Citi ThankYou Transfer Partners: A Complete Guide

Citi ThankYou points are among the most valuable points currencies out there. That’s because you can transfer these points to one of Citi’s airline or hotel loyalty partners. NerdWallet estimates the value of Citi ThankYou points at 1.6 cents each.

But the Citi ThankYou program is probably also the most complicated transferable currency compared to its peers, because not all programs transfer at a 1:1 ratio and the ratio you get depends on which Citi card you hold.

Here’s everything you need to know about Citi’s transfer partners.

The full list of Citi ThankYou transfer partners

The majority of Citi’s transfer partners are airlines, with a handful of hotel programs included. You’ll need to have an eligible Citi card to transfer your points to partners, and certain cards offer better transfer ratios than others.

Cards with annual fees offer more favorable transfer ratios. Examples include:

• The Citi Strata Elite℠ Card.

• The Citi Strata Premier® Card.

Cards with no annual fee offer tend to offer ratios that are worse in value by 30%. These include:

• The Citi Strata℠ Card.

• The Citi Double Cash® Card.

• The Citi Custom Cash® Card.

Citi airline transfer partners

Here are Citi’s transfer partners and their corresponding ratios:

• American Airlines AAdvantage — 1:1 or 1:0.7.

• Aeromexico Rewards — 1:1 or 1:0.7.

• Avianca LifeMiles — 1:1 or 1:0.7.

• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles — 1:1 or 1:0.7.

• Emirates Skywards — 1:0.8 or 1:0.56.

• Etihad Guest — 1:1 or 1:0.7.

• EVA Air Infinity MileageLands — 1:1 or 1:0.7.

• Flying Blue — 1:1 or 1:0.7.

• JetBlue TrueBlue — 1:1 or 1:0.7.

• Qantas Frequent Flyer — 1:1 or 1:0.7.

• Qatar Airways Privilege Club — 1:1 or 1:0.7.

• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer — 1:1 or 1:0.7.

• Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus — 1:1 or 1:0.7.

• Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles — 1:1 or 1:0.7.

• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club — 1:1 or 1:0.7.

Citi hotel transfer partners

• ALL - Accor Live Limitless — 2:1 or 2:0.7.

• Choice Privileges — 1:2 or 1:1.4.

• Leaders Club — 5:1 or 5:0.7.

• Preferred Hotels & Resorts — 1:4 or 1:2.8.

• Wyndham Rewards — 1:1 or 1:0.7.

Citi also partners with Virgin Red, a sister program to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, and Shop Your Way, a retail-based program. However, NerdWallet recommends transferring your points to an airline or hotel travel partner to get the most value.

Which Citi transfer partners are the best?

Citi has one of the most robust rosters of transfer partners, including some unique ones like American’s AAdvantage program and Thai Airways’ Royal Orchid Plus. It also transfers 1:1 to EVA Air Infinity MileageLands, which no other major transferable program offers.

Here’s a list of top Citi transfer partners that have broad general appeal, according to NerdWallet’s analysis:

• American Airlines AAdvantage

• Choice Privileges

• Flying Blue

• Singapore KrisFlyer

• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

For a complete guide, check out NerdWallet’s guide to the best (and worst) Citi transfer partners.

Best airline transfer partner for Citi ThankYou points

There’s no question that Citi’s best airline transfer partner is American Airlines. Its AAdvantage program offers excellent value for points, whether you’re looking to book domestic flights on American or international flights on the carrier or one of its Oneworld alliance partners. If you’re looking for a last-minute flight, you can almost always count on American to have availability at reasonable award prices. (NerdWallet values American miles at 1.3 cents each when booking economy flights.)

American miles are also an excellent choice for redeeming bucket-list flights, such as Japan Airlines first class or Finnair’s innovative “no recline” business class seat. Those premium redemptions are pricey, so they have largely been out of reach for many until July 2025, when Citi added American as a transfer partner — the only major transferable currency that currently does so.

Best Citi ThankYou hotel transfer partner

Hotel transfer partners are usually lackluster, because their points aren’t always worth that much. There are a few exceptions to that rule, and Choice Privileges is one of them. While Citi is not the only major transferable program that transfers to Choice, it is the only one that offers a 1:2 transfer ratio — meaning you get 2 Choice points for every Citi point you transfer.

