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How Much Are Citi ThankYou Rewards Points Worth? [26 FAQs]

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Stephen Au
Edited by: Jessica Merritt
& Michael Y. Park
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Citi is one of the most well-known banks in the U.S. Headquartered in New York City, this major bank is one of the most important in the entire financial services industry.

Traditionally, Citi has focused on simple incentives like 0% APR or cash-back rewards. However, its ThankYou Rewards program is one of the most established.

This guide covers everything you need to know about Citi ThankYou Rewards, and you’ll see whether earning and redeeming Citi ThankYou Points is a worthwhile use of your time (and dollars).

1. What Are Citi ThankYou Points?

Citi ThankYou Points are the currency you earn and redeem when you participate in the Citi ThankYou Rewards program, which is one of the largest rewards programs in the world.

American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One Miles, and Citi ThankYou Rewards are the most significant credit card rewards programs.

Citi ThankYou Points are offered internationally as well as in the U.S. These credit cards earn ThankYou Points:

ThankYou Points can also be earned on the following cards, which are no longer open to new applicants: the CitiBusiness ThankYou® Card, the AT&T Access Card From Citi, Citi Prestige® Card, Citi Rewards+® Card, Citi Rewards+℠ Student Card, and Citi ThankYou® Preferred Card

Here are more details on some of our favorite ThankYou cards:

Citi Strata Elite℠ Card
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U.P. Rating 
The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

The Citi Strata Elite card is Citi's most premium card built for frequent travelers and foodies.

The Citi Strata Elite card is Citi's most premium card built for frequent travelers and foodies.
Earn 100,000 bonus ThankYou Points after spending $6,000 within the first 3 months of account opening.
100,000 points
Up to $1,600
$595
20.99% to 28.99% Variable
Why We Like This Card

The Citi Strata Elite card is a great option for frequent travelers, foodies, and those who are fans of the Citi ThankYou Rewards ecosystem thanks to its combination of bonus categories, perks, and annual credits.

Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 12x points on hotels, rental cars, and attractions booked through Citi Travel
  • 6x points on airfare through Citi Travel
  • 6x points on dining on Citi Nights (Friday and Saturday nights from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.) and 3x points on dining at all other times
Cons
  • $595 annual fee
  • Boosted dining rewards are limited to 2 nights per week
Card Highlights
  • Earn 100,000 bonus ThankYou Points after spending $6,000 within the first 3 months of account opening
  • 12x points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on cititravel.com
  • 6x points on air travel booked on cititravel.com
  • 6x points at restaurants, including restaurant delivery services, every Friday and Saturday from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. ET, and 3x points any other time
  • 1.5x points on all other purchases
  • Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit
  • Up to $300 annual hotel benefit
  • Up to $200 annual Splurge credit
  • Up to $200 annual Blacklane credit
  • 4 American Airlines Admirals Club passes every calendar year
  • Transfer Citi ThankYou Points to partners like American Airlines
  • Complimentary Priority Pass membership
  • No foreign transaction fees
Financial Snapshot
  • APR: 20.99% to 28.99% Variable
  • Foreign Transaction Fees: None
Citi Strata Premier℠ Card
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U.P. Rating 
The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com
60,000 points
$960
$95
19.99% to 27.99% Variable APR
Why We Like This Card

The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card is a great all-around travel rewards card that allows you to earn big rewards on a variety of purchases like air travel, at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, and more, along with flexible redemption options, all for a modest annual fee.

Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 10x points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com
  • 3x points on air travel, other hotel purchases, restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, and EV charging stations
  • $100 annual hotel benefit
Cons
    • $95 annual fee
Card Highlights
  • Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.
  • Earn 10X points per $1 spent on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com.
  • Earn 3X points per $1 on air travel and other hotel purchases, at restaurants, supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations.
  • Earn 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
  • $100 Annual Hotel Benefit: Once per calendar year, enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when booked through CitiTravel.com. Benefit applied instantly at time of booking.
  • No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card.
  • No foreign transaction fees on purchases.
Financial Snapshot
  • APR: 19.99% to 27.99% Variable APR
  • Foreign Transaction Fees: None
Citi Strata℠ Card
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U.P. Rating 
The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

Earn 30,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
30,000 points
$480
$0
0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months, and then a variable APR 18.99% to 28.99%.
Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.
Good to Excellent
Why We Like This Card

The Citi Strata card offers a fresh way to earn Citi ThankYou Points with a $0 annual fee, allowing you to maximize your spend at gas stations, supermarkets, and more.

Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 5x points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com
  • 3x points at supermarkets, select transit, gas and EV charging stations, and an eligible self-select category of your choice (fitness clubs, select streaming services, live entertainment, cosmetic stores/barber shops/hair salon or pet supply stores)
  • 2x points at restaurants
Cons
  • Doesn’t offer the best transfer ratio to Citi’s airline and hotel partners
  • Charges foreign transaction fees
Card Highlights
  • Earn 30,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
  • Earn 5x points per $1 spent on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com.
  • Earn 3x points per $1 on supermarkets, select transit, gas, and EV charging stations, and an eligible self-select category of your choice every quarter (fitness clubs, select streaming services, live entertainment, cosmetic stores/barber shops/hair salons, or pet supply stores).
  • Earn 2x points per $1 at restaurants.
  • Earn 1x point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
  • No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card.
Financial Snapshot
  • APR: 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months, and then a variable APR 18.99% to 28.99%.
  • Foreign Transaction Fees: 3% of the U.S. dollar amount of each purchase
Rewards Center

Citi ThankYou Rewards

Citi Double Cash® Card
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U.P. Rating 
The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

Great card for the average spender with no specific focus category; worry-free cash-back earning on everything!

Great card for the average spender with no specific focus category; worry-free cash-back earning on everything!
Earn $200 cash-back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening.
$200 cash-back
$0
17.99% - 27.99% Variable
Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.
Fair to Excellent (580-850)
Why We Like This Card

The Citi Double Cash® Card has long been one of the top cash-back credit cards on the market, and the card now has the ability to earn Citi ThankYou Points!

This means that cardholders of the Double Cash card will now earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. Cash back is earned in the form of ThankYou Points. This means each billing cycle, you will earn 1 ThankYou point per $1 spent on purchases and an additional ThankYou point for every $1 paid on your purchase balance as long as there is a corresponding balance in your Purchase Tracker.

Citi has turned the Double Cash card into a top choice for those who are looking for an everyday, no-fuss credit card.

Pros & Cons
Pros
  • Uncapped 2% for every $1 spent (1% when you buy and another 1% when you pay)
  • Flexible redemption options
  • No annual fee
Cons
  • No bonus categories
  • 3% foreign transaction fees
Card Highlights
  • Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
  • Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases.
  • Earn a total of 5 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rental, and attractions, excluding air travel, when booked through the Citi Travel® portal.
  • To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time.
  • Balance Transfer Only Offer: 0% Intro APR for 18 months on balance transfers; after that, the variable APR will be 17.99% – 27.99%, based on your creditworthiness. Balance Transfers do not earn cash back. Intro APR does not apply to purchases.
  • If you transfer a balance, interest will be charged on your purchases unless you pay your entire balance (including balance transfers) by the due date each month.
  • There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).
Financial Snapshot
  • APR: 17.99% - 27.99% Variable
  • Foreign Transaction Fees: 3% of the U.S. dollar amount of each purchase
Rewards Center

Citi ThankYou Rewards

Citi Custom Cash® Card
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U.P. Rating 
The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

Earn big on purchases in your top eligible spend category, up to the first $500 each billing cycle, without an annual fee!

Earn big on purchases in your top eligible spend category, up to the first $500 each billing cycle, without an annual fee!
Earn $200 cash-back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash-back.
$200
$0
0% Intro APR on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months. After that, the variable APR will be 17.99% - 27.99%.
Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.
Fair to Excellent (580-850)
Why We Like This Card

The Citi Custom Cash® Card is inventive when it comes to cash-back credit cards. Instead of earning a set amount of cash-back on predetermined bonus categories, the Citi Custom Cash card earns 5% cash-back on your highest eligible spend category each billing cycle, with a $0 annual fee.

Thanks to that unique perk, you’ll never need to worry about whether you’re using the right card for the right purchase, as your Citi Custom Cash card will always pay you 5% back on whichever category you end up spending the most on each month.

Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 5% cash-back (on up to $500 each billing cycle) from your largest purchase category, including restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, select travel, select transit, select streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs, and live entertainment
  • $0 annual fee
  • Multiple redemption options
Cons
  • Your 5% category is limited to $500 in spend ($25 in cash-back) each month
  • Not particularly rewarding for any purchases outside of your top 5% cash-back category
Card Highlights
  • Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
  • Get 0% Intro APR on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months. After that, the variable APR will be 17.99% - 27.99%, based on your creditworthiness.
  • Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, 1% cash back thereafter. Earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
  • Earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked with Citi Travel.
  • No rotating bonus categories to sign up for – as your spending changes each billing cycle, your earn adjusts automatically when you spend in any of the eligible categories.
  • $0 annual fee.
  • Citi will only issue one Citi Custom Cash® Card account per person.
Financial Snapshot
  • APR: 0% Intro APR on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months. After that, the variable APR will be 17.99% - 27.99%.
  • Foreign Transaction Fees: 3%

You need the Citi Strata Premier card, Citi Strata Elite card, or the Citi Prestige card to transfer your points to the full list of transfer partners at an elevated ratio.

Without at least one of these cards, transfers to other programs will be limited and/or at reduced ratios.

2. Are Citi ThankYou Points Worth It?

Citi ThankYou Points offer solid value for most consumers. Although they’re not as popular as Amex, Chase, or Capital One rewards, ThankYou Points are still among the few transferable currencies, making ThankYou Rewards useful.

Also, the ability to earn Citi ThankYou Points on groceries, supermarkets, airfare, hotels, rotating categories, and even on everyday purchases makes it easy to rack up points quickly. Then you can use your points for some fantastic award travel!

3. How Much Are Citi ThankYou Points Worth?

We value Citi ThankYou Points at approximately 1.6 cents apiece. The value of your Citi ThankYou Points depends on how you use them. For example, if you used your Citi ThankYou Points for cash-back, there’d be no way you’d get the best value.

On the other hand, using your Citi ThankYou Points for luxury award travel could potentially get even better value than what we think each point is worth!

Getting 5 to 10 cents per point isn’t unheard of with Citi ThankYou Rewards, but we’ll assume that some of your redemptions will net you lower redemption value, which is why we value Citi points at around 1.6 cents each.

4. How Much Are Citi Strata Premier Points Worth?

The Citi Strata Premier card earns Citi ThankYou Points worth 1.6 cents each based on our valuations, but the Citi Strata Premier card’s points can be worth anywhere from 0.5 cents per point to more than 10 cents per point. Here’s a look at the value you can expect with various redemption types:

  • Cash-back: Around 0.5 cents to 1 cents per point
  • Amazon.com purchases: 0.8 cents per point
  • Online shopping through Shop with Points: Around 0.83 cents per point
  • Gift cards: Around 1 cent per point
  • Travel booked through the Citi Travel Center: Around 1 cent per point
  • Award travel with transfer partners: Anywhere from 1 to 10 cents per point

Holding the Citi Strata Premier gives you the highest ratios to transfer partners and unlocks all partners, including American Airlines AAdvantage.

5. What Is the Value of 2,500 Citi ThankYou Points?

According to our valuations, 2,500 Citi ThankYou Points would be worth $40.

Unfortunately, there aren’t many ways to use a small balance like 2,500 Citi points.

For example, 2,500 points wouldn’t be enough for a business class flight, so you’d probably have to settle for $12.50 to $25 in cash-back, $20 on Amazon.com purchases, $21 in online merchandise, $25 in gift cards, or $25 in travel via the Citi Travel Center.

Hot Tip:

If you have either the Double Cash card or Citi Custom Cash card, you can use your rewards for cash-back at a value of 1 cent per point. Unfortunately, the Citi Strata Premier card cannot access this redemption value as cash-back. 

6. What Could You Get With 10,000 Citi ThankYou Points?

According to our valuations, 10,000 Citi ThankYou Points are worth $160.

You could purchase a one-way economy flight on United to Hawaii if you transferred 10,000 Citi ThankYou Points to Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles, which could retail for $300 to $400 in many cases.

United 737 800 Economy Cabin
United economy. Image Credit: Nick Ellis

More realistically, you need to use your points for lower-value redemptions like $50 to $100 in cash-back, $80 in Amazon.com purchases, $83 through Shop with Points, $100 in gift cards, or $100 in travel booked through the Citi Travel Center.

7. What Can You Do With 15,000 Citi ThankYou Points?

We value 15,000 Citi ThankYou Points to be worth around $240.

With 15,000 Citi ThankYou Points, you could book economy flights on domestic routes with American Airlines, Delta, or United through partnerships with Etihad Guest, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, or Avianca LifeMiles, respectively. Depending on the flight you book, it could cost over $400, providing excellent value for your points.

