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In the world of points and miles, there are many different currencies. Banks have their own, loyalty programs have their own, and some types of points are stuck in one place while others can be moved around. But one thing is for sure — you'll have the most options with transferrable points.
Citi ThankYou® Points, which are part of the Citi ThankYou Rewards program, are a great choice when it comes to transferrable points. There are multiple ways to earn them and many ways to use them. Let's go over all of your options.
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Understanding How Citi ThankYou Points Work
Citi ThankYou Points are mostly easily earned by opening and spending on a Citi credit card. There are currently five ThankYou Points-earning cards available to new applicants. There are also four cards no longer available to new applicants, but they still earn ThankYou Points if you already hold them.
The basics of ThankYou Points from Citi are quite easy to understand. Moreover, redemption options for your points are abundant.
What are Citi ThankYou Points?
Like other flexible credit card points, Citi ThankYou Points work like currency. Once earned, Citi ThankYou Points can be used in a variety of ways. You can use them to book travel directly in the Citi Travel℠ Portal, transfer them to travel partners, cash them out for a statement credit, buy gift cards, or shop at online retailers.
How the Citi ThankYou Points system works
To use ThankYou Points, you will log on to your account and then scroll down a bit. Your points will be located on the right-hand side, where you can select “view/redeem” to get further details. On the next screen, you'll see the amount of points you have, information about the card(s) you have, and options for using your points.
Citi ThankYou Points have a few unique qualities. First, you can combine ThankYou Points earned on any card with any other Citi cardholder. This sets Citi apart from other card issuers — like Chase Ultimate Rewards, which only let you combine points with one other household member, or American Express Membership Rewards, which don't let you combine points with anyone. In this way, you can earn points on everyday purchases in tandem with friends and family, use points sharing, and then access airline and hotel partners for a redemption you worked toward as a team.
Note: Once you transfer points to someone, they expire after 90 days after points sharing. So it's important to have a plan for how they will be used before they expire.
Cards That Earn Citi ThankYou Points
Let's look at all of the options to earn ThankYou Points with a Citi credit card, plus the pros and cons for each Citi ThankYou Rewards card. It's also worth pointing out that there are application rules for Citi ThankYou Points cards.
Citi Custom Cash® Card
The Citi Custom Cash Card automatically provides bonus earnings where you spend the most. Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, 1% cash back thereafter. Special Travel Offer: Earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2025. This means that you don't have to worry about maximizing spending categories on the Citi Custom Cash Card.
While this is advertised as a cash back card, the cash rewards come in the form of ThankYou Points, and with no annual fee, this is an easy-to-use option. Eligible categories for bonus points include restaurants, gas stations, select travel, and even home improvement stores.
- Sign-up bonus of $200 in cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening, issued as 20,000 ThankYou® Points
- 5% cash back in your top eligible spend category on up to $500 of purchses each billing cycle
- No rotating bonus categories to sign up for--the top earning category adjusts automatically each month to the eligible category in which you spend the most.
- Excellent intro APR offer on purchases and balance transfers
- No annual fee
- Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent
- 1% cash back thereafter, plus, you'll earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases
- No rotating bonus categories to sign up for – as your spending changes each billing cycle, your earn adjusts automatically when you spend in any of the eligible categories.
- Special Travel Offer: Earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2025.
- Eligible spending categories are: Restaurants, Gas Stations, Grocery Stores, Select Travel, Select Transit, Select Streaming Services, Drugstores, Home Improvement Stores, Fitness Clubs and Live Entertainment.
You also can take advantage of a 0% introductory APR on purchases for 15 months from account opening and 0% introductory APR on balance transfers for 15 months from account opening with the Citi Custom Cash Card. After the introductory period, you'll have a Variable APR of 19.24% - 29.24%. Balance transfer fee applies with this offer: 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.
Pros:
- Sign-up bonus of $200 after you spend $1500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
- No annual cardholder fee.
- Earn points as 5% back on your highest eligible spend category on your credit card each billing cycle.
