Aug 5, 2014, 12:17 pm
Last edit by: mia
Q. Can I transfer Thank You points to airline programs?
A. Yes, but only from a TYP account tied to one of the following premium (fee-based) Citi cards:
Exception: Citi Preferred or Rewards+ cardholders can transfer to JetBlue at a less favorable rate (1000:500). They cannot transfer to other airline or hotel programs except as explained in the next paragraph .
Points earned through other cards -- such as the Citi Preferred or Rewards+ -- are eligible for transfer to airline programs, provided you also hold one of the premium cards listed above.
ThankYou Points earned through banking and customer service adjustments are called Taxable Points. Citi reports them as taxable when they are redeemed, not when they are earned. Citi does not allow Taxable Points to be Shared or Transferred, because they cannot determine a monetary value for those redemptions. However, the IT implementation of this policy may be imperfect. In 2015 one member was able to Transfer points earned through banking shortly after combining two ThankYou Rewards accounts. See posts 207-210, but no one has replicated this success.
Q. Which airline programs can I transfer TYP into?
A. TYP may be transferred 1:1 to these airline programs:
OneWorld
SkyTeam
Star Alliance
Independent
and to these hotel programs:
and to this retail program:
Q: After I transfer, when will my miles expire at that airline/hotel program? Is there anything I can do to avoid expiration there?
The Miles/Points that Do and Don't Expire wiki now lists all of the above Citi TYP airline/hotel transfer partners and their respective expiration policies.
Q. Are transfers instant?
A. Not necessarily. Although Citi's FAQ states that it may take up to fourteen days for the ThankYou Points to post to your participating travel loyalty program member account, anecdotal evidence suggests that many transfer times will be much shorter. A summary:
Q. Can I transfer to another person's airline or hotel program account?
A. Per the Citi FAQ,
We do not have many reports describing how strictly this rule is applied/enforced, nor any reports on workarounds. One FTer, in his first post ever, claimed success in transfering TYP to another person's Etihad (EY) account.
Keep in mind that TYP may be freely Shared with another TYP member's account (with the points expiring 90 days after transfer). If the recipient member has a transfer-eligible card (as described above), s/he can Transfer points to airline or hotel partners.
A. Yes, but only from a TYP account tied to one of the following premium (fee-based) Citi cards:
- Premier
- Prestige
- Chairman
Exception: Citi Preferred or Rewards+ cardholders can transfer to JetBlue at a less favorable rate (1000:500). They cannot transfer to other airline or hotel programs except as explained in the next paragraph .
Points earned through other cards -- such as the Citi Preferred or Rewards+ -- are eligible for transfer to airline programs, provided you also hold one of the premium cards listed above.
ThankYou Points earned through banking and customer service adjustments are called Taxable Points. Citi reports them as taxable when they are redeemed, not when they are earned. Citi does not allow Taxable Points to be Shared or Transferred, because they cannot determine a monetary value for those redemptions. However, the IT implementation of this policy may be imperfect. In 2015 one member was able to Transfer points earned through banking shortly after combining two ThankYou Rewards accounts. See posts 207-210, but no one has replicated this success.
Q. Which airline programs can I transfer TYP into?
A. TYP may be transferred 1:1 to these airline programs:
OneWorld
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles (CX)
- Malaysia Airlines Enrich (MH)
- Qantas Frequent Flyer (QF)
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club (QR)
SkyTeam
- Aeromexico Club Premier
- Flying Blue: Air France (AF), KLM (KL) and others
- Garuda Indonesia GarudaMiles (GA)
- Virgin Atlantic (VS)
Star Alliance
- Avianca LifeMiles (AV)
- EVA Air Infinity MileageLands (BR)
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (SQ)
- Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus (TG)
- Turkish Airlines (TK)
Independent
- Etihad Guest (EY)
- Emirates Skywards (EK)
- Jet Airways (9W)
- jetBlue (B6) (TYP 1000 = 800 B6)
and to these hotel programs:
- ALL - Accor Live Limitless ( TYP 1000 = 500 ALL)
- Choice Privileges (TYP 1000 = 2000 Choice)
- Leading Hotels of the World Leaders Club (TYP 1000 = 200 LC)
- Wyndham Rewards
and to this retail program:
- Shop Your Way (Sears) (at ratio 1 TYP: 12 SYW)
Q: After I transfer, when will my miles expire at that airline/hotel program? Is there anything I can do to avoid expiration there?
