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:
| Citi Transfer Partner | Min Transfer | Transfer Ratio | Transfer Time |
|---|
| Aeromexico Club Premier | 1,000 | 1:1 | Almost Instantly |
| Air France / KLM Flying Blue | 1,000 | 1:1 | Almost Instantly |
| Avianca Airlines Lifemiles | 1,000 | 1:1 | Almost Instantly |
| Choice Privileges | 1,000 | 2:1 | Almost Instantly |
Cathay Pacific
| 1,000 | 1:1 | Almost Instantly |
| Emirates Skywards | 1,000 | 1:1 | Almost Instantly |
| Etihad Airways | 1,000 | 1:1 | Almost Instantly |
| EVA Air | 1,000 | 1:1 | 2 Days |
| JetBlue Airways | 1,000 | 1:1 | Almost Instantly |
| Qantas Airways | 1,000 | 1:1 | Almost Instantly |
Qatar Airways
| 1,000 | 1:1 | 2 Days |
| Singapore Airlines | 1,000 | 1:1 | 2 Days |
| Thai Airways | 1,000 | 1:1 | 4 Days |
| Turkish Airlines | 1,000 | 1:1 | Almost Instantly |
| Virgin Atlantic | 1,000 | 1:1 | Almost Instantly |
| Wyndham Rewards | 1,000 | 1:1 | Within 24 Hours |
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 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:
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:
Image Credit: ChoiceChoice 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:
Image Credit: ChoiceIf you hold the either the Citi Prestige card or the Citi 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:
Image Credit: Turkish AirlinesYou can also fly business class to Hawaii for just 12,500 miles:
Image Credit: Turkish AirlinesFinal 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.
The information for the Citi Prestige® Card, Citi ThankYou® Preferred Card, and Sears Mastercard® with ThankYou® Rewards has been collected independently by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
Featured Image Credit:
Airbus