Many people associate Choice with their budget or midscale brands, so it can be considered an under-the-radar program. However, Choice has several upscale brands including Cambria Hotels, the Ascend Hotel Collection and Radisson Blu. These are the types of properties where you can often find great value for your points.

Another excellent way to use your Choice points is through its partnership with Preferred Hotels & Resorts, a collection of independent properties. For example, you can book a hotel room in Tokyo for 35,000 Choice points (or 17,500 Citi points) a night. That’s significantly less than what you’d often find with other major hotel loyalty programs.

Citi airline transfer partners: What you need to know

American Airlines AAdvantage

You can get incredible value by transferring your Citi points to American’s AAdvantage program, and it isn’t that hard to do so. Compared to United MileagePlus and Delta SkyMiles, American’s loyalty program consistently has excellent availability at reasonable redemption rates.

As a founding member of the Oneworld alliance, American has access to not just seats on American but also its partners, unlocking a plethora of opportunities to travel the world for budget and bougie travelers alike.

Aeromexico Rewards

Aeromexico Rewards is a SkyTeam airline, meaning you can use its points to book flights on Aeromexico and any of its alliance partners. Still, it can be complicated to navigate Aeromexico’s platform, and for many, it’s not worth the hassle.

Avianca LifeMiles

As a Star Alliance member, Avianca can be a good way to book flights on partners like United Airlines, Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines.

However, the program has gone through multiple devaluations, eliminating many of its long-time sweet spots. But there are still deals to be found — assuming you have the patience to navigate its clunky (and sometimes rage-inducing) online booking platform.

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

Another Oneworld member, Cathay Pacific allows you to book flights on Cathay Pacific and its partner airlines. If you’re looking to splurge, the Hong Kong-based carrier offers both business and first class on certain flights, which can be a great way to travel to Asia. For the best business class experience, try Cathay Pacific’s newest Aria Suite.

Emirates Skywards

Citi points transfer to Emirates Skywards at a ratio of 1:0.8 or 1:0.56 — the only airline partner that doesn’t transfer at a 1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio. That instantly makes it harder to get the best value when transferring to Emirates. But if you’re looking to fly in Emirates’ glitzy business- or first-class cabins, booking with Skywards is often the way to go. Just be aware that you’ll need to pay high taxes and fees for that privilege — and you’ll need to have elite status just to book Emirates first class awards.

Etihad Guest

Like Emirates, Etihad Airways is based in the United Arab Emirates. It also offers excellent premium cabin experiences, as long as you’re willing to shell out for them. There aren’t a ton of sweet spots to be had here, but if you’re looking to fly in The Residence — Etihad’s three-room suite for up to two guests available on its Airbus A380s — you’ll need to use Etihad Guest miles to upgrade your first-class ticket purchase.

EVA Air Infinity MileageLands

This Taiwanese Star Alliance carrier offers a luxurious way to travel between the U.S. and Asia. While you can book partner awards via Infinity MileageLands, you’re better off using your miles to book the airline’s Royal Laurel business class since EVA tends to offer better award availability to its own loyalty members.

Flying Blue

Flying Blue is the loyalty program shared by SkyTeam airlines Air France and KLM. That means you can use your Flying Blue miles to book not just Air France and KLM flights, but also those on partners like Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic. Some ways to boost the value of your Flying Blue miles — which NerdWallet estimates at 0.8 cent each — include booking premium cabins, monthly Promo Rewards that offer discounted awards on select routes, and free stopovers in Amsterdam and Paris.

JetBlue TrueBlue

JetBlue TrueBlue is Citi’s other U.S.-based airline transfer partner. While the airline is not part of a major alliance, it does have numerous partnerships with airlines like Japan Airlines and Condor. It’s also planning to link up with United via the airlines’ Blue Sky partnership, which will unlock award redemption on United using TrueBlue points. NerdWallet values JetBlue points at 1.4 cents apiece.

Qantas Frequent Flyer

Qantas Frequent Flyer is the loyalty program for Qantas, Australia’s flag carrier. The airline is also a member of Oneworld, which means its points theoretically can be valuable. However, the program underwent a devaluation in August 2025, gutting a program that didn’t have great redemption options to begin with.

