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Citi ThankYou® Rewards is a flexible benefits program that offers a variety of ways to earn and redeem points, similar to American Express Membership Rewards®, Chase Ultimate Rewards® and Capital One Miles. It's an excellent option for both beginners who are looking for easy-to-use credit card rewards and rewards experts who want to maximize the value of their points.
Here are all the ways to earn Citi ThankYou® Points and the best ways to redeem them for maximum value.
Best Citi credit cards for earning ThankYou® Points
A handful of rewards credit cards issued by Citi earn ThankYou® Points, which you can transfer to partner hotel and airline loyalty programs. However, if you want to take advantage of the best transfer ratios for Citi's transfer partners, you'll need a card with an annual fee, such as the Citi Strata Premier® Card.
Citi credit cards that earn ThankYou® Points include:
The Citi Strata Premier® Card has competitive rewards rates and unlocks access to all of the Citi ThankYou® transfer partners, which boosts the value of your points.
- Unlocks point transfers to all of the Citi ThankYou® partners, including Emirates Skywards, Choice Privileges, Flying Blue and more
- Generous bonus spending categories include dining, supermarkets, hotels and flights
- Valuable welcome bonus
- Has an annual fee
- Car rental coverage is secondary, not primary
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.
- Earn 10 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on CitiTravel.com.
- Earn 3 Points per $1 on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases, at Restaurants, Supermarkets, Gas and EV Charging Stations.
- Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- $100 Annual Hotel Benefit: Once per calendar year, enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when booked through CitiTravel.com. Benefit applied instantly at time of booking.
- No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases
Balance transfer fee
Balance transfer fee applies with this offer 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.
The Citi Strataâ„ Card is a solid rewards credit card that earns in several everyday spending categories, with no annual fee.
- No annual fee
- Customizable earnings category
- Earns transferable rewards
- Has foreign transaction fees
- Fewer built-in benefits
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff
- Earn 20,000 bonus Points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
- 0% Intro APR on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months; after that, the variable APR will be 18.49% - 28.49%, based on your creditworthiness. There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).
- Earn 3 ThankYou® Points for each $1 spent in an eligible Self-Select Category of your choice (Fitness Clubs, Select Streaming Services, Live Entertainment, Cosmetic Stores/Barber Shops/Hair Salons, or Pet Supply Stores). Choose your eligible Self-Select Category on Citi Online or by calling customer service. The default Self-Select Category is Select Streaming Services.
- Earn 5 ThankYou® Points for each $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals and Attractions booked on Citi Travel® via cititravel.com; earn 3 ThankYou Points for each $1 spent at Supermarkets, on Select Transit purchases, and at Gas & EV Charging Stations.
- Earn 2 ThankYou® Points for each $1 spent at Restaurants; earn 1 ThankYou® Point for each $1 spent on All Other Purchases.
- No Annual Fee
Balance transfer fee
There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. A balance transfer fee of 5%Â of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies if completed after 4 months of account opening.
Technically, the Citi Custom Cash Card and Citi Double Cash Card are cash-back cards. However, the cashback is earned in the form of ThankYou® Points (one point equals one cent). These cash-back cards also provide access to Citi's transfer partner, but at reduced transfer rates. However, you can combine the points you earn from these cards with other Citi cards, like the Citi Strata Premier or Citi Strata Card. Doing this gives you improved transfer ratios.
The Citi Custom Cash® Card is an especially simple and rewarding cash back card because you'll automatically earn bonus rewards where you spend the most.
- Offers a long intro APR on balance transfers
- Easy-to-earn welcome bonus
- No annual fee
- Bonus cash back categories are capped
- Charges a foreign transaction fee
Rewards
- Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, 1% cash back thereafter
- Earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases
- Special Travel Offer: Earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travelâ„ portal through 6/30/2026
Balance transfer fee
5% of each balance transfer ($5 minimum)
Foreign transaction fee
3%
The Citi Double Cash® Card is one of the best no-annual-fee cash-back cards thanks to its straightforward rewards structure.
- Long intro-APR for balance transfers
- High flat-rate cash-back rewards structure
- No annual fee
- Has a foreign transaction fee
- Intro APR doesn't apply to purchases
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
- Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time. Plus, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked with Citi Travel.
