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Everything You Need To Know About the Citi Travel℠ Portal

citi travel portal review

AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. Terms Apply to the offers listed on this page. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers .

Being able to redeem my rewards in a variety of ways is one of my favorite aspects of collecting flexible points currencies like Citi ThankYou ® Points. I'll always argue that the best way to use ThankYou ® Points is by transferring them to Citi's 19 travel partners . But you also can use them to book several types of travel directly, including flights, hotel stays, rental cars, and activities. How? By using the Citi Travel SM portal.

Although you won't get the same value for your points that you could by transferring them to partner loyalty programs, the flexibility offered by the Citi Travel portal is excellent. It's also easy to use. We'll dig into all the details here, including a walkthrough of how to book various types of travel using the portal.

Page Contents

What Is the Citi Travel Portal?

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The Citi Travel portal — officially Citi Travel with Booking.com — is a one-stop-shop online travel portal that lets you book flights, hotel stays, rental cars, and activities. It's similar to the Chase Travel and Amex Travel portals, if you're familiar with those. You can book trips using an eligible Citi credit card, or you can redeem Citi ThankYou Points for your travel.

Citi Travel portal login screen

As of early 2023, Citi Travel is powered by third-party provider Booking.com and functions similar to Booking.com's online travel agency (OTA), although the user interface isn't quite the same. The options presented won't be exactly the same as what you will find with Chase Travel or other OTAs (e.g., Expedia). However, if you've navigated any of these before, finding your way around Citi Travel will be easy enough.

The only requirement to be able to use the Citi Travel portal is that you hold a card earning Citi ThankYou Points.

How Much Are ThankYou Points Worth Through Citi Travel?

Citi ThankYou points are worth 1 cent each when redeemed through the Citi Travel portal. This low value per point is one of the downsides of using Citi Travel. Unlike when you book through the Chase Travel portal , having a specific premium credit card will not get you any extra value for your points.

Contrast this with the average 2.22¢ per point that AwardWallet users get from their ThankYou Points. This is because our users overwhelmingly redeem their points by transferring them to Citi's transfer partners and redeeming them for premium travel with airlines and hotels. However, it can be a lot more work to get this sort of value out of your points.

If you value simple, straightforward redemption options — especially a one-stop-shop where you can potentially book all the travel you need — the Citi Travel portal is still worth using.

Citi offers a nice array of ways to earn ThankYou Points . If you're looking to boost your points balance, consider one of the cards below. The Citi Premier ® Card has been a mainstay in my wallet for several years. The Citi Double Cash ® Card is an excellent choice as well, as you earn 2% cash back on all purchases: 1% when you buy plus 1% as you pay. But these earnings come in the form of ThankYou Points, which you can use in several ways, including redemptions for travel that are worth more than using your earnings for cash back. Plus, the card doesn't charge an annual fee.

Other cards that provide access to the Citi Travel portal include:

  • Citi Premier ® Card
  • Citi Double Cash ® Card
  • Citi Custom Cash ® Card
  • Citi Rewards+ ® Card
  • Citi ThankYou ® Preferred Card (no longer open to new applicants)
  • Citi Prestige ® Card (no longer open to new applicants)

Related: Build a Winning Combo of Citi ThankYou Rewards Cards

How To Book Using the Citi Travel Portal

You'll need to log into Citi Travel using your normal Citi account credentials; you can access the login page here . If you have more than one ThankYou Point-earning card, the first thing you'll be asked to do is select which one you'd like to use to book travel. Select a card and click “Search for Travel” at the bottom of the page.

options for Citi credit cards to use for booking travel

It is at this moment that I must comment on Citi's website functionality. While I generally don't have issues accessing my card accounts, successfully logging into my account and beginning a search through Citi Travel didn't always happen without a hitch. I'd often land on an error page. Know that if this happens to you, you're not alone. This is honestly the most frustrating aspect of using Citi Travel.

Assuming login and card selection are successful, you'll land at the main Citi Travel search page. Here, you can select whether to book hotels, rental cars, flights, or attractions. This landing page is similar to other travel portals and should look familiar.

Citi travel portal search page with the hotels tab highlighted

Now, let's dive into how to search for hotels and other accommodations.

Booking hotels

Booking hotels and other accommodations with Citi Travel is straightforward. Simply select “Hotels” on the main search page, and then enter your destination, dates, and the number of guests. You'll be presented with a list of accommodation options bookable through the travel portal.

It's important to note that you're not stuck with only hotels. In my searches, there were often bed and breakfasts, serviced apartments, and hostels. There are certainly not the vacation rental options you'd find with Airbnb, for example, but you'll find more than just hotels.

Below are the top results for a sample Citi Travel Portal hotel search for properties in New York City. If you've booked hotels with other OTAs, navigating the search should be pretty intuitive. The default sorting option is “Best Match,” which seems to prefer Hotel Collection properties (more on those below). You can see the price in both points and cash, top featured amenities, and the average guest rating. I did notice that the guest ratings for each property are not identical to those you'll see at Booking.com. It seems Citi Travel has its own ratings .

There are numerous filter options in the panel to the left of the results, including property type, neighborhood, star rating, guest rating, and room amenities. It's easy to change the sorting and filtering to find properties to your liking.

Citi travel portal hotel search results

If you select a particular hotel, you can view photos and explore its features and amenities.

Citi travel portal hotel detailed view of amenities

From here, you can scroll down to select a particular room. Since the Citi Travel Portal is powered by Booking.com, all available room types should show up. This gives you a lot more flexibility than booking with many hotel loyalty programs, where you're restricted to base-level rooms or must fork over additional points for an enhanced room or suite.

When you initially search, you may notice that the cash prices displayed exclude taxes and fees but the points prices (often shown as a combo of points and cash) include taxes and fees. Unfortunately, to do a price comparison with other sites, you'll have to add the stay to your cart to see the final price after including taxes and fees.

It's important to note that you may not be provided the best price through Citi Travel. The first comparison I made was between Citi Travel and Booking.com, the site that powers the Citi Travel portal. One would think both sites would offer the same price, but that wasn't the case.

Here is Citi Travel's price for a stay at the Royalton New York, a random property I selected from the search results. Ignoring the current hotel savings offer, the four-night stay costs $1,810.19.

Citi travel hotel booking page for the Royalton New York

Through Booking.com, the cost is $1,590.62. Citi Travel is charging ~$220 more! This is for the same room type and a similar cancellation policy.

Booking.com booking page for the Royalton New York

Here is a second example of price shopping among sites for a four-night stay at The Westin New York at Times Square:

  • Citi Travel: $1,927.77
  • Booking.com: $1,927.80
  • Expedia.com: $1,522.95

In this case, the Citi Travel and Booking.com prices are nearly identical. But they are substantially more than Expedia's price. Make sure you compare the Citi Travel portal price against other sites. You might get a better deal elsewhere.

As part of revamping the travel portal and switching its provider to Booking.com, Citi launched two hotel programs: Hotel Collection and Luxury Collection. Eligible Citi cardholders can enjoy exclusive savings and perks at these properties, including free breakfast for two, free Wi-Fi, and early check-in and late check-out, when available. With Luxury Collection bookings, guests are eligible for room upgrades at check-in, based on availability, and receive a $100 on-property credit for use during their stay.

Luxury Collection and Hotel Collection bookings are available only to those with the Citi Prestige Card or Citi Premier . These programs are similar to other luxury hotel programs, such as American Express' Fine Hotels + Resorts and Chase's Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection.

Related: How To Receive Elite Hotel Benefits Without Elite Status

As you peruse the Citi Travel portal, you may notice that Hotel Collection and Luxury Collection properties usually get first billing in the list of results. Click on “See offers” to see the perks you can enjoy and the terms of each.

Citi Travel portal search results showing Hotel Collection properties

If you want to specifically filter for Hotel Collection or Luxury Collection properties, these are conveniently located at the top of the many filters in the left panel.

However, there's a catch: You have to book a specific rate to receive the Hotel Collection or Luxury Collection benefits. Sometimes, the premium simply isn't worth it for what you receive. Consider this rate difference for a stay at the Mondrian South Beach in Miami. An additional $195 plus taxes per night for Hotel Collection perks? There's no way that's worth it for early check-in and daily breakfast.

Room rates at the Mondrian South Beach being discussed

If you book through the Citi Travel portal, you likely won't receive hotel elite benefits with major chain hotels.  Bookings with Citi Travel are treated as third-party reservations, and most hotels don't honor elite benefits for these. This is a big downside compared to booking directly with a hotel. I often count on hotel elite status perks to add substantial value to my stay. Free breakfast for a family can add up to a lot of daily savings! Plus, you won't receive stay credit on these bookings, which means it won't help your progress toward qualifying for elite status.

There are plenty of hotels available in the Citi Travel portal that aren't associated with major chains, though. If you don't have loyalty to a particular chain, this loss of benefits isn't a worry. Booking hotels through Citi Travel also remains useful if you're specifically looking for properties outside what is offered by major chains (e.g., boutique bed and breakfasts) or if you're looking for hotels in an area devoid of major chains.

If you have the Citi Premier , make sure you select that card on the landing page before starting your hotel search. This will automatically apply the annual hotel savings benefit — $100 off a booking of $500 or more, excluding taxes and fees — offered by the card. You can use this benefit once per year and must book through Citi Travel to enjoy this credit.

Those who still hold the Prestige Card (which isn't available to new applicants) get a fourth night free on hotel bookings, available twice each year when booking through Citi Travel. If you have this card, ensure you select it on the first page before beginning your searches; otherwise, you won't enjoy this benefit.

Booking flights

Now that we've covered how to book lodging, let's move on to booking flights through Citi Travel. You can use the portal to book flights similar to how you'd use any other OTA. To search for a flight, simply select the “Flights” option on the search screen and key in your origin, destination, whether you want one-way or round-trip travel, flight date(s), number of passengers, and cabin class. You also can select whether you want “Direct only,” which will eliminate flight options with connections.

Citi travel portal flight search page

Citi Travel will present a list of flight options based on your search criteria. At this point, you can sort and filter in various ways. The default sorting is “Best Overall,” which is somewhat subjective but typically includes a shorter travel time with fewer connections. You can filter by carrier, departure or arrival time, number of stops, and price, among other options.

Citi Travel portal flight search results

You can book most flights on major domestic and international carriers using the Citi Travel portal. You'll have more options at your fingertips when searching for flights through Citi Travel rather than restricting yourself to using award miles. Mixed-carrier itineraries that normally aren't available using award miles are sometimes an option with Citi Travel.

It's important to note, however, that there are some low-cost carriers that can't be booked in the portal. Some are available with a phone call, while others aren't available at all. Here's a look at low-cost carriers you can and cannot book with Citi Travel:

  • Book online: Flybe, JetBlue, and WestJet
  • Book via phone: Air Asia, GOL, Pegasus, Southwest
  • Cannot book at all: Spirit, Frontier, Sun Country

To book over the phone, contact the ThankYou Service Center at 833-737-1288 .

Related: Can You Book Low-Cost Carriers with Amex, Capital One, Chase, or Citi Points?

Flight pricing should be similar and competitive to what you find when booking directly with airlines, barring the use of any discount codes or other promotions currently available. Pricing should mirror other OTAs, as well. You'll sometimes see a bigger variation with international carriers than with U.S. airlines. Remember that you'll get 1 cent per ThankYou Point when using points to book flights. Therefore, a $200 ticket will cost 20,000 ThankYou Points.

You'll get the biggest bang for your buck booking economy flights with Citi ThankYou Points. This is because the redemption value you get from economy award flights (booked via the airlines' loyalty programs) is often less than what you can get out of business-class awards — but not always. It pays to check for award flights to see if there are any Citi ThankYou transfer partners you can use to book the flight you want.

Related: The Best Citi ThankYou Point Sweet Spots for Flights in North America

Yes. Unlike an award ticket, when you book a ticket through Citi Travel using ThankYou Points, your ticket will earn miles based on the carrier's earning methodology. This is because you're actually booking a cash ticket and then redeeming your ThankYou Points at 1 cent each to cover the cost. Make sure you enter your frequent flyer number to earn miles on any tickets booked.

You also should consider the fact that you earn award miles when comparing the cost of an award ticket to that of a ticket booked through Citi Travel. This may affect which booking method you choose. If you're chasing elite status, this is something else to factor in, as well. Paid tickets can earn elite miles, segments, qualifying dollars, and/or points that help you qualify for status. Award tickets typically don't.

Consider this itinerary from San Francisco (SFO) to Newark (EWR). It is available for $163.90 cash or 16,390 Citi ThankYou Points when booked in the Citi Travel portal.

Cost of a United ticket from SFO to EWR in the Citi Travel portal.

You can book this as an award using Avianca LifeMiles — one of the Citi ThankYou transfer partners. At first glance, paying 13,500 LifeMiles seems like the better deal. However, make sure you consider the taxes and fees, plus any miles earned by your ticket. LifeMiles charges a redemption fee, so the total cost of the flight would be 13,500 Citi ThankYou Points (transferred to LifeMIiles) plus $30.60. Now it's close to a wash.

Avianca LifeMiles award summary for the same SFO-EWR itinerary

Doing a little digging, this cash fare would be a United Airlines K-class ticket. Crediting this ticket to LifeMiles, you'd earn 1,282 miles. You'd give these up if you booked an award ticket. Now the math clearly shows that booking through the Citi Travel portal is the better option.

Related:  Citi's No Annual Fee Cards and the Strategy Behind How to Get Them

Be careful: Citi will present Basic Economy flight options for some carriers. These are clearly labeled, however, so it should be easy to avoid them. If you're looking at a Basic Economy itinerary, it'll clearly say so. However, you'll need to know each carrier's name for their Basic Economy equivalent. No matter what it's called, it'll be displayed within a rectangle above the carrier name.

indications of basic economy fares in the Citi Travel portal

One gripe I have with Citi Travel is that Basic Economy cannot be filtered out of the search . This is problematic. At times, I'd like to eliminate all Basic Economy flights from the results to compare the cheapest economy fares that are not Basic. Instead, you have to select a flight, and then choose a different fare class on the booking screen. If you're wondering why all your options are Basic Economy, this is the reason. Don't worry: You still can book a normal economy fare. You just need to do so after selecting a flight option.

Like searching for hotels and flights, searching for rental cars in the Citi Travel portal is straightforward. Enter your pick-up and drop-off location(s), the dates and times of both, the driver's age, and you're off and running. One of the nicest aspects of the rental car search — unlike searching for hotels — is that the total price is displayed up front.

Sample Citi Travel rental car search results.