The Miles/Points that Do and Don't Expire wiki now lists all of the above Citi TYP airline/hotel transfer partners and their respective expiration policies.
Q. Are transfers instant?
A. Not necessarily. Although Citi's FAQ states that it may take up to fourteen days for the ThankYou Points to post to your participating travel loyalty program member account, anecdotal evidence suggests that many transfer times will be much shorter. A summary:
- AF/KL: As of March 2016, instant. (Was previously 1-5 days.)
- AM:
- AV: Instant to ~5 days - mixed reports: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/citi...r-partner.html
- B6: Instant
- BR: One business day in theory, but see post 417
- CX: One business day
- EY: Reports and discussion HERE.
- FB: less than 4 hours (11/16/17 after I added 00 to the front of my FB number) Make sure you have a 12 digit number or transfer will die.
- GA:
- MH: Two days
- QF: Two days (per post 273). Eight per post 368. 36 hours per post 440. 23 hours per post 512. Less than 24 hrs per post 547.
- QR: 2 days per post 418
- SQ: Variable--anywhere from two business days (per post #120) to 2.5-3 calendar days (per post 382) to next day per post 287
- TG:
- TK: Took 16-24 hours to transfer (12/28/17). No fees.
- VS: As of March 2016, instant. (Was previously done overnight: report 1; report 2).
Q. Can I transfer to another person's airline or hotel program account?
A. Per the Citi FAQ,
No. The first and last names on both the ThankYou Member Account and the participating travel loyalty program member's account must match in order to transfer points using the Points Transfer feature.
Keep in mind that TYP may be freely Shared with another TYP member's account (with the points expiring 90 days after transfer). If the recipient member has a transfer-eligible card (as described above), s/he can Transfer points to airline or hotel partners.
Citi ThankYou Points (TYPs): airline and hotel transfer partners
Jul 21, 2014, 5:21 pm
#32
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,750
Nobody in this thread mentions about both Asia Miles and Krisflyer charge YQ on redemption unless for North America domestic flight.
On top of that, the miles in the above programs EXPIRE in 3 years regardless of any activity. They expire 3 years from the date they are put in. period.
It is a pretty much useless list for transfer partners unless one uses it to top up Krisflyer which also takes in transfer from UR and AMEX. However the coveted SQ suites would cost you pretty pennies in the form of YQ.
On top of that, the miles in the above programs EXPIRE in 3 years regardless of any activity. They expire 3 years from the date they are put in. period.
It is a pretty much useless list for transfer partners unless one uses it to top up Krisflyer which also takes in transfer from UR and AMEX. However the coveted SQ suites would cost you pretty pennies in the form of YQ.
Jul 21, 2014, 5:23 pm
#33
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Upper Sternistan
Posts: 10,031
Nobody in this thread mentions about both Asia Miles and Krisflyer charge YQ on redemption unless for North America domestic flight.
On top of that, the miles in the above programs EXPIRE in 3 years regardless of any activity. They expire 3 years from the date they are put in. period.
It is a pretty much useless list for transfer partners unless one uses it to top up Krisflyer which also takes in transfer from UR and AMEX. However the coveted SQ suites would cost you pretty pennies in the form of YQ.
On top of that, the miles in the above programs EXPIRE in 3 years regardless of any activity. They expire 3 years from the date they are put in. period.
It is a pretty much useless list for transfer partners unless one uses it to top up Krisflyer which also takes in transfer from UR and AMEX. However the coveted SQ suites would cost you pretty pennies in the form of YQ.
Jul 21, 2014, 5:26 pm
#34
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 3,528
That said, I would expect a lot of UR cards to be dropped if UA left the program.
Jul 21, 2014, 6:55 pm
#35
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: LAX
Programs: HHonor Dia, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 550
Wow, that was more than 2 years ago.
Time surely flies.
I remembered when it was such a big deal, and i was waiting for it to be true.
Time surely flies.
