Citi Brings Back Point Transfers to American Airlines. This Time, It’s for Good.

Updated: October 1, 2025, 7:21am CDT

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Transfer Citi ThankYou Points to American Airlines AAdvantage
Best Ways To Earn and Redeem AAdvantage Miles
Final Thoughts

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Citi has made a bold entrance back into the premium travel credit card space with today’s launch of its new Citi Strata Elite℠ Card. But perhaps even more notably, it has permanently reinstated a valuable transfer partner: American Airlines AAdvantage.

As the co-branded issuer of American Airlines credit cards, Citi has strengthened its partnership with the airline to offer this transfer option available on select Citi cards. With this move, Citi becomes the only credit card issuer to offer a points transfer partnership with American Airlines.

Here’s a closer look at how you can transfer Citi ThankYou Points to AA and which Citi cards are eligible.

Transfer Citi ThankYou Points to American Airlines AAdvantage

Beginning today, July 27, eligible Citi cardholders can transfer their Citi ThankYou Points to American Airlines AAdvantage miles at a 1:1 ratio — with no maximum limit. To take advantage of this new transfer option, you’ll need to have one of the following Citi travel credit cards:

Citi Strata Elite card ($595 annual fee)
Citi Strata Premier℠ Card ($95 annual fee)
Citi Prestige^® Card ($495 annual fee; no longer available to new applicants)

Update:

Citi now allows no-annual-fee cards to transfer ThankYou Points to AAdvantage, but at a lower transfer ratio. More details here.

If you have a no-annual-fee Citi card, such as the Citi Double Cash^® Card or the Citi Strata℠ Card, you won’t be able to transfer your rewards to AAdvantage automatically. However, if you also hold one of the eligible premium cards listed above, including the brand-new Citi Strata Elite card, you can combine your rewards and then transfer the Citi ThankYou Points to AAdvantage.

Once we’ve had a chance to test how long it takes to transfer Citi ThankYou Points to AAdvantage, you’ll find the most up-to-date information on our transfer partner calculator.

Hot Tip:

Citi ThankYou Rewards briefly offered a temporary transfer option to American Airlines AAdvantage back in 2021, but it hasn’t been available since then — until now. Meanwhile, Bilt Rewards previously allowed 1:1 transfers to AAdvantage as well, but that partnership ended in June 2024, instead launching transfers to Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards.

Best Ways To Earn and Redeem AAdvantage Miles

Historically, American Airlines AAdvantage miles have been harder to earn unless you fly with the airline or its Oneworld partners frequently. The mileage program is super useful for partner award tickets, especially in business or first class, so we’re really excited to see this partnership come back.

For example, you can book business-class tickets on Japan Airlines to Tokyo from 60,000 miles or Qantas to Australia from 80,000 miles.

Qantas Business Class Pod — I booked this for just 80,000 AA miles from Melbourne (MEL) to Los Angeles (LAX). Image Credit: Stella Shon

Besides flying, you can also earn AAdvantage miles by spending on American’s portfolio of credit cards, including the Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Executive World Elite Mastercard^® and the Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Platinum Select^® World Elite Mastercard^®. American Airlines offers a few co-branded cards with Barclays, but the airline confirmed that those products will be phased out by next year, eventually leaving Citi as the sole issuer.

Now, it’s possible to earn Citi ThankYou Points and transfer them at a 1:1 ratio to AAdvantage on several Citi cards. You can earn these points from everyday spending and through the cards’ welcome bonus offers — including the new Citi Strata Elite card that launched today.

Final Thoughts

This partnership gives Citi a much-needed competitive boost as it goes head-to-head with major issuers like American Express and Chase. For travelers who prioritize earning AAdvantage miles, this exclusive transfer option makes applying for one of these Citi credit cards especially appealing.