Get a 40% bonus when you transfer Citi ThankYou points to Qatar Airways — here's how to maximize
TPG loves a good transfer bonus. These promotions are an excellent way to catapult the value of your points and miles.
The latest transfer bonus between Citi ThankYou Rewards and Qatar Airways is extra sweet. Not only can you use it to acquire bonus Qatar Avios, but with some strategy, you can also earn bonus British Airways Avios, Iberia Avios and Aer Lingus Avios. This promotion, which ends June 30, 2022, was first reported by View from The Wing.
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Here’s what you need to know.
Transfer Citi ThankYou points to Qatar with up to 40% bonus Avios
Citi ThankYou points are the only bank points that transfer directly to Qatar Airways. Normally, the conversion rate to Qatar Avios is 1:1. However, with this current promotion, there's the potential to improve your transfer ratio to 1:1.4. In other words, 1,000 Citi ThankYou points equal up to 1,400 Qatar Avios.
Here’s how it works:
- You’ll get 20% bonus points when you transfer up to 20,000 ThankYou points in a single transaction.
- You’ll get 40% bonus points when you transfer at least 21,000 ThankYou points in a single transaction.
Your bonus points may take up to 45 days to deposit, so if you’re transferring points for a seat you’d like to book immediately, know that it may not still be available by the time your bonus points post. Additionally, this bonus takes place on Qatar Airways' side, so you won't see the bonus on the Citi website.
This bonus is also available to international loyalty programs, too. You'll get up to a 40% transfer bonus when you move points from the following programs to Qatar Airways Privilege Club, according to Qatar Airways' website:
"The participating partners are Ahli Bank Qatar, Ahli United Bank, Ahlibank Oman, Air Miles, American Express, Amex Centurion Design Cards by Hyundai Card (Korea), Citibank, Commercial Bank of Qatar, Doha Bank, Dukhan Bank, Hana Members, HSBC (Greece, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Hong Kong), Kuwait Finance House, Masraf Al Rayan, Ping An E-wallet (Wanlitong), Qatar International Islamic Bank (QIIB), Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB), Qatar National Bank (QNB), CIMB, KBank, Standard Chartered Bank Singapore, BSF (Banque Saudi Fransi)."
Related: Credit card transfer bonuses currently available
How to maximize this transfer bonus
Qatar Avios are not exhaustively covered like American Airlines AAdvantage and other frequent flyer programs, but there are still lots of great ways to use Qatar Avios with the help of this transfer bonus.
Qatar Qsuites to the Maldives for 61,000 ThankYou points
One of the best ways to use Qatar Avios is for its Qsuites, which are lie-flat business-class seats with closing doors. If you and a travel companion book seats next to each other, you can both recline your seats for a double bed in the sky.
Related: How to book Qatar Qsuites to the Maldives for just 85,000 points
Qsuites are a big bucket list item among points and miles collectors. You can fly these seats to the Maldives for as little as 85,000 Qatar Avios from cities like Miami, Atlanta, New York City and Washington, D.C. Refer to our ultimate guide to Qatar Qsuites to ensure that the flights you choose offer Qsuites.
One example of this option involves flying from Atlanta to the Maldives for 85,000 Avios and $201.50 in taxes and fees. With the current 40% transfer bonus, you could book this flight for just 61,000 Citi ThankYou points.
Lie-flat business-class flights to Spain for 25,000 ThankYou points
You can convert your Qatar Avios into Iberia Avios by first transferring them to British Airways and then to Iberia. Read this post to learn how to convert your Qatar Avios into British Airways Avios, and check out this post to learn how to transfer British Airways Avios to Iberia.
One of the cheapest ways to cross the Atlantic in a lie-flat seat is with Iberia Avios during off-peak dates. You can fly to Madrid from Boston, New York, Chicago or Washington, D.C., for only 34,000 Avios one-way. That means that with this 40% transfer bonus, you can book this seat for just 25,000 Citi ThankYou points.
Related: Use Iberia Avios to manufacture your own cheap business-class fares to Europe
Economy seats to Ireland for 10,000 ThankYou points
You can convert your Qatar Avios into Aer Lingus Avios by first transferring them to British Airways before transferring them to Aer Lingus. Take a look at this post to learn how to transfer British Airways Avios to Aer Lingus after moving your Qatar Avios to British Airways Avios.
Related: Fly from the U.S. to Ireland from 13,000 Avios each way
You can fly to Dublin for just 13,000 Avios during off-peak dates from the following cities:
- Boston.
- Hartford, Connecticut.
- New York City.
- Newark.
- Philadelphia.
- Toronto.
- Washington, D.C.
- Chicago.
- Minneapolis.
You can also fly to Shannon, Ireland, for the same price from both Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). With this 40% transfer bonus, you can book a one-way economy flight to Ireland for as little as 10,000 Citi ThankYou points.
American Airlines domestic starting at 6,000 ThankYou points
Qatar Avios are good for more than just international flights. When you convert your Qatar Avios into British Airways Avios, you can often book domestic American Airlines flights for less than you'd spend when using American Airlines miles for the same flight.
Related: 11 times it’s better to book American Airlines flights through British Airways
British Airways implements a distance-based award chart. The farther you fly, the more points you’ll pay. Here’s a quick rundown:
- Flights up to 650 miles cost 7,500 Avios (or 6,000 ThankYou points during this promotion).
- Flights between 651 and 1,151 miles cost 9,000 Avios (or 7,000 ThankYou points during this promotion).
- Flights between 1,152 and 2,000 miles cost 11,000 Avios (or 8,000 ThankYou points during this promotion).
- Flights between 2,001 and 3,000 miles cost 13,000 Avios (or 10,000 ThankYou points during this promotion).
For example, a flight from Boston to Miami requires 11,000 Avios, but with this latest transfer bonus, you can book it for just 8,000 Citi ThankYou points.
Bottom line
Getting 40% more Avios when you transfer Citi ThankYou points to Qatar Airways means you can score an excellent deal on many top-notch redemptions. If you plan to fly on American Airlines in the future or are interested in booking any of the above sweet spots, you should really consider jumping on this promotion before it expires.