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
Aug 5, 2014, 3:32 pm
#92
Formerly known as FTRox87
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: TX
Programs: AA/US 1M, AS, BA, CX, EK, EY, JL, KE, LH, NH, OS, QF, QR, TG, UA/CO | *$G
Posts: 1,428
maybe he just means Y.
JBG89 - it really depends on how many points you have to redeem and how you value them. you can transfer to TG to go from NYC to BKK on a TATL *A award via FRA. good news is that recently proposed TG devals (where prices doubled) have been indefinitely put on hold tho still not good value redeeming from their own program. but if you have a ton of TYPs, then by all means.
other options are TPC CX: JFK or EWR to HKG to BKK.
other TATL options:
EY: JFK to AUH to BKK
QR: JFK to DOH to BKK
SQ: JFK to SIN to BKK
JBG89 - it really depends on how many points you have to redeem and how you value them. you can transfer to TG to go from NYC to BKK on a TATL *A award via FRA. good news is that recently proposed TG devals (where prices doubled) have been indefinitely put on hold tho still not good value redeeming from their own program. but if you have a ton of TYPs, then by all means.
other options are TPC CX: JFK or EWR to HKG to BKK.
other TATL options:
EY: JFK to AUH to BKK
QR: JFK to DOH to BKK
SQ: JFK to SIN to BKK
Aug 5, 2014, 10:10 pm
#93
Join Date: May 2013
Programs: N/A
Posts: 685
Thanks for the help guys and yep i was talking about economy.
Right now I only have about 90,000 points combined and fly international about once a year and domestic 4-5 times a year. I was looking to spend about 70k of them as that is what it would cost my AAdvantage account.
Whew I had to google a few of those acronyms below. Out of the ones listed, is there one that you believe is the best value (70k ish points) without having to sit in a terrible seat? Im trying to google the points transfer ratios and awards charts but they are sometimes not as straightforward as one would hope.
I also have 300k AAdvantage points amongst myself and my SO, would those be better to use to book (They dont fly to SE asia from NYC though, however maybe some of their xfer partners might?)
Right now I only have about 90,000 points combined and fly international about once a year and domestic 4-5 times a year. I was looking to spend about 70k of them as that is what it would cost my AAdvantage account.
Whew I had to google a few of those acronyms below. Out of the ones listed, is there one that you believe is the best value (70k ish points) without having to sit in a terrible seat? Im trying to google the points transfer ratios and awards charts but they are sometimes not as straightforward as one would hope.
I also have 300k AAdvantage points amongst myself and my SO, would those be better to use to book (They dont fly to SE asia from NYC though, however maybe some of their xfer partners might?)
maybe he just means Y.
JBG89 - it really depends on how many points you have to redeem and how you value them. you can transfer to TG to go from NYC to BKK on a TATL *A award via FRA. good news is that recently proposed TG devals (where prices doubled) have been indefinitely put on hold tho still not good value redeeming from their own program. but if you have a ton of TYPs, then by all means.
other options are TPC CX: JFK or EWR to HKG to BKK.
other TATL options:
EY: JFK to AUH to BKK
QR: JFK to DOH to BKK
SQ: JFK to SIN to BKK
JBG89 - it really depends on how many points you have to redeem and how you value them. you can transfer to TG to go from NYC to BKK on a TATL *A award via FRA. good news is that recently proposed TG devals (where prices doubled) have been indefinitely put on hold tho still not good value redeeming from their own program. but if you have a ton of TYPs, then by all means.
other options are TPC CX: JFK or EWR to HKG to BKK.
other TATL options:
EY: JFK to AUH to BKK
QR: JFK to DOH to BKK
SQ: JFK to SIN to BKK
Aug 5, 2014, 11:59 pm
#94
Formerly known as FTRox87
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: TX
Programs: AA/US 1M, AS, BA, CX, EK, EY, JL, KE, LH, NH, OS, QF, QR, TG, UA/CO | *$G
Posts: 1,428
AFAiK you wont get anywhere on 70k TYPs but those more familiar can chime in.
yes 300k AA miles will be much more helpful to get you to Thailand esp if you're traveling with your SO. so from NYC you can use that CX routing above to get to BKK for 67.5k AA miles one-way in F. thats 135k for a RT and 270k for both you and your SO in F on a world-class, superior CX product thats well worth it.
I believe Y is 35k one-way and IMHO less than dbl that is def worth CX F but to each his own.
you can also try multiple products if you really wanna get creative esp when it comes to other awesome F offerings you can book with AA.
yes 300k AA miles will be much more helpful to get you to Thailand esp if you're traveling with your SO. so from NYC you can use that CX routing above to get to BKK for 67.5k AA miles one-way in F. thats 135k for a RT and 270k for both you and your SO in F on a world-class, superior CX product thats well worth it.
I believe Y is 35k one-way and IMHO less than dbl that is def worth CX F but to each his own.
you can also try multiple products if you really wanna get creative esp when it comes to other awesome F offerings you can book with AA.
Aug 6, 2014, 6:02 am
#95
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,954
Aug 6, 2014, 4:28 pm
#96
Join Date: Dec 2011
Programs: CX MPC GO; Golden Circle nobody!
