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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 are a great choice when it comes to transferrable points. There are many different ways to use them — just choose what works best for you. 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.
So how does one earn Citi ThankYou Points? Thankfully, there are multiple options. Let's go over the pros and cons of each.
Cards that Earn Citi ThankYou Points
Citi Custom Cash® Card
- 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.
- 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.
The Citi Custom Cash 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. This means that you don't have to worry about maximizing spending categories. Cash back comes in the form of ThankYou Points, and with no annual fee, it's an easy-to-use option.
Pros:
- Sign-up bonus of $200 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.
- No annual fee.
- 5% back on your highest spending category.
- 0% introductory APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, then a Variable APR of 19.24% - 29.24%.
Cons:
- Bonus earnings only apply to $500 spent ($25 in cash back).
- Only 1% back on all other spending.
Related: Citi Custom Cash card review
Citi® Double Cash Card
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 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases.
- 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 19.24% - 29.24% based on your creditworthiness
- Intro fee 3% of each transfer ($5 min) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, 5% of each transfer ($5 min).
- No annual fee
The Citi Double Cash 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% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases Cash back comes in the form of ThankYou Points.
Pros:
- Unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases.
- No annual fee.
Cons:
- No bonus categories.
- No travel benefits.
- No sign-up bonus.
Related: Citi Double Cash card review
Citi Premier® Card
- 60,000 point signup bonus worth $800 towards airfare through the ThankYou Travel Center, or potentially much more when transferred to airline partners
- 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 ThankYou.com
- No foreign transaction fees
- $95 annual fee
- 3X points per $1 spent on airfare, hotels, and at gas 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 Citi 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 you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through June 30, 2024. The card has a manageable $95 annual fee as wel. As a travel card, it offers benefits like no foreign transaction fee and access to Citi's transfer partners.
Pros:
- Large sign-up bonus.
- Ability to transfer points to travel partners.
- 3X points on restaurants, supermarkets, air travel, hotels, and gas stations.
- Annual $100 hotel credit for a single stay of $500 or more booked through the Travel Portal.
Cons:
- $95 annual fee.
- A travel card with an annual fee yet no travel insurance perks.
Related: Citi Premier card review
Citi Rewards+® Card
- Sign-up bonus of 20,000 ThankYou Points after you spend $1,500 in purchases with your card within 3 months of account opening
- Automatically rounds up to the nearest 10 points on every purchase with no cap
- 2X ThankYou® Points at Supermarkets and Gas Stations for the first $6,000 per year and then 1X point per $1 thereafter
- Top intro APR offer on purchases and balance transfers
- 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
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 $6000 spent per year, then 1X on these purchases. This card has a sign-up bonus of 20,000 bonus points after you spend $1,500 in purchases with your card within 3 months of account opening. Through June 2024, earn 5X points on hotels, rental cars, and entertainment booked through the Citi Travel Portal.
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 Premier® Card.
Related: Citi Rewards+ card review
AT&T Points Plus Card
The new AT&T Points Plus Card 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 everything else.
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.
- No annual fee.
Citi Prestige® Card
- Earn 5X on airfare and restaurants.
- Annual travel credit of $250.
- Priority Pass Select membership.
- TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit every five years.
- $495 annual fee.
Citi ThankYou® Preferred Card
- Earn 2X on dining and entertainment.
- No annual fee.
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 personal Citi card (but can't do this with small business cards). This even works for cards that aren't in the same category, i.e., a card that earns ThankYou Points to a card that does not. This means you may be able to change to a card that is no longer available to new applicants, if it's accepting product change applicants. 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: Do Citi ThankYou Points Expire?
Other Ways To Earn ThankYou Points
There are few ways to earn Citi points outside of opening new cards and spending on them. However, you can combine points with another Citi account member. Unfortunately, the points expire just 90 days after the transfer. Make sure you have a plan before you move them.
Ways To Redeem ThankYou Points
Transfer points
If you want to get the most bang for your points, the best option is to transfer them to one of Citi's 18 travel partners. Remember, you must hold the Citi Prestige® Card or Citi Premier to access the full list of transfer partners. There are 14 airline partners and three hotel partners.
Related: Best Citi Sweet Spots for Flights Within North America
Other options
There are a few other ways to use your Citi ThankYou Points. You can:
- Book travel through the Citi Travel Portal.
- Cash them out for a check in the mail.
- Redeem points as a statement credit.
- Buy gift cards.
- Shop at online retailers.
- 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 provide 1¢ per point (or less!) in value, so they're not the best use of your points. In contrast, AwardWallet users typically redeem Citi ThankYou Points at 2.2¢ apiece.
Final Thoughts
There are multiple cards that earn Citi ThankYou Points, and many have no annual fee, which is great. Unfortunately, many of them also do not have sign-up bonuses. Plus, there aren't many other ways to earn points to boost your stash. But the options are worth checking out, especially if you can find a great sweet spot to spend them on.
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
There is another CC from Citi that earns Thank You Points. That is the Sears Thank You Points CC. This card is still available from Citi, go to SearsCard dot com. The promos this CC offers are highly lucrative. I just completed a recent promo that earned 15 points per dollar spent at home improvement stores, with a minimum spend of $1K per calendar month. From this promo, I earned 72K TYPs. That is as good as a SUB.