Many holders of Citi credit cards often consider redeeming their valuable Citi ThankYou Rewards points for simple options like gift cards or travel bookings directly through the Citi travel portal. However, if you’re a savvy traveler with a premium Citi ThankYou card, you’re sitting on a goldmine of potential value. The secret? Citi Transfer Partners. By strategically transferring your points to Citi’s airline and hotel partners, you can unlock significantly greater value for your rewards, often far exceeding the standard redemption rates.
This comprehensive guide will delve into the world of Citi transfer partners, explaining how to earn the points that unlock this valuable option and providing a detailed overview of each partner program. We’ll explore the pros and cons of each, helping you determine which Citi transfer partners can offer the best opportunities to maximize your travel rewards.
Earning Points for Citi Transfer Partners
Before you can explore the exciting world of Citi transfer partners, it’s crucial to understand how to earn the right kind of Citi ThankYou Points. Not all ThankYou Points are created equal when it comes to transfers. You can accumulate Citi ThankYou points through various Citi credit cards, but access to transfer partners is primarily reserved for holders of premium cards.
It’s important to note that to leverage the full spectrum of Citi transfer partners, you generally need to hold a premium Citi ThankYou card. These include cards like the (previously available) Citi Prestige® Card and the current Citi Strata Premier Card. These premium cards unlock the ability to transfer your ThankYou points to the majority of partners we’ll discuss in this guide.
If your wallet only holds cards like the Citi Rewards+ Card, your ThankYou points have more limited transfer options. You’ll be able to transfer to JetBlue TrueBlue, Choice Privileges, and Wyndham Rewards, but not the broader range of partners. Cards like the Citi Double Cash Card or Citi Custom Cash Card earn cash back in the form of “basic” ThankYou points. These basic points, on their own, are not eligible for transfers to any partner programs.
However, there’s a smart strategy to unlock transferability for all your ThankYou points. If you hold a premium card like the Citi Strata Premier in addition to cards like the Citi Double Cash or Citi Custom Cash, you can combine your limited and basic ThankYou points with the points earned on your premium card. This powerful feature allows you to pool all your rewards into your Citi Strata Premier account, making them fully transferable to any Citi transfer partner.
Citi Transfer Partner: An In-Depth Overview
The Citi ThankYou Rewards program boasts a diverse portfolio of 19 Citi transfer partners, providing a wide array of options for redeeming your points for travel and beyond. This includes 14 airline loyalty programs, four hotel loyalty programs, and even one retail loyalty program.
To help you navigate this landscape, here’s a comprehensive overview of each Citi transfer partner and their respective transfer ratios:
- Accor Live Limitless: Points transfer at a 2:1 ratio.
- Aeromexico Rewards: Points transfer at a 1:1 ratio.
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue: Points transfer at a 1:1 ratio.
- Avianca LifeMiles: Points transfer at a 1:1 ratio.
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles: Points transfer at a 1:1 ratio.
- Choice Privileges: Points transfer at a 1:2 ratio (or 2:3 ratio for points earned on limited cards).
- Emirates Skywards: Points transfer at a 1:1 ratio.
- Etihad Guest: Points transfer at a 1:1 ratio.
- EVA Air Infinity MileageLands: Points transfer at a 1:1 ratio.
- JetBlue TrueBlue: Points transfer at a 1:1 ratio (or 5:4 ratio for points earned on limited cards).
- Leaders Club: Points transfer at a 5:1 ratio.
- Qantas Frequent Flyer: Points transfer at a 1:1 ratio.
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club: Points transfer at a 1:1 ratio.
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer: Points transfer at a 1:1 ratio.
- Shop Your Way: Points transfer at a 1:10 ratio.
- Thai Royal Orchid Plus: Points transfer at a 1:1 ratio.
- Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles: Points transfer at a 1:1 ratio.
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club: Points transfer at a 1:1 ratio.
