Citi Reducing Emirates Transfer Ratio by 20%

Citi has long lagged behind other flexible point currencies. With fewer cards than earn transferable rewards and a lack of a premium credit card offering, there’s a reason you don’t spot tons of folks talking about this rewards program. Despite this, an excellent mid-tier credit card option and a strong lineup of transfer partners have helped Citi keep at least one toe in the game.

Unfortunately, more bad news has dropped for Citi ThankYou loyalists — a reduction of the value in your Citi points when transferring to Emirates. Let’s take a look at the details.

Citi Reducing Emirates Transfer Ratio

As it stands, most Citi ThankYou point transfers are at a 1:1 ratio, meaning 1 Citi point becomes 1 hotel point or airline mile. While there are a few exceptions, this is generally the case, including Emirates Skywards.

Now, however, Citi has sent out an email indicating to customers that the ratio is dropping by 20%. Effective July 27, 2025, the new transfer ratio will be 1:0.8.

This means that if you transfer 1,000 Citi points to Emirates, you’ll end up with 800 Emirates Skywards miles.

It’s important to note that not everyone has received this email. While some staffers, including those holding a Citi Strata Premier℠ Card, did get it, those with only a Citi Prestige^® Card did not. Does this mean that the change only affects those with the Citi Strata Premier card?

We reached out to Citi for comment but did not hear back by the time of publishing. However, Citi did provide an update hours later, saying that this change will affect those with the Citi Strata Premier card, Citi Prestige card, and the AT&T Access More Card (note that the latter 2 cards are no longer available for applicants).

We also checked out the Citi ThankYou portal to see if there was any new wording, but nothing has changed yet.

What Does This Mean for Citi ThankYou Points?

Citi ThankYou Points may not be as loudly touted as other, more popular currencies like Chase Ultimate Rewards. However, they’ve got a lot to offer, including a higher-than-average transfer ratio from Citi to Choice Privileges (1:2).

That being said, dropping the Emirates transfer ratio doesn’t bode well for the currency, especially when Emirates partners with so many flexible point currencies.

With American Express Membership Rewards, Chase points, Bilt Rewards, and Capital One miles all continuing to transfer to Emirates at a 1:1 ratio, this just means a loss of value and competitive edge when it comes to Citi’s transfer options.

And although Emirates Skywards redemptions aren’t necessarily a great value (have you seen their surcharges?!), they’re also one of the only ways to redeem miles for Emirates’ sought-after first class. For those willing to pay for it, the game-changing premium cabin is … well, a game-changer.

And to those who’ve needed to combine a few balances to make their redemptions, having so many transfer partners on hand has been useful.

Final Thoughts

Citi has emailed customers letting them know that the transfer ratio from Citi ThankYou Points to Emirates Skywards will be dropping by 20% on July 27, 2025. If you have any upcoming redemptions in mind, be sure to get your transfers in before the rate drops.