Posts: 249
I have a Citi Forward card since my first year in college, and even though Citibank never lifted my credit limit (1000USD), I have managed to amass 80k worth of points. 
I know I cannot transfer my points directly to Asia Miles because I do not hold any of their eligible cards, but I still want to find out if I could release those points, if ever.
I am thinking of making my fiance to apply for a Citi Thank You Premier card, and just transfer my points to him. Would that work?
Thanks for all your help!
I know I cannot transfer my points directly to Asia Miles because I do not hold any of their eligible cards, but I still want to find out if I could release those points, if ever.I am thinking of making my fiance to apply for a Citi Thank You Premier card, and just transfer my points to him. Would that work?
Thanks for all your help!
Aug 6, 2014, 4:40 pm
#97
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: On strike
Posts: 8,135
I have managed to amass 80k worth of points. I know I cannot transfer my points directly to Asia Miles because I do not hold any of their eligible cards, but I still want to find out if I could release those points, if ever.
I am thinking of making my fiance to apply for a Citi Thank You Premier card, and just transfer my points to him. Would that work?
I know I cannot transfer my points directly to Asia Miles because I do not hold any of their eligible cards, but I still want to find out if I could release those points, if ever.I am thinking of making my fiance to apply for a Citi Thank You Premier card, and just transfer my points to him. Would that work?
Keep in mind that TYP may be freely transfered to another person's TYP member account (with the points expiring 90 days after transfer).
Aug 11, 2014, 12:28 pm
#99
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: CVG
Programs: AAdvantage, Delta Skymiles, CapOne Venture, Citi ThankYou
Posts: 486
- Many Americans do travel to Asia and the Middle East.
- The large US and European airlines already have established credit card partnerships in the USA. Rather than a "me too" program with many of the same partners Citi has tried to do something distinctive ^. Most of the programs are sufficiently popular to have their own forums on FlyerTalk.
- The airline alliance system means that you can redeem through any OneWorld, SkyTeam or Star Alliance member for flights operated by every airline in the same alliance. Citi has all three covered.
No particular disagreement with this analysis but I'll add that the Citi Prestige card is Citi's first attempt at a global card; that is a card product used in multiple markets around the world.
If you look at the benefits on the Citi Prestige card issued in Singapore you'll notice that the programs's Citi Dollars have always been transferrable to other airlines. If you look at the list of those airlines you'll see they mirror most of the new ThankYou options.
https://www.citibank.com.sg/prestige...ogged_off.html
https://www.citibank.com.sg/SGGCB/ICARD/rewhom/entry.do
If one were not very generous you might conclude the the North American ThankYou folks were lazy and just copied the existing process from their sister portfolio in Singapore. Unfortunately that collection of transfer partners is geared to the Singapore based flyer.
Who knows? If they're lazy enough perhaps they'll next give us the 25% off C/F flights and free limousine transfers that Singapore Prestige clients get.
Aug 11, 2014, 1:03 pm
#100
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: NYC/LA
Programs: DL Plat, AA Plat Pro, Marriott Titanium, IHG Diamond Amb
Posts: 7,486
That's true, but I believe outside of the US, the other markets have all been in Asia? (I know of Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia, there may be more?) The current list of transfer partners may merely be a product of airlines Citi has already negotiated contracts with, as a result of the existing card products in those Asian countries.
Aug 11, 2014, 1:27 pm
#101
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 3,528
No particular disagreement with this analysis but I'll add that the Citi Prestige card is Citi's first attempt at a global card; that is a card product used in multiple markets around the world.
If you look at the benefits on the Citi Prestige card issued in Singapore you'll notice that the programs's Citi Dollars have always been transferrable to other airlines. If you look at the list of those airlines you'll see they mirror most of the new ThankYou options.
https://www.citibank.com.sg/prestige...ogged_off.html
https://www.citibank.com.sg/SGGCB/ICARD/rewhom/entry.do
If one were not very generous you might conclude the the North American ThankYou folks were lazy and just copied the existing process from their sister portfolio in Singapore. Unfortunately that collection of transfer partners is geared to the Singapore based flyer.
Who knows? If they're lazy enough perhaps they'll next give us the 25% off C/F flights and free limousine transfers that Singapore Prestige clients get.
If you look at the benefits on the Citi Prestige card issued in Singapore you'll notice that the programs's Citi Dollars have always been transferrable to other airlines. If you look at the list of those airlines you'll see they mirror most of the new ThankYou options.
https://www.citibank.com.sg/prestige...ogged_off.html
https://www.citibank.com.sg/SGGCB/ICARD/rewhom/entry.do
If one were not very generous you might conclude the the North American ThankYou folks were lazy and just copied the existing process from their sister portfolio in Singapore. Unfortunately that collection of transfer partners is geared to the Singapore based flyer.
Who knows? If they're lazy enough perhaps they'll next give us the 25% off C/F flights and free limousine transfers that Singapore Prestige clients get.
The lack of IHG and Delta don't surprise me, but, honestly, I'm surprised BA isn't a TYP partner. They seem willing to partner with pretty much anyone.
Aug 11, 2014, 4:25 pm
#103
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,954
Aug 12, 2014, 5:12 am
#105
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: On strike
Posts: 8,135