- Wyndham Rewards: Points transfer at a 1:1 ratio (or 5:4 ratio for points earned on limited cards).
Keep an eye out for occasional transfer bonuses! From time to time, Citi may offer enhanced transfer ratios to select partners, providing an even more valuable opportunity to redeem your points.
To initiate a transfer of your Citi ThankYou points, simply visit thankyou.com and log in to your account. If you have multiple ThankYou accounts, ensure you select the correct one. Navigate to the “Travel” section in the top navigation bar and choose “Points transfer.” Remember that the minimum transfer amount is 1,000 ThankYou points, and the maximum is 500,000 points per transfer. Transfers must be made in increments of 1,000 points.
Processing times for transfers can vary between partners. While Citi states that transfers can take up to 14 days, real-world data and tests on Citi ThankYou points transfer times indicate that most transfers are completed much faster.
Let’s now delve into each Citi transfer partner in detail, evaluating their potential value and highlighting situations where transferring your Citi points can be a smart move.
Related: Best Ways to Redeem Citi ThankYou Points
Accor Live Limitless
Accor Live Limitless encompasses a vast portfolio of 53 hotel brands, ranging from budget-friendly options to luxurious stays, including well-known names like Sofitel, Fairmont, Raffles, and Mövenpick. Redemptions with Accor are straightforward: 2,000 points equate to 40 euros, which is approximately $44 based on current exchange rates. This valuation gives each Accor point a value of roughly 2.2 cents.
However, when transferring Citi points to Accor at a 2:1 ratio, the value proposition changes. You effectively get just over 1 cent per Citi point. While this is less than TPG’s valuation of Citi points at 1.8 cents each, Accor Live Limitless can still present a reasonable option, especially if you have a smaller balance of Citi points and are looking for hotel stays within the Accor network. It might offer slightly better value than directly redeeming your points for hotel bookings through the Citi travel portal.
Aeromexico Rewards
While Aeromexico Rewards does maintain an award chart for limited “classic award tickets,” the program primarily utilizes dynamic pricing for most award flights, especially those operated by Aeromexico, Delta, KLM, and Air France. This dynamic pricing model means award costs fluctuate based on factors like demand, availability, destination, and class of service. Unfortunately, these dynamically priced awards are often not particularly compelling in terms of value. Adding to the cost, Aeromexico levies an award booking fee of 365 Mexican pesos (around $22), even for online bookings.
There might be niche situations where you could extract decent value from Aeromexico Rewards, but generally, it’s not considered one of the most high-value Citi transfer partners. Other airline partners typically offer more consistent and attractive redemption opportunities.
Air France-KLM Flying Blue
Air France-KLM Flying Blue stands out as a popular program and is often cited as one of the most valuable Citi transfer partners. However, it’s important to be aware that Flying Blue employs dynamic award pricing and also adds fuel surcharges, which can be substantial on certain routes.
Despite these considerations, Flying Blue offers several attractive features. In late 2023, they standardized prices for saver-level redemptions to Europe, making award travel to Europe more predictable and potentially more affordable. Keep an eye on the monthly Flying Blue Promo Rewards for discounted award tickets and consider leveraging Flying Blue stopovers to maximize your trips. Flying Blue’s calendar search tool is also a valuable asset for finding the lowest-priced award tickets.
Related: How to Find the Cheapest Redemption Rates Using Flying Blue Miles
Avianca LifeMiles
Avianca LifeMiles is a favorite among frequent flyers, particularly for booking flights on Star Alliance carriers. Its appeal stems from features like mixed-cabin ticketing (allowing you to combine different classes of service on a single award ticket) and the fact that LifeMiles generally doesn’t impose carrier surcharges on award tickets, keeping out-of-pocket costs lower.
Although Avianca LifeMiles increased award costs to Asia in late 2022, several valuable “sweet spots” remain within the program. Two of the most notable are:
- Lufthansa business class to Europe (one-way) for 63,000 miles: This offers excellent value for transatlantic business class travel.