You can filter the search results by vehicle type, rental agency, and whether free cancellation is offered. I like that the initial search is sorted by the lowest price first. You also can see whether the reservation offers free cancellation or is non-refundable.

Here are a few things to be aware of when renting a car through Citi Travel:

  • Primary auto rental collision damage waiver: Many premium credit cards offer rental car coverage that covers your rental car in the event of a collision. However, Citi's own credit cards do not offer this. This means that rentals made through the Citi Travel portal will never be covered — a major downside — unless you purchase this additional coverage.
  • Rental agency “skip the counter” programs: Some rental agencies, such as National and Hertz, offer “skip the counter” programs where you can go straight to the lot to pick out a car. If you rent through Citi Travel, you may not receive these benefits. I can attest that I have received my elite status benefits on many third-party bookings, however, so you may be fine. You may need to contact the rental agency after making a booking and get them to add your loyalty number manually.
  • Use of discount codes: If you book through Citi Travel, you won't be able to apply corporate (or any other) discount codes to reduce the cost of your rental.

Attractions are the final category of travel you can book through Citi Travel. There is a multitude of options to pick from, including tours, transportation, events, food experiences, outdoor experiences, cultural experiences, and more. What you can find through Citi Travel is what you would expect to find through an OTA like Expedia or Orbitz — or through a site like Tripadvisor or Viator.

To search for attractions, simply start typing a city name into the search bar. If you type in a country name (or the name of a U.S. state), you'll be prompted with a list of cities to choose from. Once you search for a particular location, you can filter the results by price, star rating, and/or duration. You also can sort by price and popularity. Attractions are also grouped into categories, and you can filter the results by selecting each in the top ribbon.

Example Citi Travel search for attractions in London.

Attractions is the one type of travel where it seems Citi Travel has a slight edge over making reservations through Booking.com. You'd expect the two sites to have exactly the same price for the same experience. However, I found that Citi Travel was often 3%–5% cheaper than Booking.com. Not huge savings, but certainly something to note. As with everything else in the Citi Travel portal, your ThankYou Points are worth 1 cent each when redeemed for attractions.

Not all locations will have attractions available to book. I tried to enter the towns in my rural area, and none of them showed up in the options. That being said, you should be able to find something in the vast majority of major cities, plus some other areas. It's worth noting that you won't find Disney park tickets in the portal, unfortunately.

Related: Tips for Saving Money at Disney World With Points and Miles

Is It Worth Using the Citi Travel Portal?

This is the big question. With ThankYou Points worth only 1 cent each when redeemed through Citi Travel, it isn't generally worth redeeming them through the portal. Unlike Chase Ultimate Rewards, where you can get 1.25 to 1.5 cents per point — which is more comparable to their value when transferred to loyalty partners — Citi doesn't offer any bonus value. Given that AwardWallet users redeem ThankYou Points for an average of 2.22¢ each when using transfer partners, we recommend that you use them this way.

That being said, there are times when booking through Citi Travel will get you more value than transferring your points. This is most common with economy airfare.

If you're also trying to save money and would rather spend reward points than cash for travel where transfer partners aren't an option, this is another time when using the Citi Travel portal will be worth it. The same goes for those who want to book all their travel in one place. It takes time to understand the ins and outs of loyalty programs; for some, the simplicity Citi Travel provides is a major selling point.

Finally, you always can use the Citi Travel portal to book paid travel. There are some clear reasons to do so. Being able to take advantage of the Citi Premier‘s annual $100 off $500 hotel booking benefit is one of them. Promotions such as 5X or 10X points on booking through Citi Travel (through June 30, 2024) could also be worth utilizing. Don't write off the Citi Travel portal entirely. It's a great option to have in certain situations.

a man wearing headphones looks intently at a laptop screen

Using the Citi Travel Portal is generally a good idea:

  • When you don't want to worry about travel blackout dates or availability for award travel.
  • If you prioritize simplicity and would rather book all your travel in one place.
  • When booking an award flight would yield a similar value per point; remember that flights booked through the Citi Travel Portal are revenue fares that earn miles!
  • When you can take advantage of certain benefits (e.g., Citi Premier Card annual hotel benefit) or bonus earning promotions.
  • If you want to use ThankYou Points to book attractions.

These are the times you'll want to avoid using the Citi Travel portal:

  • When booking premium cabin flights, as you'll nearly always do better booking these using award miles from transfer partners.
  • When it costs fewer points to transfer them to a loyalty partner and book your travel that way.
  • For booking hotels where you want to receive elite benefits.
  • When you want travel flexibility; award travel usually has better change and cancellation policies than paid travel.
  • For any car rentals; these aren't covered by a primary auto rental collision damage waiver through Citi.

Whether you see the Citi Travel portal as a key tool in planning your travel and redeeming your points or view it as a low-value option you don't care for, it's at least an option to have in your back pocket. The biggest upside I see for some travelers is being able to book your entire trip using one tool. There's also the perk of using points to pay for things where transfer partners aren't an option, such as guided tours or attraction tickets.

Personally, I won't get much value out of the Citi Travel portal. If I'm trying to limit the amount of cash I'm spending on a trip, I may consider using it to book attractions. The low 1-cent-per-point value, though, is a huge turn-off — almost too much for me to stomach. I try to get over 2 cents per ThankYou Point through partners like LifeMiles , Flying Blue , and Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles .

You can call Citi Travel at 1-833-737-1288.

Yes. Flights booked through Citi Travel are revenue fares, so they will earn award miles. Citi just lets you redeem your ThankYou Points to cover the cost.

Anyone with a credit card earning ThankYou Points has access. However, cards issued by Citi that earn other rewards, such as American Airlines miles, don't provide access to the portal for booking travel.

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Can the 4th night free combine with the $100 credit for Citi Prestige? Thanks!

citi travel portal review

Unfortunately, you can’t combine the Prestige and Premier credits because you have to use a single payment method at checkout.

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Citi ThankYou Rewards Program Review – Earning, Redeeming, Transfer Partners & More

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Citi ThankYou Rewards Program Review – Earning, Redeeming, Transfer Partners & More

How To Sign In to Citi ThankYou Rewards

How much is a citi thankyou point worth, when do citi thankyou points expire, citi premier card, citi double cash card, citi rewards+ card, citi custom cash card, at&t access card from citi, citi thankyou preferred card, citi prestige card, using the citi travel portal to redeem points, citi thankyou airline and hotel transfer partners, shop with points, purchase gift cards, use points as a cash reward, share points with other citi thankyou members, other ways to use thankyou points, final thoughts.

We may be compensated when you click on product links, such as credit cards, from one or more of our advertising partners. Terms apply to the offers below. See our Advertising Policy for more about our partners, how we make money, and our rating methodology. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone.

To round out our series of reviews on the best travel rewards programs, we’ve put together this review on Citi ThankYou Rewards.

We will review the various reward credit cards that will help you earn Citi ThankYou Points, as well as the travel partners you can use to redeem them.

This should help you plan out any potential future trips if you need to know where to earn reward points!

What Is Citi ThankYou Rewards?

Citi ThankYou Rewards

Citi ThankYou Rewards is the bank loyalty program offered by Citi. You collect Citi ThankYou Points that can be used for a number of rewards, including on Amazon and Best Buy , for gift cards, a statement credit, and even travel rewards!

To sign up for the program, you must be approved for one of the Citi ThankYou credit cards. As soon as you have your new card and make your first purchase, you will begin earning points.

Depending on the category, you may earn bonus points, though cards always earn at least 1x point per dollar.

You can manage your reward credit cards from the Citi online credit card portal , view your expenses, and pay your balance. To manage your rewards, you need to go through ThankYou.com .

Citi ThankYou Points’ standard worth is 1 cent each. You get this value when you redeem for gift cards, shop with points, or redeem them towards a statement credit.

We  value Citi ThankYou Points at 1.6 cents each, because you can often get that level of value, or more, when redeeming through one of the ThankYou transfer partners.

Points will not expire as long as you keep your accounts open, though certain types of points, like shared points that you transfer from one person to another, come with an expiration date of 90 days.

If you close all of your ThankYou accounts, you will have 30 days to use your reward points before they expire.

How To Earn Citi ThankYou Points Using Credit Cards

You can earn Citi ThankYou Points in many different ways. These include using credit cards, travel purchases, and banking relationship opportunities.

Citibank has  numerous reward program cards that earn points. Each one has slightly different bonuses and a different earning style, so it’s best to choose the one that fits your spending habits. To open a ThankYou Rewards account, you will need to apply and be approved for one of the ThankYou travel rewards credit cards:

Citi Premier ® Card

Citi double cash ® card, citi rewards+ ® card, citi custom cash ® card.

There are 2 additional cards, the Citi ThankYou ® Preferred Card and the Citi Prestige ® Card, though those are no longer available for new applicants.

The best way to earn the most points is by combining multiple cards so you hit all the available bonus categories. Citi has a unique earning category not available on most cards: entertainment. If you’re a big movie-goer or spend frequently on other entertainment events, cards with this bonus category may be just right for you!

Citi Premier® Card

Frequent flyers will enjoy 3x ThankYou Points at restaurants, gas stations, supermarkets, air travel, and hotels.

The Citi Premier ® Card is an excellent option for anyone looking for an all-around travel rewards credit card. The card helps you earn points fast with great 3x bonus categories such as restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, airfare, and hotels. Plus, it offers access to airline and hotel transfer partners, doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, and has a reasonable annual fee!

  • 3x points at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, airfare, and hotel purchases
  • Access to Citi transfer partners
  • Annual hotel credit
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • $95 annual fee
  • Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou ® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 ThankYou ® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through June 30, 2024.
  • Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Other Hotels
  • Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets
  • Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
  • Annual Hotel Savings Benefit
  • 60,000 ThankYou ® Points are redeemable for $600 in gift cards redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com
  • No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases

Financial Snapshot

  • APR: 21.24% - 29.24% Variable
  • Foreign Transaction Fees: None

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  • Benefits of the Citi Premier
  • Authorized User Benefits of the Citi Premier
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The Citi Premier card  earns 3x points per $1 spent on air travel and hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, and gas stations, with 1x points per $1 on all other purchases.

The card charges a $95 annual fee and offers benefits like $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more each cardmember year, no foreign transaction fees, and access to the full suite of Citi ThankYou transfer partners .

Citi Double Cash® Card

Great card for the average spender with no specific focus category; worry-free cash-back earning on everything!

The Citi Double Cash ® Card  has long been one of the top cash-back credit cards on the market, and the card now has the ability to earn Citi ThankYou Points!

This means that cardholders of the Double Cash card will now earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. Cash back is earned in the form of ThankYou Points . This means each billing cycle, you will earn 1 ThankYou point per $1 spent on purchases and an additional ThankYou point for every $1 paid on your purchase balance as long as there is a corresponding balance in your Purchase Tracker.

Citi has turned the Double Cash card into a top choice for those who are looking for an everyday, no-fuss credit card.

  • Uncapped 2% for every $1 spent (1% when you buy and another 1% when you pay)
  • Flexible redemption options
  • No annual fee
  • No bonus categories
  • 3% foreign transaction fees
  • Lack of premium travel benefits
  • Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases.
  • To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time.
  • Balance Transfer Only Offer: 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months. After that, the variable APR will be 19.24% – 29.24%, based on your creditworthiness.
  • Balance Transfers do not earn cash back. Intro APR does not apply to purchases.
  • If you transfer a balance, interest will be charged on your purchases unless you pay your entire balance (including balance transfers) by the due date each month.
  • There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).
  • APR: 19.24% - 29.24% Variable
  • Foreign Transaction Fees: 3% of the U.S. dollar amount of each purchase
  • Cash Back Credit Cards
  • No Annual Fee Cards
  • Capital One Venture vs Citi Double Cash
  • The 8 Best 2% Cash-back Credit Cards [2024]
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  • Citi Transfer Partners

A popular option is the no-annual-fee Citi Double Cash card that earns 2% cash-back per dollar spent (1% when you buy, 1% when you pay, earned as ThankYou Points).

On its own, cardholders have access to Choice Privileges, JetBlue TrueBlue, and Wyndham Rewards as transfer partners, but you’ll still need a premium ThankYou card (like the Citi Premier card) to pair with it to access all transfer partner redemptions.

Citi Rewards+® Card

This no annual fee card rewards cardholders for everyday purchases. Earn bonus points at supermarkets and gas stations, plus your points are rounded up on every purchase.

  • Earn 20,000 bonus points after you spend $1,500 in purchases with your card within 3 months of account opening; redeemable for $200 in gift cards at thankyou.com
  • Plus, for a limited time, earn 5 ThankYou ® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel(SM) portal through June 30, 2024.
  • 0% Intro APR on balance transfers for 15 months from date of first transfer and on purchases from date of account opening. After that, the variable APR will be 18.74% – 28.74%, based on your creditworthiness. There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).
  • Earn 2X ThankYou ® Points at Supermarkets and Gas Stations for the first $6,000 per year and then 1X Points thereafter. Plus, earn 1X ThankYou ® Points on All Other Purchases.
  • The Citi Rewards+ ® Card – the only credit card that automatically rounds up to the nearest 10 points on every purchase – with no cap.
  • No Annual Fee
  • APR: 0% Intro APR on balance transfers for 15 months and on purchases. After that, the variable APR of 18.74% - 28.74%.
  • Foreign Transaction Fees: 3% of each purchase transaction in US dollars

A rather new entrant into the Citi credit card lineup is the Citi Rewards+ card , which offers 2 very unique benefits.

For starters, the card earns 2x points per $1 spent at supermarkets and gas stations for the first $6,000 per year and 1x points per $1 spent thereafter. Beyond that, it earns 1x points per $1 on all other purchases.

What is interesting about the rewards scheme, though, is that the card will round up to the nearest 10 points on every purchase . This means that instead of a $2 coffee earning 2 points, you’d earn 10 points. The perk by far makes it the best card out there for small purchases like these.

Cardholders also receive 10% of their redeemed points back each year on up to the first 100,000 points redeemed per year.

Transfer partners include Choice Privileges, JetBlue TrueBlue, and Wyndham Rewards, though you can access the entire roster of Citi transfer partners when pairing this card with a premium ThankYou card.

Citi Custom Cash® Card

Earn big on purchases in your top eligible spend category, up to the first $500 each billing cycle, with no annual fee!

The Citi Custom Cash ® Card is inventive when it comes to cash-back credit cards. Instead of earning a set amount of cash-back on predetermined bonus categories, the Citi Custom Cash card earns 5% cash-back on your highest eligible spend category each billing cycle, without an annual fee.