Cons:
- Bonus earnings only apply to $500 spent each billing cycle (yielding $25 in cash back).
- Only 1% back on other purchases.
Citi Double Cash® Card
The Citi Double Cash Card has no annual fee and is a great option for people who want another easy-to-use, no-fuss card. It's great for everyday spending: Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% when you buy plus 1% as you pay for those purchases. Cash back on the Citi Double Cash Card comes in the form of ThankYou Points.
If you're looking to pay down debt or finance a larger purchase, this card also comes with one of the best available introductory APR offers on balance transfers.
- Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
- 2% cash back on every purchase - 1% when you buy + 1% when you pay
- 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months. After that, the (Variable) APR will be 18.24% - 28.24% based on your creditworthiness
- There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5)
- No annual fee
- Earn 2% cash back on every purchase—1% when you buy and 1% when you pay. Plus, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/25. Citi cash rewards now also convert to ThankYou points at 1:1 ($10 = 100 ThankYou points).
You'll also enjoy an introductory 0% APR on balance transfers for 18 months from account opening. After that, you'll have a variable APR of 18.24% - 28.24%. There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5)
Pros:
- Unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases.
- No cost to keep the card.
Cons:
- No bonus categories.
- No travel benefits.
- Rarely offers a sign-up bonus.
Citi Strata Premier℠ Card
The Citi Strata Premier is the most premium card currently available in Citi's lineup. It offers a large sign-up bonus of 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.
- 3X points per $1 on airfare and hotels and at gas stations, restaurants, and supermarkets
- Annual Hotel Benefit: Save $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when you book through CitiTravel.com
- No foreign transaction fees
- $95 annual fee
- 10X points per $1 on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com
- 3X points per $1 spent on airfare, and other hotel purchases
- 3X points per $1 spent at gas and EV charging stations
- 3X points per $1 spent on dining at restaurants, including cafes, bars and lounges
- 3X points per $1 spent at supermarkets
- 1X points per $1 spent on all other purchases
The card has a manageable $95 annual fee as well.
Pros:
- Large sign-up bonus.
- Ability to transfer points to travel partners.
- 10X points per $1 on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com; 3X points per $1 spent on airfare and other hotels; and 3X points at gas stations, EV charging stations, restaurants, and supermarkets.
- Annual $100 hotel credit for a single stay of $500 or more booked through the Travel Portal.
Cons:
- $95 annual fee.
- 1x on other purchases.
Related: Citi Strata Premier Card review
Citi Rewards+® Card
The Citi Rewards+ is unique because it rounds up to the nearest 10 points on every purchase. Another unique feature is getting 10% of your redeemed points back each year (on the first 100,000 points redeemed annually). Additionally, you'll receive 2X points on supermarkets and gas stations for the first $6,000 spent per year, then 1X on these purchases.
This card has a welcome offer of 20,000 bonus points after you spend $1,500 in purchases with your card within 3 months of account opening. Through December 2025, earn 5X points on hotels, rental cars, and entertainment booked through the Citi Travel Portal.
- 2X ThankYou® Points at supermarkets and gas stations for the first $6,000 per year and then 1X Points thereafter
- 1X points on all other purchases
- Automatically rounds up to the nearest 10 points on every purchase - with no cap
Cardholders can take advantage of an introductory 0% APR offer on purchases for 15 months and 0% introductory APR within the first 15 months of account opening on balance transfers. After the introductory period, your APR will be 17.74% - 27.74% (Variable). Note the fees on balance transfers: There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5)
Pros:
- No annual fee.
- Points round up to the nearest 10.
- 10% of redeemed points back.
Cons:
- Limited redemption options for points if you don't have a Citi Prestige® Card or Citi Strata Premier.
Related: Citi Rewards+ Card review
AT&T Points Plus Card
The new AT&T Points Plus is an intriguing offer for AT&T customers. Receive a $100 statement credit when you spend $1,000 in the first three months from account opening, plus receive a monthly statement credit, depending on your spending amount. Customers who spend between $500 and $999.99 receive a $10 statement credit. Customers who spend $1,000 or more receive a $20 statement credit. Additionally, earn 3X ThankYou Points at gas stations, 2X at grocery stores, and 1X on other purchases.
