Updated
Fact Checked
Ashley Maready
Citi has several popular rewards credit cards, and they all earn Citi ThankYou points. If you have one of these cards, you can redeem your points through the Citi ThankYou Rewards program for travel, cash back, and more.
This is one of the more complex credit card rewards programs. Redemption options, and how much points are worth with each option, depend on the Citi card you have. While there's a bit of a learning curve, there are also plenty of great redemption options. Once you know how this program works, you'll be able to get the most out of your Citi points.
What are Citi ThankYou points worth?
Citi ThankYou points are generally worth $0.01 per point, but their value varies based on the redemption method you choose and the Citi card you have. They can be worth as little as $0.005 per point to over $0.03 per point.
You can always get a minimum value of $0.01 per Citi ThankYou point. With Citi travel cards, you can get $0.01 per point toward travel purchases made in the Citi Travel portal. With Citi cash back cards, you can get $0.01 per point for cash back redemptions. Both types of Citi cards offer rates of $0.01 per point for gift cards.
Citi travel credit cards also give you the option to transfer points to travel partners and book award travel. With this type of redemption, the value of your points will depend on the travel you end up booking. This is where it's possible to get much more value from your points, including $0.03 per point or higher.
How do you earn Citi ThankYou points?
You earn Citi ThankYou points with Citi's rewards credit cards:
- Citi Premier® Card
- Citi Prestige® Card* (no longer open for applications)
- Citi Double Cash® Card
- Citi Custom Cash® Card
- Citi Rewards+® Card
- Citi Rewards+℠ Student Card* (no longer open for applications)
- AT&T Points Plus® Card from Citi
With any of these cards, you'll earn Citi ThankYou points on all eligible purchases. Some of these cards also have sign-up bonuses that allow you to earn a large number of Citi points as a new cardholder by meeting a spend requirement. The high rewards rates and sign-up bonuses on many Citi cards make them great for maximizing your rewards.
As you can see, Citi cash back cards technically earn ThankYou points. They have more limited redemption options than Citi travel cards. Most importantly, Citi's cash back cards don't let you transfer points to Citi's full list of partners. But if you have multiple Citi credit cards, you can move your points from one card to another.
Ways to use Citi ThankYou points
The redemptions you have available for Citi ThankYou points will depend on which card you have. You'll find all the options below, as well as which Citi credit cards offer them.
Transfer points
Citi has airline, hotel, and retail partners where you can transfer your points. This allows you to convert your Citi points into points/miles in the partner's loyalty program. Here's the full list of Citi transfer partners:
- Aeromexico
- ALL - Accor Live Limitless
- Avianca LifeMiles
- Cathay Pacific
- Choice Privileges
- Emirates Skywards
- Etihad Guest
- EVA Air
- Flying Blue (Air France KLM)
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Qatar Privilege Club
- Sears Shop Your Way
- Singapore Airlines
- Thai Royal Orchid Plus
- Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- Wyndham Rewards
If you have a Citi Premier® Card or a Citi Prestige® Card, you can transfer your points to any of these partners. Other Citi cards let you transfer points, but only to a few of these partners.
Transfers can be one of the best ways to use Citi ThankYou points. If you like to travel and want to use Citi points to save money on your trips, then it's a good idea to have one of its travel cards.
As of Apr. 16, 2024
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Citi Prestige® Card |
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4 stars equals Excellent.
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Rating image, 4.00 out of 5 stars.
4.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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Credit Rating Requirement:
Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)
Good/Excellent (670-850) |
Credit Rating Requirement:
Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Excellent (740-850)
Excellent (740-850) |
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Welcome Offer: Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through June 30, 2024. 60,000 ThankYou® Points |
Welcome Offer: 50,000 points after spending $4,000 within 3 months 50,000 ThankYou Points |
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Rewards Program: 3x points at restaurants, supermarkets, at gas stations, for air travel, and on hotels, 1x points on other purchases 1x - 3x points |
Rewards Program: 5x points for air travel and restaurants, 3x points for hotels and cruises, 1x point on other purchases 1x - 5x points |
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Intro APR: Purchases: N/A Balance Transfers: N/A |
Intro APR: Purchases: N/A Balance Transfers: N/A |
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Regular APR: 21.24% - 29.24% (Variable) |
Regular APR: 16.99% - 23.99%, variable |
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Annual Fee: $95 |
Annual Fee: $495 |
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This offer is no longer available for new applicants. The information for the Citi Prestige® Card has been collected independently by The Ascent. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Book travel
In the Citi Travel portal, you can book hotels, flights, cars, and more. You can pay for bookings in cash or with your Citi ThankYou points. If you use points, the value you get per point is based on your Citi card.
With Citi travel cards, you get a rate of $0.01 per point on Citi Travel bookings. For example, 10,000 Citi points would be worth $100.
