While ThankYou points came out less valuable than Chase or Amex points when we last updated our Reasonable Redemption Values (See: A big change to Frequent Miler's point values.), ThankYou points still have plenty of great uses (some of which are shared with those other transferable currencies). Here are some of the easy ways to get good value out of your Citi ThankYou points. Note that this post does not cover all of Citi's transfer partners, but rather the ones where you'll find easy value.
One thing that stands out about Citi ThankYou points as compared to Ultimate Rewards or Membership Rewards is that Citi doesn't have a single domestic US airline legacy program partner. They do partner with JetBlue, though since TrueBlue is revenue-based and opportunities to use points with partners are nearly nonexistent, it is harder to get outsized value. Ironically, despite not partnering with American Airlines, United, or Delta, they still have some of the best partners to use for domestic US flights.
t- The short story: Avianca LifeMiles offers one-ways on United within a single "zone" at excellent prices. Some flights price even less than the "official" rates.
t- Miles required: As per the old award chart, the US is split into 3 zones. Within a single zone is officially 7.5K one-way in economy class or 10K one-way in business class. Between Zone 1 (most of the East Coast) and Zone 2 (most of the states apart from the far west) is 10K one-way in economy or 15K in business class. Note that some routes price below the chart for no clear reason. Note also that mixed-cabin itineraries can price favorably in some instances. See: Avianca LifeMiles' awesome mixed-cabin award pricing. First class for less.
t- How to find awards: Search for available space at LifeMiles.com (you'll need to create a free Avianca LifeMiles frequent flyer account)
t- Key warnings: Availability at LifeMiles.com does not always match what you'll find at United.com. Phone agents generally do not see better availability than what is shown at LifeMiles.com. Always check the LifeMiles site before transferring points.
t- The short story: Turkish offers the same pricing on flights to Hawaii as for other domestic US awards, making them an unbelievable value for flights to Hawaii.
t- Miles required: 7,500 miles each way in economy class or 12,500 miles each way in business class domestically within the US or domestically within Canada (can include connections for the same price). For North American international flights (e.g. US to Canada or Mexico), 10K each way in economy class or 15K each way in business class.
t- How to find awards: Search United.com and look for "Saver Awards". You can also try searching via the Turkish Airlines website, but it does not always show full availability.
t- How to book awards: You can try booking on the Miles & Smiles website, though not all flights are available online. Previously phone bookings have worked and may again be possible. If all else fails, try booking via email. See our guide for booking United flights with Turkish for more detail.
t- Key warnings: Turkish agents occasionally can't see availability even though it is marked as "Saver". You may just have to try again with a different agent.
t- The short story: Singapore KrisFlyer charges the same 12.5K miles each way in economy class both within the US and between the US and Canada. While not the best deal in all situations, Singapore miles are easy to accumulate since they are partners with all of the major transferable points.
t- Miles required: 12.5K miles each way in economy class (business class at 34.5K each way is not competitive with the best rates from other programs)
t- How to find awards: Search for available United Airlines space at United.com (Note: Do not log in - logging in may show you expanded availability based on your credit card or elite status that is not available for partner bookings) or SingaporeAir.com (See: Book United flights online with Singapore miles- but note that business class prices have increased since that post was written).
t- How to book awards: Book online at SingaporeAir.com or over the phone with Singapore KrisFlyer.
t- Key warnings: Singapore allows a maximum connection time of 4 hours on a domestic itinerary and will not allow a stopover on a one-way domestic award. Be aware that United.com will show availability for flights with longer/overnight connections that are not available with Singapore KrisFlyer miles, so be sure to double check availability at SingaporeAir.com or with a phone agent before booking. Also note that transfers to Singapore KrisFlyer are not instant. Transfers typically take 12-24 hours (from all major transferable currencies) and Singapore does not hold award tickets.
t- The short story: Qantas offers better pricing than traditional American Airlines award prices on itineraries with a distance of 1200 miles or fewer each way and has no close-in booking fee. This could be especially good for those who need to connect on short itineraries as Qantas measures cumulative distance rather than pricing segments separately.
t- Miles required: 8,000 miles each way for itineraries covering a distance up to 600 miles or 12,000 miles each way for itineraries covering a distance up to 1200 miles. (See: Strengths of Qantas for AA redemptions).
