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Some Citi credit cards earn cash back while some earn points. However, just because your card earns cash rewards doesn't mean you have to redeem your earnings for cashback. It's possible to convert your cash rewards to points that can then be transferred to airline or hotel partners.
In this article, we'll show you how to convert cash from your Citi Double Cash® Card to transferable 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).
In order for this to work, you need to hold a premium card with Citi. You need something with an annual fee, such as the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card, Citi Prestige® Card, or Citi Chairman® Card. If you have one of these, the Citi Double Cash effectively earns 2X ThankYou® Points per dollar on every purchase. That makes it one of the highest-earning personal rewards cards for non-bonus purchases. It also unlocks the ability to turn your cash back earnings into points that you can transfer to travel partners.
If you only hold the Citi Double Cash, you can still transfer points to JetBlue at a reduced ratio of 1:0.8 ($10 will convert to 800 TrueBlue points), or you could transfer to Sears. Neither of these options present particularly good value.
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How to Link Your Citi Accounts
First things first, you need to link your Citi accounts. This means having your multiple Citi credit cards showing up in one log in and combined in one ThankYou member number.
I run into this problem with every new Citi credit card that I open. So I'm well aware of the process how to link your cards to one ThankYou Member number:
- Online:
- Click on your “Points Summary” on the credit card main page
- This will take you to ThankYou.com to log in
- In the menu, choose “Manage My Account” and then “Combine My Accounts”
- Your accounts will only be eligible here if every single detail matches
- Phone:
- If any detail in your accounts is different (middle initial not showing on one card, etc.) you must call to combine
- Call 1-800-842-6596
Now that your accounts are linked together, you can easily convert your cash earnings to ThankYou Points.
You should note that it's nearly impossible to un-link your cards after this is done. If you want to keep cards separate for any reason, you won't be able to undo this process later on.
After early hiccups in this process when it first launched, it's quite smooth now. I regularly convert my cash rewards earnings to ThankYou Points quickly and easily on Citi's website. This converts cash rewards points to ThankYou Points at a 1:1 ratio, meaning I can transfer points to the full list of ThankYou Rewards airline partners.
Earn 2x ThankYou Points Per Dollar on Non-Bonus Spending
The new transfer/redemption feature doesn’t replace the cashback earning potential of the Citi Double Cash. The option to convert cash earnings to ThankYou Rewards is an added benefit—one that makes the card one of the most lucrative for everyday spending.
For example, if you also hold the Citi Strata Premier, the rewards earned on your Citi Double Cash could potentially be worth:
- 2% cash back — or towards travel through ThankYou.Com (1¢ per point fixed-value)
- 2x fully transferrable ThankYou Points, potentially worth 3+ cents per point if transferred to airline partners for premium cabin rewards
Another benefit that isn’t gaining a lot of press is that it reduces the minimum amount of cash rewards required to redeem your rewards. Historically, one of the biggest gripes with the Citi Double Cash was the $25 minimum in your account before you could redeem them as cash back.
With the new transfer option, the minimum drops to just $1. Provided you have at least $1 in cash rewards in your account, you can now convert this to ThankYou Points. This is excellent news if you need to earn ThankYou Points for a specific redemption.
How to Convert Citi Cash Rewards to ThankYou Points
Converting cash rewards from your Citi Double Cash to ThankYou Points is a one-way process. Transfers are final, so make sure you have a plan to use the points for more than 1 cent each.
Here is how to convert your cash rewards to ThankYou Points online.
1. Access Your Citi Double Cash Account
Log into your Citi online account and click on your Citi Double Cash card to view the details and manage this card. Near the bottom, choose “View/Redeem Cash Rewards”.
2. Convert Cash to Points
On the next screen, you will see the available cash rewards you have. On the credit card image, click on “Convert to Points”.
3. Choose the Amount to Convert
You now see the following screen. Choose how much of your available cash rewards you want to convert to points. There is a $1 minimum, and the maximum is whatever cash rewards you have available.
Transferring the $1 cash minimum will convert to 100 Citi ThankYou Points. There is no annual cap on the number of points you can transfer. Once the points are sitting in your ThankYou account, you can combine them with points earned on your other Citi ThankYou cards.