Otherwise, you can use 15,000 Citi ThankYou Points to get $75 to $150 in cash-back, $120 in Amazon.com purchases, $125 in online merchandise through Shop with Points, $150 in gift cards, or $150 in travel booked via the Citi Travel Center.

8. How Much Are 20,000 Citi ThankYou Points Worth?

According to our valuations, 20,000 Citi ThankYou Points are worth $320.

You can use 20,000 Citi ThankYou Points for a one-way transcontinental business class flight on United booked through Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles. These often retail for $1,500 or more.

You can also transfer 20,000 Citi ThankYou Points to Choice Privileges at a 1:2 ratio to book a stay at a Preferred Hotels property, which will usually cost around $400.

In other instances, you can spend 20,000 Citi ThankYou Points for $100 to $200 in cash-back, $160 in Amazon.com purchases, $167 for items through Shop with Points, $200 in gift cards, or $200 in travel booked through the Citi Travel Center.

9. How Can You Spend 30,000 Citi ThankYou Points?

According to our valuations, 30,000 Citi ThankYou Points are worth around $480.

In some cases, you could transfer your Citi ThankYou Points to Choice Privileges to book a several-day high-end stay with Preferred Hotels. Depending on the property you book, this could be worth upwards of $1,000.

You can also use 30,000 Citi ThankYou Points for $150 to $300 in cash-back, $240 in Amazon.com purchases, $250 in online shopping through Shop with Points, $300 in gift cards, and $300 in Citi Travel Center bookings.

10. What Are Your Options With 60,000 Citi ThankYou Points?

According to our valuations, 60,000 Citi ThankYou Points are worth $960.

You can get much better value by transferring to airline partners for international business or first class travel. For example, if you transfer 60,000 points to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, you can get a one-way ANA first class flight to Japan, which retails for more than $10,000.

Alternatively, you can book a one-way business class flight to Europe, which routinely sells for $5,000 or more. You can even book round-trip flights to Asia or Europe if you want to stretch your points further, which should get you a value of at least $1,000.

You could also transfer 60,000 Citi ThankYou Points to yield 120,000 Choice Privileges points, which is enough for more than 3 nights at a Preferred Hotels property, which could offer $1,200 or more in value.

Just remember that if you didn’t use your 60,000 points for travel partners, you would get $300 to $600 in cash-back, $480 in Amazon.com purchases, $500 in Shop with Points transactions, $600 in gift cards, or $600 in bookings made via CitiTravel.com.

11. How Can You Use 80,000 Citi ThankYou Points?

According to our valuations, 80,000 Citi ThankYou Points are worth $1,280.

With 80,000 Citi ThankYou Points, you can get a one-way business class flight to the Middle East or Africa, or a one-way business class flight to Southeast Asia. These tickets regularly exceed $7,000 in price.

Alternatively, 80,000 Citi ThankYou Points is nearly enough for 4 nights at the top-of-the-line properties participating in Preferred Hotels, which is easily $2,000 in value.

Otherwise, those points would be worth $400 to $800 in cash-back, $640 in Amazon.com purchases, $666 in Shop with Points purchases, $800 in gift cards, or $800 in Citi Travel Center bookings.

12. How Many Citi ThankYou Points Equal $1?

According to our valuations, you’d need about 63 Citi ThankYou Points to get $1 of value. However, the real answer varies depending on how you plan to use your points.

  • Cash-back: 100 to 200 Citi ThankYou Points for $1
  • Amazon.com purchases: 125 Citi ThankYou Points for $1
  • Online shopping via Shop with Points: 120 Citi ThankYou Points for $1
  • Gift cards or Citi Travel Center bookings: Around 100 Citi ThankYou Points for $1
  • Travel partners for award travel: Anywhere from 10 to 50 points for $1

13. What Can You Use Citi ThankYou Points For?

You can use Citi ThankYou Points for various purchases. With most methods, you get a simple 1 cent per point in redemption value, but we’ve included all of the options along with their values, sorted from highest to lowest value:

  • Transferring to airline and hotel partners
  • Gift cards
  • Travel booked through CitiTravel.com
  • Shop with Points for online merchandise
  • Amazon.com purchases
  • Cash-back
Turkish Airlines Business Class Seat 7A Boeing 787 9
Transfer your Citi ThankYou Points to Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles to fly business class. Image Credit: Greg Stone

14. What Is the Best Way To Use Citi ThankYou Points?

The best way to use Citi ThankYou Points is to transfer them to airline and hotel travel partners.

