Best ways to use Citi ThankYou points

Citi ThankYou® points are a rewards currency typically earned by making purchases with a variety of Citi credit cards. The easiest way to use Citi points is to redeem them for a credit against your card’s statement, which will give you a value of half a cent to 1 cent per point, depending on which Citi card you have. But you can get outsized value for your points by transferring them to select partner loyalty programs or saving them up for periodic Citi promotions.

With a little patience, planning and math, you can redeem Citi ThankYou points for more than triple their standard value. Here’s how. 

Transfer to Choice Points for affordable European hotels

Choice Hotels’ global network of more than 7,000 properties includes some fairly well-known brands, like Radisson, Econo Lodge and Sleep Inn. But within the points and miles community, Choice has developed a deserved reputation for offering competitive lodging bargains within Europe. Converting Citi points into Choice Privileges points is one of the smartest strategies for cutting costs in expensive countries like Sweden, Norway and Denmark. 

For example, you can enjoy one of Europe’s most majestic cities in Sweden by booking a one-night stay at the Clarion Hotel Stockholm in May 2024 for 16,000 Choice points. Cash rates can run as much as $274, which works out to a value of more than 1.7 cents per point when redeeming your rewards.

But Citi sweetens the pot by offering improved rates for Choice transfers. Citi Strata Premier℠ Card * The information for the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. cardholders have the most to gain from this, as their points convert into Choice at a 1:2 rate. That means you would need a mere 8,000 Citi points for your night in Stockholm, ultimately giving you a value of 3.4 cents per point. 

If you have a no-annual-fee card that earns Citi points, like the Citi Double Cash® Card * The information for the Citi Double Cash® Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. or Citi Rewards+® Card * The information for the Citi Rewards+® Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. , you’ll get a 1:1.5 Choice conversion rate instead, which in this scenario still gives a lucrative value of about 2.6 cents per point.

Book a vacation via the Wyndham-Vacasa partnership

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has a portfolio of 24 different brands ranging from budget options, like Howard Johnson, to luxury getaways within the Registry Collection. You can book award nights at these hotels by converting Citi points to Wyndham Rewards at a 1:1 or 1:0.8 ratio, depending on which Citi card you use.

Wyndham partners with Vacasa, which, like Airbnb, allows you to rent out entire vacation homes. Wyndham will charge you either 15,000 or 30,000 points per bedroom, per night, for your Vacasa vacation rental booking. 

• If the average nightly rate of the property is $250 or less, the cost is 15,000 points per bedroom, per night.
• If the average nightly rate of the property is between $250 and $500, the cost is 30,000 points per bedroom, per night. 

Properties that cost $500.01 and more per night can’t be redeemed with Wyndham points. 

This means that at best you’ll be able to get 1.66 cents in value from your points. This is decent, but be aware that the value will go down if you’re renting a place that doesn’t hit that $250 or $500 threshold.

Probably the most exciting way to redeem your Citi points for Vacasa rentals are for large, one-bedroom properties. Done right, you can enjoy space for multiple folks, like in this example from Gualala, California. 

Although it has just one bedroom, it also features a loft with a second queen bed, which means up to four people can sleep here comfortably. At $474.90 for a two-night stay, you’re getting 1.58 cents in value from the 30,000 Citi points this will cost. 

Dreamy Mexican retreats aside, Vacasa rentals are also available in 35 U.S. states, as well as Canada, Belize and Costa Rica. 

It’s also important to remember that in order to book a Vacasa property using Wyndham points, you have to call Wyndham Rewards, confirm that the property is available for the dates you’re interested in and check to see if it accepts points. Unfortunately, those details aren’t available online. But Wyndham Rewards’ service representatives are friendly, wait times are relatively short and a great bargain is worth a few minutes of hold music. 

Enjoy Turkish hospitality 

Citi is one of the programs (along with Capital One miles and Bilt Rewards) that supports transfers to Turkish Airlines at a 1:1 ratio, provided you have a Citi Strata Premier card. This transferability can come in handy given Turkish Airlines’ international footprint — it flies to more than 300 destinations globally. And its membership in Star Alliance, a network of over 20 airlines, opens up an even wider range of flight redemption possibilities.

A favorite redemption path among Citi cardholders is transferring Citi points to Turkish miles and then using the converted miles for an award flight with United Airlines. These round-trip flights require 20,000 miles and some cash for taxes, so they offer decent redemption value.

