Citi ThankYou Rewards: Best ways to redeem and maximize your points

If you have Citi ThankYou Rewards points or are considering whether you want to take advantage of a current Citi ThankYou offer, you may be interested in the best ways to redeem these points. While some redemption options offer as little as 0.8 cents per point, you can usually get at least double this value when you redeem Citi ThankYou Rewards points with hotel or airline partners.

In this guide, we’ll cover some of the best ways to redeem Citi points and offer advice on the redemptions to avoid.

How to maximize Citi ThankYou Rewards

You have many options when it comes to redeeming Citi ThankYou Rewards points. But, based on how you redeem your rewards, your Citi points value will differ. To maximize your Citi ThankYou Rewards points, you must choose high-value redemption options and avoid low-value ones.

TPG’s August 2025 valuations peg the value of Citi ThankYou Rewards points at 1.9 cents each based on the value you can get if you maximize your points. To maximize your Citi points, you’ll usually want to avoid the following lower-value redemption options:

• Redeem for gift cards: Usually 1 cent per point (up to 1.11 cents per point during sales)
• Book flights, hotels, car rentals or attractions through the Citi Travel portal: 1 cent per point
• Redeem for cash rewards via statement credit, direct deposit or check in the mail: 1 cent per point
• Shop with points: Usually 0.8 cents per point

You’ll likely also want to avoid sharing your points with another Citi ThankYou member unless you are closing your account or they are making a redemption now and need more points to do so. Although there’s no fee to share ThankYou points with another member, the shared points expire 90 days after receiving them. You can also donate your points, but doing so won’t provide any tangible value to you (besides knowing you donated).

As you can see, several redemption options will provide 1 cent per point in value. But if you want to maximize Citi ThankYou Rewards points and get significantly more than 1 cent per point, you’ll need to transfer your Citi points to loyalty programs. In the next section, we’ll discuss some of the best ways to redeem Citi points using transfer partners.

Best ways to redeem Citi ThankYou Rewards points

The best way to redeem Citi ThankYou Rewards points is for a high-value redemption with one of the Citi ThankYou transfer partners.

Citi has 15 airline partners, five hotel partners and one retail partner to which you can transfer your points. You’ll get access to all the transfer partners at the best transfer ratios if you have the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (see rates and fees), the Citi Strata Premier® Card (see rates and fees) or the Citi Prestige® Card. Note: Citi points can be transferred to partners in increments of 1,000.

The information for the Citi Prestige Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Now, let’s discuss some of the best ways to redeem Citi points for maximum value.

American Airlines AAdvantage

In July, Citi ThankYou Rewards gained American Airlines AAdvantage as a transfer partner. You can transfer Citi points to American Airlines AAdvantage at a 1:1 ratio, but only if you have the Citi Strata Elite Card, the Citi Strata Premier Card or the Citi Prestige Card. You can’t transfer Citi ThankYou Rewards points from any other cards to American Airlines AAdvantage.

American Airlines miles are extremely valuable, as they let you book premium cabin award tickets operated by most partner airlines at appealing rates based on a published award chart. But, even if you’re primarily interested in flying American-operated flights within the Americas, you may still find appealing awards. In particular, American’s dynamic award pricing on its own flights can provide excellent value (especially if you’re willing to fly in economy) when you’re flexible with your travel dates and routing.

Related: 5 reasons why I believe American Airlines miles are worth more than United Airlines and Delta Air Lines miles

Air France-KLM Flying Blue

In January, Flying Blue increased the cost of some transatlantic redemptions, but one of the most appealing uses of the Air France-KLM Flying Blue program remains Promo Rewards. With Flying Blue Promo Rewards, you can often snag discounted one-way economy flights between select U.S. airports and various European airports for under 20,000 miles per person.

If you have the Citi Strata Elite Card, the Citi Strata Premier Card, the Citi Prestige Card or the AT&T Access More Card, you can transfer Citi ThankYou Rewards points to Air France-KLM Flying Blue at a 1:1 ratio. Other Citi ThankYou cardmembers can transfer points to Flying Blue at a 10:7 ratio.

The information for the AT&T Access More Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Related: How to find the cheapest redemption rates using Flying Blue miles

Avianca LifeMiles

Avianca LifeMiles is still well loved for its Star Alliance award pricing, even after its most recent devaluation. You can use LifeMiles to save on travel within the U.S. and to Canada, and you’ll also find some compelling rates for flights within Central and South America.

LifeMiles is one of the best ways to book Lufthansa first class, and you’ll find multiple LifeMiles sweet spots for flying in long-haul business class. However, some travelers avoid using Avianca LifeMiles due to its information technology and customer service issues.

