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In late July, Citi added American Airlines as a transfer partner in conjunction with a launch of a new elite credit card — the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees). At the time, only three cards could transfer to the AAdvantage program: the Citi Strata Elite, the Citi Strata Premier® Card (Rates & Fees), and the Citi Prestige® Card (no longer open to new applicants).
Luckily, this is no longer the case. Citi has expanded the cards that can transfer to American Airlines AAdvantage, but not all transfer ratios are created equal. Here's what you need to know.
Citi Expands American Airlines Transfer Access to Additional Cards
For the first time, cardholders of the Citi Strata℠ Card (Rates & Fees), Citi Double Cash® Card (Rates & Fees), Citi Custom Cash® Card, and Citi ThankYou® Preferred Card (no longer open to new applicants) can transfer points to American Airlines AAdvantage. These cards will transfer at a 10:7 ratio, so 1,000 ThankYou® Rewards Points equals 700 AAdvantage miles.
This is significantly lower than the 1:1 ratio offered on the Citi Strata Elite, the Citi Strata Premier, and the Citi Prestige® Card. However, the opportunity to transfer points from a no-annual-fee credit card to American Airlines is worth celebrating, no matter the transfer ratio.
You can justify an annual fee by transferring points
The lower transfer ratio does beg the question, though — how many points would you need to transfer to justify the upgrade to a credit card with an annual fee?
Let's say you transfer 30,000 ThankYou Points to AAdvantage every year. If you are a cardholder of a no-annual-fee card, you'd receive 21,000 miles from this transfer. If you have a card like the Citi Strata Premier, you'd receive the full 30,000 miles.
I personally value American Airlines miles around 1.5 cents per mile. On a 30,000-point transfer, you'd receive 9,000 fewer AAdvantage miles if you transfer from a no-annual-fee card. Given my valuation, those miles are worth around $135, which is more than enough to cover the $95 annual fee on the Citi Strata Premier.
- Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® 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.
- Earn 10 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on CitiTravel.com.
- Earn 3 Points per $1 on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases, at Restaurants, Supermarkets, Gas and EV Charging Stations.
- Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- $100 Annual Hotel Benefit: Once per calendar year, enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when booked through CitiTravel.com. Benefit applied instantly at time of booking.
- No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases.
- 10X on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked through CitiTravel.com
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Restaurants
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Supermarkets
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Gas and EV Charging Stations
- 1X – Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
Related: Guide to Citi ThankYou Transfer Partners
Final Thoughts
It's great news that Citi has expanded access to American Airlines as a transfer partner to more of its credit cards. However, if you plan on making large transfers, you might want to consider upgrading to a Citi card that offers a better transfer ratio. You'd save money in the long run, and ultimately receive more benefits as a cardholder.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees), Citi Strata Premier® Card (Rates & Fees), Citi Strata℠ Card (Rates & Fees), and Citi Double Cash® Card (Rates & Fees)
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