Thanks to that unique perk, you’ll never need to worry about whether you’re using the right card for the right purchase, as your Citi Custom Cash card will always pay you 5% back on whichever category you end up spending the most on each month.

  • 5% cash-back (on up to $500 each billing cycle) from your largest purchase category, including restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, select travel, select transit, select streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs, and live entertainment
  • Multiple redemption options
  • No redemption minimums
  • Your 5% category is limited to $500 in spend ($25 in cash-back) each month
  • Not particularly rewarding for any purchases outside of your top 5% cash-back category
  • Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou ® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
  • 0% Intro APR on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months. After that, the variable APR will be 19.24% – 29.24%, based on your creditworthiness.
  • Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, 1% cash back thereafter. Also, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
  • No rotating bonus categories to sign up for – as your spending changes each billing cycle, your earn adjusts automatically when you spend in any of the eligible categories.
  • Citi will only issue one Citi Custom Cash ® Card account per person.
  • APR: 0% Intro APR on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months. After that, the variable APR will be 19.24% - 29.24%.
  • Foreign Transaction Fees: 3%
  • Citi Custom Cash Card Launches [Earn 5% Back on Your Top Purchases]

While not traditionally a ThankYou Points-earning card, the cash-back you earn with the Citi Custom Cash card can be converted into ThankYou Points if you hold a premium ThankYou card like the Citi Premier card. This setup is similar to the relationship between the Chase Freedom Flex℠ and the Chase Sapphire Preferred ® Card .

With the card, you’ll earn 5% back (or 5x points) on your highest spend category each billing cycle on up to $500, and 1% back thereafter. Which categories apply to the 5x category? Quite a lot, actually, including:

  • Fitness clubs
  • Gas stations
  • Grocery stores
  • Home improvement stores
  • Live entertainment
  • Restaurants
  • Select streaming services
  • Select transit
  • Select travel

Better yet, the card has no annual fee, making it a great companion to a premium ThankYou Points-earning card.

The Citi AT&T Access card earns 2x points per $1 for all AT&T purchases, along with 2x points per $1 on eligible retail and travel website purchases and 1x point per $1 on all other purchases.

Perhaps the most interesting is the eligible retail category since this is another unique category not offered on most other credit cards.

There is no annual fee on this reward credit card.

Similar to the Citi Custom Cash card, you can only utilize Citi’s transfer partners when you pair this card with a premium Citi ThankYou card.

Cardholders of the Citi ThankYou Preferred card (no longer available to new applicants) will earn 2x points on dining and entertainment, as well as 1x reward points for all other purchases.

The entertainment category covers live entertainment, live theater, concerts, sporting events, movie theaters, amusement parks (including things like zoos), tourist attractions, record stores, and on-demand internet streaming like Netflix and HBO Go.

Perhaps the best part is that this card has no annual fee!

Existing cardholders have access to transfer their points to Choice Privileges, JetBlue TrueBlue, and Wyndham Rewards, but must pair this card with a premium ThankYou card to access the full list of partners.

The ultra-premium card in the lineup is the Citi Prestige card (no longer available to new applicants). While this card carries a large annual fee of $495 , it has some outstanding benefits.

In fact, the card works like a combination of the American Express ® Gold Card and The Platinum Card ® from American Express .

You will earn 5x points on airlines and dining, 3x points on hotels and cruise lines, and 1x point for all other purchases.

In addition, you will also have access to a range of luxury travel benefits. These include a $250 air travel credit, a $100 Global Entry fee credit , a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership , and a fourth night free when booking stays through ThankYou.com (limited to 2 uses per calendar year). Cardholders also have access to all of Citi’s transfer partners.

This is one of the great travel rewards cards !

How To Redeem Citi ThankYou Rewards

There are 2 main ways to redeem your Citi ThankYou Points for the best value:

  • Use the Citi Travel Portal
  • Transfer points to Citi airline and hotel travel partners

However, there are other options for redeeming points as well, including gift cards, shopping with points, cash redemptions, and more.

Hot Tip: Citi ThankYou Points work like Chase Ultimate Rewards rather than  Amex Membership Rewards — your points do not “pool” together automatically and are not all worth the same amount. Instead, you must combine points within the Citi ThankYou portal or use points individually.

The Citi Travel portal works similarly to the Chase Travel portal — you can search for flights and book them using your Citi ThankYou Points for 1 cent per point. How much the points are worth depends on the airline.

Citi ThankYou Travel Portal Flight results

Compare this to the 1-cent redemption rate for flights through the AmexTravel.com  portal and 1.25 cents with Chase Ultimate Rewards (if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred card). Also, AmexTravel.com only offers 0.7 cents per point when used for anything non-flight-related.

Travel transfer partners  are where you can earn the most bang for your buck. Points transferred to partners can typically be redeemed for at least 2 cents each (or more), making them quite a bit more powerful!

Keep in mind that these rates are for those who hold either the Citi Premier card or the Citi Prestige card.

Holders of the Citi Double Cash card, Citi ThankYou Preferred card, and Citi Rewards+ card can transfer ThankYou Points to Choice Privileges at a 1:1.5 ratio and Wyndham Rewards and JetBlue TrueBlue at a 1:0.8 ratio .

One thing to note is that the variety of travel partners covers all 3 major airline alliances:   Oneworld , SkyTeam , and Star Alliance .

What this means is that you can use your reward points on any airline in the world. As long as you have miles within an airline alliance, you can call and book your award travel in available space on any alliance member’s flights.

More importantly, this means that even though some of the big U.S. carriers are not direct partners, you can still use your points on American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and more by transferring points to travel partners.

Citi also has 3 hotel transfer partners :

  • ALL Accor Live Limitless : 1,000 Citi points = 500 Accor points
  • Choice Privileges : 1,000 Citi points = 2,000 Choice points (or 1,500 Choice points for select cardholders)
  • Wyndham Rewards : 1,000 Citi points = 1,000 Wyndham points

You can use your accumulated Citi ThankYou Points to shop with popular merchants like Amazon , Best Buy , CVS , and even through PayPal .

To use it, simply head to the Shop With Points section of the Citi ThankYou website. From there, select one of the eligible partners and shop online as you usually would. Afterward, you can use your points to cover the whole purchase, part of the purchase, or even as a statement credit after the fact at a rate of 1 cent per point.

Similar to Shop With Points, you can use your Citi ThankYou Points to purchase gift cards with dozens of merchants on the platform. This includes popular merchants like Apple, Best Buy, Nike, and Starbucks.

You can purchase gift cards with your point balance in increments of $25, $50, or $100. However, if you are signed in to your account, you may see different options depending on your point balance.

Your ThankYou Points will provide you 1 cent per point in value towards gift cards, but on occasion, Citi will run sales with certain merchants that will allow you to get a bit more value.

If you’d prefer to directly use your points as a statement credit or redeem them as cash via a direct deposit to your checking account, or even a check by mail, you can do so from your Citi account. Log in, select Use Your Points Now , select your eligible purchases, then select Redeem.

Your points will be worth 0.5 cents to 1 cent each. If looking for cash-back rewards, you’ll get the most value through the Double Cash card.

While you can’t transfer Citi ThankYou Rewards points to someone else’s hotel or airline loyalty program account, you can share your Citi ThankYou Rewards points with any other ThankYou Rewards member through the program’s Points Sharing feature. Here is how to do it:

  • First, visit log in to your account on the ThankYou website.
  • Select the ThankYou account you want to use.
  • Then click More Ways to Redeem from the menu bar and select Points Sharing .
  • From there, enter how many points to share, along with the first name, last name, and account number of the person you’re sharing with.
  • Lastly, click confirm and you’ll be all set! The recipient should receive the points nearly instantly.

There are a few rules to be aware of though, namely that you can only share a total of 100,000 ThankYou Points in a calendar year, and any points you share with another person are only valid for 90 days .

Lastly, there are a few other ways you can redeem Citi ThankYou Points, but we generally don’t recommend them if you’re looking to get as much value as possible.

If you’re feeling generous, you could redeem your points towards a charity of your choosing, from one of the charities listed on the Citi ThankYou website.

Donations start at 2,500 points for a $25 donation, giving you a value of 1 cent per point. However, if you’re looking to get as much value from your points as possible, you’d be better off donating cash and redeeming your points towards something else — not to mention that cash donations can be tax-deductible where points donations usually are not.

Citi ThankYou Rewards is a very powerful program that allows you to earn points that can be redeemed on nearly any airline in the world.

Of course, you have multiple redemption options with your Citi ThankYou Rewards, but usually, your best option to receive the most value is transferring to a travel partner.

While ThankYou Rewards credit cards can be overlooked compared to others, they are excellent credit cards with unique bonus categories that will allow you to fill in even more gaps in your points strategy.

The information regarding the AT&T Access Card From Citi was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

The information for the Citi ThankYou ® Preferred Card has been collected independently by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer. The information for the Citi Prestige ® Card has been collected independently by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer. The information regarding the Chase Freedom Flex℠ was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

For rates and fees of the American Express ® Gold Card, click  here . For rates and fees of The Platinum Card ® from American Express, click here .

Frequently Asked Questions

What is citi thankyou rewards.

Citi ThankYou Rewards is the loyalty program for Citibank’s travel rewards cards. You can utilize the points in the Citi Travel Center or you can transfer points to travel partners, mostly at a 1:1 ratio.

What are Citi ThankYou Points worth?

If you’re using them in the travel center they are worth 1 cent each.

However, points are most valuable when transferred to travel partners. An average point can be redeemed for 1.5 to 2 cents in this way, and sometimes you can get better deals.

When do Citi ThankYou Points expire?

As long as you have at least one of your cards open, your points will never expire. After canceling your last card, you will have 30 days to use them before they expire.

Shared points will expire 90 days from the date they are received.

What is Citi ThankYou Pay With Points?

After you’ve made a purchase, you’ll be notified in your Citi mobile app if your recent purchase is eligible to be covered by ThankYou Points. If so, you can redeem your points as a statement credit to offset that purchase.

How do you maximize Citi ThankYou Points?

To maximize the number of points you get, you should utilize sign-up bonuses (when available), as well as utilizing the credit card(s) for all travel, dining, and entertainment expenses.

To learn more, check out our article on earning Citi ThankYou Points .

How do you redeem Citi ThankYou Points?

You can redeem Citi ThankYou Points through ThankYou.com for:

  • Travel transfer partners
  • Citi Travel portal
  • Cash-back or statement credits
  • Charitable donations

How do you transfer Citi ThankYou Points?

Points transfers are made from ThankYou.com. Log in to your account and you will see the partner transfer option , select how many points you want to transfer, and complete the transfer. Points will transfer immediately or may take up to a couple of days or weeks.

How do you use Citi ThankYou Points on Amazon?

Go to Amazon.com/Citi to sign in and link your Citi account to your Amazon account. Whenever you make a payment, you can add your Citi ThankYou card as an eligible form of payment which will connect your points balance to your account.

You can use as many points as you want to offset the balance of the order.

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About Alex Miller

Founder and CEO of Upgraded Points, Alex is a leader in the industry and has earned and redeemed millions of points and miles. He frequently discusses the award travel industry with CNBC, Fox Business, The New York Times, and more.

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Battle of the credit card travel portals: Which is the best for booking flights?

Stella Shon

American Express, Capital One, Chase and Citi are four of the major players in the travel credit card space . As such, these issuers offer their own travel portals, where users can earn and redeem their points and miles for flights, hotels, car rentals and more.

These issuers also incentivize their cardholders to use the bank's own portal, done by offering bonus points on bookings.

For instance, with the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card , you'll earn 10 miles per dollar on hotel and car rentals and 5 miles per dollar on flights — but only when booked through the Capital One Travel portal. Purchases made outside the portal earn 2 miles per dollar.

Likewise, with the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card , you'll earn 5 points per dollar on all travel booked through the Ultimate Rewards portal. Otherwise, you earn 2 points per dollar on those travel purchases.

Given the lucrative earning potential that booking through these portals presents, it begs the question: Is it worth your time to use them rather than booking directly?

In this guide, we put these four travel portals to the test when booking flights. We compared price, ease of use, redemption value and other metrics.

Methodology

For this analysis, we limited our research to flights and didn't include hotels, rental cars or other travel. That's because we generally recommend that you avoid booking hotels through a third party since you likely won't receive elite-status benefits (if you have any) or earn elite-qualifying stay credits.

If you're not concerned with earning hotel elite status or are booking an independent hotel, then booking your stay through a travel portal could be advantageous for you.

It's also worth noting that you can get elite-like perks at hotels, even without elite status, by booking with these programs: Amex's Fine Hotels + Resorts , Amex's The Hotel Collection , Capital One's Premier Collection , Capital One's Lifestyle Collection , Chase's Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection , Citi's Hotel Collection and Citi's Luxury Hotel Collection.

With flights, you may be able to "double-dip" your earnings: You can usually earn bonus points on bookings through your card issuer's portal and earn airline and elite-qualifying miles just as you would by booking directly through the airline. That said, here are the features we examined in each portal:

  • Results: Do you get comprehensive results when searching through the portal?
  • Price: How do the prices compare to booking directly with an airline versus through a portal?
  • Ease of use: Is navigating the portal easy for a user? What unique features or benefits do users get from using this portal?
  • Redemption value: Is it worth redeeming your points and miles for travel through a portal?

With these four factors in mind, here's how the individual issuers' travel portals stack up.

American Express Travel portal

citi travel portal review

Any American Express card that earns Membership Rewards points grants access to the Amex Travel portal . Depending on your specific card, you may earn bonus points for booking through the portal.

The Platinum Card® from American Express , for instance, earns 5 points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or through Amex Travel (on up to $500,000 of these purchases annually, then 1 point per dollar) and 5 points per dollar on prepaid hotel bookings made through Amex Travel. The American Express® Gold Card , meanwhile, earns 3 points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or through Amex Travel.

You can search for flights, hotels, flight and hotel packages, rental cars and cruises on the Amex portal.

Related: Everything you need to know about Amex Travel

Capital One travel portal

citi travel portal review

The Capital One travel portal offers a fresh interface powered by the travel tech app Hopper and is accessible with most credit cards earning Capital One miles or cash back.

Bonus earnings are available, depending on which card you have. Using the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card to book flights in the portal provides 5 miles per dollar; flights booked elsewhere earn 2 miles per dollar.

Currently, you can only book flights, hotels and rental cars through the portal. The portal also houses the Premier Collection for luxury hotels. However, this is only accessible if you have the Venture X or its counterpart, the Capital One Venture X Business .