Here are some fantastic uses of Citi ThankYou Points:

One important thing to note is that the transfer ratios to different partners depend on which Citi card you have. Most (but not all) partners transfer at a 1:1 ratio if you have a premium card, like the Citi Strata Elite, Citi Strata Premier, or Citi Prestige card. If you have a different card that earns ThankYou points, the transfer ratio is usually 30% lower.

Hot Tip:

If you have a premium card that earns ThankYou points, you can transfer to American AAdvantage at a 1:1 ratio. If you don’t have a premium card, you transfer at a ratio of 1:0.7.

15. How Can You Use Best Buy’s Partnership With Citi?

Citi ThankYou Points are worth around 0.83 cents per point at Best Buy. This is made possible through Best Buy’s partnership with Citi’s Shop with Points program.

You need to redeem around 120 Citi ThankYou Points for $1 at Best Buy. Having different credit cards does not change the value you’d get at Best Buy.

16. What’s the Value of Spending Citi ThankYou Points at Amazon?

Citi ThankYou Points are worth 0.8 cents per point at Amazon, regardless of which credit card you hold. You redeem 125 Citi ThankYou Points for $1 at Amazon.

17. How Do You Redeem Citi ThankYou Points for Travel?

Citi ThankYou Points can be worth more than 10 cents per point for flights when using transfer partners to book business and first class award travel.

Citi ThankYou Points can be worth more than 3 cents per point for hotels when using the Preferred Hotels partnership to book luxury properties. But if you booked hotels, flights, car rentals, or cruises through the Citi Travel Center, you’d only get 1 cent per point of value.

18. How Can You Use Citi ThankYou Points To Fly With American Airlines?

Citi ThankYou Rewards has a 1:1 transfer partnership with American Airlines AAdvantage with its premium cards. If you have a card other than the Citi Strata Elite or Citi Strata Premier card, you can still transfer to American, but it will be at a 1:0.7 ratio.

You can also transfer Citi ThankYou Points to other partners, such as Etihad Guest, Cathay Pacific, or Qatar Airways Privilege Club, to book flights on American Airlines.

For example, you can transfer 32,500 Citi ThankYou Points to book a transcontinental American Airlines Flagship First Class flight between New York (JFK) and Los Angeles (LAX) or San Francisco (SFO), which often retails for $2,000 one-way. That’s a value of 6 cents per point!

Alternatively, you can use Citi ThankYou Points for a fixed value of 1 cent per point on bookings made through CitiTravel.com.

Therefore, you can expect to redeem 15 to 100 Citi ThankYou Points for $1 on American Airlines.

19. How Much Are Citi ThankYou Points Worth in Cash-Back?

Citi ThankYou Points are worth anywhere from 0.5 cents per point to 1 cent per point in cash-back.

If you have the Citi Double Cash card or Citi Custom Cash card, you can redeem your ThankYou Points for a fixed 1 cent per point in cash-back. Otherwise, you need to redeem your points for 0.5 cents apiece in cash-back. You redeem 100 to 200 Citi ThankYou Points for $1 in cash-back.

20. Can You Use Citi ThankYou Points for Gift Cards?

You can generally redeem Citi ThankYou Points at 1 cent apiece for gift cards. The exact number may vary slightly depending on the merchant, but this is generally accurate.

Occasionally, redemption bonuses for gift cards let you get slightly better value, but you should still expect to redeem around 100 Citi ThankYou Points for $1 in gift cards.

21. How Much Are Citi ThankYou Points Worth When You Transfer to Partners?

Citi ThankYou Points can be worth a fantastic amount of money when transferred to travel partners. You can get up to 10 cents per point when doing so.

For example, if you transferred 70,000 Citi ThankYou Points to Qatar Airways Privilege Club to book a one-way, $8,000 Qatar Airways Qsuites flight, you’d get a redemption value of 11 cents per point, which is phenomenal!

22. How Do I Check My Citi ThankYou Points?

Generally, there are 3 basic ways to check your Citi ThankYou Point balance. They are:

Log in using your user ID and password to access your Citi ThankYou Points on the website. You’ll be taken to your account dashboard. On the top menu, hover over the button that says “Rewards & Offers” and then click ThankYou Rewards. After that, you’ll be taken to the ThankYou site, where you can check your Citi ThankYou Points and redeem them.