- United Airlines domestic economy awards (one-way) starting from just 6,500 miles: Ideal for short hops within the U.S.
You can also frequently find reasonably priced award flights operated by Avianca within the Americas, making LifeMiles a versatile program for travel throughout the region.
Related: The Best Websites to Search for Star Alliance Award Availability
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles utilizes distance-based award charts for flights on Cathay Pacific itself and for flights operated by its Oneworld partner airlines. For long-haul routes, especially those between the U.S. and Hong Kong, award costs can be substantial. For example, booking a one-way “ultra-long” Cathay Pacific flight (over 7,501 miles) can cost 160,000 Asia Miles in first class, 110,000 miles in business class, 75,000 miles in premium economy, and 38,000 miles in economy.
Asia Miles does pass on fees and surcharges levied by other carriers and often imposes significant surcharges on its own tickets. Despite award chart increases in late 2023, there are still instances where booking through Asia Miles can be the most advantageous option, particularly for specific routes or cabin classes.
Related: Traveling Soon? 10 Apps and Websites to Find Award Redemptions Easier
Choice Privileges
Choice Privileges significantly expanded its footprint in mid-2023 by integrating Radisson Rewards Americas into its loyalty program. Now, through Choice Privileges, you can book stays at a wide range of hotels, including legacy Radisson Rewards Americas brands. Award night costs at most Choice properties globally range from a reasonable 6,000 to 35,000 points per night.
The 1:2 transfer ratio from Citi ThankYou points to Choice Privileges (or 2:3 for points earned on limited cards) effectively stretches your Citi points further within the Choice Hotels ecosystem. To maximize your Choice points, explore resources on Choice Hotels Sweet Spot Rewards and discover unique and unconventional ways to redeem Choice points.
Related: Register for Choice Hotels Your Extras to Earn Gift Cards or Perks on Weekday Stays
Emirates Skywards
Emirates Skywards is perhaps most appealing for aspirational travelers seeking to experience Emirates’ renowned business-class or first-class cabins. However, it’s important to acknowledge that award prices with Emirates Skywards are generally high. For example, a one-way business-class flight from New York to Dubai can cost a hefty 138,000 miles plus around $839 in taxes and fees.
A potentially more accessible and valuable option within Emirates Skywards is to target the airline’s “fifth-freedom” routes between the U.S. and Europe. For instance, you might find a one-way business-class award from New York to Milan for 87,000 miles plus approximately $106 in taxes and fees. If you can locate round-trip, saver-level awards on this route, the total cost could drop to 108,000 miles plus $248.
Related: The Complete Guide to the Emirates A380 Onboard Bar and Lounge
Etihad Guest
Etihad Guest once held a reputation as a fantastic program for maximizing partner redemptions. Unfortunately, the program has undergone significant changes. In 2023, Etihad drastically reduced its sweet spots and increased award rates, in some cases by over 300% on certain routes.
Further changes to Etihad Guest are unfolding this year, including reductions in GuestSeat award prices and the introduction of the ability to redeem miles for upgrades to the exclusive Residence cabin on select A380 flights. However, it’s crucial to be aware that Etihad Guest award rates tend to be on the higher side, and the published award charts often only display introductory rates. The actual rates you encounter when booking can often be considerably higher.
Related: Your Ultimate Guide to Searching Award Availability for Major Airlines
EVA Air Infinity MileageLands
EVA Air Infinity MileageLands is generally not the most straightforward or universally valuable program. It’s often overshadowed by other programs and can be somewhat complex to navigate. However, there are specific scenarios where Infinity MileageLands can be a worthwhile option.
One area to consider is round-trip itineraries within specific regions. Infinity MileageLands allows for up to two stopovers, up to six flight segments, and one open jaw on round-trip Star Alliance awards within defined regions. Some of these regions are quite broad. For example, the “North Asia” region encompasses “Guam, Japan, Micronesia, Palau, Russian Far East, South Korea, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Saipan.” This opens up the possibility of constructing interesting “island hopper” itineraries for a reasonable mileage cost, such as 30,000 miles round trip in economy or 55,000 miles in business class. Similarly, the “South West Pacific” and “South America” regions also present potentially appealing redemption opportunities.