Related: How to use the Capital One travel portal — now with more cards and new rewards

Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal

citi travel portal review

Chase's Ultimate Rewards travel portal was powered by Expedia for many years, but the issuer migrated to cxLoyalty in 2021 .

You can access the portal with your Ultimate Rewards-earning credit card , including popular options like the Chase Sapphire Reserve , the Chase Sapphire Preferred or the Chase Freedom Unlimited . Cardholders can book flights, hotels, cars, activities and cruises on the Chase travel portal.

Related: Why are some flights more expensive through the Chase travel portal?

Citi travel portal

citi travel portal review

The overhauled Citi travel portal launched in March 2023 after months of delays. It's powered by Rocket Travel by Agoda , part of the Booking.com family.

You can access the portal with any credit card earning ThankYou points , and several cards earn bonus points on bookings in the portal. Unfortunately, flights aren't included in these bonus offerings.

With Citi's new portal, you can book flights, hotels, rental cars and attractions of numerous types. The portal also offers two hotel programs: Hotel Collection and Luxury Collection.

Related: Ultimate guide to the Citi travel portal

Booking flights

I looked at a variety of round-trip routes with the same dates (roughly six months from now) and gathered the following prices:

All of the travel portals generally fared well when it came to searching economy flights versus booking directly. However, there were a few major caveats worth noting.

Southwest Airlines is not bookable on any of the portals, and tickets for low-cost airlines like Spirit Airlines and Frontier are typically more expensive on the Chase and Capital One travel portals than booking directly. Amex Travel didn't display any Spirit Airways or Frontier Airlines flights.

When it came to international flights, all of the bank portals struggled at times to match prices or give comparable results versus booking directly. For a deeper dive on some of these routes and flight prices, we did a broader comparison across 20 flights in this guide .

As a general word of advice, domestic flights should yield the same results and price, but it gets tricky when searching for international fares. Your best bet would be to compare the prices and only use a portal when the prices are identical.

Ease of use

The Amex portal is my favorite for a comprehensible search experience, fast load times for results and the simplicity of parsing through the various options.

citi travel portal review

On the other hand, the Capital One portal offers one of the most visually appealing interfaces, with color-coded dates to indicate the lowest prices in a calendar view — plus price drop protection. However, the Capital One portal did not provide as many options as its competitors on some searches. It also yielded higher prices for international routes, but I'm hopeful that the issuer will continue to make improvements in the future.

citi travel portal review

Based on millions of data points from Hopper, Capital One is supposed to let you know if this is the best time to book via its price watch prediction feature.

citi travel portal review

To standardize the offerings across various airlines, Capital One also provides detailed insights into what flyers can expect from their chosen fare class. With the rise of "basic economy" fares, it's not always clear what amenities are included in your ticket and what you'll have to pay for as extras.

Capital One does an excellent job of explaining in-depth features such as seat pitch, aircraft type, and food and beverage options on board.

citi travel portal review

Speaking of basic economy, it's worth noting Amex Travel rarely (if ever) displays these fares. If you're looking for basic economy, you should use another portal.

Citi's new portal does a good job of offering a broad range of results in economy and offering upgrades on the payment page. And being able to book flights plus other travel elements in one transaction is great. However, searching directly for business-class fares is tricky on this portal.

Finally, the Chase portal has seen vast improvements since fully migrating toward its cxLoyalty interface. Previously, when Chase was powered by Expedia, users complained about slow load times and much higher prices than those offered directly by the airlines. Some of those issues seem to have been resolved.

citi travel portal review

While the Ultimate Rewards portal could use some work in cleaning up the interface, the overall user experience is much better than before. That said, it's also the portal with the highest frequency of price divergence from booking directly — sometimes higher and sometimes lower.

Redemption value

This is not a criterion we used for evaluating these bank travel portals for this particular article. The value of your points or miles can depend on which particular rewards card you carry. Still, it is worth remembering if you intend to use your credit card's travel portal to earn or redeem points and miles.

Your credit card points or miles are typically worth 1 cent each for flights in your respective travel portal. That's the case with Amex cards that earn Membership Rewards points and Capital One credit cards . Even with the Capital One's premium card (the Venture X), your points are only worth 1 cent each when redeemed for travel through the Capital One portal. The same applies to credit cards earning Citi ThankYou points .

On the other hand, Chase's credit cardholders are incentivized to use the Ultimate Rewards portal via a higher redemption value. With the Chase Sapphire Reserve , your points are worth 1.5 cents each toward travel bookings, while the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Ink Business Preferred Credit Card fetch 1.25 cents per point in value.

citi travel portal review

While not as consistent of a program, American Express offers "Insider Fares," allowing cardholders to redeem their points for a better value than 1 cent apiece on select domestic and international itineraries. However, these can be quite specific.

citi travel portal review

Select Amex business credit cardholders can also leverage the Pay with Points benefit to get a 25% to 50% points rebate when booking select airfare through Amex Travel — yet another incentive to book through the portal.

Due to all these card-specific circumstances, we didn't make redemption values a main criterion for judging these portals for booking flights. Rather, we focused on each portal's user interface and the availability of competitive fares — as those two factors will probably be the determinants as to whether travelers end up using them.

Related: Why I love the Amex Business Platinum's Pay With Points perk

Bottom line

Credit card issuers have improved their travel portals over the years, but they're still far from perfect. While there isn't a clear winner for the best travel portal, each has unique features and incentives for its cardholders.

If you decide to book a flight through your issuer's travel portal, be sure to compare that price against booking directly with the airline to get the best deal possible. And don't forget that you may want to book directly anyway to avoid any headaches down the road. If you need to change or cancel your airfare, booking with a third party can complicate matters when plans change.

Additional reporting by Ryan Smith.

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Citi launches new travel portal with booking.com, offers up to 10x points for certain credit cardholders, citi thankyou rewards card members have a new platform to shop around for the best travel options..

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Citi is an advertising partner .

Citi has rolled out a brand new travel booking portal powered by Booking.com and its Rocket Travel subsidiary, making it easier for Citi credit cardholders to plan their next getaway , whether paying with cash or points.

The new Citi Travel with Booking.com portal allows cardholders to book flights , hotels, car rentals and even attractions — Kennedy Space Center or Manhattan Sky Tour, anyone? It's currently accessible via Citi's website and will be available to eligible cardholders via the Citi mobile app by the end of March.

All Citi ThankYou® Rewards credit card cardholders have access, which include those with the Citi Rewards+® Card , Citi Double Cash® Card , Citi Custom Cash® Card , Citi Premier® Card , AT&T Points Plus℠ Card From Citi and some discontinued cards. Plus, for a limited time, eligible cardholders can earn up to 10X points on their bookings.

Citi Rewards+® Card

For a limited time, earn 5 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through June 30, 2024. Earn 2X ThankYou® Points at Supermarkets and Gas Stations for the first $6,000 per year and then 1X Points thereafter. Plus, earn 1X ThankYou® Points on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn 20,000 bonus points after you spend $1,500 in purchases with your card within 3 months of account opening; redeemable for $200 in gift cards at thankyou.com

0% Intro APR on balance transfers for 15 months from date of first transfer and on purchases from date of account opening.

Regular APR

18.74% - 28.74% variable

Balance transfer fee

There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5)

Foreign transaction fee

Credit needed.

Good/Excellent

See rates and fees . Terms apply.

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. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time. Plus, for a limited time, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/24

Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.

0% for the first 18 months on balance transfers; N/A for purchases

19.24% - 29.24% variable

For balance transfers completed within 4 months of account opening, an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies; after that, a balance transfer fee of 5% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies

Fair/Good/Excellent

Read our Citi Double Cash® Card review.

Citi Custom Cash® Card

5% cash back on purchases in top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent (then 1%); unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases

Earn $200 in cash back after you spend $1500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.

0% APR on balance transfers and purchases for first 15 months

5% of each balance transfer ($5 minimum)

Excellent, Good, Fair

Read our Citi Custom Cash ® Card review .

Citi Premier® Card

3X points per $1 spent at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, and on hotels and air travel, 1X points on all other purchases

Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through June 30, 2024.

21.24% - 29.24% variable

5% of each balance transfer, $5 minimum

Read our Citi Premier® Card review.

Citi Travel's features

Citi Travel with Booking.com offers cardholders an all-in-one view of flights, hotels, car rentals and attractions, including access to over 1.4 million hotels and resorts worldwide. Cardholders can pay with points, cash or some combination of the two.

Along with the launch of its new booking platform, Citi Travel is also introducing its first Hotel and Luxury Collection property offerings — following in the footsteps of other credit card issuers like American Express, Chase and Capital One who already have similar programs . The programs will offer elite-like benefits at participating properties, such as free daily breakfast, early check-in, late check-out and more.

The portal also integrates existing benefits, such as the Citi Premier Card's annual $100 hotel credit when booking a single stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) through  thankyou.com and the fourth night free perk offered by the Citi Prestige® Card (discontinued for new applicants).

Citi Travel bonus points promotion

Perhaps the most exciting part about the launch of the new Citi Travel is a new points promotion.

Now through June 2024, Citi Premier and Citi Prestige card members can earn a total of 10X ThankYou Points on hotels, rental cars and eligible attractions booked through Citi Travel, which we consider a great deal. Meanwhile, Citi Rewards+ and Citi ThankYou Preferred (discontinued for new applicants) card members can earn a total of 5X ThankYou Points on the same bookings.

Keep in mind that Citi ThankYou cards generally don't offer travel protections , such as trip cancellation and interruption insurance or car rental insurance , so if those things are important to you, consider sticking to a different travel credit card that offers these benefits.

Should you redeem ThankYou points through Citi Travel?

While the new Citi Travel with Booking.com platform makes it easy to directly redeem ThankYou Points for 1 cent apiece on travel, cardholders will often still get a better deal by instead transferring their points to a travel partner. In fact, the best use of Citi points is through its ThankYou Rewards transfer partners. Cardholders can get significantly more than 1 cent per point in value by taking advantage of Citi's 17 airline and hotel transfer partners, especially when booking premium seats.

Citi ThankYou transfer partners

  • Accor Live Limitless
  • Aeromexico Club Premier
  • Air France-KLM Flying Blue
  • Avianca LifeMiles
  • Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
  • Choice Privileges
  • Emirates Skywards
  • Etihad Guest
  • Eva Air Infinity MileageLands
  • JetBlue TrueBlue
  • Qantas Frequent Flyer
  • Qatar Airways Privilege Club
  • Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
  • Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
  • Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles
  • Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
  • Wyndham Rewards

Our best selections in your inbox. Shopping recommendations that help upgrade your life, delivered weekly.  Sign-up here .

Bottom line

Citi's new travel portal makes it easier for Citi ThankYou Rewards card members to book a vacation by seeing where their ThankYou Points can take them. But to really maximize their Citi points and get multiple cents in value for each point, cardholders are better off transferring their rewards to one of ThankYou Rewards' airline or hotel partners.

Catch up on Select's in-depth coverage of  personal finance ,  tech and tools ,  wellness  and more, and follow us on  Facebook ,  Instagram  and  Twitter  to stay up to date.

Information about the Citi Prestige card has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.

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Citi ThankYou® Points Review

Learn how you can earn, redeem and maximize points with Citi ThankYou® Rewards.

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Citi provides multiple options for earning rewards points.

Some of the links on this site contain offers from our partners .

The offers in this article may be expired or currently unavailable.

- Citi ThankYou® Points offer cardholders an affordable way to maximize their credit card rewards. Four Citi credit cards offer this flexible points currency. Customers can redeem points for Citi ThankYou® Rewards like cash back, gift cards, shopping or booking travel. They can also move points to a variety of transfer partners for potentially higher value. Learn more about Citi ThankYou® Rewards and how this points program might be a good rewards option for your wallet.

How Can You Earn Citi ThankYou® Points?

Earning Citi ThankYou® Points is the first step customers need to take before they can spend them. Citi offers multiple options for customers to earn ThankYou® Points.

  • Welcome bonus. Most rewards credit cards offer a welcome bonus based on meeting a minimum spending requirement within a set time frame. This is generally the easiest and quickest way to earn a large number of points. Before applying for a new credit card , take a look at your expenses to ensure that you can spend enough before the deadline to earn the welcome bonus. If your daily expenses are not enough, consider timing your application with a large purchase, such as car repairs, a home renovation or an annual insurance payment.
  • Category bonuses. Three of the Citi ThankYou® Points cards offer category bonuses where you can earn extra points on eligible purchases. Stefan Krasowski, the founder of RapidTravelChai.com, says, "For a person willing to carry multiple credit cards, Citi cards have a strong earning combo, covering many of the most frequent spend categories."
  • Limited-time offers. Some of the Citi ThankYou® cards have limited-time offers where you'll earn bonus points on eligible purchases. These limited-time offers are in addition to the normal category bonuses that these cards offer. For example, the Citi Rewards+® Credit Card earns five points per dollar spent at restaurants for the first 12 months, on up to $6,000 in purchases.
  • Everyday spending. Use your Citi ThankYou® Points credit card for all of your daily purchases to earn points on every purchase. While not all of these purchases offer category bonuses, even earning one point per dollar will grow your points balance over time. Many Citi customers use the Citi Double Cash® Credit Card to earn two points per dollar spent on nonbonus category purchases to maximize the rewards they earn on their spending.
  • Book travel through the Citi ThankYou® portal. When you use an eligible card to book travel through the Citi ThankYou® portal, you can earn bonus points on your reservations. For example, the Citi Prestige® Credit Card (not accepting new applications) earns five points per dollar spent on air travel through this portal.
  • Retention offer. If you're considering closing your Citi ThankYou® Points credit card, contact customer service first to discount your options. Banks want to retain good customers, so they may offer a retention bonus if you keep your account open. In some cases, the retention offer provides bonus points on your purchases for a limited time or up to a certain amount of spending.
  • Transfer points between accounts. Citi ThankYou® Rewards customers can transfer points to other family members with a Citi ThankYou® Points account. This is a good option for spouses, household members and friends who want to combine points for a larger redemption. Members can send and receive up to 100,000 points in a calendar year, and there are no fees to transfer points to eligible members. Transfer only when you have a specific redemption in mind because transferred points expire 90 days after they are received. While this option is available to most Citi ThankYou® Points members, Citi Custom Cash® Card customers are not eligible to share points.
  • ThankYou® Points bank accounts. Citi customers who opened eligible bank accounts before July 18, 2022, can earn ThankYou® Points when completing certain activities, like making a bill payment or receiving a direct deposit. However, these programs are no longer available to new accounts at this time.

Which Citi Credit Cards Earn Points?

