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Citi, a Forbes Advisor partner, just made a big move for travelers who want valuable travel perks without paying an annual fee. Now, holders of no-annual-fee Citi cards like the Citi Double Cash® Card* and Citi Strata℠ Card can transfer their ThankYou® Points to almost all of Citi’s airline and hotel partners.
This update gives you more options for flights and hotel stays without the annual cost of a premium travel card. Your weekly grocery hauls and Friday night dinners at your favorite spot can quietly build points toward your next getaway, thanks to these no-annual-fee cards.
Unlocking a World of Travel Options
Credit cards often offer a points transfer system, allowing cardholders to transfer the rewards earned using their cards to airline frequent flyer or hotel loyalty programs. Citi’s ThankYou Points program works the same way, letting users convert their rewards into various travel currencies.
Before this change, your options to transfer ThankYou Points were limited if you had a no-annual-fee Citi card. You could only move points to a few partners—JetBlue TrueBlue, Wyndham Rewards and Choice Privileges Rewards. Even then, the transfer rates weren’t favorable, and cardholders received less value per point in comparison to the transfer rates offered on Citi’s premium travel cards.
Now, no-annual-fee cardholders can transfer points to almost all of Citi’s airline and hotel partners. The transfer rates still aren’t as generous as the premium cards, but for the occasional traveler, it’s a flexible redemption option made available for extra cost.
As of writing, Citi’s no-annual-fee cards, such as the Citi Double Cash® Card* and Citi Strata℠ Card, allow cardholders to transfer their points to the following airline and hotel partners:
Airline Partners
- Aeromexico Rewards (1,000:700)
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue (1,000:700)
- Avianca Lifemiles (1,000:700)
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles (1,000:700)
- Emirates Skywards (1,000:560)
- Etihad Airways Guest Rewards (1,000:700)
- EVA Air Infinity MileageLands (1,000:700)
- JetBlue TrueBlue: (1,000:700)
- Qantas Frequent Flyer (1,000:700)
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club (1,000:700)
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (1,000:700)
- Thai Air Royal Orchid Plus (1,000:700)
- Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles (1,000:700)
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (1,000:700)
Hotel Partners
Retail Partner
Turn Your Points Into Travel Gold
Here’s the deal: With no-annual-fee Citi credit cards, you get slightly less value when you transfer points to airlines or hotels than with the issuer’s premium cards.
For example, when transferring your ThankYou Points to programs like Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, Air France-KLM Flying Blue and Avianca LifeMiles, 1,000 ThankYou Points gets you 700 miles in the respective program if you hold a no-annual-fee Citi card. If you hold a premium card, the transfer rate is 1:1 for those same partners, meaning 1,000 ThankYou Points equals 1,000 miles when transferred to a partner.
These are just three examples; The transfer rates vary depending on the partner you are transferring to. However, the transfer ratio is lower for no-annual-fee cardholders.
This might sound like a bummer, but it’s a tradeoff given you’re not paying an annual fee. For casual travelers or those new to points and miles, it still offers more flexibility in using your points without an extra cost.
If you want to maximize your ThankYou Points, a little strategy goes a long way. Before transferring, check that your preferred airline or hotel has award availability—once you move points, you can’t get them back. If you have multiple Citi cards, you can pool your points to hit the amount you need for a specific redemption.
And don’t forget that transfer ratios differ depending on the card. If you travel often, a premium card might make more sense in the long run.
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Bottom Line
Citi just opened the door for no-annual-fee cardholders to transfer points to more airlines and hotels. While the transfer rates aren’t quite as strong as those offered by Citi’s premium cards, having more redemption options means you’ve got a better shot at snagging solid travel deals.
Whether planning a quick summer trip close to home or dreaming of a big international getaway, the expanded ThankYou Rewards program makes it easier to turn those plans into reality, without stretching your budget.