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There are several Citi ThankYou travel partners that let you transfer miles at a 1:1 ratio. This daily transfer ratio can help you get a better redemption value than using the credit card travel portal to book award flights. You may also wonder if Citi offers transfer bonuses to get extra miles when you transfer ThankYou Rewards.
Are There Citi Transfer Bonuses?
Periodically, Citi offers ThankYou points transfer bonuses that let you get from 10% to 40% more airline miles with a participating airline. In fairness, no credit card issuer (American Express or Chase, for example) has ongoing transfer bonuses, but you can always take advantage of the 1:1 transfer ratio.
These offers usually only last up to one month. Additionally, they are not announced too far in advance, which makes it difficult to time your transfer.
For example, Citi doesn’t offer a transfer bonus to a specific airline during a particular month each year, as a cash back credit card might offer. For instance, some cash back cards offer things like 5% back on Amazon or Walmart purchases during the 4th quarter.
If you’re ready to transfer ThankYou points, you can visit the Citi Points Transfer website and browse your emails for active or upcoming bonus offers. When it’s not worth the wait, you can see the current transfer ratio for your Citi credit card.
Related: Best Citi Credit Cards for Travel and Rewards
ThankYou Transfer Bonus History
Here are some of the other recent Citi transfer bonuses:
- Up to 40% more Qatar Avios in June 2022
- 25% more points with Flying Blue in May 2022
- 25% more Avianca LifeMiles in April 2022
- 15% more Cathay Pacific Asia Miles in January 2020
The loyalty program has been offering limited-time transfer offers since 2015 but took a break during the pandemic. Thankfully, transfers have been coming back since late 2021.
What are the Best Citi Travel Partners?
The information for the Citi Premier® Card has been collected independently by Johnny Jet. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
There are several ThankYou transfer partners. Avianca LifeMiles, Emirates, Etihad, Singapore Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic usually have the best redemption values and flight options.
Most partners have a 1:1 transfer ratio where 1,000 ThankYou points equal 1,000 travel points (excluding transfer bonuses). However, the transfer ratio can be a little weaker with select partners if you have a no-annual-fee credit card instead of the Citi Premier® Card or Citi Prestige.
You may focus on the airline partners first as frequent flyer miles are usually more valuable than hotel or shopping points.
Citi Airline Transfer Partners
The current Citi ThankYou airline partners include:
- Aeromexico
- Avianca LifeMiles
- Cathay Pacific
- Emirates Skywards
- Etihad Guest
- EVA Air
- Flying Blue Air France-KLM
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Qatar Privilege Club
- Singapore Airlines
- Thai Royal Orchard Plus
- Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Citi Hotel Transfer Partners
If you prefer hotel nights, Choice Privileges and Wyndham Rewards are your transfer options.
Premier and Prestige cardholders receive 2,000 Choice Privileges points per 1,000 transferred ThankYou points.
Related: How Much is a Citi ThankYou Point Worth?
What Citi Credit Cards Transfer Points?
While any credit card that earns Citi ThankYou points can transfer points, your transfer options depend on the card.
Best Citi Credit Cards for Point Transfers
You can transfer to any of the air, hotel, and retail partners with these two cards:
- Citi Premier® Card: Earn up to 3x points on purchases, up to $100 in annual hotel statement credits, $95 annual review (Read our Citi Premier Card review)
- Citi Prestige® Card: This premium travel credit card is no longer accepting applications, but existing cardholders can transfer points or redeem them through the ThankYou portal.
As most of the transfer bonuses are for airlines, you will need one of these accounts to be eligible for the limited-time offers.
Related: How Hard Is It To Get the Citi Premier?
Other Citi Credit Cards That Transfer ThankYou Points
These cards don’t have an annual fee, but you can transfer your points to Choice Privileges, Wyndham Rewards, and JetBlue TrueBlue. However, the transfer ratio is lower than with the Citi Premier or Citi Prestige. We recommend transferring your points to one of these accounts first if you happen to have either travel credit card.
- Citi® Double Cash Card: Earn up to 2% back on purchases (read our Citi Double Cash review)
- Citi Rewards+® Card: Earn up to 2x points on purchases and automatically round up your purchase earnings to the nearest 10 points (read our Citi Rewards+ review)
The Sears Mastercard Credit Card and Citi ThankYou Preferred Card also both offer point transfer capabilities.
Can I Transfer Points Between Citi Cards?
Yes, you can transfer points or combine ThankYou point balances between multiple Citi credit cards. These transfers are free, and instant, and the only requirement is that both accounts earn ThankYou points.
For example. you may consider transferring ThankYou points from the Citi Double Cash Card to the Citi Premier to access every airline partner. Further, you get a better transfer ratio on the overlapping travel partners. The difference adds up when you’re transferring lots of points.
Related: Why You Should Apply for the Citi Premier Card
Can You Transfer a Citi Credit Card Bonus?
Yes, it’s possible to transfer the bonus ThankYou points you earn from a new card member spending bonus, such as the Citi Premier signup bonus. You may consider this option to have enough points to book an expensive award trip.
However, you will still need to keep your new account open for at least 12 months to avoid any penalties or attempts to recoup your bonus earnings.
Summary
There are a handful of Citi ThankYou transfer bonuses each year. You’re eligible for every bonus if you have the Citi Premier® Card as the limited-time offers are for international airlines usually. The other participating Citi credit cards only partner with JetBlue and hotel partners, which typically don’t offer a transfer bonus.
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