Best Ways to Use Citi ThankYou Points

Transfer partners and the Turkish sweet spot

Citi points transfer to a solid set of airline partners, and the legendary value is Turkish Airlines Miles and Smiles, which prices many Star Alliance awards very cheaply, including domestic United flights and flights to Hawaii, plus low-cost business class. Other partners add flexibility. Turkish award booking can be clunky, but the price is the payoff.

The floor: portal and cash

Booking through Citi Travel or redeeming for cash or gift cards gives a fixed, lower value (around a cent), which is fine for convenience but leaves value on the table versus transfers. As with all programs, transfers to the right partner are where ThankYou points beat their cash value.

How to decide

Confirm award space, then transfer when a partner award clearly beats about 1.25 cents per point, which Turkish sweet spots do easily. See the Citi ThankYou guide for earning and best airline sweet spots for targets. Always verify the current partner list before transferring.

Frequently asked questions

Related reading

• Award Flight Taxes and Fees, Explained
• The Best and Worst European Countries for Award-Flight Taxes
• Flying to London on Points: How to Beat the Taxes
• The Countries With the Highest Award-Flight Taxes
• Flying to Asia on Points Without the Surcharges

Written by Bryce Casson, Founder of Cardocrat. About the author and how we rank cards.