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Citi ThankYou has a fabulously complex points expiration structure. As a general rule, Citi ThankYou points do not expire as long as your account is open and in good standing.
However, you'll find multiple exceptions and different expiration deadlines depending on how you earned your points.
Citi ThankYou Point Expiration Policies
When your ThankYou Points expire (or don't expire) varies depending on what credit card you have and whether you have points earned from another card.
No Expiry
Citi ThankYou points earned from any of the following cards do not expire as long as you keep your account open:
- AT&T Access Card from Citi
- AT&T Access More Card from Citi
- AT&T Points PlusSM Card from Citi
- AT&T Universal Rewards World MasterCard
- Citi Custom Cash® Card
- Citi® Double Cash Card
- Citi Premier® Card
- Citi Prestige® Card
- Citi Rewards+® Card
- Citi ThankYou® Preferred Card
- CitiBusiness® ThankYou® Card
Expiry per Former Terms
However, if you hold one of the above cards after a product change from a now-defunct card, points earned on that former card (before the product change) will expire at the end of their natural cycle per the initial card membership agreement. This list includes:
- AT&T Universal Business Rewards Card
- CitiBusiness Card with ThankYou Rewards
- CitiBusiness World Card with ThankYou Rewards
- PremierPass Card
If you hold one of the “no expiry” cards after a product change from a previous card, then the points earned from the previous card will have a different expiration deadline as follows.
5-Year Expiry
Points earned from any of the following cards will expire at the end of year when five full (calendar) years have passed since you earned them. For instance, points earned in June 2019 will expire on December 31, 2024.
- AT&T Universal Card
- AT&T Universal Rewards Card
- AT&T Universal Savings and Rewards Card
- Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card
- Citi Platinum with ThankYou Rewards Card
- Citi Simplicity® Card
Differently, points earned from the former Citi Forward Card expire five years from the end of the month in which they were earned (this applies to points earned through June 3, 2016).
3-Year Expiry
Points earned from the following cards will expire at the end of the year when three years have passed. For instance, points earned in June 2019 will expire on December 31, 2022.
- AT&T Universal Business Rewards Card
- Citi Business® Card with ThankYou® Rewards
- Citi Business® World Card with ThankYou® Rewards
- Citi Professional with ThankYou® Rewards
This same three-year rule also applies to points earned from Citibank Checking accounts (which stopped earning points in September 2023).
Other Citi ThankYou Expiration Policies
Account Closure
If your account is closed, you have 60 days to use your points before they expire.
This applies whether you close your account or if Citi closes it due to inactivity. It also applies if Citi converts your card to one that doesn't earn ThankYou Points.
However, if Citi closes your account for other reasons (such as fraud), you will lose your points immediately. You also might lose points immediately if your tax or residency situation changes.
Points Received From Sharing
It's possible to share Citi ThankYou Rewards with other account holders. If you do, points expire in 90 days.
End of Citi ThankYou Rewards Program
If Citi ends its rewards program, you'll lose your points in 90 days.
Using Points Before Losing Them
If your points will expire soon, you can redeem them in several ways:
- Transfer your points to one of Citi's transfer partners.
- Redeem your points for flights, hotels, and more directly through the Citi Travel portal.
- Pay bills online using Citi ThankYou Points.
- Redeem as a statement credit.
- Purchase gift cards.
- Shop with points as your payment method at multiple merchants, in Walmart stores in the U.S., and online at multiple retailers.
- Deposit to a bank account or receive a check in the mail for cash back.
Although there are different options available, transferring your points to a travel partner provides the best opportunities for maximum value.
Check out our comprehensive guide to Citi ThankYou transfer partners for information on maximizing your points.
Note: If you've closed your only account earning ThankYou Points, you'll lose access to online redemptions. Call 1-800-THANK-YOU to redeem points over the phone.
Our Take
The Citi ThankYou program is a major credit card points program in the U.S. It's comprehensive and easy to use, with few pitfalls in the small print. This makes it easy for consumers to use the program and maximize the value of their points.
The program's value is boosted by the sheer number of cards earning Citi ThankYou Rewards. This includes the no-annual-fee Citi Rewards+® Card and the Citi Premier® Card, which carries a modest annual fee and a robust set of features and benefits.
With so many options, there is a strategy for everyone to use the ThankYou Rewards program. However, Citi should simplify the multiple policies for when ThankYou Points expire.
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.
What about the Custom Cash card?
Hi Robert, great point. There’s no expiration policy mentioned for this card, so we’re confirming what it is.
Robert – Citi confirmed the rewards don’t expire.
What about the Citi Custom Cash?
Hi Sam, great point. There’s no expiration policy mentioned for this card, so we’re confirming what it is.
Sam – Citi confirmed the rewards don’t expire.
There is a Sears Card that offers Thank You Points as well. I have the card. I think that as long as you have the card, your points don’t expire.
Citi Double Cash??
Hey Bryan, great point. It’s actually not listed at all in the ThankYou Rewards expiry terms & conditions, but we’ve added it to the list. Points on that card don’t expire.
I have 200K TYpoints at Citi prestige account, and I’d like to cancel the card. Where can I transfer them to avoid to expiration?
I would either product change to a Premier account or apply for new Premier account as there is 80K SUB for Premier right now. The beauty of flexible points is that you can use them in multiple ways.
If you must absolutely close your account, I suggest Flying Blue for Europe and Singapore for Asia. They both have more attractive redemption possibilities.
This is always useful information. There is no point in accumulating points if they will expire unused. Glad they give 60 days to use the points.
I have had very good experiences with this program after trying others. you should try it
I wonder whether other cards offer similar “grace periods” for redemptions after account closure.
Wow, I don’t know why, but I always thought that Citi points were attached to your overall account, and not to each credit product.
Citi round up is a great offer for small transactions.
That’s pretty fair. As long as they give you a warning about the downgrade expiration im okay with it!