- Balance Transfer Only Offer: 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months. After that, the variable APR will be 17.49% - 27.49%, based on your creditworthiness.
- Balance Transfers do not earn cash back. Intro APR does not apply to purchases.
- If you transfer a balance, interest will be charged on your purchases unless you pay your entire balance (including balance transfers) by the due date each month.
- There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).
Balance transfer fee
There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. A balance transfer fee of 5% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies if completed after 4 months of account opening.
Foreign transaction fee
3%
Best ways to use Citi ThankYou® Points
You can use Citi points in all sorts of ways, including redeeming points for gift cards, cash back, statement credits, merchandise and travel. However, the best way to get the most value out of your Citi points is usually to transfer them to one of Citi's partner airline and hotel loyalty programs:
Citi ThankYou® Points travel partners
| Citi Strata Elite℠Card and Citi Strata Premier® Card transfer ratios | Citi Strata℠Card, Citi Double Cash® Card and Citi Custom Cash® Card transfer ratios | |
|---|---|---|
| Accor Live Limitless | 1:0.5 | 1:0.35 |
| Aeromexico Rewards | 1:1 | 1:0.7 |
| American Airlines AAdvantage | 1:1 | 1:0.7 |
| Cathay Pacific Cathay | 1:1 | 1:0.7 |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 1:1 | 1:0.7 |
| Emirates Skywards | 1:0.8 | 1:0.56 |
| Etihad Guest | 1:1 | 1:0.7 |
| Eva Air Infinity MileageLands | 1:1 | 1:0.7 |
| Flying Blue (KLM and Air France) | 1:1 | 1:0.7 |
| I Prefer Hotel Rewards | 1:4 | 1:2.8 |
| JetBlue TrueBlue | 1:1 | 1:0.7 |
| Leaders Club | 1:0.2 | 1:0.14 |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | 1:1 | 1:0.7 |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 1:1 | 1:0.7 |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 1:1 | 1:0.7 |
| Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus | 1:1 | 1:0.7 |
| Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles | 1:1 | 1:0.7 |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 1:1 | 1:0.7 |
| Choice Privileges | 1:2 | 1:1.4 |
| Wyndham Rewards | 1:1 | 1:0.7 |
Keep in mind that these are the standard transfer ratios. Citi frequently has promotions offering bonuses, which can dramatically improve the transfer ratio and value you receive.
Citi also partners with Shop Your Way® rewards at a 1:10 transfer ratio.
Book one-way flights to Hawaii for 10,000 points
By transferring ThankYou® Points to Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles, you could fly a family of four from the U.S. East Coast to Hawaii and back for only 80,000 points. This is because the Turkish Airlines award chart includes Hawaii and the Continental U.S. in the same award zone.
Turkish Airlines is a member of the Star Alliance, which means you can use Turkish miles to book award flights on United Airlines. While many airlines operate distance-based award charts or have ditched award charts altogether in favor of dynamic pricing, Turkish Airlines has a zone-based partner award chart with separate prices for domestic flights. This allows you to book economy flights to/from anywhere in the U.S. that United flies (including Hawaii) for a set price of 10,000 one-way in economy or 15,000 one-way in business class.
Fly to Europe in business class
International business-class flights can cost thousands of dollars, so using your credit card rewards to book these awards can unlock exceptional value. The best airline program for booking business-class awards depends on where you want to go, but Citi partners with several loyalty programs that are useful for booking business-class awards to Europe, including Air France/KLM Flying Blue, Avianca LifeMiles, American Airlines AAdvantage and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.
You can book awards with Star Alliance partner airlines through Avianca, which doesn't pass on fuel surcharges. One-way business-class flights from the U.S. to Europe booked through LifeMiles typically cost 70,000 to 80,000 miles, although it varies.
Virgin Atlantic is a member of the SkyTeam alliance and has dynamically priced awards. You can book one-way Upper Class (business class) flights from the U.S. to the U.K. for as little as 29,000 points on certain days. However, the price can skyrocket to 130,000+ points on other days. Virgin Atlantic still has fixed award charts for partner flights and there are good deals for business-class flights to Europe on Air France and KLM. It costs 48,500 points one-way for an off-peak business-class award from the Eastern U.S. to most of Western and Central Europe (58,500 points on peak dates).