If you have the Citi Strata Elite Card, the Citi Strata Premier Card, the Citi Prestige Card or the AT&T Access More Card, you can transfer Citi ThankYou Rewards points to Avianca LifeMiles at a 1:1 ratio. Other Citi ThankYou cardmembers can transfer points to LifeMiles at a 10:7 ratio.

Turkish Miles&Smiles

Turkish Miles&Smiles implemented higher award charts in February 2024, but the program still offers some appealing award rates. In particular, 65,000 miles for a one-way business-class flight between various U.S. cities and Istanbul is still a decent deal. Flying one-way between the U.S. and Hawaii for 10,000 miles (if you can find award availability) is also compelling. It just stings that you could previously secure these awards with Turkish Airlines for fewer miles.

If you have the Citi Strata Elite Card, the Citi Strata Premier Card, the Citi Prestige Card or the AT&T Access More Card, you can transfer Citi ThankYou Rewards points to Turkish Miles&Smiles at a 1:1 ratio. Other Citi ThankYou cardmembers can transfer points to Turkish Miles&Smiles at a 1,000:700 ratio.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Virgin Atlantic has devalued its award chart multiple times, and award tickets often carry high taxes and fees. Even so, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club remains a popular program with some award travelers.

You can redeem Virgin Atlantic points for travel on over 20 partner airlines, including SkyTeam airlines. Not to mention, you’ll sometimes find low award rates on transatlantic Virgin Atlantic flights that make paying the taxes and fees worthwhile.

If you have the Citi Strata Elite Card, the Citi Strata Premier Card, the Citi Prestige Card or the AT&T Access More Card, you can transfer Citi ThankYou Rewards points to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club at a 1:1 ratio. Other Citi ThankYou cardmembers can transfer points to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club at a 1,000:700 ratio.

Related: Use Virgin Atlantic’s reward seat checker to find the cheapest saver seats

Choice Privileges

Choice Privileges award nights usually cost between 8,000 and 35,000 points, but you can get outsize value if you stay on expensive dates or in a pricey destination. I’ve received great value when redeeming Choice points for stays in Japan, Europe and expensive U.S. destinations (such as near ski resorts in winter and large cities on high-demand dates).

If you have the Citi Strata Elite Card, the Citi Strata Premier Card, the Citi Prestige Card or the AT&T Access More Card, you can transfer Citi ThankYou Rewards points to Choice Privileges at a 1:2 ratio. Other Citi ThankYou cardmembers can transfer points to Choice Privileges at a 5:7 ratio.

Related: Bidding is open: Redeem Choice points for VIP college football experiences

Wyndham Rewards

Wyndham Rewards offers a three-tier award chart, with award nights costing 7,500, 15,000 or 30,000 points each. As such, there’s often good value to be found at some properties that cost 7,500 or 15,000 points per night — especially if you’re traveling during high-demand dates where paid rates are high. If you have a cobranded Wyndham Rewards credit card, you’ll get a 10% discount when redeeming points for free nights.

If you have the Citi Strata Elite Card, the Citi Strata Premier Card, the Citi Prestige Card or the AT&T Access More Card, you can transfer Citi ThankYou Rewards points to Wyndham Rewards at a 1:1 ratio. Other Citi ThankYou cardmembers can transfer points to Wyndham Rewards at a 10:7 ratio.

Related: The 12 best Wyndham hotels in the world

Citi cards that earn ThankYou Rewards points

Various Citi cards earn ThankYou Rewards points, but only four cards earn full-fledged ThankYou points that you can transfer to all partners discussed above at the best ratios. Here’s a look at the current welcome offers on these four cards:

• Citi Strata Elite Card: Earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
• Citi Strata Premier Card: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
• Citi Prestige Card: This card is not open to new applicants.
• AT&T Access More Card: This card is not open to new applicants.

You can transfer rewards earned by any ThankYou Rewards card to an account earning full-fledged ThankYou points and then redeem them as if you’d earned them with that account. So, if you have the Citi Strata Premier Card and the Citi Strata℠ Card (see rates and fees), you can transfer rewards earned by the Citi Strata Card to your Citi Strata Premier account before redeeming.

Related: Maximize the Citi Trifecta: Why you should add these 3 cards to your wallet

Bottom line

The best way to redeem Citi ThankYou Rewards points is to use high-value transfer partners for redemptions that give you at least 1.9 cents per point.

However, if you have Citi ThankYou points and don’t want to use transfer partners, the best way to get good value from your points is to redeem them for a gift card you’ll use during a sale at a rate of more than 1 cent per point. Otherwise, consider redeeming for a direct deposit or check at 1 cent per point.