t- How to find awards: Search for available space at Qantas.com (you'll need to create a free Qantas Frequent Flyer account)
t- How to book awards: Book online at Qantas.com.
t- Key warnings: Avios, either through British Airways or Iberia, might be a better value if you have direct flights if you have access to points which transfer to Avios. However, for flights with connections, Qantas can be a better deal.
t- The short story: Air France sometimes charges far fewer miles than Delta flights than Delta charges its own members.
t- Miles required: Variable, but starting around 11.5K one-way in economy, or 28K one-way in business class.
t- How to book awards: Book online at AirFrance.com. Can also book via phone when the website returns errors.
t- Key warnings: Air France's website is buggy and will often return errors when trying to complete a booking. If that happens, try calling.
t- The short story: Virgin Atlantic often offers direct Delta flights for many fewer miles than Delta would charge for the same itineraries.
t- Miles required: 12,500 miles each way in economy class or 22,500 miles each way in business class (for nonstop flights) within the continental US, Alaska, and Canada.
t- How to find awards: Search for available space at VirginAtlantic.com
t- Key warnings: Virgin Atlantic charges each segment separately, so they are not a good choice for connecting itineraries.
t- The short story: JetBlue TrueBlue points are typically only worth about 1.43c towards the cost of a flight (See: What are JetBlue TrueBlue points worth?), but in some instances it may be possible to do a bit better.
t- Miles required: Varies by route but can be less than other options when cash prices are low.
t- How to find awards: Search for available space at JetBlue.com.
t- How to book awards: Book online at JetBlue.com.
t- Key warnings: JetBlue award cancellation fees vary from $75-$200 per passenger. While that's on par with legacy carriers, this is a key point of differentiation with Southwest (which charges no change/cancellation fees). Note that transfers from Membership Rewards cost a small excise fee. Transfers are free from other transferable currencies.
While saver business class awards to Hawaii can be difficult to find (and even rarer in lie-flat seats), Citi has, hands-down, the best value for awards to Hawaii with Turkish Miles & Smiles. While the booking process is perhaps the slowest and/or more convoluted of any of the sweet spots on this page, the value of flying to Hawaii in economy class for 7500 miles each was or in business class for 12,500 miles each way is hard to beat.
t- The short story: Turkish offers the same pricing on flights to Hawaii as for other domestic US awards, making them an unbelievable value for flights to Hawaii.
t- Miles required: 7,500 miles each way in economy class or 12,500 miles each way in business class (can include connections for the same price)
t- How to find awards: Search for available award space at United.com. Important: make sure that the results indicate that the award is a "saver award", otherwise it won't be bookable.
t- How to book awards: While it's theoretically possible to book online (details here), you'll likely have much better luck via phone. Even then, it may take several calls to get an agent who can see that the award space is available. Details for booking via phone can be found here. See also: Turkish still a mixed bag, but patience helps.
t- Key warnings: Turkish appears to have a max connect time of 4 hours on a domestic itinerary, so itineraries with a longer connection would require 2 awards. Also, for an unknown reason, Turkish agents often can't see award space that other partner airlines can see. You may have to call several times to get an award booked. Keep in mind that transfers to Turkish are not instant; it will take 1-2 days for the miles to show up in your Turkish Miles & Smiles account. As a result, we highly recommend calling to put an award on hold before you transfer points to Turkish miles.
t- The short story: Singapore KrisFlyer charges fewer miles for domestic flights to Hawaii than United does for the same flights. Additionally, they have a great chart for Alaska Airlines for those originating in parts of the US other than the East Coast.
t- Miles required: For United flights: 17,500 miles each way in economy or 34,500 in business (as compared to 22.5K / 40K through United). On Alaska Airlines, from 11.5K one-way in economy class.
t- How to book awards: Book online at SingaporeAir.com or over the phone with Singapore KrisFlyer. Alaska awards must be booked over the phone.
t- Key warnings: Singapore allows a maximum connection time of 4 hours on a domestic itinerary and will not allow a stopover on a one-way domestic award. Be aware that United.com and AA.com will show availability for flights with longer/overnight connections that are not available with Singapore KrisFlyer miles, so be sure to double check availability at SingaporeAir.com or with a phone agent before booking. Also note that transfers to Singapore KrisFlyer are not instant. Transfers typically take 12-24 hours (from all major transferable currencies) and Singapore does not hold award tickets.
t- The short story: Virgin Atlantic often offers Delta flights to Hawaii for many fewer miles than Delta would charge for the same itineraries. This can be a particularly good value for Delta's life-flat routes to Hawaii.
t- Miles required: 20,000 miles each way in economy class or 37,500 miles each way in business class (for non-stop flights)
t- How to find awards: Search for available space at VirginAtlantic.com
t- Key warnings: Virgin Atlantic charges each segment separately, so they are not a good choice for connecting itineraries.