Pros:
- Statement credit for AT&T customers.
- No annual fee.
- Bonus categories with no limit on earning.
Cons:
- Main benefits only apply to AT&T customers.
Cards That Are No Longer Available to New Applicants
The following cards earn ThankYou Points; however, they are no longer open to new applicants.
AT&T Access Card from Citi
- Earn 2X on retail, travel, and AT&T purchases plus 1X on other purchases.
- No annual fee.
Citi Prestige® Card
- 5X points on air travel and at restaurants, 3X points at hotels and on cruise line purchases, and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.
- Annual travel credit of $250.
- Priority Pass Select membership.
- Up to $100 in statement credits for your TSA PreCheck or Global Entry fee every four years.
- $495 annual fee.
Related: Citi Prestige Card review
Citi ThankYou® Preferred Card
- Earn 2X on dining and entertainment plus 1X on other purchases.
- No annual fee.
Sears Mastercard® with ThankYou® Rewards
- $0 annual fee.
- 5% back (issued as points) at gas stations and 3% back (as points) on $10,000 of combined spending at grocery stores and restaurants.
- Cardholders regularly report targeted offers for bonus earnings, despite the card being closed to new applicants.
It's worth noting here that Citi has unique product change rules. One of these rules is that you can product change to any other eligible Citi credit card for personal use (but can't do this with small business cards). This even works for cards that aren't in the same category, i.e., changing a card that earns ThankYou Points to a Citi card that doesn't.
This means you may be able to change to a card that is no longer available to new applicants, so long as it's accepting product change applicants (which the Citi Prestige Card isn't). However, make sure to use your ThankYou Points before changing to a card that does not earn them. Otherwise, you will lose them immediately upon switching cards.
Related: When Do Citi ThankYou Points Expire?
Other Strategies To Earn More Citi ThankYou Rewards Points
There are very few ways to earn ThankYou Points outside of opening and spending on cards. Previously, you could earn ThankYou Points through your Citi personal banking accounts, but, unfortunately, Citi no longer offers this option.
Increasing earnings through Citi bonus categories
One of the ways to earn more points is by focusing on your Citi ThankYou credit card's bonus categories. Credit cards offer elevated returns on spending in specific categories, and each card offers different categories. When you're aware of your card's categories, you can make sure to use that card for your spending and get extra points in return. Here are the categories for each Citi Rewards card we mentioned above:
- Citi Custom Cash: Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, 1% cash back thereafter. Special Travel Offer: Earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2025. Eligible categories include restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, select travel, select transit, select streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs, and live entertainment.
- Citi Double Cash: 2% back on all purchases, provided as 1% when you buy plus 1% as you pay.
- Citi Strata Premier Card: 10X points per $1 on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com; 3X points per $1 spent on airfare and other hotels; and 3X points at gas stations, EV charging stations, restaurants, and supermarkets.
- Citi Rewards+: 5 points per dollar on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding airfare) booked in the Citi Travel portal through December 31, 2025. 2x on supermarkets and gas stations for the first $6,000 spent per year.
- AT&T Points Plus: 3x at gas stations and 2x at grocery stores.
- AT&T Access Card: 2x on retail, travel, and AT&T purchases.
- Citi Prestige Card: 5x on airfare and restaurants.
- Citi ThankYou Preferred: 2x Citi points on dining and entertainment.
- Sears ThankYou Mastercard: 5% back on gas and 3% back on grocery stores and restaurants, up to $10,000 spent.
Explore Citi ThankYou Points promotions and deals
One other option for building your ThankYou Point balance is to take advantage of promotions. Citi has run promotions such as up to 10x bonus points on travel booked through the Citi Travel portal (excluding air travel), depending on which Citi ThankYou credit card you have.
