Citi ThankYou Transfer Partners: A Complete Guide

Transferring your Citi ThankYou points to other airline and hotel loyalty programs is one of the best ways to use them. NerdWallet estimates the transfer value of these points at 1.3 cents apiece.

But unlike other issuers, Citi doesn't offer 1:1 transfers across the board; the transfer ratios vary by card and partner. Here's what to know.

About Citi ThankYou transfer partners

Citi’s transfer partners include several airlines and a few hotel programs, depending on the credit card you have. Citi also has one non-travel partner called Shop Your Way, which is a shopping loyalty program that earns points redeemable for retail gift cards.

Note that while these are the typical transfer ratios, the program offers transfer bonus promotions that bump up ratios from time to time.

Here are some highlights.

American Airlines

Citi recently added American Airlines as its newest and most valuable transfer partner. It's the only issuer that transfers to this airline. But transfers can only be done on cards like the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card and the Citi Strata Premier® Card.

Choice Privileges

Whether you're eligible for the 1:2 ratio or the 1:1.4 ratio, you'll get more value by transferring ThankYou points to this program than you would with American Express Membership Rewards and Capital One Miles. Both of these transfer at a 1:1 ratio.

Flying Blue

The Flying Blue reward program includes Air France and KLM. These miles can be used interchangeably between these two airlines and to book flights with other SkyTeam partners.

Qatar Privilege Club

Qatar Airways has recently joined the Avios reward program, allowing its miles to be exchanged with fellow Oneworld members British Airways, Aer Lingus and Iberia Airlines.

Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles

With a massive hub in Istanbul, Turkish Airlines flies to more countries in the world than any other airline. As a member of Star Alliance, miles can also be redeemed with partner airlines such as United Airlines and Air Canada.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Despite not being a member of any airline alliance, Virgin Atlantic has several partnerships with airlines such as Delta Air Lines and Air France-KLM.

Shop Your Way

Aside from airlines and hotels, you can also transfer your Citi points to Shop Your Way points at a 1:10 ratio. This means 1 Citi point becomes 10 Shop Your Way points.

Shop Your Way points can then be redeemed for gift cards at more than 100 popular retail brands.

» Learn more: Best ways to redeem Citi ThankYou points

Is transferring your Citi ThankYou points worth it?

While you might book hotels and airfares with cash or through Citi’s own travel portal, it’s often a better deal to put in the extra effort and transfer your points to one of Citi’s transfer partners.

That said, folks seeking to maximize value should always calculate the value of the Citi ThankYou points relative to the price for airfare or hotel rooms in cash.

Use NerdWallet’s Citi ThankYou points calculator below to determine the value of your points, based on both the baseline and NerdWallet estimated values:

In general — and as is the case with most other flexible point currencies — Citi ThankYou points become most potent when transferred to partners. And there are plenty to choose from. Just make sure you have a specific redemption in mind before you transfer your points.