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.
Advertiser disclosure
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.
Guides
How and why to transfer your Citi ThankYou Rewards points to another person
Nick Ewen is TPG's editor-in-chief and helps readers leverage credit cards (he has more than 25 of them) and loyalty programs to travel more for less. He's been at TPG for over 11 years.
November 10, 2020 • 9 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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.
Related stories
Quick summary
Some rewards programs allow members to share or pool points, but often limit transfers to family or select individuals.
One program stands out for its flexibility, letting members share points with any other program member through a dedicated feature.
There are annual limits on how many points you can share or receive, and shared points expire 90 days after transfer.
Sharing points can help others reach redemption thresholds, use leftover balances, or preserve points before closing an account.
What to consider
You can only share or receive up to 100,000 points per calendar year through the program's sharing feature.
Shared points are valid for just 90 days from the date they are received and cannot be returned or re-shared.
Only points earned through eligible credit card activity can be shared; other point types are excluded.
What you'll miss from the article
Step-by-step instructions for sharing points and practical scenarios when sharing is most beneficial.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Citi is a TPG advertising partner.
Building up your points and miles balances is a great way to unlock fantastic redemptions like first-class flights and aspirational hotels. However, it can sometimes be challenging to accrue enough points to redeem for a premium award.
Fortunately, some programs allow members to pool rewards with other members. And some programs even allow you to transfer rewards to other members directly. Even when allowed, pooling and sharing rewards are often limited to family or a limited set of people.
The Citi ThankYou Rewards program is a bit more flexible, though. Specifically, members can share points with just about anyone through the ThankYou Rewards program's Points Sharing feature. So, today I'll discuss everything you should know about transferring Citi ThankYou Rewards points to other members.
Sharing points may let friends or family travel to see you. (Photo by valentinrussanov/Getty Images)
You can't transfer Citi ThankYou Rewards points to someone else's hotel or airline loyalty program account. Specifically, the name on the loyalty account must match the name on the Citi ThankYou Rewards account.
But, you can share (in essence, transfer) Citi ThankYou Rewards points to any other ThankYou Rewards member through the program's Points Sharing feature. You don't need to add them as an authorized user and they don't need to be a family member. Instead, the only requirement is that they have a Citi ThankYou Rewards account.
However, there are a few important restrictions and limitations to keep in mind:
You can only share a total of 100,000 ThankYou points in a calendar year
You can only receive a total of 100,000 ThankYou points in a calendar year
Shared points are only valid for 90 days from the date they are received
You can only share points earned through the use of your Citi credit card account
You can't share taxable points, points earned through a Citibank checking account or points that Citi has made unavailable for redemption
The Citi Rewards+® Card is not eligible for 10% points back with points sharing (Note: the 10% back benefit is on the first 100,000 points you redeem each year)
The third bullet may require the most consideration. After all, as soon as the transfer is completed, the expiration clock starts ticking. So, your recipient will need to use the shared points within 90 days of receiving them. It's also important to note that you can't "return" shared points to the sender. And, you can't re-share points received from another member.
Now that you have an understanding of the Points Sharing feature of the ThankYou Rewards program, let's consider how to actually share points. Here's a step-by-step overview of how to share your points with another Citi ThankYou Rewards member.
First, visit www.thankyou.com and click "Sign On" in the upper-righthand corner.
(Image courtesy of the Citi ThankYou Rewards program)
Next, enter your Citi card credentials and click "Sign On." If you have multiple Citi ThankYou accounts that haven't been combined, you'll need to select the ThankYou account you want to use on the next page. For this example, I chose my Citi Premier® Card account.
(Image courtesy of the Citi ThankYou Rewards program)
Hover over More Ways to Redeem on the top menu bar and select Points Sharing. After doing so, you may need to confirm your identity with a one-time identification code by a phone call or text message. Choose your preferred method and enter this code once you receive it.
(Image courtesy of the Citi ThankYou Rewards program)
Now you'll find yourself on the Citi ThankYou Rewards Points Sharing page.
(Image courtesy of the Citi ThankYou Rewards program)
Review the details of the Points Sharing program on this page and then click Begin Sharing.
(Image courtesy of the Citi ThankYou Rewards program)
Next, you'll need to decide how many points to share. You'll also need to enter the first name, last name and account number of the recipient. Before you can move to the next page, you'll need to review the Points Sharing terms and conditions. Once you do so, you must check a box accepting the terms and conditions before you can click "Continue."
(Image courtesy of the Citi ThankYou Rewards program)
Finally, you can review the details of your request. If you want to complete the request, click Submit.
(Image courtesy of the Citi ThankYou Rewards program)
The next page should confirm your transfer. In most cases, the points will post to your recipient's account instantly. So, you can expect the 90-day expiration clock to begin almost immediately after you submit the request.
It's always nice to have flexibility with your points and miles. After all, flexibility opens up additional redemption options. But, you may be wondering when it would make sense to share your Citi ThankYou Rewards points with another member. So, here are three instances where you might want to transfer your points to another person.
A friend or family member is just short of a specific redemption
It's easy to rack up a large balance of Citi ThankYou Rewards points with cards like the Citi Premier® Card, Citi Prestige® Card and Citi Rewards+® Card. So, if a family member needs a few thousand additional points for a specific award, this feature is a great way to help them out. And, shared points will transfer instantly. This means you can help your friend or family member make their redemption much sooner than if they worked to earn the points organically.
The information for the Citi Prestige has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
You have an odd number of points left after a redemption
Help your friends or family take a trip by sharing orphaned points from your Citi ThankYou account. (Photo by Hello World/Getty Images)
You may only have a small number of Citi ThankYou Rewards points in your account after a particular redemption. But, you can only transfer Citi ThankYou Rewards points to travel partners in 1,000-point increments.
You could simply let the points sit in your account until you earn enough rewards to make a redemption. But, you could also send your Citi ThankYou Rewards points to a friend or family member so they can make a redemption. After all, you can share as little as one Citi ThankYou Rewards point.
So, if you decide to close a Citi ThankYou Rewards card, one important aspect to consider is your points. Transferring your points to a favorite hotel or airline partner could make sense. But, perhaps you don't want to commit to a specific program. In this case, sharing your points with a friend or family member before closing your account could be a valuable option. Keep in mind that you can only share up to 100,000 points per year and that your recipient only has 90 days to use the shared points.
The Citi ThankYou Rewards program allows you to share points freely with any other ThankYou Rewards member. The restrictions are minimal and the recipients don't need to be authorized users or family members.
Using the Points Sharing feature can be a great way to maximize redemptions with Citi ThankYou Rewards points. After all, with Points Sharing you can pool points from multiple accounts to reach a specific award threshold that would otherwise be out of reach.
Additional reporting by Katie Genter.
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.
