Citi’s ThankYou® Rewards program operates on a smaller scale than more well-known credit card rewards programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards® and American Express’s Membership Rewards®. However, that doesn’t make Citi rewards any less valuable or attractive.
ThankYou® Points are easy to earn and can save you plenty of money if you’re familiar with how Citi’s rewards program works and how to make the most of it.
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How Citi ThankYou® Rewards points work
Citi ThankYou® Rewards is a loyalty program that rewards Citi cardholders for making purchases and participating in certain promotions. There are many ways to earn and redeem Citi ThankYou® Points.
Here’s what you need to know: 1
- Point value: How much ThankYou® Points are worth depends on how they’re redeemed. For instance, 1,250 ThankYou® Points will cover $10 worth of purchases at Walmart, but may cover more or less at other stores.
- Expiration: How long you have before your ThankYou® Points expire depends on your card agreement. In many cases, it’ll be 3 to 5 years after you receive them. Points that someone else has given you or that you have given to someone else expire much sooner, at just 90 days after they were shared. 2
- Buying points: You can buy additional points online at thankyou.com or by calling Citi at (800) 842-6596. You can buy points in increments of 1,000 for $25.
- Losing points: If you fail to make your minimum credit card payment by the payment due date, you’ll lose access to the points you earned during that billing period. You may also lose other ThankYou® Points.
- Transferring points: You can transfer or receive up to 100,000 rewards points to or from another Citi member’s ThankYou® Rewards account.
- Combining accounts: Each Citi account has a corresponding ThankYou® account. If you have multiple accounts, you can combine them into a single ThankYou® Rewards account.
Which credit cards can earn Citi ThankYou® Rewards points?
Citi’s collection of cards in the ThankYou® Rewards program is short and sweet, although it may change over time.
Currently, it consists of just four cards, each of which has its own features and benefits:
- Citi Rewards+® Credit Card
- Citi Premier® Credit Card
- Citi Custom Cash℠ Card
- Citi® Double Cash Credit Card
Other accounts that can earn Citi ThankYou® Rewards points
It’s possible that you could earn ThankYou® Rewards on other cards that were previously included in the program, even if new cards of that type can’t be enrolled.
If you’re unsure whether your Citi card is eligible for ThankYou® Rewards, check your cardholder agreement or call the number on the back of your card.
You may also be able to earn ThankYou® Points with a Citibank checking account that you enrolled in the rewards program before July 18, 2022, or Citi Corporate Travel & Entertainment Card enrolled in the Citi Corporate Card Rewards Program. 1
How to maximize your Citi ThankYou® Rewards earnings
Many Citi rewards cards come with a base rewards rate that applies to all purchases, meaning that you can earn ThankYou® Rewards by spending as you normally would.
However, there are three ways to earn extra points by taking advantage of exclusive offers on Citi credit cards and using your card strategically:
1. Get a welcome bonus
Getting a welcome bonus is a great way to earn lots of points quickly. However, you probably won’t be able to receive the rewards by simply opening a card.
You’ll usually have to meet a spending threshold within a certain timeframe, such as 3 to 6 months after opening your account.
Citi ThankYou® Rewards Welcome Bonuses
| Credit Card | Bonus Amount | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Citi Rewards+® | 20,000 bonus points | Spend $1,500 in the first 3 months |
| Citi Premier® | 80,000 bonus points | Spend $4,000 in the first 3 months |
| Citi Custom Cash℠ | 20,000 bonus points | Spend $1,500 in the first 6 months |
| Citi® Double Cash | 20,000 bonus points | Spend $1,500 in the first 6 months |
Depending on your card, you might be limited in how you can use your welcome bonus points. For example, Citi’s website suggests that you may only be able to redeem points on the Custom Cash℠ and Double Cash cards as cash back (as opposed to gift cards, for example).
Some third-party sources claim that there’s a limit on how many welcome bonuses you can receive from Citi in a given timeframe (in particular, you may only be eligible to receive one bonus every 24 months). Pick the card (and the bonus) you want and apply selectively.
2. Spend in a rewards category
Depending on which Citi credit card you have, you may be able to earn extra points by making purchases in a specific rewards category.
To plan your purchases, start by finding your Citi card in the table below:
Category Rewards for Citi ThankYou® Rewards Credit Cards
| Credit Card | Travel | Dining | Gas | Groceries | Highest Spending Category | All Other Purchases |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citi Premier® | 3x points on: - airlines - hotels - travel agencies |
3x points on: - cafes - bars - lounges - fast food restaurants |
3x points | 3x points on purchases from select supermarkets | N/A | 1x points |
| Citi Rewards+® | N/A | N/A | 2x on the first $6,000 spent per year, then 1x | 2x on the first $6,000 spent per year, then 1x | N/A | 1x points |
| Citi Custom Cash℠ | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 5x points on your highest spending category for your first $500 of purchases. View the Custom Cash℠ spending categories on Citi's site. | 1x points |
| Citi® Double Cash | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 2x points |
3. Take advantage of exclusive offers
Citi sometimes has limited-time offers that allow you to earn extra ThankYou® Points on certain cards.
