Citi ThankYou® Rewards at a Glance
- Citi offers their ThankYou® Rewards through many of their popular credit cards like the Citi Strata℠ Card and Citi Double Cash® Card.
- You can redeem Citi ThankYou® Rewards points in multiple ways: flight bookings, car rentals, statement credits, points transfer, and more.
- Offers a wide range of major merchants like Best Buy®, Macy’s, Target, etc.
What are Citi ThankYou® Rewards?
When you make purchases with an eligible Citi credit card, you’ll earn Citi ThankYou® Points that can be redeemed for cash back, travel, gift cards, and more.
Some of the most popular Citi credit cards that earn ThankYou® Rewards points include the Citi Custom Cash® Card, Citi Double Cash® Card, and the Citi Strata Premier®.
Redemption Options
Here are some ways you can redeem Citi ThankYou® Points:
- Gift cards: You can redeem your rewards for gift cards to top merchants like Lowe’s, Panera Bread®, Gap, Nordstrom, and many more. Many gift card redemptions offer a value of $0.01 per point.
- Cash back: You can redeem your points for cash back. Your options include direct deposit, check by mail, or as a statement credit to your credit card account. Most Citi cards provide a value of $0.01 per point with this redemption.
- Shop with points: You can redeem your ThankYou® Points for purchases at participating online retailers, including Saks Fifth Avenue and Amazon.
- CitiTravel bookings: Cardholders can redeem their ThankYou® Points for flights, hotels and car rentals made through the Citi Travel portal.
- Points transfer: Those with eligible Citi cards can transfer their points to participating travel Citi ThankYou® Rewards transfer partners. You can redeem your rewards for flights and hotels. Valuations vary by partner and booking, but many Citi cardholders find that their Citi ThankYou® Points are worth much more than $0.01 with this redemption.
Top Partners
You can redeem your rewards for travel by transferring your points to participating Citi transfer partners. Here are a few notable Citi travel partners:
- Choice Hotels® Choice Privileges®: You can transfer your Citi ThankYou® Points to the Choice Privileges program and use your rewards to book Choice Hotels properties. Points transfer at a 1:1.5 ratio or 1:2 ratio, depending on which credit card you have. Redemption rates vary, but Choice Privilege® rewards nights start at 6,000 points.
- Singapore Airlines: Another popular transfer partner is Singapore Airlines where you can transfer your points to KrisFlyer miles. Points transfer at a 1:1 ratio. After transferring your points, you can book flights with Singapore Airlines and other word-class airlines. Many travelers maximize premium cabin bookings through the KrisFlyer program.
- Air France Flying Blue Loyalty Program: You can transfer your Citi ThankYou® Points to Air France and KLM’s Flying Blue Loyalty Program. Points transfer at a 1:1 ratio. In addition to booking Air France and KLM-operated flights, Flying Blue members can book flights operated by other SkyTeam partner airlines.
Expert Intel: Logan Allec, CPA and owner of Choice Tax Relief on how he’s benefited from Citi’s travel transfer partners, “I was able to book a couple of the business flight legs from LAX to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris for 50,000 Flying Blue miles. I transferred these points over from Citi and other travel partners at a 1:1 ratio, meaning that my 50,000 ThankYou Points were converted to 50,000 Flying Blue miles. The cost of one business class flight on Air France from Los Angeles to Paris was about $4,000. So redeeming 50,000 Flying Blue miles for a $4,000 flight yielded a value of approximately $0.08 per point —eight times the value one would get for redeeming for cash back.” [Source: LinkedIn]
How to Earn Citi ThankYou® Rewards?
Here are some tips to help you maximize your earnings through the Citi ThankYou® Rewards program:
Spend with Citi credit cards
The easiest way to earn rewards is by making most of your purchases with your Citi credit card. The following credit cards earn ThankYou® points:
- Citi Custom Cash® Card
- Citi Double Cash® Card
- Citi Rewards+ Card
- Citi Rewards+ Student Card
- Citi Strata Premier®
Related: Compare top Citi reward-earning credit cards with other credit cards in the market.
