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A couple of months ago, Citi made a big splash in the premium rewards card market with the launch of the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees). At first the card came with a five figure welcome bonus, but for a limited time that's been boosted to six figures. That’s a huge opportunity when you think about all the ways to redeem Citi ThankYou® Points.
So, let's dive into how to earn and maximize 100,000 Citi points.
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How to Earn 100,000 Citi ThankYou Points Quickly
There are lots of ways to earn Citi ThankYou Points, but the fastest way to pick up 100,000 of them is by applying for the Citi Strata Elite. New applicants for card can earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
- For a limited time, earn 100,000 bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
- Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com and 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com
- Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights℠ purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time
- Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
- Up to $300 Annual Hotel Benefit: Each calendar year, enjoy up to $300 off a hotel stay of two nights or more when booked through cititravel.com.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- 12X – Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – Earn 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights℠ purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time.
- 1.5X – Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases.
The Citi Strata Elite is a premium travel rewards card with an annual fee of $595. But it’s possible to justify that fee in a single trip — before even considering headline benefits like:
For more, you can read our full review of the Citi Strata Elite, or jump straight to all the details about its current welcome offer.
Related: How to Track Your Progress Toward a Citi Sign-Up Bonus
Best Ways to Redeem 100,000 Citi ThankYou Points
One of the best things about Citi ThankYou Points is that there’s no shortage of valuable ways to redeem them. On average, AwardWallet users redeem Citi points for 2.24¢ each, thanks in large part to the value you can unlock through Citi’s 21 transfer partners.
So, let’s take a look at some of the top ways to redeem 100,000 Citi points — and see what you can do with your Citi Strata Elite welcome offer.
Related: How to Transfer Citi ThankYou Points to Partners
Book the best AAdvantage sweet spots
Ever since Citi re-added American Airlines as a transfer partner earlier this year, I’ll admit I’ve moved most of my ThankYou Points over to AAdvantage. There are some incredible ways to use American miles, so many that we’ve dedicated an entire post to the top AAdvantage sweet spots.
But to give you a sense of the value you can unlock with the Citi Strata Elite, here are a few examples of awards you can book.
- Fly domestically from just 5,000 AAdvantage miles each way. While the award chart suggests domestic awards start at 7,500 miles, we often see them priced lower. With 100,000 ThankYou Points, you could turn that into as many as 20 one-way flights.
- Try American Airlines’ new 787-9P Flagship Business Class. Business class awards between the U.S. and Europe start at 57,500 AAdvantage miles each way, and flights between the U.S. and Oceania can start at 70,000 miles one-way. From my experience, the new Flagship Suite Preferred is an incredible way to fly.
- Book partner business class awards. American Airlines AAdvantage has a fantastic partner award chart. This includes Japan Airlines business class between the U.S. and Japan for 60,000 miles or first class for 80,000. You can also book Qatar Airways Qsuites between the U.S. and Doha starting at 70,000 miles.
And this is just a small snapshot of what’s possible. Arguably, American Airlines may be the best Citi ThankYou transfer partner available.
Business class flights to Europe from 55,000 points
Avianca LifeMiles might not be top of mind, but with the right strategy, you can unlock excellent value through this program. On average, AwardWallet users redeem LifeMiles for 2.85¢ each, which means it’s possible to get nearly $3,000 in value from a single 100,000-point welcome offer.
The best way to get that value is by booking business class awards on Star Alliance carriers like Lufthansa, SWISS, ANA, United, and Turkish. For example, you can fly SWISS between New York (JFK) and Zurich (ZRH) for 55,000 Avianca LifeMiles each way plus taxes and fees.
With strategic spending in the right bonus categories to earn the Citi Strata Elite welcome bonus, you could turn it into round trip business class flights to Switzerland.
Fly between the U.S. and London from 6,000 points
There are countless ways to redeem Virgin Points, from award flights through Virgin Atlantic Flying Club to cruises, exclusive experiences, and more. But the redemptions that really stretch your balance are economy flights between the U.S. and the United Kingdom.
Even with Virgin Atlantic’s dynamic pricing, economy awards from the East Coast to the UK start at just 6,000 points plus about $100 in taxes and fees.
From the West Coast, economy awards start at 9,000 points plus around $100 in taxes and fees.
That means 100,000 ThankYou Points could fund several transatlantic trips if you’re willing to fly economy. You can also look at premium economy awards from 10,500 Virgin Points each way or Upper Class from 29,000 points, though both come with higher taxes and fees.
Related: From Short-Haul Deals to ANA First Class: Best Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Sweet Spots
Up to 25 nights at Choice Hotels
One of the most underrated Citi ThankYou transfer partners is Choice Privileges. On average, AwardWallet users redeem Choice points for an impressive 1.27¢ each. What makes this even better is that Citi points transfer to Choice at a 1:2 ratio. So, if you transfer 100,000 Citi points, you’ll receive 200,000 Choice points in return.
Redemptions start at just 8,000 points, and you can often find these rates in popular markets like Tokyo and other parts of Japan, as well as at convenient (but often pricey) airport hotels across Europe and beyond.
That means 100,000 Citi ThankYou Points could get you as many as 25 nights at Choice hotels. That’s incredible value.
Up to 13 nights at Wyndham properties
At AwardWallet, we're quite fond of Wyndham Rewards points — and it seems our readers are too, since they redeem Wyndham points for an average of 1.33¢ each.
Wyndham uses a simple three tier award chart where nights cost 7,500, 15,000, or 30,000 points depending on the property. That means 100,000 Citi points transferred 1:1 to Wyndham could get you up to 13 nights at the 7,500-point property, 6 nights at the 15,000-point property, or 3 nights at a property that charges 30,000 points per night — and leave some points left over.
And there are great redemptions at every tier. For example, you could turn your Citi Strata Elite welcome bonus into nearly a week at the Wyndham Palmas Beach and Golf Boutique Resort in Puerto Rico.
Or you could splurge on a few nights at properties like the Wyndham Grand Athens or Ramada by Wyndham Athens Club Attica Riviera.
If you’re looking to use your welcome bonus for hotel stays, don’t forget about Wyndham Rewards.
Bottom Line
It’s pretty incredible that the Citi Strata Elite’s headline benefits can more than offset its annual fee every year. And what’s even better is that its 100,000-point welcome bonus can be worth thousands when you redeem those points strategically. In fact, that’s what drew me to the card in the first place.
If you’re thinking about adding it to your wallet, now’s the perfect time to do so. For a limited time, earn 100,000 bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
- For a limited time, earn 100,000 bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
- Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com and 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com
- Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights℠ purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time
- Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
- Up to $300 Annual Hotel Benefit: Each calendar year, enjoy up to $300 off a hotel stay of two nights or more when booked through cititravel.com.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- 12X – Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – Earn 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights℠ purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time.
- 1.5X – Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases.
Looking for a big welcome offer but not sure if the Citi Strata Elite is right for you? Here’s our frequently updated list of all the cards currently offering 100,000 points or more.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees)
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