While Citi offers many different rewards credit cards, only some Citi credit cards offer access to the company’s valuable ThankYou Rewards program. You’ll also need to hold a premium Citi ThankYou card to get full access to Citi ThankYou Rewards transfer partners.
Whether you’re applying for your first credit card or a seasoned professional looking for a new travel rewards card, one or more cards in Citi’s portfolio may be right for you.
In this guide, we’ll examine the program in more detail, including some of the best cards that offer Citi ThankYou points and how to redeem them.
The best Citi ThankYou rewards cards
The information for City Prestige is independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
| card | Sign up bonus | earning rate | Annual fee | Special benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citi Prestige Card | This card is not available for new applicants. |
|
$495 | |
| Citi Strata Premier Card | Earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. |
|
$95 (see rates and fees) |
|
| Citi Rewards+ Card | Earn 20,000 bonus points after spending $1,500 on purchases within three months of account opening. |
|
$0 (see rates and fees) |
|
| Citi Double Cash Card | Get $200 cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first six months of account opening. Note that this bonus will amount to 20,000 ThankYou points, which can then be redeemed for $200 cashback. |
|
$0 (see rates and fees) |
|
| Citi Custom Cash Card | Get $200 cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first six months of account opening. Note that this bonus will amount to 20,000 ThankYou points, which can then be redeemed for $200 cashback. |
|
$0 (see rates and fees) |
How to earn Citi ThankYou points
As you can see, many Citi cards earn ThankYou points. But not all ThankYou points are created equal.
If you only have Citi Rewards+ CardThe Citi Double Cash Card Or Citi Custom Cash Card (or another non-premium Citi ThankYou card), you’ll earn what we’ll call “basic” ThankYou points. They cost 1 cent each when redeemed for cash back by statement credit, direct deposit or check.
You can also transfer “basic” ThankYou points to the three loyalty programs – Choice Privilege, JetBlue TrueBlue and Wyndham Rewards – if you have a Citi Rewards+ card or Citi Double Cash card, but these transfers are done at a lower rate if you do. will happen Premium Citi ThankYou Card.
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However, suppose you also have Citi Prestige Card or Citi Strata Premier Card. In that case, you can accumulate “basic” ThankYou points in your Citi Prestige or Citi Strata Premier account and transfer your rewards to a Citi ThankYou travel partner at the best transfer ratio.
The information for City Prestige is independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
If you want to add a new Citi ThankYou card to your wallet, read the fine print for the sign-up bonus and check our page on credit card application rules to make sure you’re eligible for the bonus before clicking the “Apply” button.
Related: Best time to apply for these popular Citi credit cards, based on offer history
How to redeem Citi ThankYou points
All Citi ThankYou Rewards cards let you redeem ThankYou points for statement credits, cash rewards, third-party gift cards and travel booked through them. City Travel Portal at a flat rate of 1 percent per point. Sometimes, you’ll also find gift cards on sale that can give you a slightly higher redemption rate.
Be careful, though, as some redemption options (like Shop with Points) offer less than 1 percent per point. Make sure you get at least 1 cent per ThankYou point before you redeem.
Keep in mind that you can get significantly more value when you redeem your ThankYou points by transferring them to airline or hotel partners. Suppose you have a Citi Prestige Card or Citi Strata Premier Card. In that case, you can only transfer to Choice Privileges, JetBlue TrueBlue and Wyndham Rewards if you have them. Citi Rewards+ Card Or Citi Double Cash Card (And your transfer ratio won’t be that attractive).
Check the table below for the transfer ratio.
| program | transfer ratio |
|---|---|
| Aeromexico Awards | 1:1 |
| Accor Live Limitless | 2:1 |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | 1:1 |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 1:1 |
| Cathay Pacific Cathay | 1:1 |
| Prerogatives of choice | 1:2 (2:3 with non-premium cards) |
| Emirates Skywards | 1:1 |
| Etihad Guest | 1:1 |
| Eva Air Infinity Mileagelands | 1:1 |
| I prefer hotel rewards | 1:4 |
| JetBlue TrueBlue | 1:1 (5:4 with nonpremium cards) |
| Leaders Club (World’s Leading Hotels) | 5:1 |
| Miles & Smiles (Turkish Airlines) | 1:1 |
| Qantas frequent flyer | 1:1 |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 1:1 |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 1:1 |
| Thai Royal Orchid Plus | 1:1 |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club/Virgin Red | 1:1 |
| Wyndham Rewards | 1:1 (5:4 for non-premium cards) |
With so many transfer partners, your options are plentiful when redeeming Citi ThankYou Rewards points. Here are some Citi ThankYou sweet spots you can use in some of the programs that offer the most value:
RELATED: Redeem Your Points and Miles: How to Find Flight Award Availability for Major Airlines
The bottom line
Citi ThankYou Rewards points are probably the least valuable of the major points and miles currencies. Despite some negatives, Citi ThankYou points remain valuable, especially for those looking to book award flights on international carriers.
Having a Citi Prestige Card or similar premium Citi ThankYou card Citi Strata Premier Card It’s important to maximize the Citi ThankYou Rewards program. These cards unlock the best rate transfers to all Citi ThankYou partners, which can offer many high-value award booking options.