For consumers interested in earning Citi ThankYou® Points, there are four personal credit cards available. These cards offer a variety of bonus categories and benefits that cater to different lifestyles. Only one credit card on this list has an annual fee.

Citi Rewards+ ® Card

  • Annual fee: $0.
  • Top rewards earning rate: Earn two points per dollar at supermarkets and gas stations on up to $6,000 in purchases each year. For the first year, earn five points per dollar spent at restaurants on up to $6,000, for a limited time.
  • Sign-up bonus: Earn 20,000 bonus points after spending $1,500 within three months of opening your account.

Citi Premier® Card

  • Annual fee: $95.
  • Top rewards earning rate: Earn three points per dollar spent at restaurants and supermarkets and three points per dollar spent at gas stations, on air travel and on hotels.
  • Sign-up bonus: For a limited time, earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 within the first three months of opening your account.

Citi Custom Cash ® Card

  • Top rewards earning rate: Earn five points per dollar spent in the category where you spend the most each billing cycle, on the first $500 spent in that category.
  • Sign-up bonus: Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 in the first six months after opening your account.

Citi Double Cash ® Card

  • Top rewards earning rate: Earn two points per dollar spent on every purchase (one point when you buy and one point when you pay it off).
  • Sign-up bonus: For a limited time, earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 in the first six months after opening your account.

Bethany Walsh, the founder of BougieMiles.com, highlights two Citi ThankYou® Points cards in particular. "The Citi Prestige® Card is great for restaurants and travel. And the Citi Double Cash® Card is a great option for anyone who's looking to earn these valuable rewards with no annual fee."

Some discontinued credit cards also earn Citi ThankYou® Points, like the Citi Prestige® Card and the Sears ThankYou® Points Mastercard. Currently, Citi does not offer any business credit cards that earn ThankYou® Points.

How Can You Redeem Citi ThankYou® Points?

ThankYou® Rewards members have numerous options when redeeming points. Redemption options include travel, gift cards, cash, shopping and charitable donations. These are the most common redemption options:

  • Book travel . Through the Citi travel portal, you can book flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises and experiences with your points. Citi is launching a new travel portal soon.
  • Buy gift cards . Points can be redeemed for dining, shopping and entertainment gift cards. Brands include Airbnb, Domino's, Lowe's, Nike and Staples.
  • Shop with points . Citi partners with several retailers where members can use their points to pay for purchases. Points can be redeemed for online or in-store purchases, gas purchases, and statement credits. Partners include Amazon, PayPal, CVS, Best Buy and Shell.
  • Cash back . ThankYou® Points can be redeemed for cash back through statement credits, direct deposit or a check by mail.
  • Donate to charities . Donate money to selected charities by redeeming your points.
  • Transfer to partners . Members can transfer points to 17 airline, hotel and retail partners. Most points transfer on a 1-to-1 basis, and some cards have different transfer ratios with certain loyalty programs.

Citi ThankYou® Points Transfer Partners

Citi ThankYou® Points members have 17 airline, hotel and retail partners that they can transfer points to. In most cases, points transfer on a 1-to-1 ratio. However, some transfer ratios depend on which Citi ThankYou® Points card you are transferring from.

This chart details which transfer partners are available and the transfer ratio based on your credit card.

How Much Are Citi ThankYou® Points Worth?

The value you'll receive from your points depends on where you transfer them and how you use them.

  • Book travel via the Citi travel portal . One cent per point.
  • Buy gift cards . Prices may vary based on the brand, but most are 1 cent per point. Occasionally, some brands go on sale so that you can get higher value for your points.
  • Shop with points . Values vary depending on where you are shopping, but most are up to 1 cent per point.
  • Cash back . Get cash back at a value of 1 cent per point.
  • Donate to charities . Charities receive 1 cent for every point redeemed.
  • Transfer to partners . The value of your points depends on which program you transfer to and how they are redeemed within those programs.

How Can You Maximize Citi ThankYou® Points?

While most ThankYou® redemption options are valued at 1 cent per point, it is possible to get a much higher value by taking advantage of Citi's transfer partners to book high-end resorts and premium cabin seats on international flights.

Walsh recommends customers "Really lock in max value by taking advantage of limited-time promotions offering bonuses to transfer partners." Transfer partner promotions typically occur for short periods of time throughout the year. For example, customers received a 40% transfer bonus in June 2022 when transferring points to Qatar Airways.

Another way to maximize Citi ThankYou® Points is to optimize your purchases. By combining the earning power of multiple Citi ThankYou® Points credit cards, you can get maximum points on all of your purchases.

Krasowski's favorite strategy is "the Citi Premier® and Citi Double Cash® combo, which earns two to three points per dollar on all spend for only an annual fee of $95."

Should You Use Citi ThankYou® Points?

With four Citi credit cards offering ThankYou® Points, including a cash back card that earns two points per every dollar spent, you can earn substantial rewards through the rewards program.

  • 17 airline, hotel and retail partners.
  • Most redemption options provide at least 1 cent per point in value, even when redeeming for cash back.
  • Sign-up bonuses available for all ThankYou® Points cards.
  • Citi doesn't offer a small-business credit card that earns ThankYou® Points.
  • Not all cards offer point transfers at a 1-to-1 ratio.
  • Limited domestic airline transfer partners.

Citi ThankYou® Rewards Competitors

Citi isn't the only credit card issuer with its own rewards ecosystem – Chase , Capital One and American Express also have points currencies offering cash back, gift cards and travel redemption, along with a host of point transfer partners. Since Citi doesn't offer a small-business credit card that earns ThankYou® Points, small-business owners are better off getting a card from one of the other issuers to maximize spending for personal and business expenses.

Citi has four cards that earn points, compared with nine with Chase, nine with AmEx and six with Capital One. Still, the issuer is working on upgrading its offerings, including launching a new travel portal powered by booking.com.

Tags: credit cards , rewards credit cards , Travel Credit Cards

Comparative assessments and other editorial opinions are those of U.S. News and have not been previously reviewed, approved or endorsed by any other entities, such as banks, credit card issuers or travel companies. The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of our partner offers may have expired.

Citi launches new travel portal with Booking.com

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Citi officially launched its brand-new travel portal this week, which Citi cardholders can use to book travel using ThankYou points, cash or a combination of both.

Citi Travel with Booking.com will replace the existing Citi ThankYou Travel Center and offers access to more than 1.4 million hotel and resort options and competitive pricing for flights, hotels, car rentals and attractions. Select Citi cardholders can also earn heightened rewards on travel portal bookings.

With the launch of its revamped travel portal, Citi joins other major credit card issuers paying special attention to travel perks, rewards and travel bookings over the past few years. To see how the portal stacks up, here’s a look at what benefits Citi Travel with Booking.com offers.

What are the benefits of Citi’s new portal?

Like other issuer portals, Citi Travel with Booking.com allows eligible Citi cardholders to earn and redeem Citi ThankYou points for booking hotels, airfare, car rentals and attractions. In recent years, credit card travel portals have trended toward incorporating travel search engine features, such as Capital One Travel’s partnership with Hopper , to elevate the booking process.

Citi ThankYou Rewards credit card holders can book travel accommodations through Citi Travel with credit cards, ThankYou points or a combination of the two. Eligible cardholders can also earn ThankYou points when booking select travel through the portal.

The ThankYou points you earn while booking through the portal (or by using your card for other purchases) can be redeemed for more travel and across 180+ partner brands, including Citi ThankYou Rewards hotel and airline transfer partners like JetBlue and Choice Hotels and retail brands like Shell and CVS.

It also offers cardmembers access to 24/7 customer support for help with the booking and travel process. While there’s not yet an option to access the portal via Citi’s mobile app, Citi says this feature will be available by the end of March.

Alongside the Citi Travel with Booking.com launch, Citi introduced two new luxury hotel programs available within the portal. The Hotel Collection and Luxury Hotel Collection feature hotels in the United States, Mexico and Caribbean for now, but Citi says the program offerings will grow throughout this year.

Citi cards that offer bonus points for bookings

The following Citi cards earn an additional 10X or 5X points on hotels, rental cars and eligible attractions booked in the portal through June 2024:

Note, the Citi Prestige and ThankYou Preferred are no longer available to new applicants, so you must be a current cardholder to access this limited-time offer.

Heighted rewards on travel portal bookings is nothing new, though it is a great deal for Citi cardholders. Select Capital One cards, for example, offer 5X to 10X points on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, and select Chase cards earn 5X to 10X points on travel booked via Chase Ultimate Rewards.

The bottom line

The timing of Citi’s new travel portal aligns perfectly with the upcoming summer travel season. Whether you have a Citi credit card that earns ThankYou points or are planning to get one soon, the new Citi travel portal can help you get even more value from your points.

*The information about the Citi Prestige® Credit Card and Citi ThankYou® Preferred Card has been collected independently by Bankrate.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.

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Citi Premier Review: Rewards Are Easy to Earn, but Less Valuable to Burn

Erin Hurd Author Avatar

This card earns rich ongoing rewards and could be a good deal for those who frequently travel internationally. But other cards offer more useful partners and more expansive definitions of travel.

  • Bonus categories
  • Rewards don't expire
  • Has annual fee
  • Requires good/excellent credit

Citi Premier® Card Image

21.24%-29.24% Variable APR

Citi Premier® Card Image

Rewards rate

Bonus offer

Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 ThankYou® Points per $1 spend on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through June 30, 2024.

Ongoing APR

APR: 21.24%-29.24% Variable APR

Cash Advance APR: 29.99%, Variable

Penalty APR: Up to 29.99%, Variable

Balance transfer fee

5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.

Foreign transaction fee

  • Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through June 30, 2024.
  • Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Other Hotels
  • Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets
  • Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
  • Annual Hotel Savings Benefit
  • 60,000 ThankYou® Points are redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com
  • No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases

Compare to Other Cards

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Image

Detailed review: Citi Premier® Card

The $95 -annual-fee Citi Premier® Card offers bonus rewards across popular spending categories, so it could make for a good everyday credit card, especially if you do a lot of international traveling.

But it struggles to live up to the status its name suggests, especially compared with other travel credit cards at the same price point. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card , for example, carries the same annual fee but its points can be redeemed for travel at a rate of 1.25 cents each, as compared to the 1 cent value you'll get from your ThankYou points.

Because of some drawbacks in key areas, like point values and transfer partners, it's not so much "premier" as it is middle-of-the-road territory.

There is a nice sign-up bonus, plus a yearly hotel credit that can cover the annual fee. But overall, the Citi Premier® Card falls short of the competition.

Citi made significant changes to the rewards and perks on the Citi Premier® Card that took effect in August 2020, and these changes reduced its value for many travelers. Points that used to be worth 1.25 cents when redeemed for travel were reduced to 1 cent, among other changes. Read about those changes here .

Citi Premier® Card : Basics

Card type: Travel .

Annual fee: $95 .

Sign-up bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 ThankYou® Points per $1 spend on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through June 30, 2024.

3 ThankYou points per $1 spent on air travel and hotels.

3 points per $1 spent at supermarkets.

3 points per $1 spent at gas stations.

3 points per $1 spent at restaurants.

1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.

Redemption options:

Redeem for travel booked through Citi. You get 1 cent per point.

Redeem for cash back. The ThankYou points you'll earn from the card are worth 1 cent each when you redeem them for cash.

Redeem for gift card purchases, bill payments and more. For many redemptions, points are worth 1 cent each.

Transfer to one of Citi's partners: mostly international airlines and mostly at a 1:1 ratio. Through strategic redemptions, you can potentially get more value out of your points this way. If you don't plan on traveling internationally — or don’t want to spend the effort to use alliances to book domestic travel on foreign airlines — this option is somewhat limited. JetBlue is the only domestic carrier.

Aeromexico (1:1 ratio).

Air France/KLM (1:1 ratio).

Asia Miles (1:1 ratio).

Avianca (1:1 ratio).

Emirates (1:1 ratio).

Etihad (1:1 ratio).

Eva Air (1:1 ratio).

JetBlue (1:1 or 1:0.8 ratio, depending on which card you have).

Qantas (1:1 ratio).

Qatar Airways (1:1 ratio).

Singapore Airlines (1:1 ratio).

Thai Airways (1:1 ratio).

Turkish Airlines (1:1 ratio).

Virgin Atlantic (1:1 ratio).

Accor Live Limitless (2:1 ratio).

Choice Hotels (1:2 or 1:1.5 ratio, depending on which card you have).

The Leading Hotels of the World (5:1 ratio).

Wyndham (1:1 ratio or 1:0.8 ratio, depending on which card you have).

Shop Your Way (1:10 ratio).

Interest rate: The ongoing APR is 21.24%-29.24% Variable APR .

Foreign transaction fees: None.

Other benefits:

$100 annual hotel savings benefit. Terms apply.

Benefits and perks

Triple points in everyday categories.

This may be the biggest selling point for the Citi Premier® Card : Its bonus rewards cover three major line items in many household budgets — groceries, dining out and gas. Several cards offer bonus rewards in one or two of these categories, but it's rare to score 3X back across all three. Triple points at supermarkets, in particular, is more than you’ll earn in that category from many premium credit cards.

The Citi Premier® Card also offers 3 points per $1 in two of the biggest travel categories: flights and hotels, which gives it an edge on many competitors that only offer 2 points per $1 on those purchases.

» MORE: NerdWallet's best credit cards for groceries

It's worth noting, though, that the Citi Premier® Card used to offer 3X points across a much broader definition of "travel" — airfare and hotels, yes, but also things like car rentals, cruises, travel agencies and aggregators, various commuter transportation, tolls, boat rentals and more. That's no longer the case. More on that below.

» MORE: Citi trifecta: Earn 2%-5% on every purchase

Multiple international travel partners = potential for outsized value

You can redeem points for travel through the Citi ThankYou portal, where you can expect a value of 1 cent per point. But you can also unlock higher value for your points if you opt to transfer them to certain airline loyalty programs. For example, as of February 2024, you could transfer 287,000 ThankYou points into Singapore’s KrisFlyer program to cover a round-trip flight from New York to Frankfurt, Germany, in first class. That same ultra-swanky experience would cost over $11,000 if you paid cash.

» MORE: 4 best Citi transfer partners (and 7 to avoid)

Big sign-up bonus

The bonus on the Citi Premier® Card has fluctuated over time, and for a while it disappeared. The current offer: Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 ThankYou® Points per $1 spend on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through June 30, 2024. That's worth at least $600 in travel and potentially much more if you find a good deal with a travel partner, per above.

Combine rewards to boost earning

Thanks to its strong rewards categories, the Citi Premier® Card could be a great choice for people who want to use one card for every purchase. But if you're willing to carry a couple of cards in your wallet, you can maximize your earning by pairing the Citi Premier® Card with the issuers' other offerings that earn ThankYou Points.

