How Much Are Citi ThankYou Points Worth? (And How to Maximize their Value)

The value of Citi ThankYou Points depends on how you use them. We think the average value falls between 1 and 1.5 cents per point, meaning that 10,000 points range in value from $100 to $150. However, the actual value you receive depends on the redemption option you use.

Citi ThankYou Points can be used for a wide variety of redemptions, including cash back, travel, and gift cards. But we think that transferring your points to travel partners, such as Choice Hotels and Singapore Airlines, can open up the best opportunities for maximizing your redemption value. In some cases, you can get over 2 cents per point.

Let’s see how much Citi ThankYou Points are worth and explore some of the best ways to use them.

Key takeaways

• Citi has over a dozen transfer partners.
• Transfer partners are typically the best way to maximize your ThankYou Points redemption value.
• Cash back and shopping may be low-value redemption options for ThankYou Points.
• You may qualify for better transfer partner rates if you have the Citi Prestige^® Card (no longer accepting applications) or Citi Strata Premier℠ Card.
• Citi ThankYou Points can be combined among multiple Citi credit cards.

Are Citi ThankYou Points worth it?

How much are Citi ThankYou Points worth?

The value of Citi ThankYou Points depends on how you use them. In general, the best ThankYou Points redemptions can range from 1 to 1.5 cents per point or more. These are often travel-related redemptions.

Citi ThankYou Rewards is one of four major credit card rewards points programs, in addition to Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, and Capital One rewards.

Citi ThankYou Points are the currency connected with the Citi ThankYou Rewards program from Citi. You can primarily earn ThankYou Points by making purchases with various Citi credit cards.

To learn more about Citi’s rewards currency, check out our guide to Citi ThankYou Points.

What determines the value of Citi ThankYou Points

For the most part, the only factor that determines the value of your ThankYou Points is how you choose to redeem them.

These are the available redemption options:

In general, the best way to maximize your redemption value is through travel partners. Every other redemption value gives a value of 1 cent per point or less.

Note that this doesn’t mean every transfer to a travel partner will result in a redemption value greater than 1 cent per point. But you can find a variety of methods to get excellent value through transfer partners.

The Citi transfer partners include:

Most Citi transfer partners provide transfer ratios of 1:1, which means you transfer 1 ThankYou Point and receive 1 point or mile of the applicable loyalty program. For example, transfer 1,000 ThankYou Points, and you can receive 1,000 KrisFlyer miles with Singapore Airlines.

In some cases, the transfer ratio may be more or less generous. You can get up to 2 Choice Privileges points by only redeeming 1 ThankYou Point. But you might get less than a 1:1 ratio with JetBlue TrueBlue, depending on your Citi card(s).

How to calculate the value of Citi ThankYou Points

You can calculate the value of Citi ThankYou Points by dividing the cash value of your redemption by the number of ThankYou Points you need to use.

For example, a $500 flight through the Citi Travel Portal might cost 50,000 points. So $500 / 50,000 = $0.01. That means your rewards are worth 1 cent per point in this specific case.

But let’s say you want to make an online purchase using your points. Your purchase is valued at $100 but costs 12,500 points. By calculating $100 / 12,500, you’d get $0.008. This means your rewards are worth 0.8 cents per point in this situation, which is slightly less than the first example.

Cards we recommend to earn Citi ThankYou Points

Not all Citi credit cards earn ThankYou Points. If you want to earn Citi ThankYou Points, consider these cards:

• Citi Double Cash^® Card: Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases; plus, a special travel offer, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/25.
• Citi Strata Premier℠ Card: Earn 10X points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com; 3X points on air travel and other hotel purchases, at restaurants, supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations; and 1X points on all other purchases.
• Citi Custom Cash^® Card: Earn 5% cash back in your top eligible spending category each billing cycle (up to the first $500 spent, then 1% cash back), plus unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases; plus, as a special travel offer, earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2026.
• Citi Rewards+^® Card: Earn 2X points at supermarkets and gas stations (on the first $6,000 in purchases per year, then 1X points thereafter), and 1X points on all other purchases; Plus, as a special offer, earn 5X points on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com through December 31, 2025.
• AT&T Points Plus℠ Card from Citi: Earn 3X points at gas stations and EV charging stations, 2X points at grocery stores (including grocery delivery services), and 1X points on all other purchases.