A Workaround, but a Word of Caution
The above describes how to redeem your Citi cash rewards and turn them into points within your own accounts. After you've done that, you can move points between your own Citi accounts pretty easily, provided they're combined into one log in / one Citi ThankYou account.
There is another way to go about moving your points (not the cash rewards, just the points) if your cards aren't linked in the same ThankYou account. You could “share points” from one of your own accounts to another of your accounts or share to someone else. Citi allows you to send ThankYou Points to any other account, up to 100,000 points per year. Note that transferred points will expire after 90 days.
Thus, you could “share points” to another account as a way to accomplish what you want without linking your accounts together. This could allow you to send points to your spouse or even just from account A to account B if you don't want to combine your multiple credit card accounts in the way we described above. Note that this is possible, but your points expire in 90 days after sharing them. Be ready to use them quickly if you do this.
This type of sharing can accomplish what you want (points all lumped together) and is different than what we are describing in this article: how to convert your own Citi cash rewards into points in your own account, requiring the accounts be linked together.
How Does This Affect Your Credit Card Strategy?
The ability to convert Citi cash rewards to ThankYou Points has catapulted the Citi Double Cash from a fallback card up to the top spot for everyday spending. There is no other personal rewards card earning an uncapped 2x flexible points on non-bonus spending.
The only card that comes close is the The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express. But it’s a business card, and the 2x points are limited to the first $50K spending each year. After that, it earns just 1x.
Where the Blue Business Plus has the Citi Double Cash beat is that it doesn’t require a companion card to execute transfers to partners. It earns fully transferable Membership Rewards points without the need to hold any other cards or pay any annual fee.
For most folks, it’s unlikely that you’ll need more than one everyday spending card, unless you can charge a considerable amount to your cards each month. So, is it worth making the switch from Chase or Amex and focusing your spending strategy on Citi? This largely depends on what cards you already hold in your wallet.
Let's look at a few common card combinations. Say you spend $25K a year on non-bonus expenses, $4K a year on dining, $3K a year on gas, and $5K a year on travel. This is how your rewards would add up, assuming a value of 1.7¢ for each type of points:
Citi Strata Premier℠ Card and Citi Double Cash® Card
- Non-bonus = 50,000 (2x on the Citi Double Cash)
- Dining = 12,000 (3x on the Citi Strata Premier)
- Gas = 9,000 (3x on the Citi Strata Premier)
- Travel = 14,000 ($4K @ 3x for air travel/other hotel purchases on the Citi Strata Premier + $1K @ 2x for other travel purchases on the Citi Double Cash)
- Total = 85,000 points = $1,445.00 @ 1.7¢ per point
- 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
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).
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Freedom Unlimited®
- Non-bonus = 37,500 (1.5x on the Freedom Unlimited)
- Dining = 12,000 (3x on the Sapphire Preferred)
- Gas = 4,500 (1.5x on the Freedom Unlimited)
- Travel = 13,000 ($1K @ 5x for travel purchased through Chase and $4K @ 2x for other travel on the Sapphire Preferred)
- Total = 67,000 points = $1,139.00 @ 1.7¢ per point
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
- Earn up to $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel℠
- 10% anniversary points boost - each account anniversary you'll earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- 5X points on Lyft rides through September 2027
- 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide
- 3X points on eligible streaming services
- 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
- 2X points on all other travel
- 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases
- Intro Offer: Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening
- Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 1.5% on all other purchases.
- No minimum to redeem for cash back. You can choose to receive a statement credit or direct deposit into most U.S. checking and savings accounts. Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open!
- Enjoy 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 18.99% - 28.49%.
- No annual fee - You won't have to pay an annual fee for all the great features that come with your Freedom Unlimited® card
- Keep tabs on your credit health, Chase Credit Journey helps you monitor your credit with free access to your latest score, alerts, and more.