For example: The Citi Double Cash® Card earns 2% back on purchases: 1% when you make a purchase and 1% when you pay it off. Meanwhile, the Citi Custom Cash® Card earns 5% back on up to $500 per billing cycle in your highest spend category (from a list of eligible options) and 1% back on everything else. Both of these cards have strong rewards, but if you want to take advantage of Citi's transfer partners, your options are somewhat limited. By pooling the rewards you earn on either of these cards (or both!) with the Citi Premier® Card , you can maximize your rewards earning and take advantage of the Citi Premier® Card 's superior redemption options.

Drawbacks and considerations

Narrow travel categories.

Compared with the Citi Premier® Card , other cards in its class have a much broader definition of what qualifies as "travel." Beyond just plane tickets and hotel stays, you could also earn elevated rewards on things like car rentals, cruises, rideshares, buses, trains and much more — depending on the card. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card , for one, has a much broader definition of travel. It earns bonus rewards in a variety of popular spending categories, including dining and travel. It, too, has an annual fee of $95 . Or you could opt for the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card , which earns 2 miles back on purchases, travel-related or not, and has a similar annual fee.

Lackluster value for simple travel redemptions

Though points earned with the Citi Premier® Card used to be worth 1.25 cents each when redeemed for airfare through the Citi ThankYou portal, they're now worth just 1 cent each when used that way. This slide really cuts into the value of the card for many. The aforementioned Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card earns points that are worth 1.25 cents each when redeemed for travel (of any kind) through the Chase Ultimate Rewards® travel portal.

Limited choice of well-known or domestic transfer partners

Transferring credit card points to an airline's frequent-flyer program can be quite lucrative, depending on how you redeem. But almost all of Citi's transfer partners are international carriers, making them less useful for those who don't plan to travel overseas or don’t want to dig into complex award charts. There can be a lot of value to be found from these transfer partners, but it’s not usually low-hanging fruit. You’ll have to do some work to learn the ins and outs of new-to-you airline programs.

If you're searching for more familiar transfer partners, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card could again be a better fit. It features a mix of foreign and domestic carriers, including United Airlines and Singapore Airlines, as well as hotel chains such as Marriott and Hyatt. The card earns bonus rewards in a variety of popular spending categories, including dining and travel. As noted, those points are worth more when you redeem for travel via Chase. The card also offers a large sign-up bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

Citi also offers one additional points transfer partner: You can choose to trade your ThankYou points for Shop Your Way points, good for retail purchases. (Shop Your Way is the rewards program and online bonus mall for the Sears credit cards , as well.) Each ThankYou point that you transfer is worth 10 Shop Your Way points.

Hotel discount may be of limited value

The card offers $100 off a single hotel stay of at least $500 (not including taxes and fees) once every calendar year, when you book through Thankyou.com. That could be useful for some travelers — but do you normally spend $500 or more on a single hotel stay? And are you willing to book it exclusively through Citi?

Lack of travel protections

You might expect a travel credit card to offer some travel insurance to give you some peace of mind on your trip. The Citi Premier® Card used to offer a modest amount of trip cancellation and interruption protection, along with car rental insurance, lost baggage protection and travel accident insurance. But Citi slashed the travel protections on most of its credit cards, including the Citi Premier® Card .

If you're looking for other options, check out NerdWallet's list of best credit cards to have .

» MORE: Citi ends Price Rewind and multiple side perks across all cards

alternate-pick-product-card-image

This card earns bonus rewards in a variety of popular spending categories, including dining and travel. Points are worth 1.25 cents apiece when redeemed for travel through Chase, or you can transfer them to more than a dozen airline and hotel programs, including United, Southwest, Marriott and Hyatt. The annual fee is $95 .

How to decide if it's right for you

For many people, the answer won't be a resounding yes.

It may merit a look if you spend a lot on gas, dining, groceries or certain kinds of travel, as points can add up fast. But those points won’t be as valuable as they once were, and if you want to transfer them, you’ll have to navigate a handful of less-familiar travel partners.

If you're looking to redeem some of your points for cash instead of travel, they are worth 1 cent each. This is comparable to the point value you'll get from other cards in its class.

» MORE: Best credit cards right now

  • The best credit cards of 2024
  • Best travel credit cards
  • Best rewards credit cards
  • Best cash back credit cards

Methodology

NerdWallet reviews credit cards with an eye toward both the quantitative and qualitative features of a card. Quantitative features are those that boil down to dollars and cents, such as fees, interest rates, rewards (including earning rates and redemption values) and the cash value of benefits and perks. Qualitative factors are those that affect how easy or difficult it is for a typical cardholder to get good value from the card. They include such things as the ease of application, simplicity of the rewards structure, the likelihood of using certain features, and whether a card is well-suited to everyday use or is best reserved for specific purchases. Our star ratings serve as a general gauge of how each card compares with others in its class, but star ratings are intended to be just one consideration when a consumer is choosing a credit card. Learn how NerdWallet rates credit cards.

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  • The complete list of Citi ThankYou transfer partners

How to earn Citi ThankYou points

  • The best Citi ThankYou airline transfer partners

Good Citi airline transfer partners

  • Citi airline partners that aren't great value
  • Citi ThankYou hotel partners
  • Citi ThankYou points retail transfer partners

How to transfer Citi ThankYou points

  • Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

You can transfer Citi ThankYou points to 14 airline and 3 hotel partners, and the best programs can save you thousands of miles on flights to destinations like Hawaii

Our experts answer readers' credit card questions and write unbiased product reviews ( here's how we assess credit cards ). In some cases, we receive a commission from our partners ; however, our opinions are our own. Terms apply to offers listed on this page.

The information for the following product(s) has been collected independently by Business Insider: Citi Premier® Card, Citi Prestige® Card, Citi Custom Cash℠ Card, Citi Rewards+® Card, Citi® Double Cash Card, AT&T Points Plus® Card. The details for these products have not been reviewed or provided by the issuer.

  • Citi ThankYou points are valuable because the program partners with 14 airlines and 3 hotel chains.
  • Citi's hotel partner programs are Choice Privileges, Wyndham Rewards, and Accor Live Limitless (ALL).
  • Other partners include JetBlue, Air France-KLM, Singapore Airlines, and Cathay Pacific.
  • Read Insider's guide to the best travel rewards credit cards .

Earning transferable points with rewards credit cards is one of the best strategies you can use to maximize returns on your spending. Programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards ® and Amex Membership Rewards are popular with award travelers, in part because their transfer partners include numerous domestic airlines and popular hotel chains. 

The Citi ThankYou Rewards program is a bit of an underdog in this regard, with just one domestic carrier (JetBlue) among airline transfer options. 

Despite having few domestic airline options, you can still squeeze excellent value from the program — in fact, some of Citi's international airline transfer partners offer lucrative sweet spots that allow you to book award flights for far less than other frequent flyer programs charge.

In addition, the program added Choice Privileges, Wyndham Rewards, and most recently Accor Live Limitless (ALL) to its partner roster, marking the first hotel transfer options since Hilton left the program several years ago.

That's on top of the numerous other ways to use your rewards points, like booking travel directly through the Citi ThankYou Travel Portal or cashing in rewards for gift cards and merchandise. These options are available to any ThankYou Rewards cardholder, but to unlock the ability to transfer points to all of Citi's airline partners, you'll need to have the Citi Premier® Card or Citi Prestige® Card (no longer available to new applicants) in your wallet.

We're focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won't be worth it if you're paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it's important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.

Citi Citi Premier® Card

Earn 10x ThankYou® Points per dollar on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2024. Earn 3x ThankYou® points on restaurant, supermarket, gas station, air travel, and hotel purchases. Earn 1x ThankYou® points on all other purchases.

21.24% - 29.24% Variable

Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® points

Good to Excellent

  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Strong bonus
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Generous bonus categories
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Doesn't offer much in the way of statement credits or other perks
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Citi ThankYou Rewards may not be as convenient as other points for US-based travelers

If you're looking for an all-purpose travel credit card with strong rewards, many ways to use your points, and an annual fee under $100, the Citi Premier should be on your shortlist. Beyond the welcome bonus offer, the Citi Premier® Card offers great 3x earning categories that just about anyone can take advantage of — and the rewards it earns are incredibly flexible.

For most of these partners, the transfer ratio is 1:1, with transfers in 1,000-point increments. The only exception for Citi Premier and Prestige cardholders is Accor (2:1). For other cardholders, JetBlue, Choice, and Wyndham, which are the only transfer partners available (along with Sears Shop Your Way rewards) if you don't have a Citi Premier® Card or Citi Prestige® Card have transfer ratios and availability that vary depending on the card you have.

It's important to note that ThankYou points transfers are one-way and nonrefundable — once you move ThankYou points to a partner, you can not transfer them back to ThankYou Rewards.

You can earn Citi ThankYou points through welcome bonuses and spending on a variety of different Citi credit cards , including:

Remember, you can only access all of Citi's transfer partners if you have the Citi Premier® Card or Citi Prestige® Card. If you have multiple Citi ThankYou credit cards, you can combine your points into one ThankYou account.

Citi Citi® Double Cash Card

Earn unlimited 2% cash back on purchases (1% when you buy and 1% as you pay)

0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months

19.24% - 29.24% Variable

Earn $200 cash back

Excellent, Good, Fair

  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. No annual fee
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Simple earning structure without confusing bonus categories
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Some cards earn higher rates of cash back on rotating categories
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. While it has an introductory APR offer, that's only on balance transfers, not purchases, so you can't use it to fund a major expense without interest

The Citi® Double Cash Card doesn't come with a lot of bells and whistles. But earning 2% cash back (1 point per dollar at the time of purchase and 1 point per dollar when you pay your bill) without an annual fee is an excellent deal. It's also one of our picks for the best balance transfer credit cards.

Best Citi airline transfer partners

As with most transferable points programs, there are definitely some partners that are better than others. Depending on the partner and how you redeem your points, the value you get from your transfer can vary significantly.

Here's a look at the best Citi airline transfer partners.

Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles

It may seem strange that one of the best uses of Citi ThankYou points is transferring to a European airline that most people are likely never to fly. But the real value of Turkish Airlines miles lies in using the Miles & Smiles frequent flyer program to book award flights on its Star Alliance partners.

For example, the Miles & Smiles partner award chart requires only 7,500 Turkish miles for an economy-class flight anywhere within the US, including Hawaii, on Star Alliance partner United Airlines. If you booked the exact same flight through the United MileagePlus frequently flyer program, you'd pay 22,500 United miles.

Using the Miles & Smiles program does take a bit of patience as its online booking site can be hard to navigate, but cheap award prices like these can make it worth the extra effort. 

Air France-KLM Flying Blue

Air France and KLM share the Flying Blue frequent flyer program, and one of the best uses of Flying Blue miles is its recurring promo rewards. Each month, Flying Blue publishes a list of routes with a 25 to 50% discount on mileage costs. This can be a great way to stretch the value of your ThankYou points, and one of the best ways to fly to Europe or Israel for cheap .

Rates for a one-way economy flight from the US to Europe range from about 15,000 to 30,000 Flying Blue miles. The number of miles required varies quite a bit depending on the date and if the route is on a monthly promo award. Keep in mind Flying Blue adds more taxes and fees than other programs, so you'll have to weigh the savings in miles and the increased cash cost.

Because it's a transfer partner of all of the major transferable rewards currencies, Flying Blue is a great place to combine points balances from different programs.

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

Singapore Airlines is also a member of the Star Alliance, which means that you can use KrisFlyer miles to book travel on partner airlines like United, Air Canada, and Lufthansa.

In fact, using Singapore Airlines is also cheaper than using United's own miles for flights anywhere in the continental US to Hawaii. Singapore also has a non-alliance partnership with Alaska Airlines, and you can use as few as 11,500 KrisFlyer miles to get to Hawaii as well. 

For luxury aficionados, Singapore Airlines also flies the ultra-premium Singapore Suites first class on certain routes. Singapore rarely opens up award seats in Suites Class to partner airlines, so transferring to KrisFlyer is often the only way to book these bucket-list awards.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Although Virgin Atlantic is headquartered in the UK, its mileage program offers a fair amount of value for US travelers. You'll often get the best deal from Virgin Atlantic miles when you book award flights on its SkyTeam partners, like Delta.

Because Delta no longer publishes an award chart, the cost of a flight in Delta SkyMiles can vary wildly depending on the route, date, and number of stops. Before you book an award flight using your Delta miles, it pays to check with Virgin Atlantic. It is quite common that the exact same Delta flight will cost fewer miles if you book with Flying Club miles.

Here's an example — for a sample flight from Cincinnati to Paris, Delta is charging 58,000 SkyMiles:

But Virgin Atlantic is only charging 42,500 Flying Club points for the exact same flight (over a 25% savings):

Avianca LifeMiles

Avianca is also a member of the Star Alliance, which means that you can use its miles to book partners like United, Lufthansa, and Ethiopian Airlines. Avianca's award chart divides the US into three separate regions, with flights within a region requiring only 7,500 Avianca Lifemiles to book. Some US airline frequent flyer programs would charge 12,500 miles or more for the exact same flights.

Avianca also offers regular promotions that offer huge (150% or more) bonuses on buying or transferring LifeMiles. This can make it easy to top off your balance if you just need a few more miles to book your next trip.

Some Citi airline transfer partners can provide decent value, but only in certain situations.

Etihad Guest

Etihad is not a member of any airline alliance but has a number of non-alliance partnerships that can provide good value for your Citi ThankYou points. These include Czech Airways (Prague to Seoul in business class for 25,610 Etihad Guest miles) and Royal Air Maroc (New York-JFK to Casablanca for 22,000 miles in economy or 44,000 miles in business class).

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

Cathay Pacific is a member of the Oneworld alliance and has a distance-based award chart. The number of miles you need will depend on whether you are flying only Cathay Pacific or if you are flying one of their Oneworld partners, like American Airlines or British Airways. A flight from Los Angeles to Hong Kong is only 30,000 Cathay Pacific miles in economy or 70,000 miles in business class.

Qantas Frequent Flyer

Like Cathay Pacific, Qantas is also a member of the Oneworld alliance and also has a distance-based award chart. The best value for using Qantas miles is on short flights under 600 flown miles on either Qantas or Oneworld partners like American Airlines. These short flights can be had for only 8,000 Qantas miles.