I remembered when it was such a big deal, and i was waiting for it to be true.
Excellent news. So this rumor can finally be put to bed.
Jul 21, 2014, 9:31 pm
#37
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Mountain View, CA (near SJC and SFO)
Programs: Hilton Gold, Marriott Gold, IHG Platinum, and no status whatsoever on the airlines (!)
Posts: 468
Hmm. I was initially excited about this, but I think the announcement is actually a lot less awesome than it first appeared.
First, I'll note that I love SQ. Yes, I know they have crazy surcharges. Yes, their web site is awful, and their off-plane customer service not much better. But their on-plane hard and soft products are amazing. I flew in a Suite for a couple of flights (on Amex points) and it was wonderful. I'm happy to say that their business class is also outstanding... in an entirely different league from, say, United C.
With that said, this new transfer option seems lousy for two reasons:
1) Doesn't include bonuses. With the 20+30 signup bonus I've read about, that's especially a bummer!
2) I'm thinking it likely also doesn't count spend on the Citicards outside the mentioned three, so my grandfathered CitiForward's 5% at Amazon is no longer a tempting opportunity.
In #6 in the FAQ, it includes in its list of "taxable" (non-transferable) points: "points obtained through activity unrelated to purchases made with your eligible Citi credit card."
What's an eligible Citi credit card? I presume it's the Chairman, Prestige, or Premier, no? Otherwise, what's with "eligible"?
And lastly, I'm just not a fan of Citibank. I've had really bad experiences with the, ahem, reliability of their loyalty programs... terms unilaterally changed with no notice, sometimes even retroactively, and so on.
So unless someone has some thoughts to soothe my concerns here, I think I'll just stick with my Chase and Amex cards for spending.
First, I'll note that I love SQ. Yes, I know they have crazy surcharges. Yes, their web site is awful, and their off-plane customer service not much better. But their on-plane hard and soft products are amazing. I flew in a Suite for a couple of flights (on Amex points) and it was wonderful. I'm happy to say that their business class is also outstanding... in an entirely different league from, say, United C.
With that said, this new transfer option seems lousy for two reasons:
1) Doesn't include bonuses. With the 20+30 signup bonus I've read about, that's especially a bummer!
2) I'm thinking it likely also doesn't count spend on the Citicards outside the mentioned three, so my grandfathered CitiForward's 5% at Amazon is no longer a tempting opportunity.
In #6 in the FAQ, it includes in its list of "taxable" (non-transferable) points: "points obtained through activity unrelated to purchases made with your eligible Citi credit card."
What's an eligible Citi credit card? I presume it's the Chairman, Prestige, or Premier, no? Otherwise, what's with "eligible"?
And lastly, I'm just not a fan of Citibank. I've had really bad experiences with the, ahem, reliability of their loyalty programs... terms unilaterally changed with no notice, sometimes even retroactively, and so on.
So unless someone has some thoughts to soothe my concerns here, I think I'll just stick with my Chase and Amex cards for spending.
Jul 21, 2014, 9:54 pm
#38
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Upper Sternistan
Posts: 10,031
Another bash on SQ's YQ. I'm new to SQ, but I just paid less than half the YQ that I do on AA to fly BA to LHR, to get from LAX to SIN in a suite. Compared to BA first? BA first is garbage. SQ suites promise to be a little better.
I guess it all depends on your baseline.
I guess it all depends on your baseline.
Jul 21, 2014, 11:02 pm
#39
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: TYS/BNA/ATL
Programs: UR, TYP, MR, C1, AA, UA, WN, BA, AS, AV, AC, Choice, Hyatt, IHG, Hilton, Wyndham, Marriott
Posts: 1,973
Hmm. I was initially excited about this, but I think the announcement is actually a lot less awesome than it first appeared.
First, I'll note that I love SQ. Yes, I know they have crazy surcharges. Yes, their web site is awful, and their off-plane customer service not much better. But their on-plane hard and soft products are amazing. I flew in a Suite for a couple of flights (on Amex points) and it was wonderful. I'm happy to say that their business class is also outstanding... in an entirely different league from, say, United C.
With that said, this new transfer option seems lousy for two reasons:
1) Doesn't include bonuses. With the 20+30 signup bonus I've read about, that's especially a bummer!