For example, the Citi Rewards+® credit card currently offers the following additional ways to earn extra ThankYou® Points: 3
- Rounding up to the nearest 10 points: Every purchase you make will be rounded up to the nearest 10 points without any cap on purchases. This means even a small $2 purchase will earn you 10 points, which means you can maximize your reward by making a lot of modest-sized purchases.
- 10% points back after redemption: You’ll receive 10% back on the first 100,000 points you redeem each year (excluding shared points).
- 5x points on dining: For a limited time only, you can earn 5 points for every dollar you spend at restaurants for the first 12 months after you open a Citi Rewards+® credit card account.
These offers change so frequently that the best way to make sure you’re not missing out is to keep an eye on Citi’s page on their ThankYou® Rewards offers.
How to redeem and use Citi ThankYou® Rewards points
There are several ways to redeem Citi ThankYou® Points, although some redemption options are only available for certain Citi credit cards. How you choose to redeem your Citi ThankYou® Rewards points determines how much they’re worth.
There are two easy ways to redeem your Citi ThankYou® points:
- Online: Log into your Citi account at ThankYou.com. From there, you’ll be able to see your points and choose from the redemption options available to you.
- By phone: Call the Citi ThankYou® Service Center at (800) 842-6596 or call collect at (859) 283-8016 if you’re outside the US. Their operating hours are 8 am–1 am ET Monday to Friday and 9 am–9 pm ET on Saturday and Sunday.
Below, you’ll find the eight ways you can currently use and redeem Citi ThankYou® Rewards points.
1. Get cash back
The most straightforward option you have for redeeming your Citi ThankYou® Rewards points is to convert them into cash. Points are worth less when converted into cash back, but it’s a good option if you’re trying to save money.
There are three ways to redeem Citi ThankYou® Points for cash:
- Statement credit applied to your current credit card balance (up to $250 at a time)
- Check by mail
- Direct deposit into your bank account
Again, you can choose a redemption option by logging into your online account or calling City’s service center.
2. Book a trip
You can save money on your next vacation or business trip by redeeming your Citi ThankYou® Rewards points through the ThankYou® Travel Center. This can get you discounts on various travel-related purchases, including the items below:
- Airfare (at a charge of $23.00 per ticket)
- Cruises
- Hotel bookings
- Car rentals
To redeem your Citi points for travel purchases, either log in to your account online or call the ThankYou® Travel Center at (800) 842-6596.
3. Get a gift card
If you have a favorite store that Citi partners with, then it may be a better use of your rewards points to convert them into credit on a gift card. You can start by looking at the list of gift cards included in Citi’s ThankYou® Rewards program.
4. Go shopping
You can use your Citi ThankYou® Points to check out when you shop with one of Citi’s retail partners. You’ll have four options: 4
- Online purchases: Link your Citi credit card to your Amazon or PayPal account and choose to pay with your points when you check out.
- In-store purchases: Redeem your points for up to $10 on qualifying purchases at CVS and Walmart.
- Gas purchases: Redeem points for gas purchases at BP, Amoco, and Shell.
- Statement credit: Make a purchase at 1-800-Flowers.com or Best Buy on your Citi card and select the number of points you want to use. These points will be applied to your account as statement credit within 2–3 business days.
5. Convert your points into other rewards
You may be able to get more value out of your ThankYou® Rewards points by transferring them to a rewards program at one of Citi’s partners. You’ll be able to choose from popular airlines, hotels, and retail stores.
Below is a list of loyalty programs eligible for point transfers:
- Aeromexico Club Premier
- Asia Miles™
- Avianca LifeMiles
- Choice Privileges®
- Emirates Skywards
- Etihad Guest
- Eva Air Infinity MileageLands
- Flying Blue Air France KLM
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
- TrueBlue
- Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- Wyndham Rewards®
- Shop Your Way®
6. Share with friends or family
If you don’t think you’ll use your points yourself (or you’re just feeling generous), you can give your points to someone else. You can share up to 100,000 points per year, and they’ll appear in the other person’s account for them to use as they please.
Bear in mind that the person you transfer the points to will need to have a ThankYou® Rewards account, and not all ThankYou® Rewards cards are necessarily eligible for points sharing (for instance, as of November 2022, Citi Custom Cash℠ cardholders weren’t able to share points).
Shared points will also expire 90 days after they’re transferred.
7. Pay your mortgage, student loans, or bills
One unique redemption option that Citi sometimes offers is the opportunity to convert your points into money that Citi will send to a lender by check.
Log into your Citi account online or contact customer service at (800) 842-6596 to find out whether this is an option that’s currently available.
8. Donate to charity
If you don’t think you’ll use your Citi rewards points, you can still ensure they’re put to good use by donating them to charity. You’ll be able to choose from several worthy causes:
- American Red Cross Disaster Relief
- American Red Cross International Services
- No Kid Hungry
- Smile Train
- Susan G. Komen
- Unicef USA
- World Central Kitchen
Donations typically require at least 2,500 points and can only be made in increments of $25, $50, or $100. 2 Visit Citi’s charity donation page for more details about eligible charities and donation amounts.