JetBlue TrueBlue

The number of points required for a JetBlue award flight is directly tied to the cash price of a ticket, so it's hard to get outsized value from your TrueBlue points. Still, it is possible to save points by transferring your Citi ThankYou points to JetBlue instead of using them directly to book a paid flight through the Citi portal.

Remember that JetBlue is the only Citi airline transfer partner that you can use without having the Citi Premier® Card or Citi Prestige® Card (though at a lesser ratio of 1,000 ThankYou points to 800 JetBlue points).

Citi airline transfer partners that aren't great value

The rest of the Citi ThankYou airline transfer partners are generally not worth considering, except for extremely niche redemptions.

Aeromexico Club Premier

Aeromexico uses kilometers instead of miles, so its award chart is generally inflated by 1.6x compared to other programs. While other bank program points, such as Amex Membership Rewards , transfer to Aeromexico at a rate of 1:1.6, Citi transfers at only 1:1. 

Eva Air Infinity MileageLands

The award chart for Eva Air Infinity MileageLands is not spectacular when compared to most other airline programs, and you'll generally find better value elsewhere. Eva Air does have some generous stopover allowances, though you can't book stopovers online — instead, you'll need to call the airline directly.

Emirates Skywards

While Emirates first-class cabins are among the best in the world, it's best to use partner miles to book these awards. While Emirates recently reduced the astronomical fuel surcharges they charge on Skywards award tickets, there are other mileage programs that offer better value.

Qatar Airways Privilege Club

Like fellow Gulf carrier Emirates, Qatar has a great premium cabin flight experience that is best booked with partner miles. In Qatar's case, rather than transferring Citi ThankYou points to Qatar Airways Privilege Club, it's better to use American Airlines AAdvantage miles to fly on Qatar Airways.

Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus

Thai Airways is currently in the middle of bankruptcy, spurred on at least in part by the limited travel demand due to the pandemic. And while bankruptcy does not mean that your Royal Orchid Plus miles would all of a sudden become worthless, it does give you one more reason to avoid transferring your ThankYou points here.

Citi hotel transfer partners

It's possible to get decent value from Citi's hotel partners, Choice, Wyndham, and Accor, but because many of their brands are budget-friendly, you might be better off saving your points and paying cash instead. It's also possible to redeem Citi ThankYou points at a rate of 1 cent apiece for stays at these chains by booking through the Citi Travel Portal.

Accor Live Limitless (ALL)

Citi's newest transfer partner is Accor Live Limitless (ALL), which comprises 45 brands across over 5,000 properties worldwide. Accor hotels include Fairmont, Raffles, Sofitel, SLS, and Swisshotel, but most of its properties are located outside the US, making this a better deal for international travelers.

This transfer option is only available to Citi Premier and Prestige cardholders, with a transfer ratio of 2:1 (2 Citi points equals 1 Accor point). Accor doesn't have an award chart; instead, you can redeem points in 2,000-point increments toward a stay discount, where 2,000 points equal 40 euros off your bill. That makes Accor points worth just over 2 cents each, but since there's a 2:1 transfer ratio from Citi, you'll only get a value of just over 1 cent per Citi point (depending on the current exchange rate).

Choice Privileges

The loyalty program of Choice Hotels, Choice Privileges includes brands like Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, Clarion, Cambria, and Ascend Collection hotels. Award prices start at 8,000 points per night and go up to 35,000 points per night, with a few exceptions. Rates also vary depending on the season and even the day of the week you stay.

If you have the Citi Premier® Card or Citi Prestige® Card, the transfer ratio is 1:2 (1 ThankYou point equals 2 Choice points), with transfers in 1,000-point increments. The no-annual-fee Citi Rewards+® Card and Citi ThankYou® Preferred Card have a transfer ratio of 1:1.5 (1 ThankYou points equals 1.5 Choice points), with transfers also in 1,000-point increments. And if you have the Citi® Double Cash Card, you also have the ability to transfer to Choice at a 1:1.5 ratio.

Wyndham Rewards

Wyndham Rewards includes familiar brands like Super 8, Days Inn, Howard Johnson, and Travelodge — as well as over 40,000 vacation rentals through its partnership with Vacasa.

With the Citi Premier® Card or Citi Prestige® Card, you'll get a 1:1 transfer ratio to Wyndham. Otherwise, with the Citi Rewards+® Card, Citi ThankYou® Preferred Card, and Citi® Double Cash Card, the ratio is 5:4 (1,000 Citi ThankYou points = 800 Wyndham points). 

Wyndham's award structure is simple — you'll pay 7,500, 15,000, or 30,000 points for an award night, depending on the property. With Vacasa vacation rentals, you'll pay these fixed points rates per listed bedroom. 

Citi retail transfer partners

In addition to airline and hotel transfer partners, Citi ThankYou has one retail transfer partner. 

Sears Shop Your Way

You can transfer your Citi ThankYou points to Sears Shop Your Way points at a rate of 1:10. Shop Your Way points are worth 0.1 cents each, and Sears does sell some third-party gift cards that you can buy with Shop Your Way points.

This would allow you to effectively redeem your Citi ThankYou points for 1 cent per point for gift cards (or other merchandise) available for purchase at Sears. Unless you already have Sears Shop Your Way points and need to top off your account for a redemption, it's easier to redeem Citi ThankYou points directly for gift cards through the ThankYou portal.

Transferring your Citi ThankYou points is a fairly straightforward process. Once you log into your account at thankyou.com, find "More Ways To Redeem" in the top header, then choose "Points Transfer." Or, select "Transfer & Share" in the main menu under "See everything that can be done with ThankYou Points."

After you've selected "Points Transfer," you'll then see a list of Citi transfer partner options available to you. It's important to note that the first and last names on your ThankYou account and the account you're transferring to must match in order to be able to transfer.

Citi transfer partners frequently asked questions (FAQ)

American Airlines was a temporary Citi ThankYou partner from July 18 to November 13, 2021. It's no longer possible to transfer Citi points to American Airlines, and there's no indication this promotion will return.

There's no single best Citi ThankYou partner — the right option for you depends on your travel plans and preferences. However, the most useful partners include Avianca, Singapore Airlines, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Virgin Atlantic, Wyndham, and Choice.

Citi ThankYou points are worth 1.6 cents each , on average, based on Insider's points and miles valuations — but the exact value you'll get depends on which partners you use and how you redeem your rewards.

Citi ThankYou points transfers are only one-way (from ThankYou points to airline/hotel partners). Once you've transferred Citi ThankYou points to a partner, you can't move them back.

Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews, or recommendations expressed in this article are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Read our editorial standards .

Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.

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INSIDER

Best Credit Card Bonuses of March 2024

T he offers and details on this page may have updated or changed since the time of publication. See our article on Business Insider for current information.

Our experts answer readers' credit card questions and write unbiased product reviews ( here's how we assess credit cards ). In some cases, we receive a commission from our partners ; however, our opinions are our own. Terms apply to offers listed on this page.

The information for the following product(s) has been collected independently by Business Insider: Citi Premier® Card. The details for these products have not been reviewed or provided by the issuer.

If you want to earn lots of points, miles, or cash back quickly, the best strategy is to apply for one of the best credit cards and earn its welcome bonus offer. You'll usually have to meet a credit card minimum spending requirement in a specified time frame (typically a few months), and it's well worth the effort to unlock a big sign-up bonus. 

Some of these offers are only available for a limited time, so you shouldn't wait long to apply.

Compare the Top Credit Card Signup Bonus Offers

Best credit card signup bonuses of 2024.

  • Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card : — Best for more than $1,000 value toward free Marriott hotel stays
  • Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card — Best beginner travel credit card welcome bonus
  • Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express — Best pure cash back welcome bonus
  • Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card — Best welcome bonus for earning Capital One miles
  • The Platinum Card® from American Express — Best personal Amex card welcome bonus
  • American Express® Gold Card — Best mid-tier Amex card welcome bonus
  • Citi Premier® Card — Best welcome bonus for earning Citi ThankYou points
  • Chase Sapphire Reserve® — Best credit card welcome bonus for booking travel through the Chase Travel Portal

Credit Card Welcome Offer Reviews

Best for $1,000+ value in marriott points: marriott bonvoy brilliant® american express® card.

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card is the best heavy hitter for Marriott enthusiasts. This metal credit card packs a real punch, with benefits as generous as its annual fee of $650 is hefty.

Right now, you can earn a whopper of a welcome bonus: 185,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership. This is worth 129500 by Business Insider's valuations. 

Beyond the windfall of the welcome offer, Bonvoy Brilliant cardholders also enjoy up to $25 in eligible restaurant statement credits per month, generous travel benefits, including baggage insurance, rental car insurance, and a slew of other premium card benefits.

Read more in our full Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex card review . 

Best Beginner Travel Credit Card Bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

You can't go wrong with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. Not only is this card our pick for best travel credit card , it's one of the best to start with if you're new to credit card rewards (or if you don't want to pay the whopping $550 annual fee on its premium sibling, the Chase Sapphire Reserve®). 

The card currently offers a welcome bonus of 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. You can find out more about the card in our full Chase Sapphire Preferred card review .

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card comes with a 10% anniversary points bonus and up to $50 per year in statement credits for hotels booked through Chase. If you maximize this credit, you can shave off more than half of the card's annual fee.

The great thing about Chase Ultimate Rewards® points is their flexibility — redemption options include booking travel directly through the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal , transferring points to travel partners like United and Marriott, or cashing in rewards for statement credits, gift cards, and merchandise.

Best Pure Cash Back Bonus: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

If you like earning cash back and spend a lot on groceries and streaming services, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is tough to beat. It's now offering a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new card within the first six months from account opening, and earns 6% back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 in spending per calendar year (then 1%).

You'll also earn 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions; 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and on transit (including taxis, rideshares, parking, tolls, trains, and buses); and 1% cash back on everything else. You'll receive cash back in the form of Reward Dollars, which can be redeemed as statement credits or at Amazon.com checkout). If you max out the $6,000 limit at U.S. supermarkets, you could earn $360 in cash back each year just from that category alone — that's more than enough to offset the annual fee of $0 intro for the first year, then $95.

Best Welcome Bonus for Earning Capital One Miles: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card was launched last year, and it offers a massive welcome bonus of 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening — worth at least 127500 in travel, based on Business Insider's valuation of Capital One miles .

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is packed with upscale benefits that can more than offset the $395 annual fee — which is lower than other premium travel cards ().

Cardholders receive $300 per year in credits through Capital One Travel purchases, Priority Pass, Plaza Premium, and Capital One airport lounge access (even for authorized users), a 10,000-mile bonus on each account anniversary (worth $100 in travel), access to the Capital One Premier Collection (a luxury hotel booking program), and Visa Infinite travel and purchase benefits.

Like other cards that earn Capital One miles , you can transfer rewards to over a dozen airline and hotel partners to book award travel.

Best Personal Amex Card Bonus: The Platinum Card® from American Express

The Platinum Card® from American Express is offering a solid welcome bonus: 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new card in your first six months of card membership. 

You can get hundreds of dollars in value from benefits such as up to $200 in Uber credits (including Uber Eats)** per year and up to $100 in annual Saks Fifth Avenue credits**. The The Platinum Card® from American Express also comes with excellent shopping and purchase benefits, including return protection, extended warranty, and targeted discounts and bonuses through Amex Offers **.

The Platinum Card® from American Express comes with valuable benefits, including up to $300 annually in Equinox credits**, $189 per year in credits for CLEAR® Plus membership**, up to $200 per year in credits toward eligible prepaid hotel bookings, up to $240 in annual credits toward eligible digital subscriptions**, a monthly credit for Walmart+ membership**, and up to $300 back for purchasing a SoulCycle At-Home Bike through Equinox+.

Travelers can take advantage of up to $200 in airline incidental fee credits** each calendar year, airport lounge access, complimentary hotel elite status with Hilton and Marriott**, travel insurance, and Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts . You can use the Amex Membership Rewards points you'll earn with the card to book flights, hotels, and more through American Express Travel, or transfer points to airline and hotel partners like Delta, British Airways, and Marriott.

The annual fee is $695. However, if you can put these new perks to use, you can get thousands of dollars worth of value from The Platinum Card® from American Express.

Best Mid-Tier Amex Card Bonus: American Express® Gold Card

The American Express® Gold Card is sometimes overlooked as the "kid brother" to its Platinum siblings, but it's actually one of our favorite rewards cards, especially for dining. You'll earn 4x points at restaurants up to $25,000 per year (then 1x) and up to $120 in annual dining credits** that you can use at select restaurants and on Grubhub and Seamless.

It also offers up to $120 Uber Cash ($10 per month credit) each calendar year (this is only applicable to U.S. Eats orders and Rides, and the Gold Card needs to be added to the Uber app to receive the Uber Cash benefit).

The card didn't always come with an attention-grabbing welcome bonus offer. But it's now increased its intro offer to 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $6,000 on purchases on the card in the first six months of card membership. Considering you can transfer your Amex points to nearly two dozen travel partners, these points can unlock lots of options for flights or hotel stays

Best Welcome Bonus for Earning Citi ThankYou Points: Citi Premier® Card

The Citi Premier® Card is another card that doesn't always get the attention it deserves. It earns Citi ThankYou Rewards points that you can redeem for travel booked through the Citi Travel Portal , transfer to airline and hotel partners , or cash in for statement credits, gift cards, or merchandise. 

In addition to offering a bonus of 60,000 bonus ThankYou® points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first three months of account opening, the Citi Premier® Card stands out for its wide range of bonus categories. Outside of the welcome bonus earning, cardholders earn 3 points per dollar at restaurants and supermarkets. This makes the card a great option for maximizing your everyday purchases — because everyone has to eat.

The Citi Premier® Card also comes with a hotel savings benefit that can offset its entire $95 annual fee. This perk will save you $100 once per calendar year when you book a hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) through ThankYou.com. Here's our Citi Premier card review for all the details.

Best Credit Card Bonus for Booking Travel Through the Chase Travel Portal: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

The more premium sibling of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is offering a welcome bonus of 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

It also earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points, allows transfers to Chase airline and hotel partners, and offers the same variety of options for points redemption as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® has a $550 annual fee — substantially higher than the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. However, if you can make use of the card's additional benefits — especially if you're traveling — the annual fee is certainly worth it. 

Like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® got a refresh, with improved or new bonus categories and benefits like access to the new Chase Sapphire Lounges , which are open at Hong Kong Airport (HKG), Boston Airport (BOS), JFK and LaGuardia airports in New York.

Newer locations will continue to open at San Diego (SAN), Phoenix (PHX), Las Vegas (LAS), Philadelphia (PHL), and Washington Dulles (IAD).