The rate varies for Citi cash back cards. Some cardholders have reported getting $0.01 per point on travel bookings with Citi cash back cards, but when I checked with my own Citi card, I'd only get a rate of $0.008 per point. If you're not getting $0.01 per point, you're better off redeeming for cash back, instead.
Cash back
Citi offers multiple ways to redeem your points as cash back:
- A statement credit toward your credit card bill
- Direct deposit to your bank account
- A check in the mail
If you have a cash back card, you get a value of $0.01 per point. But with other Citi cards, the rate can be as low as $0.005 per point. This method is only worth using if you're getting $0.01 per point.
Gift cards
Citi lets you buy gift cards with a variety of merchants using your points. The standard rate is $0.01 per point, meaning you could use 5,000 points to buy a $50 gift card. It also runs sales on gift cards with select merchants. You can typically expect a value of $0.011 per point through Citi gift card sales.
Shop with Points
Shop with Points allows you to use your Citi points with participating partners. Partners currently include Amazon and PayPal. Citi rewards are normally only worth $0.008 per point this way, so this isn't a good redemption method.
Charitable contributions
You can donate your Citi ThankYou points to select charities, including the American Red Cross, Susan G. Komen, and UNICEF. Citi rewards are worth $0.01 per point this way, and the minimum redemption amount is 1,000 points for a $10 donation.
Can you buy Citi ThankYou points?
No, you can't buy Citi ThankYou points. Citi used to allow cardholders to buy points at a rate of $0.025 per point, but it discontinued this feature in 2022.
Do Citi ThankYou points expire?
With all of Citi's current rewards credit cards, ThankYou points don't expire as long as the card account remains open. Some of Citi's older rewards cards had points that expired after three or five years. You can check if your points have an expiration date by going to My Points Summary on the Citi ThankYou Rewards site.
Where can you redeem Citi ThankYou points?
You can redeem Citi ThankYou points in the Rewards & Offers section of your online account. You can also go to the Citi ThankYou Rewards site or call the ThankYou Service Center at 1-800-THANKYOU.
How do you redeem Citi points?
Here's how to redeem Citi ThankYou points online:
- Go to the Citi ThankYou Rewards site and log in.
- Select the redemption you want.
- Proceed through the rest of the process.
The process varies depending on how you're redeeming your points, but Citi makes everything straightforward and easy to understand on its site.
What is the best way to use Citi ThankYou points?
The most effective way to use Citi ThankYou points is transferring them to a partner airline to book award airfare, so you need a Citi Prestige® Card or Citi Premier® Card to get the most out of your points.
With all the airline partners available, there are a lot of ways to use ThankYou points. Here are a few tips to find high-value transfer opportunities:
- Prioritize more expensive airfare, such as international flights and seats in business or first class. ThankYou partners that often have good award-ticket deals for these types of seats include Avianca, Cathay Pacific (bookable using Asia Miles), Qantas, Singapore Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic.
- Start your search as far in advance as possible -- at three to six months before your trip, you'll likely have more options available.
- Try to be flexible about travel dates.
- Don't transfer points to a partner until you've picked out the airfare you want.
Paying for trips with your ThankYou points
Citi ThankYou points offer plenty of redemption options that can save you serious cash on your travels. They're particularly useful if you like to travel internationally, thanks to the diverse collection of airline transfer partners. If you spend a little time checking out all the available redemptions, you're sure to find a good use for your points.
Still have questions?
Here are some other questions we've answered:
FAQs
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The value of 1,000 Citi ThankYou points is about $10, but the exact value will vary depending on how you use them. There are always redemption options available where you can get $0.01 per point. If you transfer your Citi points to its travel partners, you can potentially get more value from them.
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Yes, you can convert Citi points to cash. You can get cash back as a statement credit on your credit card bill, a direct deposit to your bank account, or a check in the mail. Keep in mind that some Citi cards offer a lower value for your points if you redeem them as cash back. Check how much cash back you'll get for the points you're redeeming. If you're not going to get at least $0.01 per point, you're better off choosing another redemption method.
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To use your Citi ThankYou points, log in to your account on the Citi ThankYou Rewards site. Select how you want to use your points and follow the steps to go through the redemption process. If you want to use your Citi points over the phone, call 1-800-THANKYOU.
Our Credit Cards Experts
Lyle Daly is a personal finance writer who specializes in credit cards, travel rewards programs, and banking. He writes for The Ascent and The Motley Fool, and his work has appeared in USA Today and Yahoo! Finance. He was born in California but currently lives as a digital nomad with a home base in Colombia.
Fact Checked
Ashley Maready
Ashley Maready is a former history museum professional who made the leap to digital content writing and editing in 2021. She has a BA in History and Philosophy from Hood College and an MA in Applied History from Shippensburg University. Ashley loves creating content for the public and learning new things so she can teach others, whether it's information about salt mining, canal mules, or personal finance.
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