How to maximize the redemption value of Citi ThankYou Points

There are a couple of core strategies for getting the most out of your Citi ThankYou Points.

Avoid low-value redemption options

We consider anything under a value of 1 cent per point to be a low-value redemption option. This is because the generally accepted starting point for most credit card rewards, not just Citi ThankYou Points, is 1 cent per point. So going below that base mark may mean losing out on potential rewards value.

Citi ThankYou Points redemptions that may go lower than 1 cent per point include:

• Statement credits or other types of cash back
• Online purchases or paying with points

Look for high-value redemption options

You can easily redeem your Citi ThankYou Points for at least 1 cent per point for gift cards or through the Citi Travel Portal. But these two options won’t necessarily be your best options if you want to maximize your redemption value.

If you can find redemptions that work, your best option for maximizing value is to transfer points to partners and book travel, such as flights and hotel stays, directly with them.

For example, you might be able to transfer 97,000 ThankYou Points to Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer to book a one-way first class flight from New York (JFK) to Frankfurt (FRA).

This flight goes for $7,104.20. If we calculate the redemption value ($7,104.20 / 97,000 = $0.073239), we get about 7.3 cents per point, which is way above the base 1 cent per point.

Getting high value for premium air travel, such as first and business class flights, is common with airline transfer partners, but what about hotel partners?

Let’s take a look at Choice Hotels. This is an interesting Citi partner because you can receive 2 Choice Privileges points for every 1 Citi ThankYou Point you transfer if you have a Citi Prestige (no longer available for applications) or Citi Strata Premier Card.

Here’s a room at the Clarion Hotel Copenhagen Airport with a cash price of $413 or an award price of 20,000 points.

If you calculate $413 / 20,000 = $0.02065, that’s about 2 cents per point, which is excellent. But remember that you actually only need to transfer over 10,000 Citi points as a perk of having the Citi Strata Premier.

So $413 / 10,000 = $0.0413, or 4.1 cents per point, providing amazing value for your ThankYou Points.

FAQs about Citi ThankYou Points

Bottom line: Citi ThankYou Points value

Citi ThankYou Points are generally worth 1 to 1.5 cents per point but could have more or less value depending on the redemption. Overall, travel-related redemptions tend to provide the best value for ThankYou Points.

Citi ThankYou Rewards is an excellent program for Citi cardholders, but there are various credit card rewards programs out there. You might find that Chase, American Express, or Capital One credit cards provide better redemption options for you because of their specific travel portals and transfer partners.

Be sure to compare credit cards and card offers to find which travel rewards program is the best fit for you.

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Rates and fees

Current Offer

$200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months

Annual Fee

$0

Rewards Rate

Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• Low spend threshold for its welcome offer — $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months
• Cell phone protection benefit (subject to a $25 deductible)
• Can redeem rewards at an ATM for literal cash

Drawbacks

• Foreign transaction fee of 3%
• No bonus categories

Card Details

• Select “Apply Now” to take advantage of this specific offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
• Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.
• Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.
• 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers. 19.74%, 24.74%, or 29.74% Variable APR thereafter; balance transfers made within 120 days qualify for the intro rate and fee of 3% then a BT fee of up to 5%, min: $5.
• $0 annual fee.
• No categories to track or remember and cash rewards don’t expire as long as your account remains open.
• Find tickets to top sports and entertainment events, book travel, make dinner reservations and more with your complimentary 24/7 Visa Signature® Concierge.
• Up to $600 of cell phone protection against damage or theft. Subject to a $25 deductible.