How I get the most value from Citi ThankYou points

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My partner and I once met Paul Rudd in a Qantas lounge in Sydney. He was flying first class to Los Angeles, and we were in business class, on seats we’d booked with 80,000 AAdvantage miles apiece.

Citi ThankYou points can get you to redemptions like that one, though the program comes with a few quirks you should know about before getting started.

Citi ThankYou Rewards is one of the only transferable rewards programs where your transfer options and ratios depend on which Citi card you carry.

To unlock the full roster of 20 transfer partners, you’ll need an eligible premium card. That includes the Citi Strata Elite card, with a $595 annual fee, and the Citi Strata Premier card, with a $95 annual fee, as well as the Citi Prestige card, which is no longer available to new applicants.

Citi’s no-annual-fee cards, including the Citi Strata card and Citi Double Cash card, offer much less desirable ratios.

The airline partners include:

• Air France-KLM Flying Blue (1:1 for premium Citi cards, 1:0.7 for non-premium Citi cards)
• American Airlines AAdvantage (1:1 for premium Citi cards, 1:0.7 for non-premium Citi cards)
• Avianca Lifemiles (1:1 for premium Citi cards, 1:0.7 for non-premium Citi cards)
• Cathay Pacific Cathay (1:1 for premium Citi cards, 1:0.7 for non-premium Citi cards)
• Emirates Skywards (1:0.8 for premium Citi cards, 1:0.56 for non-premium Citi cards)
• Etihad Guest (1:1 for premium Citi cards, 1:0.7 for non-premium Citi cards)
• EVA Air Infinity MileageLands (1:1 for premium Citi cards, 1:0.7 for non-premium Citi cards)
• JAL Mileage Bank (1:1 for premium Citi cards, 1:0.7 for non-premium Citi cards)
• JetBlue TrueBlue (1:1 for premium Citi cards, 1:0.7 for non-premium Citi cards)
• Qantas Frequent Flyer (1:1 for premium Citi cards, 1:0.7 for non-premium Citi cards)
• Qatar Airways Privilege Club (1:1 for premium Citi cards, 1:0.7 for non-premium Citi cards)
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (1:1 for premium Citi cards, 1:0.7 for non-premium Citi cards)
• Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus (1:1 for premium Citi cards, 1:0.7 for non-premium Citi cards)
• Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles (1:1 for premium Citi cards, 1:0.7 for non-premium Citi cards)
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (1:1 for premium Citi cards, 1:0.7 for non-premium Citi cards)

The hotel partner selection includes:

• ALL-Accor Live Limitless (2:1 for premium Citi cards, 1:0.35 for non-premium Citi cards)
• Choice Privileges (1:1.5 for premium Citi cards, 1:1.05 for non-premium Citi cards)
• Leading Hotels of the World (5:1 for premium Citi cards, 1:0.14 for non-premium Citi cards)
• Preferred Hotels & Resorts I Prefer (1:2 for premium Citi cards, 1:1.4 for non-premium Citi cards)
• Wyndham Rewards (1:1 for premium Citi cards, 1:0.7 for non-premium Citi cards)

The best partner of the bunch is American Airlines AAdvantage. In fact, Citi ThankYou Rewards is the only major transferable credit card rewards program that allows you to transfer points directly to AAdvantage.

Out of the big three U.S. airlines, I’ve found AAdvantage miles to be uncontested for their value. They’re great for domestic award tickets, with rates starting at just 7,500 miles each way, while international redemptions can deliver unbelievable value when you want to stretch your rewards for a posh seat upfront.

The Qantas flight from Sydney is one of a few redemptions especially etched in my memory. We’ve also redeemed 60,000 miles apiece for Japan Airlines business class from Seattle to Tokyo. And when we were doing long distance, we booked countless American Airlines flights between Raleigh-Durham and Phoenix for fewer than 15,000 miles per ticket.

The Citi Travel portal lets you redeem ThankYou points for flights, hotels, rental cars, and attractions. The math is much simpler here: Your points are worth 1 cent apiece toward new travel bookings, regardless of which eligible Citi card you have.

You can also redeem Citi ThankYou points for gift cards, cash back, statement credits, Amazon purchases, and purchases with select retailers. However, these options typically provide between 0.5 and 1 cent per point in value, making them less appealing than transferring your points to travel partners.

For the largest welcome offer opportunity while unlocking premium benefits, the Citi Strata Elite card can be a compelling option. New applicants can currently earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months, with ongoing perks including 4 American Airlines Admirals Club passes and up to $300 off one hotel stay booked through Citi Travel each year.

The more affordable option, though, is the Citi Strata Premier card. Despite its lower annual fee, you’ll still unlock Citi’s full lineup of transfer partners and the same favorable transfer ratios. New applicants can earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months.