2) I'm thinking it likely also doesn't count spend on the Citicards outside the mentioned three, so my grandfathered CitiForward's 5% at Amazon is no longer a tempting opportunity.
In #6 in the FAQ, it includes in its list of "taxable" (non-transferable) points: "points obtained through activity unrelated to purchases made with your eligible Citi credit card."
What's an eligible Citi credit card? I presume it's the Chairman, Prestige, or Premier, no? Otherwise, what's with "eligible"?
And lastly, I'm just not a fan of Citibank. I've had really bad experiences with the, ahem, reliability of their loyalty programs... terms unilaterally changed with no notice, sometimes even retroactively, and so on.
So unless someone has some thoughts to soothe my concerns here, I think I'll just stick with my Chase and Amex cards for spending.
First, I'll note that I love SQ. Yes, I know they have crazy surcharges. Yes, their web site is awful, and their off-plane customer service not much better. But their on-plane hard and soft products are amazing. I flew in a Suite for a couple of flights (on Amex points) and it was wonderful. I'm happy to say that their business class is also outstanding... in an entirely different league from, say, United C.
With that said, this new transfer option seems lousy for two reasons:
1) Doesn't include bonuses. With the 20+30 signup bonus I've read about, that's especially a bummer!
2) I'm thinking it likely also doesn't count spend on the Citicards outside the mentioned three, so my grandfathered CitiForward's 5% at Amazon is no longer a tempting opportunity.
In #6 in the FAQ, it includes in its list of "taxable" (non-transferable) points: "points obtained through activity unrelated to purchases made with your eligible Citi credit card."
What's an eligible Citi credit card? I presume it's the Chairman, Prestige, or Premier, no? Otherwise, what's with "eligible"?
And lastly, I'm just not a fan of Citibank. I've had really bad experiences with the, ahem, reliability of their loyalty programs... terms unilaterally changed with no notice, sometimes even retroactively, and so on.
So unless someone has some thoughts to soothe my concerns here, I think I'll just stick with my Chase and Amex cards for spending.
Jul 22, 2014, 1:30 am
#40
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Mountain View, CA (near SJC and SFO)
Programs: Hilton Gold, Marriott Gold, IHG Platinum, and no status whatsoever on the airlines (!)
Posts: 468
Yugi, good to know; thanks for that data point!
Just applied for the Premier card, will keep fingers crossed that the bonus indeed is still transferable
Just applied for the Premier card, will keep fingers crossed that the bonus indeed is still transferable
Jul 22, 2014, 4:54 am
#41
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,953
All of my points appear to be transferable, and many were earned with a Forward card.
Jul 22, 2014, 6:54 am
#42
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: Gold: VS, SQ, AF/KL
Posts: 254
I reckon SQ is the only worthwhile transfer partner (moreso after recent TG deval)... but even then not ideal. not sure how CX redemption rates are and most of the other ones that you'd wanna fly (like EY, QR) have ridiculous redemption rates for their own FFPs and it'd be a waste to transfer to em -- unless you just had a few millie thankyou points laying around, collecting dust.
Jul 22, 2014, 7:11 am
#44
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: DFW,OVB (Russia)
Programs: AA HH Gold SPG Gold BA
Posts: 1,823
PS
For those of you that built such a large stash of TYP's, how'd you do it? (Aren't you afraid of a potential shut down or devaluation by citi?)
Jul 22, 2014, 9:16 am
#45
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: LAX
Programs: AA, TY, UR, UA, US, WN, MR, SPG
Posts: 1,453
While I am not a big supporter of statement credits instead favoring airline mile transfer options, in that case however, if I had that many points just laying around I would prefer offload some of it for cash
PS
For those of you that built such a large stash of TYP's, how'd you do it? (Aren't you afraid of a potential shut down or devaluation by citi?)
PS
For those of you that built such a large stash of TYP's, how'd you do it? (Aren't you afraid of a potential shut down or devaluation by citi?)
As for devaluation, no, I don't really worry about that from Citi. Their statement credits are .5c/pt, though, so 1MM TY points would only be $5K. I'd be much more inclined to take a mortgage payment for $10K.