If you want to check your Citi ThankYou Points through the Citi mobile app, simply log in to your Citi mobile app using your user ID and password. Then, select your credit card account. Scroll down past the transactions and you’ll see a box that says “ThankYou from Citi“. You’ll see your balances and you can click View Details if you need more granular information.

To access your Citi ThankYou Points over the phone, call the number on the back of your card. Then, follow the prompts for ThankYou Points. You will hear your Citi ThankYou Points balance via the automated prompt, but if you need further assistance, you can follow the prompts to connect to a live representative.

23. Do Citi ThankYou Points Expire?

Citi ThankYou Points do not expire as long as your account is open, active, and in good standing. If you share points from one person to another or from one card to another, your points will expire after 90 days, so you should consider using those points as quickly as possible.

Additionally, if you close a Citi credit card, your points will expire in 60 days, so be sure to keep that in mind if you’re considering closing any Citi-issued cards.

24. Are Citi ThankYou Points or Chase Points Better?

In general, Chase points are better than Citi points. We value Chase points at 2 cents each, while we value Citi points at 1.6 cents each.

Although Citi has a neat 1:2 transfer partnership with Choice Privileges, Chase’s 1:1 partnership with World of Hyatt is the king of hotel partnerships. Getting 6 cents per point of value on hotel bookings is not unheard of.

That being said, Citi has great airline transfer partnerships in American AAdvantage, Emirates, Flying Blue, Asia Miles, and Etihad Guest, but Chase’s transfer partnerships include more versatile partners like Air Canada Aeroplan and United MileagePlus.

For this reason, we value Chase points higher than Citi points.

25. How Do Citi ThankYou Points Compare to Amex Points?

Amex points are worth significantly more than Citi points. We value Amex points at 2.2 cents apiece, whereas Citi points are worth 1.6 cents apiece.

Amex has enhanced airline transfer partnerships, including Air Canada Aeroplan, ANA Mileage Club, The British Airways Club, and Delta SkyMiles.

On the hotel front, Hilton Honors is an Amex transfer partner at a 1:2 ratio, and a 1:1 transfer partnership with Marriott Bonvoy, which generally outperforms Citi’s 1:2 partnership with Choice Privileges and 1:1 partnership with Wyndham Rewards. If you have a nonpremium Citi card, Citi ThankYou points transfer to Choice Privileges at a 1:1.4 ratio and to Wyndham Rewards at a 1:0.7 ratio.

The only advantage that Citi has over Amex is that it partners with American Airlines AAdvantage and Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles. If you have a premium Citi card, it is a 1:1 transfer ratio to both partners. But if you have a no-annual-fee card, the ratio is reduced to 1:0.7.

In almost all other instances, Amex points are more valuable than Citi points.

26. How Do Citi ThankYou Points Compare to Capital One Miles?

Although it’s a close contest, we value Capital One miles (1.8 cents per mile) more than Citi ThankYou Points (1.6 cents per point).

Capital One has a fantastic transfer partnership with Air Canada Aeroplan and The British Airways Club, which we find extremely valuable.

Citi has a 1:2 transfer partnership with Choice Privileges, which reduces the gap a bit. Still, we believe that Capital One miles are more valuable than Citi ThankYou Points.

Final Thoughts

Citi ThankYou Rewards is one of the largest and most flexible rewards programs, along with Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles, and Chase Ultimate Rewards.

We love that you can earn Citi ThankYou Points using different types of cards, which allows you to earn rewards in as many bonus categories as possible.

Citi ThankYou Points are worth 1.6 cents each, but you can redeem them for anywhere from 0.5 to more than 10 cents per point.

Using points for simple rewards like cash-back, gift cards, or Amazon.com results in lower redemption values. The best way to get the most out of your Citi ThankYou Points is to transfer them to airline and hotel partners to book award travel.

Citi ThankYou Points are generally less valuable than Capital One miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards points, and Amex Membership Rewards points, but they’re worth accumulating.

The information regarding the AT&T Access Card From Citi and CitiBusiness ThankYou® Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

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About Stephen Au

Stephen is an established voice in the credit card space, with over 70 to his name. His work has been in publications like The Washington Post, and his Au Points and Awards Consulting Services is used by hundreds of clients.

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