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- Earn 5% on purchases through Chase Travel℠
- Earn 3% on dining at restaurants
- Earn 3% on drugstore purchases
- Earn 1.5% on all purchases
American Express® Gold Card and The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
- Non-bonus = 50,000 (2x on the Blue Business Plus)
- Dining = 16,000 (4x at restaurants worldwide on up to $50,000 in eligible purchases per year with the Amex Gold)
- Gas = 6,000 (2x on the Blue Business Plus)
- Travel = 12,500 (averaged out at $2,500 @ 3x for airfare booked direct using the Amex Gold + $2,500 @ 2x on the Blue Business Plus)
- Total = 84,500 points = $1,436.50 @ 1.7¢ per point
- Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That's up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made at restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- Rates & Fees
- 4X Membership Rewards® Points at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. (on up to $50,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
- 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels and other eligible travel booked on amextravel.com
- 1X on other eligible purchases
- Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within your first 3 months of Card Membership.
- 0.0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening, then a variable rate, 17.49% - 27.49%, based on your creditworthiness and other factors at account opening. APR will not exceed 29.99%
- Earn 2X points on everyday business purchases such as office supplies or client dinners. 2X applies to the first $50,000 in purchases per year, 1 point per dollar thereafter. Terms and limitations apply.
- You've got the power to spend beyond your credit limit* with Expanded Buying Power. *The amount you can spend above your credit limit is flexible, so it adapts with your use of the Card, your payment history, credit record, financial resources known to us, and other factors. Just remember, the amount you can spend with Expanded Buying Power is not unlimited.
- No Annual Fee
- Terms Apply.
- Rates & Fees
- Earn 2X points on everyday business purchases such as office supplies or client dinners. 2X applies to the first $50,000 in purchases per year, 1 point per dollar thereafter. Terms and limitations apply.
Bear in mind, your annual expenses can differ from what we have listed above, and you may value each rewards' currency higher or lower. It's a good exercise, though.
Calculating the total points you can earn based on your spending patterns is an excellent way of determining the value of the rewards you can accumulate with each card issuer. You should do this based on the cards you hold or are interested in applying for. For example, if you don’t want to pay any annual fees, the Blue Business Plus is a winner, as you don’t need a companion card to transfer points to partners. (Rates & Fees)
Application Strategy and Restrictions
Your application strategy for the Citi Double Cash hinges on whether you already hold one of the companion ThankYou Rewards-earning cards or if you’ve opened or closed one in the previous 24 months. Without a companion card, the Citi Double Cash is effectively still a 2% cash back card. So, getting a premium Citi card is the key to being able to transfer your rewards to partner airlines and hotels.
Citi application rules for premium ThankYou Points-earning cards state:
Bonus ThankYou® Points are not available if you received a new cardmember bonus for Citi Rewards+®, Citi ThankYou® Preferred, Citi ThankYou® Premier/Citi Premier® or Citi Prestige® Card, or if you have closed any of these accounts, in the past 24 months.
If you qualify for the Citi Strata Premier, we recommend getting the premium card before applying for the no-annual-fee Citi Double Cash. The Citi Strata Premier offers a high-value signup bonus of 60,000 after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
Another way to acquire a Citi Double Cash card, if you don’t want to apply for the card outright, is to downgrade from another personal Citi card. Traditionally, Citi has proven to be the most generous card issuer when it comes to downgrades. Citi allows cardholders to downgrade even co-brand personal cards to the Citi Double Cash.
Downgrading presents several advantages over a new application. This allows you to keep your original credit line and reallocate credit. Plus, it prevents a new card account from showing up on your credit file if you want to limit new accounts due to Chase 5/24 or similar credit card application restrictions.
Our Take
The Citi Double Cash® Card has been one of our benchmark rewards cards since its release, earning 2% cash back on every purchase and charging no annual fee. Despite Citi dropping most of its travel and purchase protection benefits back in 2019, the ability to convert cash rewards to flexible points keeps the Citi Double Cash® Card on our list of top rewards cards for everyday spending.
The Citi Double Cash isn’t the first card to effectively earn 2x transferable points on everyday spending, but it stacks up well against the competition. The Blue Business Plus is a small-business (rather than consumer) card, and it caps 2x earning at $50,000 in annual spend. The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers unlimited 2x earning, but points transfers aren't 1:1 to all programs.
Provided you can pair it with a premium ThankYou Rewards card, the Citi Double Cash is a powerhouse rewards card.
However, if you're looking for a simpler, one-card strategy and don't have a business, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card could be a good 2x-earning alternative.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees), Chase Freedom Unlimited® (Rates & Fees), American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees), and The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (Rates & Fees)
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