Qatar Airways Privilege Club

Members of Qatar Airways Privilege Club earn Avios, a points currency shared by other airlines like British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia and Finnair. A unique feature of the program is the ability to transfer Avios between loyalty programs that use the currency, meaning you can search for different sweet spots in each program. While Qatar is a Oneworld member, the best way to use your Qatar Airways Avios is booking the airline’s popular Qsuites business class product.

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

Singapore Airlines is a Star Alliance member, but it also partners with outside airlines like Alaska Airlines. That means you can use your KrisFlyer miles on a variety of redemptions, ranging from Singapore’s business and first class experiences to economy flights on Alaska for a Hawaiian beach vacation. If you’re not interested in going to Singapore, the airline also offers routes between Los Angeles and Tokyo, as well as New York and Frankfurt.

Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus

Thai Airways is yet another Star Alliance member, and it’s one of Citi’s most unique airline transfer partners. That’s because Royal Orchid Plus is not a well-known program among U.S. travelers, and no other major transferable currency partners with the program. But if you’re willing to take the time to learn the program’s quirks, you can get good value — especially if you’re interested in flying Thai Airways’ business or first class cabins.

Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles

Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles rounds out Citi’s roster of Star Alliance transfer partners. Like Avianca LifeMiles, this program has gone through a devaluation and introduced pricing tactics that make it less attractive than before. Still, there are still some sweet spots, such as promotional business class awards on Turkish Airlines to Istanbul or one-way domestic flights on United for just 10,000 miles.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is the loyalty program for London-based Virgin Atlantic, a SkyTeam member. The program uses dynamic pricing, which means you can often find extremely cheap award redemptions, but you can also find outrageously expensive ones as well. Keep in mind that booking through Virgin Atlantic Flying Club often comes with high taxes and fees. If you’re looking for some Virgin Atlantic sweet spots, check out premium cabin redemptions on non-alliance partner airlines like All Nippon Airways.

Citi hotel transfer partners: What you need to know

ALL - Accor Live Limitless

Accor Live Limitless transfers from Citi at a 2:1 or 2:0.7 ratio, meaning you have to spend at least 2 Citi points to get 1 ALL point. According to ALL, its points have a fixed value, meaning it's hard to get outsized value from them.

Choice Privileges

Choice Privileges is an often overlooked program that can deliver compelling value. With a transfer ratio of 1:2 or 1:1.4, it’s worth checking out, especially if you’re traveling to expensive cities or making last-minute bookings. You might get even more value by leveraging the Choice Privileges partnership with Preferred Hotels & Resorts, where each property offers Choice members fixed redemption rates as long as there is availability.

Leaders Club

Leaders Club is the loyalty program for The Leading Hotels of the World, a collection of luxury properties around the world. The transfer ratio can be discouraging (5:1 or 5:0.7), but that’s because Leaders Club points are worth approximately 8 cents each. With a 5:1 transfer ratio, that gives your Citi points a value of about 1.6 cents each when transferred to Leaders Club. Keep in mind that many of these hotels can be extremely pricey (we’re talking well over $1,000 a night), but it can certainly be worth it if you’re big on luxury.

Preferred Hotels & Resorts

If Preferred Hotels & Resorts sounds familiar, that’s because we just talked about it with Choice Privileges. However, Citi also transfers directly to I Prefer Hotel Rewards, the loyalty program for the independent collection. It even offers a superior 1:4 or 1:2.8 ratio, although that doesn’t necessarily mean these points are worth more than Choice points. To get the best deal, you’ll want to look at both programs before booking.

Wyndham Rewards

Wyndham Rewards is the last of Citi’s hotel transfer partners, and this one can also offer excellent value for guests. It uses a fixed redemption chart, where each room costs either 7,500, 15,000 or 30,000 points a night. This is another great option when you’re traveling to popular tourist destinations or during peak travel periods. You might even benefit from Wyndham’s partnership with Vacasa, which allows you to use your points to book vacation rentals.

How to earn Citi ThankYou points

You can earn Citi ThankYou points via spending on eligible Citi credit cards. One of the easiest ways to earn a large stash of these points is by signing up for a new card and meeting the minimum spending requirement to earn a welcome bonus.

Cards that earn Citi ThankYou points typically have “Citi ThankYou” or “Citi Strata” in their names, but there are also some cash-back cards that earn cash back in the form of ThankYou points. Remember that Citi ThankYou cards with annual fees generally have access to more favorable transfer ratios than those without.