Cardholders can also access Chase's Sapphire Terrace at the Austin airport (AUS), an indoor-outdoor space offering free drinks, grab-and-go bites, and Wi-Fi. Read our full review of the Chase Sapphire Reserve® here .

Chase Sapphire Reserve® cardholders receive up to $300 in statement credits toward travel purchases each cardholder year — effectively reducing the net annual cost to $250. Chase also recently added two complimentary years of Lyft Pink All Access membership;  $5 per month in DoorDash in-app credits for cardholders  through December 2024; and one year of free Instacart+ with up to $15 per month in statement credits on Instacart.com purchases (activation required by July 31, 2024). Here's our Chase Sapphire Reserve® credit card review .

Credit Card Signup Bonus Frequently Asked Questions

What is a sign-up bonus.

A sign-up bonus, also known as a welcome bonus or intro offer, is a reward of points, miles, or cash back for new cardholders who meet designated requirements. Usually, these requirements involve meeting a minimum spending threshold within the first few months after you open your new credit card account.

Do credit card sign-up bonuses change?

Yes, credit card sign-up bonuses change frequently. If you're considering opening a new rewards credit card, do your research to see whether the card you want has previously offered a higher bonus. If it has, it could be worth waiting until that elevated offer returns, or you may even be able to find that higher offer through the credit card issuer's website.

What is the best credit card sign-up bonus?

The best credit card sign-up bonus depends on the person. Even if one card offers more points, not all points and miles are valued equally. There are also different types of credit card rewards — points, miles, and cash back — so the best welcome bonus for you depends on the rewards you value most.

How can I use a credit card sign-up bonus?

Typically, you can use a credit card sign-up bonus in a variety of ways. If you earn a cash-back welcome bonus, you could be able to use it toward a statement credit to reduce your credit card bill, or you could receive the money in check form. With a travel rewards card, you could use your points or miles to book an award trip, or cash them out for gift cards, money back, or merchandise.The exact options depend on the credit card you have and its specific rewards program.

Is a credit card without a sign-up bonus still worth it?

Yes, a credit card without a sign-up bonus is still worth it. Intro offers can be a great incentive to apply, especially if you're looking at a card that has an annual fee, but not every good credit card offers an intro bonus. For example, the Wells Fargo Reflect® Card is one of the best balance transfer credit cards , but it doesn't offer a welcome bonus or earn rewards. It could be worth forgoing an intro bonus if that card's 0% intro APR for 21 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers made within 120 days  (then a 18.24%, 24.74%, or 29.99% variable APR) appeals to you.

Should I earn credit card rewards if I don't plan to travel yet?

Yes, you should earn credit card rewards even if you don't have upcoming travel planned. Earning a welcome bonus now can put you in a great position to use points and miles for your next vacation, whenever that may be. But before you apply for a new credit card , make sure you understand how credit card applications affect your credit score.

Why You Should Trust Us: How We Chose the Best Credit Card Welcome Offers

Business Insider looks carefully at the potential value of welcome bonuses and categorizes them according to which profile each will best serve. We also look at the ongoing benefits and earning rates of these cards, but our chief goal is to uncover the biggest, juiciest intro offers.

Our credit cards team is primarily concerned about one thing: that you open the right credit card for your lifestyle. There are lots of excellent credit cards out there (and just as many bad ones) — but even a credit card with an enormous value proposition isn't necessarily for you. Our job is to help you find the perfect product for your unique situation.

See our full methodology for how Business Insider rates credit cards .

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CITI TRAVEL with Booking.com

Coming soon, introducing citi travel sm : your first stop to your next destination.

The Citi Travel site will give eligible Citi ThankYou ® cardmembers an expansive, all-in-one view of seemingly endless booking options. With exciting offers and the flexibility to book when and how you want, the way to go is now way easier. For more ways to redeem, your points visit thankyou.com.

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Credit Cards

The complete guide to the Amex Travel portal

Carissa Rawson

Allie Johnson

Allie Johnson

“Verified by an expert” means that this article has been thoroughly reviewed and evaluated for accuracy.

Robin Saks Frankel

Robin Saks Frankel

Published 7:39 a.m. UTC Feb. 28, 2024

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Featured Image

onurdongel, Getty Images

The American Express Travel portal offers valuable benefits to American Express cardholders, including special prices. Depending on which card you hold, you may also be able to pay for travel with Membership Rewards® points and get access to perks such as discounted airfare and specialty benefits at luxury hotels. Let’s take a look at how the Amex Travel portal works, whether the benefits are worthwhile and who can access Amex Travel’s website. 

  • American Express Travel offers hotels, vacation rentals, flights, rental cars and cruises.
  • Luxury hotel benefits and discounted airfare are two benefits of booking through Amex’s travel portal. 
  • American Express cardholders can access Amex Travel. 

How to book travel through the Amex Travel portal

Booking travel through the Amex Travel portal requires you to have an online account associated with an Amex card. While you can complete a search on the Amex Travel website without logging in, you will need to do so in order to make a booking.

citi travel portal review

After you choose whether to book a flight, hotel, vacation rental, vacation package, rental car or cruise, you’ll need to enter your travel details.

For example, if you want to book a flight through Amex Travel, you’ll need to put in your departure airport and destination as well as your dates of travel. The site will then bring up a list of matching results.

citi travel portal review

You can filter based on when the flights take off as well as how many stops you’re willing to tolerate, among other options. 

The Amex Travel site offers a wide variety of hotel stays and flights, but you’ll always want to double check elsewhere before booking since it doesn’t always feature every option. 

Once you’ve selected a booking, you’ll be taken through the checkout process. This includes providing your personal information and can also include seat requests and adding in loyalty program numbers.

To pay for your booking, you can use your American Express Membership Rewards, if you have a card that earns them, or your American Express card or a combination of both. 

After you’ve booked, you’ll receive a confirmation email containing your reservation information. You can also find your bookings under the My Trips section of Amex Travel.

citi travel portal review

Who can use the portal?

Any American Express cardholder can use the Amex Travel portal to book travel. But those whose cards don’t earn Amex Membership Rewards points will need to pay with their Amex card.

However, many American Express cards  earn Membership Rewards points that can be redeemed for travel through the Amex Travel portal. These cards include (terms apply):

The Platinum Card® from American Express

  • American Express® Gold Card
  • American Express® Green Card * The information for the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
  • Amex EveryDay® Credit Card * The information for the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
  • The Business Platinum Card® from American Express * The information for the The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
  • American Express® Business Gold Card * The information for the American Express® Business Gold Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

All information about American Express® Green Card, Amex EveryDay® Credit Card, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express and American Express® Business Gold Card has been collected independently by Blueprint.

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The Platinum Card® from American Express

Welcome Bonus

Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on the Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.

Regular APR

Credit score.

Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.

Editor’s Take

  • Over $1,500 in travel and entertainment credits can offset the annual fee.
  • Comprehensive lounge access benefit.
  • Generous travel and purchase protections.
  • High annual fee and spending requirements.
  • Amex’s once-per-lifetime rule limits welcome bonus eligibility.
  • Annual statement credits have limited use.

Card Details

  • Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card®, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.
  • Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
  • $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
  • $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, SiriusXM, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
  • $155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card®. Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Plus Up Benefits are excluded.
  • $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card®.
  • $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only.
  • $300 Equinox Credit: Get up to $300 back in statement credits per calendar year on an Equinox membership, or an Equinox club membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you pay with your Platinum Card®. Enrollment required. Visit https://platinum.equinox.com/ to enroll.
  • $189 CLEAR® Plus Credit: Breeze through security with CLEAR Plus at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues nationwide and get up to $189 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Platinum Card®. Learn more.
  • $100 Global Entry Credit: Receive either a $100 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card®. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
  • Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card®. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $300 SoulCycle At-Home Bike Credit: Get a $300 statement credit for the purchase of a SoulCycle at-home bike with your Platinum Card®. An Equinox+ subscription is required to purchase a SoulCycle at-home bike and access SoulCycle content. Must charge full price of bike in one transaction. Shipping available in the contiguous U.S. only. Enrollment Required.
  • Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Platinum Card® to your Resy profile.
  • $695 annual fee.
  • Terms Apply.

Is the portal worth using?

The Amex Travel portal can be worth using in certain cases, though it won’t always make sense. For example, some flights aren’t bookable via Amex Travel, so if what you need isn’t available you’ll want to look elsewhere.

That being said, those with certain cards are entitled to exclusive benefits that can lower prices or allow them to redeem points for travel. There are also perks for booking luxury hotels within the portal. In these cases, Amex Travel is definitely worth investigating. 

How to maximize your Amex Travel benefits through the portal

International airline program.

Available to those who hold a high-end American Express card, including The Platinum Card from American Express, The Business Platinum Card from American Express and the American Express Centurion Black Card * The information for the American Express Centurion Black Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. , the International Airline Program (IAP) can save you money on certain international flights booked via the Amex Travel portal. 

All information about American Express Centurion Black Card has been collected independently by Blueprint.

This benefit is only available on tickets booked in premium economy, business or first class, but the savings can be significant. 

For example, we looked at a round-trip flight in premium economy from San Francisco (SFO) to Tokyo (NRT). Booking with Japan Airlines (JAL) directly resulted in a cost of $4,431.40, while the Amex Travel portal and the IAP charged just $3,797.40 for a savings of over $600.

citi travel portal review

Fine Hotels + Resorts ® and The Hotel Collection

American Express also offers the Fine Hotels and Resorts and The Hotel Collection to eligible cardholders. 

Fine Hotels and Resorts allows guests to book luxury hotels with special benefits. These include room upgrades, complimentary breakfast, an experience credit, late check-out, early check-in and more. 

The Hotel Collection offers similar but less exorbitant benefits. It’s directed toward more midscale properties and includes an experience credit as well as a room upgrade. 

35% rebate on redeemed points

Those who hold The Business Platinum Card from American Express are able to get a 35% rebate on points redeemed for eligible flights booked through the Amex Travel portal (up to 1,000,000 points per calendar year). 

Eligible flights include all fare classes on an airline that you select each year. It also includes first and business class tickets on any airline. 

Quick guide to Amex Membership Rewards

American Express Membership Rewards are the points you earn with eligible Amex cards. These highly flexible and valuable points can be redeemed in a number of ways, though they tend to be most valuable when transferred to Amex airline partners.

Other ways of redeeming Amex points include:

  • Gift cards.
  • Travel booked via Amex Travel.
  • Online shopping. 
  • Statement credits. 

While these are nice options to have, you’ll generally get much less value from your Membership Rewards points by redeeming them in these ways. Finally, although you can redeem your points in the Amex Travel portal, this isn’t necessarily a good idea if you aim to reap maximum value. Even if you’re taking advantage of the 35% rebate on redeemed points for flights, you’ll only ever receive a value of 1.54 cents per point. This is lower than you’d expect when transferring your Amex points to many airline and hotel partners. 

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

No, travel insurance is not automatically included when booking through the Amex portal. But many of the best credit cards feature complimentary travel insurance when using your card to pay, including those from American Express. Otherwise, you may be able to opt in to travel insurance during the booking process or via a third party provider.

Those with the The Platinum Card from American Express can earn 5 Membership Rewards® points per $1 for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel on up to $500,000 per calendar year, 5 points per $1 on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel and 1 point per $1 on other purchases. The card has an annual fee of $695 ( rates & fees ). 

Those with the The Business Platinum Card® from American Express * The information for the The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. , meanwhile, earn 5 Membership Rewards points per $1 on flights and prepaid hotels through American Express Travel, 1.5 points per $1 at U.S. construction material & hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software and cloud system providers, shipping providers, and purchases of $5,000 or more on up to $2 million per calendar year and 1 point per $1 on other eligible purchases. The card has a $695 annual fee.

All information about The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has been collected independently by Blueprint.

The phone number for American Express Travel is: 1-800-297-2977.

The number of Amex points that you’ll need to redeem for a flight will depend on the cash cost of your flight and whether you’re booking through Amex Travel or transferring your Membership Rewards points to an Amex airline partner. Amex Points are worth about one cent when booking flights through the portal, so a flight that costs $500 in cash would require about 50,000 Amex points. You’ll typically get a better deal with transfer partners than booking through the portal.

For rates and fees for The Platinum Card® from American Express please visit this page .

*The information for the American Express Centurion Black Card, American Express® Business Gold Card, American Express® Green Card, Amex EveryDay® Credit Card and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Blueprint is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor. The information provided is for educational purposes only and we encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific financial decisions. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Blueprint has an advertiser disclosure policy . The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Blueprint editorial staff alone. Blueprint adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.

Carissa Rawson

Carissa Rawson is a credit cards and award travel expert with nearly a decade of experience. You can find her work in a variety of publications, including Forbes Advisor, Business Insider, The Points Guy, Investopedia, and more. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her in your nearest airport lounge sipping a coffee before her next flight.

Allie is a journalist with a passion for money tips and advice. She's been writing about personal finance since the Great Recession for online publications such as Bankrate, CreditCards.com, MyWalletJoy and ValuePenguin. She's also written personal finance content for Discover, First Horizon Bank, The Hartford, Travelers and Synovus.

Robin Saks Frankel is a credit cards lead editor at USA TODAY Blueprint. Previously, she was a credit cards and personal finance deputy editor for Forbes Advisor. She has also covered credit cards and related content for other national web publications including NerdWallet, Bankrate and HerMoney. She's been featured as a personal finance expert in outlets including CNBC, Business Insider, CBS Marketplace, NASDAQ's Trade Talks and has appeared on or contributed to The New York Times, Fox News, CBS Radio, ABC Radio, NPR, International Business Times and NBC, ABC and CBS TV affiliates nationwide. She holds an M.S. in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University. Follow her on Twitter at @robinsaks.

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COMMENTS

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    The Citi Travel Portal lets you use Citi ThankYou points to book airfare, hotels, car rentals, and activities when you have cards like the Citi Premier or Citi Double Cash. ... reviews, or ...

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  14. 5 Things to Know About Citi's New Travel Portal

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  16. Citi ThankYou® Points Review

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    Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through June 30, 2024.

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    The Citi Travel Portal will most benefit those with Citi credit cards that offer cardmember-exclusive perks such as the Citi Premier® Card's annual $100 hotel discount on reservations costing ...

  20. citi-travel-login

    1 Earn a total of 10 ThankYou ® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rental and attractions excluding air travel when booked through the Citi Travel℠ portal on cititravel.com or by calling 1-833-737-1288 and saying "Travel". Offer is valid through 11:59 PM 12/31/2025. You earn 5 ThankYou ® Point per $1 spent on the Citi Travel portal bookings. You will earn an additional 5 bonus ThankYou ...

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