While Membership Rewards points may offer more sweet spots to Europe at first glance, Citi ThankYou points shares many of the same sweet spots while adding one more with redemptions on Royal Air Maroc via Etihad Guest.
t- The short story: Virgin Atlantic often offers Delta flights for many fewer miles than Delta would charge for the same itineraries.This can be a particularly good value for Delta's life-flat routes to Europe and availability is often surprisingly good.
t- Miles required: 50K miles each way in business class (for direct flights)
t- How to book awards: Book online at VirginAtlantic.com.
t- Key warnings: Virgin Atlantic charges each segment separately, so they are not a good choice for connecting itineraries. Note that taxes on flights originating in Europe can be high, but are only $5.60 when originating in the US. Some major European airports are not loaded into Virgin Atlantic's website, so you may have to call to check availability / book.
t- The short story: Avianca LifeMiles offers competitive pricing for Star Alliance awards, especially in first class, with no fuel surcharges.
t- Miles required: 63K each way in business or 87K each way in first class, no fuel surcharges. Note that there is some variance (See: The secret LifeMiles award chart). Also see: Avianca LifeMiles' awesome mixed-cabin award pricing: First class for less for ways to fly first class for even fewer miles). In economy class, some routes price from 16.5K one-way and some mixed-cabin business class itineraries can price from as low as 49K. See: Trying to crack the LifeMiles secret code to Europe.
t- How to find awards: Search for available space at LifeMiles.com (you'll need to create a free Avianca LifeMiles frequent flyer account)
t- How to book awards: Book online at LifeMiles.com. Can also book via email. Phone bookings are known to be a hassle but also possible.
t- Key warnings: Availability at LifeMiles.com does not always match what you'll find at United.com. Phone agents generally do not see better availability than what is shown at LifeMiles.com. Always check the LifeMiles site before transferring points. Keep in mind that the mandatory $25 booking fee (added to all bookings) is the same whether one-way or round trip, so book round trip to save.
t- Transfer from: Amex Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou points, Capital One miles, Marriott Bonvoy
t- The short story: Monthly Flying Blue Promo Awards can sometimes offer excellent value between the US and Europe
t- Miles required: Varies. Air France no longer has an award chart, but promo awards often offer good value, with business class awards often available in the 40K's and sometimes as low as the 20K's depending on destination.
t- How to find awards: Search for available space at AirFrance.us (you'll need to create a free Flying Blue frequent flyer account to search)
t- How to book awards: Book online at AirFrance.com. Can also book via phone.
t- Key warnings: Air France / KLM do add fuel surcharges, though they are often reasonable (about $150-$250 in taxes and fees each way)
t- Transfer from: Amex Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Points, Capital One miles, Marriott Bonvoy
t- The short story: Etihad Guest offers a good value for flying on American Airlines, Brussels Airlines, or Royal Air Maroc between the US and Europe.
t- Miles required: 44K each way in business class on Brussels Airlines or 44K to Casablanca on Royal Air Maroc (connections to Europe will add additional miles now) or 50K each way in business class on American Airlines
t- How to book awards: Call Etihad Guest at 1-877-690-0767.
t- Key warnings: Etihad phone agents have historically had trouble booking partner awards, though the new call center in Serbia appears to be quite competent. If your agent appears to be having trouble, you might want to HUCA (hang up, call again).
t- Transfer from: Amex Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou points, Capital One miles, Marriott Bonvoy
While Virgin Atlantic stands out as the hands-down best value here, Avianca LifeMiles may also be a good choice for routes to Asia, especially if you're able to take advantage of mixed-cabin pricing referenced in the Avianca sections above.
t- The short story: While not as good a value as the ANA first class sweet spot, Virgin Atlantic also offers very competitive pricing for Delta business class between the US and Asia. Availability ebbs and flows, but it is sometimes possible to find as many as six or eight award seats in business class. Furthermore, taxes leaving the US are just $5.60 one way.
