Citi ThankYou Rewards Drops 2 Transfer Partners [InterMiles, Enrich]

We all love a good transferable point currency, and Citi ThankYou Rewards are no exception. Among its host of travel partners are favorites such as Avianca Lifemiles and Qatar Airways. However, a recent conversation with a Citi representative confirmed that 2 of its partners, InterMiles (formerly Jet Airways) and Malaysia Airlines, have now been dropped. Let’s take a look.

Citi’s Transfer Partners

A Citi representative confirmed to Upgraded Points that, “InterMiles and Malaysia Airlines are no longer eligible ThankYou Points transfer partners as of March 29, 2022. From time to time, partners with low utilization are retired to open up opportunities to provide more relevant transfer partners that meet the evolving needs of our cardmembers.”

Dropping these 2 transfer partners brings Citi’s list down to 16 hotel and airline partners and 1 shopping partner. This includes:

Jet Airways isn’t currently flying and hasn’t for the last 2 years thanks to COVID-19. It has, however, announced that it intends to resume operations at some point in 2022.

Malaysia Airlines, meanwhile, is a Oneworld partner and services 22 countries worldwide. However, its Enrich loyalty program is weak compared to others and doesn’t provide much use to those looking to transfer their points.

In both cases, it makes sense that Citi has chosen to drop these partners.

Hot Tip: Learn more about Citi ThankYou Rewards transfer partners and how to use them in our detailed guide.

Citi’s Better Transfer Partners

As is obvious from the above, not all of Citi’s transfer partners offer good value. However, there are 2 that can provide a superior use of your Citi ThankYou Points, especially if you have either the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card or Citi Prestige^® Card (no longer open to new applicants).

Choice Hotels

Choice Hotels isn’t as famous as other hotel chains, likely because it doesn’t comprise any truly aspirational hotels. However, Citi’s partnership with Choice Privileges offers some very compelling options. The transfer ratio you’ll receive when transferring to Choice will depend on the card you hold:

• Citi Strata Premier card, Citi Prestige card: 1:2 ratio
• Citi ThankYou^® Preferred Card (no longer open to new applicants), Citi Rewards+^® Card, Sears Mastercard^® with ThankYou^® Rewards, and Citi Double Cash^® Card: 1:1.5 ratio

Here’s a look at the Emotions All Inclusive Puerto Plata, Ascend Hotel Collection, which charges 30,000 Choice Privileges points per night during high season:

Choice is unique in that it doesn’t charge additional points to add people to your reservation, even at an all-inclusive resort. This means that you can hit the maximum occupancy of 4 guests and still pay just 30,000 points per night.

This same line of thinking doesn’t apply to cash; you’ll pay extra per person when on a paid rate. Here’s that same room when using cash:

If you hold the either the Citi Prestige card or the Citi Strata Premier card, your ThankYou Points transfer over to Choice at a 1:2 ratio, meaning this night for 4 adults at an all-inclusive resort will cost just 15,000 Citi ThankYou Points. At this rate, you’re redeeming your Citi ThankYou Points for a value of 5.94 cents each, nearly 4x our valuation of just 1.6 cents each.

Turkish Miles&Smiles

Another excellent transfer partner comes in the form of Turkish Airlines, which is a member of Star Alliance. Turkish has excellent rates for plenty of flights, including business class to Europe for 45,000 miles and business class to the Middle East for 47,500 miles. However, its true standout for U.S. travelers includes the ability to fly anywhere within the U.S. for just 7,500 miles in economy, including Hawaii:

You can also fly business class to Hawaii for just 12,500 miles:

Final Thoughts

Although it’s always tough when a flexible point currency loses transfer partners, in this case, the end of Citi’s partnerships with Jet Airways/InterMiles and Malaysia Airlines isn’t a huge deal. Those with Citi ThankYou Points can still transfer to 17 different partners, including those with far better options.