Air France/KLM Flying Blue, also a part of SkyTeam, sometimes offers business-class flights to Europe for as little as 50,000 miles one-way or less for qualifying Promo Reward tickets.
Aside from the points or miles you pay for a business-class award, pay attention to taxes and fees, which can vary depending on where you're flying and on which airline (or airlines). To save on taxes, avoid booking award flights through the U.K. You could also use a program like Avianca LifeMiles, which doesn't add fuel surcharges to award flights.
Book cheap domestic flights
For only 15,000 ThankYou® Points (or less), you can book domestic awards on United, Delta and more. You can book United by transferring points to Avianca or Turkish Airlines. Turkish Airlines charges 10,000 miles for a one-way award and Avianca typically charges 10,000 to 15,000 miles for one-way domestic economy awards.
To book flights on Delta, transfer miles to Virgin Atlantic. Virgin Atlantic operates a distance-based award chart for domestic Delta flights and charges per flight segment, so trips with connections are more expensive. Flight segments start at 7,500 miles (500 miles or less) and go up to 22,000 miles (segments between 2,001 to 3,000 miles).
JetBlue TrueBlue can be a good option for cheap flights because it prices award flights dynamically. You'll typically get around 1.1 to 1.5 cents per point, depending on the flight you book. The American Airlines AAdvantage program also prices awards dynamically, but if your travel dates are flexible, it's not uncommon to find one-way economy flights for less than 10,000 miles.
If you'd like to book flights without transferring points to a partner, you can pay for flights through the Citi ThankYou® Points site at a fixed rate of one cent per point. This is a solid option when cash fares are low, plus you'll earn miles on the flight.
Book hotels
Generally, transferring points to Citi's hotel partners is less valuable than using your points for flights. However, airfare is only one cost associated with traveling, and being able to offset the cost of lodging with your credit card rewards or hotel points is useful. Citi has grown its hotel partnerships, and specific hotel redemptions can be lucrative.
Citi points transfer to Choice Hotels at a 1:2 ratio (with the Citi Strata Premier or Citi Strata Elite cards, 1:1.4 otherwise) and certain Choice Hotels awards can be very valuable. Choice Hotels has a large footprint in Scandinavian countries, where other chains aren't as common and points bookings can be a great deal. Choice Hotels also runs the Sweet Spots promotion, which offers discounted award rates at select hotels and yields similar values per point.
Wyndham charges 7,500, 15,000 or 30,000 points per night and Citi points transfer to Wyndham at a 1:1 ratio (with the Citi Strata Premier and Strata Elite cards, otherwise 1:0.7). At more expensive hotels, Wyndham points can yield a higher value.
However, you'll often get less than one cent per point in value for Wyndham bookings. In that situation, it's better to cash out your ThankYou® Points for one cent each in statement credits and use that money to book the hotel.
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Earn 75,000 bonus points
Earn $200 cash back
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How to avoid less valuable ThankYou® Points redemptions
Browsing the ThankYou® Points site, you'll see all sorts of options to use Citi points. It can be overwhelming, but to keep it simple, know that you can always cash out your points at a rate of one cent each as a statement credit, direct deposit or check.
Some redemption options are less valuable, like shopping with points at select retail partners, which gets you a value of less than one cent per point. You can purchase gift cards with Citi points (one cent per point), and there are occasionally gift card sales for 10% off.
What are Citi ThankYou® Points worth?
As you can see, Citi points are almost always worth at least one cent apiece, with only a few redemption options providing less value. However, with a little additional effort, you can easily get multiple cents per ooint in value from your Citi points when redeemed through an airline or hotel transfer partner.
Find the best credit card for you by reviewing offers in our credit card marketplace or get personalized offers via CardMatch™.
Bottom line
Citi ThankYou® Points are easy to earn with the right Citi credit cards and have the right mix of redemption options to provide you with value and flexibility.
The simplest way to use Citi points is to redeem them for cash back. However, consider transferring your points to one of Citi's partner travel programs to get outsized value. With the right program, you can book expensive luxury flights worth thousands of dollars.
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Information about the Citi Custom Cash® Card has been collected independently by CNBC Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.
