Citi
Citi ThankYou Points transfer partners.
Citi ThankYou is the smallest of the four major transferable-points programs, but the Turkish Airlines partner alone makes it worth holding.
Citi ThankYou Points is the least-marketed of the four major transferable-points currencies, but the partner list punches above its weight for two reasons: Turkish Miles&Smiles (same 10k domestic AA sweet spot as Capital One), and Wyndham for Vacasa vacation rentals.
The Citi Strata Premier (formerly Citi Premier) is the anchor card at $95 — its 3x on air, gas, groceries, and dining outperforms most $95 cards on ongoing earn.
Cards that earn Citi ThankYou Points
Citi Strata Premier · Citi Double CashStrengths
- Turkish Miles&Smiles for domestic AA at 10k
- Air France Flying Blue Promo Rewards for cheap Europe
- Wyndham for Vacasa vacation rentals at fixed 15k/night
- Strata Premier at $95 earns 3x on more categories than any competing $95 card
- Choice Privileges partner for European hotel properties
Weaknesses
- Smallest partner list of the four major transferable currencies
- No World of Hyatt, no Aeroplan, no Delta partners — meaningful gaps
- ThankYou points value slightly below Chase UR and Amex MR (1.8¢ vs 2.0¢)
- Base Double Cash produces cashback, not points — need a Strata Premier to unlock transfers
Airline partners (10)
| Program | Ratio | Time | Sweet spot | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles | 1:1 | Instant | Domestic AA at 10k; Europe biz at 45k | Domestic AA: 10,000 miles one-way |
| Air France / KLM Flying Blue | 1:1 | Instant | Monthly Promo Rewards discount Europe 25-50% | JFK-CDG Promo Rewards economy: 20,000 miles round-trip |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 1:1 | Instant | Delta One JFK-LHR at 60k; ANA First from US at 120k round-trip | JFK-LHR Delta One via Virgin: 60,000 miles one-way |
| Singapore KrisFlyer | 1:1 | 1-2 days | Singapore Suites; Star Alliance partner awards | LAX-Tokyo Singapore business: 90,000 miles round-trip |
| JetBlue TrueBlue | 1:1 | Instant | Mint transatlantic and Caribbean | JFK-LHR Mint: ~55,000 TrueBlue points one-way |
| Etihad Guest | 1:1 | Instant | AA partner tool for JFK-Europe biz | JFK-Rome AA business via Etihad: 44,000 miles |
| Emirates Skywards | 1:1 | Instant | Aspirational first class only | Emirates first DXB-JFK: 90,000 miles + $500-1,000 surcharges |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 1:1 | Instant | Cathay business across Asia | HKG-Tokyo Cathay business: 30,000 miles one-way |
| EVA Air Infinity MileageLands | 1:1 | 1 day | EVA business round-trip US-Taiwan at 80k | US-Taipei EVA business round-trip: 80,000 miles |
| Qatar Privilege Club | 1:1 | Instant | Qatar Qsuite redemptions | Qsuite JFK-Doha one-way: 70,000 miles |
Hotel partners (3)
| Program | Ratio | Time | Sweet spot | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wyndham Rewards | 1:1 | Instant | Vacasa vacation rentals at 15k/night | Vacasa vacation rental: 15,000 points/night |
| Choice Privileges | 1:2 | Instant | European partner properties at fixed rates | European Preferred: 8,000-16,000 points |
| Accor Live Limitless | 2:1 | Instant | Rarely a good use at 2:1 ratio | Fairmont: generally poor value |
How to actually use Citi ThankYou Points
- Citi's transfer bonuses are less frequent than Amex or Chase, but Air France Flying Blue and Wyndham promotions do run 25-30% bonus occasionally.
- The Strata Premier at $95 is a keeper — 3x on air, gas, groceries, and dining plus $100 hotel credit returns the fee before you use transfers.
- Double Cash cashback converts to ThankYou Points only if you also hold a Strata Premier (or the legacy Premier). This is the strategic reason to pair them.
- Turkish bookings via Citi work identically to via Cap One — same partner, same 10k domestic AA sweet spot.