Refer to the award chart for Star Alliance awards and the award chart for EVA Air awards for detailed mileage costs.
Related: Is EVA Air Business Class Worth It on the Boeing 787-10?
JetBlue TrueBlue
Redeeming JetBlue TrueBlue points for JetBlue flights is a simple process tied to cash prices. Generally, the higher the cash price of a flight, the more points it will require. Based on TPG valuations, you can typically expect to receive around 1.4 cents in value per TrueBlue point redeemed. However, the actual value can fluctuate slightly depending on specific flights and routes.
Another option for JetBlue points is to redeem them for travel on Hawaiian Airlines. You can often book nonstop, one-way economy flights within Hawaii for 7,500 points plus a nominal $5.60 fee. However, it’s worth noting that paid flights on these inter-island routes are often quite inexpensive, so this redemption may not always represent the absolute best value.
Leaders Club
Leaders Club, the loyalty program of The Leading Hotels of the World, is the newest addition to the Citi transfer partners program. Leaders Club utilizes dynamic award pricing for hotel stays, but typically, you can expect to achieve a value of between 6 and 8 cents per Leaders Club point. Considering the 5:1 transfer ratio from Citi points to Leaders Club, this translates to a value of approximately 1.2 to 1.6 cents per Citi point, which is slightly below TPG’s 1.8 cents valuation for ThankYou points.
If you’re considering using Citi points for a stay at a LHW property, transferring points to Leaders Club is generally a more advantageous approach than booking through the Citi travel portal. However, it’s always prudent to perform a quick comparison for your specific booking to ensure you’re maximizing value.
Qantas Frequent Flyer
Qantas Frequent Flyer is generally not considered the most lucrative loyalty program, primarily due to its high fuel surcharges and less-than-stellar award charts. The program employs multiple distance-based award charts, requiring you to select the correct chart based on the operating airlines for your award flights.
Despite its limitations, Qantas Frequent Flyer does offer some potential sweet spots. These include short-haul flights operated by Qantas, around-the-world Oneworld award tickets, transatlantic business-class awards on American Airlines, and short-haul American Airlines flights. Careful research and route selection are key to finding value within the Qantas program.
Qatar Airways Privilege Club
Qatar Airways Privilege Club might not be the most widely discussed program, but it deserves attention, particularly since it adopted Avios as its loyalty currency in 2022. This transition makes Privilege Club the sole Avios-accruing program within the Citi transfer partner network.
The significance of using Avios is that you can combine Avios across different loyalty programs that utilize Avios. This means you can transfer your Citi points to Qatar Airways Privilege Club and then leverage those Avios to book sweet spot awards within the British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, and Aer Lingus AerClub programs, expanding your redemption possibilities significantly.
Related: Book Qatar Qsuites Before Anyone Else
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer is often the go-to program if you aspire to experience the renowned Singapore Airlines first-class Suites using points and miles. Finding “Saver” level award availability in Suites can be challenging, and you’ll often encounter “Advantage” award space, which comes at a higher mileage cost. For instance, a one-way first-class flight from New York to Singapore might require 243,000 miles at the Advantage level. Business class offers more attainable award options, with Advantage awards at 143,500 miles and Saver awards at 111,500 miles for the same route. If your desired award isn’t immediately available, Singapore Airlines offers a waitlist feature.
If business and first-class award rates seem steep, explore the monthly KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes program. This offers discounted award tickets on select routes and in specific cabins for travel within a limited booking and travel window.
Shop Your Way
Shop Your Way is primarily a shopping rewards program, offering points that can be redeemed for various merchandise and gift cards. Redemption options within Shop Your Way become visible only once you’ve accumulated a sufficient point balance. According to information on the Shop Your Way website, 1,000 Shop Your Way points are generally worth $1 towards a gift card.
