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The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Katie Genter is a digital nomad who has traveled full time since June 2017. She writes and edits stories about points and miles, and loyalty programs, often letting her personal experiences color these stories.
August 19, 2025 • 11 min read
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Quick summary
Citi ThankYou Rewards points can be redeemed in multiple ways, but value varies significantly depending on the method chosen.
Transferring points to airline or hotel loyalty programs typically yields the highest value, with TPG's August 2025 valuation at 1.9 cents per point for optimal redemptions.
Lower-value options include redeeming for gift cards, cash rewards or shopping with points, which generally provide 0.8 to 1 cent per point.
Some transfer partners offer better transfer ratios and redemption opportunities if you hold specific premium cards.
What to consider
Transferring points to loyalty programs usually requires increments of 1,000 points and may have different transfer ratios depending on the card held.
Shared points expire 90 days after transfer to another member, and some transfer partners are only available to certain cardholders.
Award availability, dynamic pricing and taxes and fees can affect the overall value of redemptions with airline and hotel partners.
What you'll miss from the article
Detailed strategies for maximizing value with specific airline and hotel partners, including program nuances and redemption sweet spots.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
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.
THOMAS BARWICK/GETTY IMAGES
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
: 1 cent per point
Redeem for cash rewards via statement credit, direct deposit or check in the mail
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 ), the Citi Strata Premier® Card (see ) 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.
PIXELSEFFECT/GETTY IMAGES
Now, let’s discuss some of the best ways to redeem Citi points for maximum value.
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.
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.
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.
United Boeing 737-9 economy cabin. KYLE OLSEN/THE POINTS GUY
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.
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.
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).
A room at the Comfort Inn & Suites at Dollywood Lane in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. CHOICE HOTELS
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.
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.
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 75,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases within the first three months from 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 ), you can transfer rewards earned by the Citi Strata Card to your Citi Strata Premier account before redeeming.
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.
