Citi card thank you rewards program

Our monthly TPG valuations give you a clue of the relative value of some currencies. Here are some ideas to get you started, though.

This valuation is based on the value obtained when you transfer your points to select partners. So, here are five of our favorite Citi ThankYou transfer partners. Avianca LifeMiles is a popular currency for booking flights on Star Alliance carriers due to its now-improved online booking process , mixed cabin ticketing and low taxes and fees.

Some hidden gems in the Avianca LifeMiles program include:. But note that Avianca periodically offers discounted awards on select routes. Also, Avianca frequently offers the opportunity to purchase LifeMiles at a discounted rate. So, you can still book the following American-operated flights with Etihad Guest miles :.

Check out all of the Etihad Guest partner award charts here to find your own sweet spots. Etihad also periodically offers the opportunity to purchase Etihad Guest miles at a discounted rate.

Related: The ultimate guide to Etihad partners. For example, you can book business class on the Newark-to-Singapore flight for 99, miles each way if you can find a Saver award or , miles each way for a standard award. On the other hand, you can book Singapore Suites between Singapore and Shanghai, Beijing or Mumbai, India, for as little as 53, miles one-way if you can find Saver award availability or 98, miles each way for a standard award.

See the award chart here for KrisFlyer awards on Singapore metal. KrisFlyer usually discounts routes each month through its Spontaneous Escapes program.

Singapore KrisFlyer is also well known for booking awards on partner airlines , including many Star Alliance carriers.

For example, you can book a round-trip United-operated flight from mainland North America to Hawaii for 35, miles in economy class and 69, miles in business class. Related: The best ways to get to Singapore using points and miles.

Historically, only hardcore points and miles collectors would go through the hassle of finding and booking awards in this program. But the online search and booking process has improved dramatically, which makes the program more accessible. Another excellent way to redeem Turkish miles is on U. This makes Turkish the best Citi transfer option for most domestic flights, and by far the best option for flights to Hawaii. In particular, you can book flights on the following nonstop Delta-operated routes using Virgin Atlantic miles that avoid the U.

Specifically, for round-trip flights between the U. See the award chart here. Also, Flying Club sometimes offers the opportunity to purchase miles at a discounted rate.

Related: 3 great ways to redeem Virgin Atlantic points now that Delta awards are devalued. While Aeromexico Club Premier has an award chart in theory, it actually uses dynamic pricing in practice. For example, for a round-trip economy flight from Los Angeles to Paris, the award chart quotes 96, Premier points for low season or , Premier points for high season.

Yet, when I searched this route, I found one-way flights bookable for between 48, and 97, points. Additionally, a one-way economy flight from Mexico City to Los Angeles cost between 30, and 81, Premier Points for one date I searched.

But for another date, this same route cost between 13, and 28, Premier points for economy. So you may be able to get good value from Aeromexico if you choose to use your points in the right situations. Flying Blue is a popular program that some might argue is one of the best Citi transfer partners. However, since the Flying Blue program changed in , its pricing has been illogical. Some redemptions are certainly appealing, though. For example, business class between the U.

But Flying Blue will add on fuel surcharges that can be hefty on some routes. One bright spot is that Flying Blue offers Promo Rewards each month on its website. These discounted award tickets recently returned to U. Cathay Pacific Asia Miles uses distance-based award charts for flights on its own metal and Oneworld partner awards.

This means that long-haul flights, such as those between the U. Cathay Pacific Asia Miles passes on fuel surcharges from other carriers but no longer charges fuel surcharges on many of its own tickets. Also, the Cathay Pacific Asia Miles booking engine can be frustrating and difficult to decipher. The bulk of Choice properties fall on the budget side of the spectrum, but there are some hidden gems abroad.

For example, you can get an excellent deal when booking hotels in Japan and Northern Europe. Citi points transfer to Choice at a ratio, meaning that redemption only requires 6, points. This means you get more than 3 cents per point in value from that particular redemption, which is excellent for Citi ThankYou points. Of course, not all redemptions will yield that much value.

Related: 19 ways to earn more Choice Privileges points. Emirates Skywards is perhaps most useful for those looking to book award tickets for Emirates first class or Emirates business class. Emirates has several one-off partners. However, many of those partner redemptions now follow distance-based charts.

For example, you can book domestic flights on JetBlue from 8, miles each way. You can also use Emirates Skywards miles for baseball and soccer tickets. For example, before the pandemic, we found tickets to professional sporting events for just 11, miles.