Citi ThankYou points transfer to Shop Your Way at a dismal 1:10 ratio. This means each Citi point effectively becomes worth only about 1 cent when transferred to Shop Your Way. Considering you can already redeem Citi points for a statement credit or check at a value of 1 cent per point, there’s very little compelling reason to transfer your valuable Citi points to Shop Your Way. It represents a significant devaluation of your rewards.
Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
Thai Royal Orchid Plus is generally not a program where you’ll find widespread high-value redemptions. While it may offer some decent intra-region award pricing within Southeast Asia, overall, it’s not a standout program compared to other Citi transfer partners.
You can consult the Thai Airways award charts for flights originating in Bangkok here, for flights connecting in Bangkok here, and the Star Alliance partner award chart here. However, navigating these charts and finding truly valuable redemptions can be challenging.
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles has gained popularity among award travelers in recent years, often highlighted for its previously generous award charts. However, Turkish Airlines devalued its award charts relatively recently. While this devaluation has diminished some of the program’s allure, some value opportunities still exist.
You’ll generally find the most value when redeeming Miles&Smiles for flights operated by Turkish Airlines or other Star Alliance member airlines. Based on the Miles&Smiles region-based award charts, one-way awards are priced at half the cost of round-trip awards, offering flexibility. However, be mindful that fuel surcharges can be significant on certain Miles&Smiles redemptions, particularly on long-haul routes.
One notable sweet spot within Miles&Smiles is for domestic flights operated by Turkish Airlines partner airlines. This can be valuable in countries with partner hubs. For instance, you can book United Airlines domestic flights within the U.S., including to Hawaii, for just 10,000 miles one-way in economy or 15,000 miles in business class.
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club has long been a favorite among award travel enthusiasts. However, the program has seen a reduction in its most prominent sweet spots over the past few years. In 2021, Virgin Atlantic eliminated many of its previously attractive Delta Air Lines sweet spots. In 2023, further devaluations occurred, including increased redemption rates for ANA first-class awards and a devaluation of the award chart for many Delta flights outside of Europe and the United Kingdom.
Despite these changes, opportunities for value still exist within Flying Club, especially when considering the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club partner network. For example, Delta Main Cabin flights between the U.S. and the U.K. can start at 15,000 Virgin points each way during standard season dates. You can also sometimes find discounted award flights through Virgin Atlantic Promo Rewards.
Related: How to Book Delta Award Flights with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Points
Wyndham Rewards
Wyndham Rewards stands out for its straightforward award chart. Award nights are priced at a flat rate of either 7,500, 15,000, or 30,000 points per night, depending on the specific property. While not every Wyndham property represents an exceptional redemption value, you can sometimes uncover bargains, particularly in expensive cities, at higher-end Wyndham properties, or during peak travel periods when cash prices are inflated.
Beyond standard hotel stays, you can also redeem Wyndham points for stays at Wyndham vacation club resorts, Caesars Rewards hotel properties in Las Vegas and elsewhere, and Vacasa vacation rentals, offering diverse redemption options.
Related: The 12 Best Wyndham Hotels in the World
Bottom Line
As this guide demonstrates, the world of Citi transfer partners is rich with possibilities. The sheer number of partners makes earning Citi ThankYou points a worthwhile endeavor, even if your immediate redemption plans aren’t fully formed. The flexibility to transfer points to a variety of airline and hotel programs allows you to adapt your rewards strategy to your evolving travel goals.
The key to maximizing your Citi ThankYou points is to be strategic. Before redeeming, take the time to research your desired destination and travel dates. Then, explore which Citi transfer partners align best with your travel plans and offer the most advantageous redemption options for your specific trip. By doing your homework and understanding the nuances of each partner program, you can unlock significant value and elevate your travel experiences using Citi transfer partners.