The above United economy flight from San Francisco (SFO) to Honolulu (HNL) costs as much as $376 in cash, so the award redemption works out to a value of about 1.8 cents per mile.

Redeeming miles for an award flight with Turkish Airlines itself can yield an even higher value per point than you’ll get for a Star Alliance award flight. 

For instance, a one-way business-class Turkish Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Istanbul is typically very expensive.

But it’s far more affordable when booked with miles. The below arrangement works out to an impressive value of about 4.4 cents per mile. And with business class, you’ll enjoy lie-flat seats, delectable Mediterranean cuisine and some of the most courteous flight attendants to ever take to the skies.

Take advantage of transfer promotions

Citi periodically offers limited-time transfer deals that will grant you more points when you make a transfer. 

For instance, a round trip economy flight from Seattle to London with Virgin Atlantic in November 2024 can set you back either $887 in cash or 30,000 Virgin Points and $492.50. That’s a so-so value of 1.3 cents per point.

Citi points typically transfer to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club at a 1:1 ratio. But a recent promotion gave Virgin transfers an extra 30% in bonus points.

This promotion allows you to convert just 23,077 Citi points into 30,000 Virgin Points, giving you enough for your award flight and bumping up the value you get to a more respectable 1.7 cents per point.

Save on short-haul flights

Citi cardholders who primarily fly stateside rather than overseas can still get value for their points by transferring them to TrueBlue, the loyalty program of the low-cost airline JetBlue. 

TrueBlue uses an alternative redemption structure known as “dynamic pricing,” in which the number of points required for an award flight scales with that flight’s cash price. For instance, this flight from Boston (BOS) to Washington, D.C. (DCA) costs $194 to fly with a carry-on bag.

Booking it as an award flight requires 13,500 points, which works out to a value of 1.1 to 1.4 cents per point, depending on which Citi card was used. 

Unlike many competing loyalty programs that limit the availability of award flights during peak travel periods, TrueBlue award flights are consistently available, regardless of when you’d like to book. 

Other ways to use Citi ThankYou Points

Aside from transfers to travel loyalty programs and gift card redemptions, Citi ThankYou points can be used in a variety of other ways, including:

• Direct purchases with popular online and brick-and-mortar retailers, like Amazon, CVS and Walmart.
• Redemptions for flights, hotel nights, rental cars and other attractions via Citi’s travel portal.
• Cash-back redemptions via statement credits, direct deposits or checks.
• Sharing points with other ThankYou Members or donating points to charitable organizations, like the American Red Cross.
• Redeeming for gift cards from popular retailers such as Apple, Instacart and Hulu.

Note that the per-point value you get for these redemptions can vary significantly and will typically be lower than the more advantageous redemption paths we highlighted above. 

Tips for maximizing your Citi ThankYou Points

Take the following steps to ensure you’re getting the most out of the Citi points you’ve earned.

• Do a little math. Divide the cash price of the item you’re redeeming your points for by the number of points the redemption requires. If that value is less than 1 cent per point ($0.01), you’re getting below-average value for your points. 
• Exercise patience. If the math indicates that you’re spending too many points compared to the price of what you’re interested in, it’s best to just pay cash for that item and hold on to your points for later. You can usually save your points without fear that they’ll expire.
• Consider an upgrade. The Citi Rewards+ and Citi Double Cash cards have handy features and using them regularly can help you put together a tidy pile of ThankYou points. However, the points they earn only transfer to three of the 19 loyalty programs partnered with ThankYou Rewards, and they don’t transfer to those programs at optimal rates. If you take at least one international flight a year, it might be worth it to pay the $95 annual fee for the Citi Strata Premier, which earns points that transfer to all ThankYou partner programs.

How to earn Citi ThankYou Points

ThankYou Points can be earned by making purchases with eligible Citi credit cards, though some older Citi checking accounts may also have this ability.

Credit cards that earn Citi ThankYou Points

Citi is currently accepting applications for the following credit cards that earn ThankYou points:

• Citi Rewards+® Card * The information for the Citi Rewards+® Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
• Citi Double Cash® Card * The information for the Citi Double Cash® Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
• Citi Custom Cash® Card * The information for the Citi Custom Cash® Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
• Citi Strata Premier℠ Card * The information for the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
• AT&T Points Plus® Card from Citi * The information for the AT&T Points Plus® Card from Citi has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Some older Citi cards also earn ThankYou points, but they’re no longer open to new applicants. 

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)