Optimize your spending
Before making a purchase, consider which credit card will yield the most rewards. Some Citi cards have bonus rewards categories, allowing you to earn rewards at an elevated rate in select spending categories. However, purchases outside of those categories earn at a lower rate. Consider your typical spending habits when choosing which bonus rewards card is right for you.
Many people use a multi-card approach to earn more rewards. The Citi Double Cash® Card earns 2% back on every purchase. For example, looking for another Citi card that earns bonus rewards alongside the Citi Double Cash® Card for purchases outside of the bonus rewards categories would be a good way to go about it.
Expert Intel: Credit card and travel rewards expert Steven Cruse, "While a varied strategy is generally favored, going in hard on Citi ThankYou Points can give you a huge haul, and using multiple cards lets you cover more ground. Combining a specialized earning category card like the Citi Strata Premier with a flat-rate earner is a way to cover all your expenses and ensure you're never short-changing yourself." [Source: LinkedIn]
Book travel through the Citi Travel portal
The Citi Travel portal is where Citi cardholders can book hotel stays, flights, car rentals, tickets to attractions and experiences, all while utilizing their ThankYou® Points in different forms like cash back or points transfer to a merchant partner. Many Citi credit cards allow you to earn rewards at an elevated rate when using your card to pay for travel purchases booked through the Citi Travel portal.
Earn a welcome bonus
An easy way to accumulate more Citi ThankYou® points is by earning a welcome bonus. If you plan to apply for a new Citi card, take advantage of a welcome bonus. You can earn bonus rewards if you meet the minimum spending requirements within the set timeframe.
How to Use Citi ThankYou® Rewards
Here are a few tips for redeeming your Citi ThankYou® Rewards points:
Compare redemption options
Before redeeming your Citi ThankYou® Points, explore all your options. Not all redemptions provide the same value. By being strategic with how you use your rewards, you may be able to maximize the value you receive.
Expert Intel: Sarah Cash, points advisor with point.me, explains why travelers can benefit from transferring their points to travel partners, “You can get outsized value from your points when you transfer them to partners, especially to airlines. When you redeem your points through a credit card portal, you might get one cent per point in value, but when you transfer your hard-earned points to airline partners, you might get two, three, or even 10 cents per point.” [Source: LinkedIn]
Access more transfer partners with the Citi Strata Premier®
The majority of Citi cards don’t provide access to Citi’s entire travel transfer partner list. But if you have the Citi Strata Premier®, you can book with any Citi travel transfer partner, which gives you more flexibility when making travel plans. You can also get more value from your rewards when transferring them to partners. If you plan to use your points for travel, you may want to consider adding the Citi Strata Premier® credit card to your wallet.
Pay attention to transfer bonuses
If you’re planning to transfer your points to Citi ThankYou® Rewards transfer partners, don’t ignore transfer bonuses. Some travel partners promote transfer bonuses, which provide a points boost. If you transfer your points to a partner that’s running a transfer bonus, you’ll get bonus rewards.
For example, if an airline partner promotes a 30% transfer bonus, and you transfer 50,000 Citi ThankYou® points to its rewards program, you’ll get an additional 15,000 points. You’ll end up with 65,000 points after the transfer, even though you only transferred 50,000 points. Transfer bonuses can help you maximize the value of your rewards.
Related: Check out our comparison of the best travel rewards credit cards.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Redeem my Citi ThankYou® Points?
You can redeem your Citi ThankYou® Points in many ways. Some redemption options include cash back, gift cards, travel booking through the Citi Travel portal, or transferring your points to travel transfer partners. You can redeem your rewards by logging into your online account at ThankYou.com.
How Much Are 1,000 Citi ThankYou® Points Worth?
The value of Citi points vary depending on how you redeem them, but generally, you can expect a value of $0.01 per point. 1,000 Citi ThankYou® Points would be worth about $10. You may be able to get more value from your rewards depending on the redemption method you choose.
Will Citi ThankYou® Points Expire?
Your Citi ThankYou® Points won’t expire as long as you have an active account that’s in good standing. However, some older Citi credit cards have expiration policies. Check your cardholder agreement to verify whether expiration policies apply to your credit card.
Disclosure: The information related to Citi ThankYou® rewards has been collected by Bestmoney.com and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product or service.
