Citi Travel portal: Everything you need to know

The Citi Travel portal gives Citi cardholders the ability to book a wide range of travel, from flights and hotels to rental cars and even experiences such as tours and attraction tickets. It can be a good use of ThankYou Rewards points for those who prefer the simplicity of a travel portal, instead of jumping through the steps of transferring points to Citi’s transfer partners.

Bookings made through Citi Travel are also eligible for elevated bonus points with select Citi cards and are a solid way to take advantage of perks like statement credits and other benefits.

Let’s explore the Citi Travel portal, how to use it and discuss any potential drawbacks. Additionally, I’ll review how to book travel and explain how cardholders can pay using their ThankYou Rewards points.

What is the Citi Travel portal?

The Citi Travel portal offers four types of travel purchases:

• Attractions
• Car rentals
• Flights
• Hotels

Travel purchases on the portal can be made using Citi ThankYou Rewards points, a credit card or a combination of both.

If you choose to redeem points for purchases made on Citi Travel, you may not be maximizing your hard-earned ThankYou Rewards points because redemptions are valued at a meager 1 cent per point.

With the recent changes to Citi’s lineup of credit cards and the introduction of new cards, including the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (see rates and fees), the Citi Travel portal is on the radar of new and prospective cardholders.

The portal is lucrative for Citi cardholders who wish to earn bonus rewards on their purchases. For example, the following Citi cards have elevated earnings on Citi Travel purchases:

The information for the Citi Custom Cash 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: The ultimate guide to Citi ThankYou Rewards

How to use the Citi Travel portal

You can access Citi Travel if you hold an eligible Citi ThankYou Rewards points-earning credit card. Click this link and log in to your Citi account.

If you have multiple Citi credit cards, you must select which card you want to use. Once you select a card, you’re ready to start booking travel.

How to book flights using Citi Travel

Booking flights through Citi Travel is similar to other issuer portals, such as American Express Travel or Chase Travel℠. Simply enter your origin, destination, number of passengers, dates and class of service.

At the moment, you can book one-way and round-trip airfare, but not multicity itineraries.

Here’s an example of a flight search from Chicago to Los Angeles. If you want a broad search of all the airports at your origin and destination, you can type in the name of a city instead of a specific airport. This gives you the flexibility to see different options.

You can filter your results by preferred airline, stops, flight times or price. You can also choose “mix and match,” which pairs different airline carriers to get you the best price possible.

Unfortunately, you cannot filter out basic economy fares, and in order to pick a different fare class, you must select your flight and then scroll down to see which fare types are offered.

I seldom use the Citi Travel portal to book flights. I have found from past experiences that when dealing with flight changes, cancellations or interruptions, it’s more challenging to deal with an online travel agency versus directly with the airline.

Before using points to pay for a flight in full or splitting the cost with a cash copay, consider transferring points to Citi’s transfer partners. Transferring points may cost less than using points through the portal, and is a better way to get more than 1 cent per point. For reference, according to TPG’s August 2025 valuations, Citi ThankYou Rewards points are worth 1.9 cents each.

Additionally, I highly recommend comparing prices before booking through the portal. Based on data points obtained in August 2024, Citi Travel flights were about 10% more than booking directly with the airline. It may be cheaper to book directly with an airline or another issuer’s travel portal, so be sure to do your research.

Related: Best ways to redeem Citi ThankYou Rewards points

How to book hotels using Citi Travel

Booking hotels through Citi Travel is no different from using other travel portals.

If you hold the following Citi cards, here are some benefits you can receive when booking hotels through the portal:

• Citi Strata Elite Card: Up to a $300 annual hotel credit on a single prepaid hotel stay (minimum two-night stay)
• Citi Strata Premier Card: A $100 hotel credit each calendar year on a booking of $500 or more
• Citi Prestige® Card (no longer open to new applicants): Receive a fourth night free on hotel bookings, available up to twice per calendar year

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.

Citi Travel also has two hotel programs that rival similar offerings by its competitors: Hotel Collection and The Reserve. The Reserve rates are only available to cardholders of the Citi Strata Elite, the Citi Strata Premier and the Citi Prestige.

The Reserve by Citi Travel features five-star properties, and the Hotel Collection features four-star hotels. Here’s how the programs compare to each other:

If you’re looking for elevated hotel perks, filter your results by Hotel Collection or The Reserve properties.

Here’s an example of a Hotel Collection property showing the included benefits:

When booking hotels through the portal, you forfeit any elite status earnings and benefits because most loyalty programs require direct bookings to recognize elite status. It’s up to you to decide if the benefits you give up are worth the extra ThankYou Rewards points you earn when booking via the portal.

I have Marriott Platinum Elite status, so losing out on perks such as lounge access at select hotels, 50% bonus points and enhanced room upgrades is not a fair trade-off, despite earning bonus ThankYou Rewards points as a Strata Premier cardholder.

How to book rental cars using Citi Travel

Searching for rental cars feels simple and familiar to what you’ll find with other online travel agencies.

After selecting a car, on the next page, you’ll see the full details of the rental, including the cancellation policy.

When reserving a rental car through Citi Travel, you also lose out on taking advantage of any car rental company elite status and benefits you typically receive when booking directly.

Related: Hitting the road on your vacation? Everything you need to know about rental car elite status

How to book attractions using Citi Travel

One standout feature of the Citi Travel portal is the ability to book attractions. This is what makes the Citi Travel portal so useful: You can book everything from flights and hotels to activities in a single transaction.

When you search for a destination, you’ll see all available options. For example, when searching in Los Angeles as a destination, you will see options like a Hollywood ghost tour, a private car transfer from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, and an LA food tour.

When you see an activity or tickets you want to purchase, click on the tile. This will take you to a page with details about this offering and the cancellation policies.

Bottom line

The Citi Travel portal allows you to make travel reservations for flights, hotels, rental cars and even attractions. The two main benefits of booking through the portal are the ability to earn bonus ThankYou Rewards points with an eligible Citi card and the ability to pay for your purchase using your existing Citi ThankYou Rewards points.

If you hold the Citi Strata Elite, the Citi Strata Premier or the Citi Prestige, be sure to take advantage of your card’s travel benefits with Citi Travel, whether it’s a travel credit or a free night perk with eligible bookings. Don’t forget the trade-offs of booking with a portal versus booking directly.

If convenience is your deciding factor, this user-friendly portal offers many options when planning your upcoming vacation.

Related: Citi Strata Elite review: Unique statement credits and Admirals Club access