t- Miles required: 60K miles each way in business class from the mainland US. 35K each way in business class from Hawaii to Northern Asia (Honolulu to Tokyo, Nagoya, or Osaka)
t- How to find awards: Search VirginAtlantic.com to find Delta award space.
t- How to book awards: Book online at VirginAtlantic.com or call Virgin Atlantic Flying Club at 1 800 365 9500.
t- Key warnings: Virgin Atlantic charges each segment separately, so this award is best for direct flights.
t- The short story: Virgin Atlantic offers incredible value for ANA first class between the US and Japan (and decent value for business class).
t- Miles required: 110K / 120K round trip for first class between the US West Coast / US East Coast and Japan or 90K / 95K miles in business class
t- How to find awards: Search United.com to find ANA partner award space.
t- How to book awards: Call Virgin Atlantic Flying Club at 1 800 365 9500.
t- Key warnings: Virgin Atlantic charges each segment separately, so this award is best for direct flights. They also add fuel surcharges for ANA flights, though total taxes and fees are still quite reasonable (about $270 round trip at the time of writing).
t- The short story: Avianca LifeMiles offers decent pricing to Asia with no fuel surcharges. Business class awards may be semi-hackable by finding the right partners and/or adding a long economy class leg.
t- How to find awards: Search for available space at LifeMiles.com (you'll need to create a free Avianca LifeMiles frequent flyer account)
t- How to book awards: Book online at LifeMiles.com. Can also book via email. Phone bookings are known to be a hassle but also possible.
t- Key warnings: Availability at LifeMiles.com does not always match what you'll find at United.com. Phone agents generally do not see better availability than what is shown at LifeMiles.com. Always check the LifeMiles site before transferring points. Keep in mind that the mandatory $25 booking fee (added to all bookings) is the same whether one-way or round trip, so book round trip to save.
Similar to domestic US flights, Avianca LifeMiles and Qantas can offer better value than United and American for the same flights.
t- The short story: Avianca LifeMiles offers one-ways on United to the "rest of North America" (i.e. not the US) for 12,500 miles each way in economy class.
t- Miles required: 12,500 miles each way in economy class
t- How to find awards: Search for available space at LifeMiles.com (you'll need to create a free Avianca LifeMiles frequent flyer account)
t- How to book awards: Book online at LifeMiles.com. Can also book via email. Phone bookings are known to be a hassle but also possible.
t- Key warnings: Availability at LifeMiles.com does not always match what you'll find at United.com. Phone agents generally do not see better availability than what is shown at LifeMiles.com. Always check the LifeMiles site before transferring points.
t- The short story: Qantas offers better pricing than traditional American Airlines award prices on itineraries with a distance of 1200 miles or fewer each way and has no close-in booking fee. This could be especially good for short international flights like Miami to Grand Cayman or other points in the Southern US to the Caribbean.
t- Miles required: 8,000 miles each way for itineraries covering a distance up to 600 miles or 12,000 miles each way for itineraries covering a distance up to 1200 miles. (See: Strengths of Qantas for AA redemptions).
t- How to find awards: Search for available space at Qantas.com (you'll need to create a free Qantas Frequent Flyer account)
t- How to book awards: Book online at Qantas.com.
t- Key warnings: Avios, either through British Airways or Iberia, might be a better value if you have direct flights if you have access to points which transfer to Avios. However, for flights with connections, Qantas can be a better deal.
It's hard to beat the value of using Etihad Guest for Royal Air Maroc to get to Africa, especially considering the fact that Royal Air Maroc serves many destinations that may be otherwise more difficult to reach on an award ticket. That said, Turkish and Avianca offer some advantages on Star Alliance routes.
t- The short story: Etihad Guest offers a good value for flying on Royal Air Maroc between the US and Casablanca.
t- Miles required: 44K miles each way in business class between North America and Casablanca. Additional segments are priced individually.
t- How to find awards: Search for award space at RoyalAirMaroc.com. You'll need to create a free Royal Air Maroc Safar Flyer account to search.
t- How to book awards: Call Etihad Guest at 1-877-690-0767.
t- Key warnings: Etihad phone agents have historically had trouble booking partner awards, though the new call center in Serbia appears to be quite competent. If your agent appears to be having trouble, you might want to HUCA (hang up, call again). Note also that Etihad Guest does add fuel surcharges. The best way to find the total in taxes & fuel surcharges is to check ITA Matrix.
