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 16, 2018, 4:38 pm
#556
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: LA
Posts: 58
Actually, with Flying Blue you can extend the miles expiration, but only by crediting a SkyTeam flight (such as a Delta flight within the US) to Flying Blue at least once every 20 months. If you don't do enough paid flights that you could to on Delta to do that, then yes it probably doesn't make sense for you to "park" miles there.
But that's the issue with most TYP partners (many have expiration you can't reset even by flying that one particular airline!
). Avianca which is in the Star Alliance program has one-year expiration which can be reset by various on-the-ground activities. JetBlue and Virgin Atlantic also have deferrable expiration, but they're not part of any of the 3 major alliances.
But that's the issue with most TYP partners (many have expiration you can't reset even by flying that one particular airline!
). Avianca which is in the Star Alliance program has one-year expiration which can be reset by various on-the-ground activities. JetBlue and Virgin Atlantic also have deferrable expiration, but they're not part of any of the 3 major alliances.
Aug 24, 2018, 4:23 pm
#557
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: NYC
Programs: BAEC Silver, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 407
I initiated a transfer to CX Asia Miles on the evening of August 20 and it still hasn't shown up in my Asia Miles account (August 24). I also initiated a MR transfer right after the TYP one, and that credited 2 days later on August 22. Do transfers also take place over the weekend? I don't know whether I should call into Citi or just wait it out.
Oct 13, 2018, 10:55 am
#559
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 31
Today, I tried to transfer my thankyou point to Eva airlne. I have about 70000 earned from prestige credit card, 30000 earned from checking monthly reward.
When I tried to transfer 100k, it throws me error. It seems only point earned by prestige card are eligible for transfer, not from checking account.
I think few people successfully transfer checking point in the past. What is your experience lately?
When I tried to transfer 100k, it throws me error. It seems only point earned by prestige card are eligible for transfer, not from checking account.
I think few people successfully transfer checking point in the past. What is your experience lately?
Oct 13, 2018, 2:46 pm
#560
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,957
https://www.thankyou.com/cms/thankyo...nd&src=TYUSENG
Taxes The monetary value of a Reward for which you redeem your Points may be considered taxable income from Citibank in the tax year in which you redeem the Points, in accordance with U.S. tax law. Citibank may be required to send you (and file with the IRS) a Form 1099-MISC (Miscellaneous Income) for the year in which you redeem your Points for a Reward when the value of the Reward plus other taxable Miscellaneous Income you receive from Citibank totals $600 or more for a calendar year. We determine the monetary value of Rewards received through your Points redemptions for tax purposes. The value of Rewards received by redeeming certain Points, such as Points received through your Citibank Checking Account and related bonus promotions, is taxable income. The value of Rewards received by redeeming certain other Points, such as Points earned on purchases made with a Card Account, is not taxable income. You're responsible for any personal tax liability due to the receipt of a Reward due to your Point redemption – consult with your tax advisor.
Oct 23, 2018, 1:01 pm
#561
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: NYC
Posts: 427
Oh wow, I had no idea about this rule!
How are the points withdrawn when you're redeeming? Is it FIFO? For example if I had 60k cc points and 30k checking account points, and I'd like to use 30k points on a hotel redemption through the Thankyou portal (since it can't be transferred), is there any way for me to specify using points from checking earning?
How are the points withdrawn when you're redeeming? Is it FIFO? For example if I had 60k cc points and 30k checking account points, and I'd like to use 30k points on a hotel redemption through the Thankyou portal (since it can't be transferred), is there any way for me to specify using points from checking earning?
Correct. Points earn through banking are called "taxable" points and they cannot be Transferred or Shared.
https://www.thankyou.com/cms/thankyou/tc.page?cmp=nav&lid=footer ty-term-cond&src=TYUSENG
The restriction on transferring Taxable points is mentioned in the FAQ for the Points Transfer feature:
https://www.thankyou.com/cms/thankyou/tc.page?cmp=nav&lid=footer ty-term-cond&src=TYUSENG
The restriction on transferring Taxable points is mentioned in the FAQ for the Points Transfer feature:
Nov 7, 2018, 4:21 am
#562
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 790
If I'm interested in premier travel (F or J) redemptions and have already tried SQ which TYPartner would be the best sweet spot/value?
Basically, besides SQ suites, are TYPartners good for any other first/business class redemptions with good value? Etihad recently devalued massively so that's no good.
Basically, besides SQ suites, are TYPartners good for any other first/business class redemptions with good value? Etihad recently devalued massively so that's no good.
Just curious if anyone else has any commentary regarding this.
Nov 9, 2018, 7:48 am
#563
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: MCI
Programs: AA Gold 1MM, AS MVP, UA Silver, WN A-List, Marriott LT Titanium, HH Diamond
Posts: 52,575
Does Citi send you a 1099 each year on the alleged value of their points earned through banking? Has anyone here contested that value on their tax returns?
It's next to impossible to compute the value of the award itself in any kind of capacity-controlled program. In a straight-rebate program like Southwest (which I realize is moot here) it's easier to compute.
It's next to impossible to compute the value of the award itself in any kind of capacity-controlled program. In a straight-rebate program like Southwest (which I realize is moot here) it's easier to compute.
Nov 9, 2018, 7:55 am
#564
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,957
Nov 9, 2018, 8:37 am
#565
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: MCI
Programs: AA Gold 1MM, AS MVP, UA Silver, WN A-List, Marriott LT Titanium, HH Diamond
Posts: 52,575
Nov 9, 2018, 8:46 am
#566
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,957
Not necessarily for a flight, could be a hotel stay, or a gift card, or whatever else they offer, but it will be a redemption where Citi can see a monetary value.
Dec 3, 2018, 11:00 pm
#567
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: SNA
Programs: AA EXP, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, IHG Plat, Marriott Gold, National EE
Posts: 1,204
Dec 9, 2018, 1:07 pm
#568
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 310
Miles showed up out of nowhere
On Friday, I have transferred my Citi TYP to Turkish Airlines for an upgrade. I completed the upgrade yesterday, and my TK account had only 7 miles remaining. My citi account had 7000. This morning, I woke up, checked my TK account, and I saw 62k miles. Citi is still 7K. My upgrade is still valid, I have just chosen my seats. Did this happen to anybody?
Dec 9, 2018, 2:11 pm
#569
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,957
Welcome to Flyertalk.
Why do you think this event is related to your transfer from Citi?
How many points did you transfer from Citi to TK? How many miles did you redeem for the upgrade?
Usually there is an entry made when an airline adds miles to an account. What does it say?
How many points did you transfer from Citi to TK? How many miles did you redeem for the upgrade?
Usually there is an entry made when an airline adds miles to an account. What does it say?
Dec 9, 2018, 3:45 pm
#570
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 310
I had 28k in my account. Transferred 62k from Citi, and redeemed 90k (upgrade from V to J), leaving me with only 7 miles. Today, I have 62k in my account again. The new amount I have is exactly the same with the amount that I transferred from Citi. My TK miles statement shows two transfer from Citi.
Last edited by max_kolesne; Dec 9, 2018 at 3:50 pm