book Delta flights too.

Amex Membership Rewards points can be transferred to Delta SkyMiles at a 1:1 ratio (A minimum of 1000 points is required)

No, a direct transfer to American Airlines or United Airlines is not possible, but you can transfer to their Star Alliance and Oneworld partners. If you're a Chase Ultimate Rewards member, you can transfer points to Marriott Bonvoy at a 1:1 ratio.

To make this transfer visit your ThankYou.com account, sign in, select the “ThankYou” account that you need to use, and click on “Travel” and then “Points Transfer”.

The transfer must be 1,000 ThankYou points or more, and the transfer is capped at 500,000 points.

Yes, you can share eligible ThankYou points with any other ThankYou members.

Unlike other popular credit cards and reward programs, the Costco Credit Card has no participating transfer partners. Any Costco reward certificates can only be redeemed for cash back or for Costco purchases.

There is no way to transfer your Costco points to any other loyalty program at this time.

Picture of Baruch Mann (Silvermann)

Baruch Mann (Silvermann)

Baruch Silvermann is a financial expert, experienced analyst, and founder of The Smart Investor.  Silvermann has contributed to Yahoo Finance and cited as an authoritative source in financial outlets like Forbes, Business Insider, CNBC Select, CNET, Bankrate, Fox Business, The Street, and more.
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