Citi cardholders can earn bonus points on their bookings as follows:
- Citi Double Cash: 5X on prepaid hotel and car rental bookings — through December 31, 2025.
- Citi Custom Cash: 5X on prepaid hotel and car rental bookings — through June 30, 2026.
- Citi Rewards+: 5X on prepaid hotel and car rental bookings — through December 31, 2025.
While these types of deals aren't always around, jumping on a promotion like this can help build up your ThankYou Point balance in your Citi account. Note that the bonus points apply only to bookings paid for with your credit card, not to reservations paid for with your points.
Ways To Redeem ThankYou Points
Once you have a stockpile of Citi ThankYou Points, you need to decide how to use them. Thankfully, you have quite a few options for redeeming points, but the value per point can vary widely.
Transfer points
If you want to get the most bang per point, the best option for redeeming points is through transfer partners for Citi ThankYou Points. Remember, you must hold the Citi Prestige Card or Citi Strata Premier Card to access the full list of Citi transfer partners. There are 14 airline partners and five hotel partners. However, if you only have a no-annual-fee Citi Rewards card, you'll only be able to access three transfer partners: Choice, JetBlue, and Wyndham.
Some Citi transfer partners provide more consistent value than others when redeeming your travel rewards. In general, Citi's airline transfer partners tend to provide more value than the hotel transfer partners, but that's not always the case.
Related: How To Transfer Citi ThankYou® Points to Partners: A Step-By-Step Guide
Travel rewards
While transferring points to travel partners is our favorite way to get maximum value per point, using points like cash rewards with Citi Travel is another solid option. To use your ThankYou Points with the Citi Travel portal, log in to the Citi Travel website (which you can do here). Choose the type of travel you're looking for — not just flights and hotels but also car rentals and attractions. Enter the pertinent information for your trip, then select “search.”
From here, choose the option that works for you. To redeem points for the transaction, you will first need to go through a checkout process by entering your personal information. When you get to the payment screen, there's a box at the top that lets you choose how many of your Citi Rewards points, if any, you'd like to apply.
If you don't have enough points for the entire cost of your booking in the travel portal, you can apply what you have and then pay the difference in cash. What are Citi ThankYou Points worth here? A flat one cent per point.
Gift cards, shopping, and other merchandise
If you'd like to use points for something other than travel, you have a few options. You can shop with points, including using your points for both online purchases and in-store purchases. Another unique option is that you can use your points to pay for gas at participating Amoco, BP, and Shell stations.
Furthermore, use your points to buy gift cards for dozens of retailers, including shops, restaurants, movie theaters, hotels, and more. Sometimes, you can catch a promo that offers a discount when redeeming Citi points for certain gift cards. This is a great option if you want to buy a gift for a loved one and you're trying to keep your out-of-pocket costs low.
Typically, a Citi ThankYou point is worth an average of one cent per point on these redemptions, but make sure you check the actual value you're getting at the time of redeeming.
Other options
Finally, there are a few other ways to use your Citi ThankYou Points. You can:
- Cash them out for a check in the mail.
- Redeem them for statement credits (essentially cash back).
- Transfer points to Shop Your Way to redeem for purchases (the only transfer option that isn't a hotel or airline).
These redemption options typically make each ThankYou Point worth one cent per point (though sometimes less!) in value, so they're not the best use of your points. However, they provide the same value as cash back. In contrast, AwardWallet users typically redeem each Citi ThankYou Point at 2.19¢ apiece when they transfer points to redeem for hotel stays or air travel.
Final Thoughts
Citi ThankYou Points are a great transferrable points option. There are multiple options for a Citi ThankYou credit card to earn these points, and many of the cards have no ongoing fee to keep them, which is excellent news.
Unfortunately, several of the credit cards in the Citi ThankYou Rewards points program also don't offer sign-up bonuses. There aren't many other ways to earn Citi ThankYou Points to boost your stash beyond credit cards either, but there are a few options worth checking out — especially if you can find a great sweet spot to spend them on.
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