The complete guide to Citi ThankYou Rewards: How to earn, redeem and transfer points

While Citi offers many cards, only some provide access to the company's valuable ThankYou Rewards program. Moreover, only cardmembers with select cards can access all the Citi ThankYou Rewards transfer partners and transfer to these partners at the best rates.

Whether you're applying for your first credit card or are a seasoned pro looking for a new travel rewards card, one or more cards in Citi's portfolio might be right for you. In this guide, we'll examine the program in more detail, including how to earn and redeem Citi ThankYou Rewards points.

Best Citi ThankYou Rewards cards

• Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (see rates and fees): Best for Citi Travel users and American Airlines flyers
• Citi Strata Premier® Card (see rates and fees): Best for earning full-fledged ThankYou Rewards points with a low annual fee
• Citi Strata℠ Card (see rates and fees): Best for earning points with no annual fee
• Citi Double Cash® Card (see rates and fees): Best for everyday spending
• Citi Prestige® Card: Best for restaurants, airlines and travel agencies
• Citi Custom Cash® Card: Best for bonus earnings in different categories each billing cycle

The information for the Citi Prestige and the Citi Custom Cash has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

How to earn Citi ThankYou Rewards points

The only way to earn Citi ThankYou Rewards points is to get and use a Citi ThankYou Rewards card for purchases. Here's a look at how to earn points with some of the best Citi ThankYou Rewards cards:

*Note that Double Cash and Custom Cash cardholders will earn cash back in the form of ThankYou Rewards points.

If you want to add a new Citi ThankYou Rewards card to your wallet, read the fine print for the sign-up offer and check our page on credit card application rules to ensure you're eligible for the bonus before clicking the "Apply" button.

Related: The best time to apply for these popular Citi credit cards, based on offer history

How to redeem Citi ThankYou Rewards points

All the Citi ThankYou Rewards cards let you redeem ThankYou Rewards points for statement credits, cash rewards, third-party gift cards and travel booked through the Citi Travel portal at a flat rate of 1 cent per point. Sometimes, you'll even find gift cards on sale that could give you a slightly higher redemption rate. Be careful, though, as some redemption options (such as Shop With Points) provide less than 1 cent per point in value.

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You may get significantly more value when you redeem your ThankYou Rewards points by transferring them to airline or hotel partners. However, only travelers with the Citi Strata Elite Card, the Citi Strata Premier Card or the Citi Prestige Card can transfer Citi ThankYou Rewards points to American Airlines AAdvantage. And, for the other Citi ThankYou Rewards transfer partners, travelers with select cards (including the Citi Strata Elite and the Citi Strata Premier) unlock higher transfer ratios.

Here's a look at the Citi ThankYou Rewards travel partners and transfer ratios based on card type.

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.

You can combine all your ThankYou Rewards points into one account, either on the ThankYou Rewards website or via a phone call to ThankYou Rewards. Suppose you combine your points into your Citi Strata Elite Card, Citi Strata Premier Card or Citi Prestige Card account. In that case, you can transfer your rewards to all the Citi ThankYou Rewards travel partners at the best transfer ratios.

With so many transfer partners, your options are plentiful when redeeming Citi ThankYou Rewards points. Here are some redemptions to consider:

• Transfer to Singapore KrisFlyer and snag a Spontaneous Escapes deal.
• Transfer to Choice Privileges and redeem as few as 6,000 Choice points per night for a hotel stay.
• Use Avianca LifeMiles to book United Airlines-operated awards.
• Use Virgin Atlantic Flying Club to fly on Delta Air Lines-operated flights.
• Transfer to Wyndham Rewards and redeem as few as 7,500 Wyndham points per night (or even less if you have select Wyndham credit cards).
• Transfer to Air France-KLM Flying Blue to book a Flying Blue Promo Rewards flight.
• Transfer to American Airlines AAdvantage to book any of the numerous AAdvantage sweet spots.

Related: Redeem your points and miles: How to search flight award availability for the major airlines

Bottom line

Having a premium Citi ThankYou Rewards card like the Citi Strata Elite Card, the Citi Strata Premier Card or the Citi Prestige Card is more important than ever if you want to maximize the Citi ThankYou Rewards program. These cards unlock transfers to all the Citi ThankYou Rewards partners at the best rate, which can provide many high-value award booking options.

The Citi Strata Elite Card currently has a limited time welcome offer of 100,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening, while the Citi Strata Premier Card has a welcome offer of 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. So, now is a good time to add either of these cards to your wallet.