Related: Best ways to redeem Emirates Skywards miles for maximum value. Qantas announced both positive and negative changes to its Frequent Flyer program in the summer of The Qantas Frequent Flyer program uses multiple distance-based award charts.

In particular, you may be able to find some value from short Qantas-operated flights that are expensive when using cash. Transfers process at a ratio unlike for Choice , but there are still some excellent deals to be had. Wyndham has a simple award chart: award nights cost either 7,, 15, or 30, points per night. Not all properties are a great deal, but you can sometimes find bargains in expensive cities, at high-end properties or over holidays and other peak travel times. You can also use Wyndham Rewards points to book Vacasa vacation rentals.

All Vacasa properties are bookable with points, but you need to call to find award space and book. Even some of the least-valuable Citi ThankYou transfer partners have bright spots. After all, it is generally beat by other programs and is rather difficult to understand.

But there are a few notable cases in which you might want to use Infinity MileageLands. Related: 7 reasons EVA Air is the most overlooked transpacific business-class option. Jet Airways suspended all operations on April 17, Then JetPrivilege rebranded and evolved to become InterMiles.

There may be value in InterMiles, which works similarly to an online travel agency rewards program. But I was unable to find anything overly appealing in a quick search. Related: What should you do with your miles if an airline is going bankrupt? Malaysia Airlines devalued its mileage program back in and then again in After these two devaluations, there was little left in the program to excite frequent flyers.

But, as someone who earned Oneworld Sapphire status through Malaysia Airlines in and still has some miles to spend, I recently took a closer look at the program. In , Malaysia introduced dynamic pricing for its awards that seemingly valued miles at about 0. Credit cards that earn ThankYou points. Other ways to earn ThankYou points. The fine print. You can earn ThankYou points through an eligible banking relationship with Citi or by paying for purchases with an eligible Citi credit card.

Rewards can be accessed by logging into your Citi account or by visiting the ThankYou website. Generally, ThankYou points can be redeemed for:. Shopping at participating retailers.

Payments toward a mortgage or student loan. In some cases, you may be able to redeem points toward eligible bill payments. If you have an eligible Citi credit card, you can also transfer points to certain travel loyalty programs or share points with other ThankYou rewards members.

The value of a Citi ThankYou point can vary greatly depending on how you redeem it — for travel, cash back or something else. There are two ways to use Citi ThankYou points for travel: redeeming points through Citi or via a qualifying airline program. When you book your travel through Citi and pay for your booking with points, ThankYou points are worth 1 cent apiece.

The exact value you get per point depends on what you do with it after you transfer, but NerdWallet estimates the overall transfer value at 1. Citi's transfer partners are almost all foreign carriers.

JetBlue is the only domestic carrier on the list, although a few of the options are members of alliances that include U. In general, the transfer ratio is , meaning for every ThankYou point you transfer, you get 1 point or mile in the partner program.

However, JetBlue is a bit of an exception:. For other cards, the ratio is So 1, points translates into miles. Redeeming for cash can cut the value of your rewards in half. For some cards, cash redeems at a rate of 0.

When you redeem for a credit on your statement, you may get the same weak value as with cash back — 0. Statement credits show up on your account within two billing cycles.

Gift card redemptions typically start at 2, points. They generally redeem at a rate of 1 cent per point. Citi's ThankYou website has several brands and categories to choose from, including restaurants, department stores, travel and electronics, among others.

You can donate points starting at 2, to charities on Citi's ThankYou. You can redeem ThankYou points at participating online retailers, including Amazon. Points can be used toward a purchase or for statement credit. After you've made an online or in-store out-of-pocket purchase, you're notified via the Citi mobile app whether that item is eligible to be covered by ThankYou points. If so, you can apply your ThankYou points to the purchase in exchange for a statement credit that arrives within two to three business days.

Purchase categories that may be eligible include dining out, groceries, entertainment and department stores, among others.

You'll have to set up alerts to stay on top of purchases that qualify. If you decide to Pay With Points, a redemption value of 0. That's lower than the industry standard of a penny per point.

Use ThankYou points, or a combination of points and cash, to pay bills via the issuer's online bill pay feature. You must be an eligible Citi bank account holder for this option. One of the more unusual options allows you to transfer your points to the "Shop Your Way" rewards program from Sears and Kmart. But since each Shop Your Way point is worth only 0.

Citi offers multiple products that earn the ThankYou rewards currency. Here are some of its most prominent:. Rewards are rounded up to the nearest 10 points on every purchase. Eligible categories include restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, select travel, select transit, select streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs and live entertainment. Sign-up bonus: None. Sign-up bonus: This offer is no longer valid on our site.