t- Transfer from: Amex Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Points.
t- The short story: Avianca LifeMiles offers competitive pricing for Star Alliance awards with no fuel surcharges.
t- How to find awards: Search for available space at LifeMiles.com (you'll need to create a free Avianca LifeMiles frequent flyer account)
t- How to book awards: Book online at LifeMiles.com. Can also book via email. Phone bookings are known to be a hassle but also possible.
t- Key warnings: Availability at LifeMiles.com does not always match what you'll find at United.com. Phone agents generally do not see better availability than what is shown at LifeMiles.com. Always check the LifeMiles site before transferring points. Keep in mind that the mandatory $25 booking fee (added to all bookings) is the same whether one-way or round trip, so book round trip to save.
t- Transfer from: Amex Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou points, Capital One miles, Marriott Bonvoy
t- The short story: Turkish offers excellent pricing to North Africa on Star Alliance carriers and decent award pricing to Central and Southern Africa.
t- Miles required: 60K miles each way in business class to North Africa, 72.5K miles each way in business class to Central Africa, and 85K each way in business class to Southern Africa
t- How to find awards: Search for available space at united.com and call Turkish to book or go to turkishairlines.com, log in to your account, go to "Miles transactions" to find the Star Alliance booking tool and click "book now" to go to that search tool (not the tool on the home page at turkishairlines.com). Note that there may be bookable options that do not appear on the site (hence checking United and calling when necessary).
t- How to book awards: Book online at turkishairlines.com using the instructions above or over the phone at 1-800-874-8875 or via email
t- Key warnings: Turkish is sometimes unable to see Star Alliance availability for no explicable reason. However, Turkish allows a hold for long enough for points to transfer from Citi. For this reason, it is strongly recommended that you get your desired itinerary on hold via phone or email before transferring points.
t- Transfer from: Citi ThankYou points, Marriott Bonvoy
Ever popular destinations, Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific are notoriously challenging to reach on an award ticket. Flights are long, prices are high, and availability is scarce. However, if you can find availability, these are your best bets.
t- The short story: Avianca LifeMiles might have somewhat hackable awards if you could find premium cabin space on the long-haul.
t- Miles required: 80K miles in business class from the US to Australia / New Zealand / Oceania, but see Avianca LifeMiles' awesome mixed-cabin award pricing: First class for less for info on how this might be hackable if premium space exists. Note also that Air New Zealand economy class flights price lower than the chart shows for flights to/from Los Angeles. Business class may also price lower if you can find availability.
t- How to find awards: Search for available space at LifeMiles.com (you'll need to create a free Avianca LifeMiles frequent flyer account)
t- How to book awards: Book online at LifeMiles.com. Can also book via email. Phone bookings are known to be a hassle but also possible.
t- Key warnings: Availability at LifeMiles.com does not always match what you'll find at United.com. Phone agents generally do not see better availability than what is shown at LifeMiles.com. Always check the LifeMiles site before transferring points.
t- The short story: Etihad Guest offers flights on American Airlines based on the old American Airlines chart (which itself devalued several years ago).
t- Miles required: 62.5K each way in business class, 72.5K each way in first class
t- How to book awards: Call Etihad Guest at 1-877-690-0767.
t- Key warnings: Etihad phone agents have historically had trouble booking partner awards, though the new call center in Serbia appears to be quite competent. If your agent appears to be having trouble, you might want to HUCA (hang up, call again). Note that finding saver premium cabin availability on American Airlines is only slightly more likely than getting struck by lightning.
t- The short story: Virgin Atlantic often offers Delta flights for many fewer miles than Delta would charge for the same itineraries.
t- Miles required: 75K miles each way in business class
t- How to find awards: Search for available space at VirginAtlantic.com
t- Key warnings: Virgin Atlantic charges each segment separately, so they are not a good choice for connecting itineraries.
t- The short story: Virgin Atlantic also offers good deals for Air New Zealand premium cabin flights if you can actually find availability.
t- Miles required: 45K each way for business class to/from Hawaii, 45K each way in business class from the "South Pacific" to :ps Angeles, 62.5K each way in business class from New Zealand to North or South America
t- How to find awards: Search for available space at United.com (I believe that Air New Zealand space does not show up at VirginAtlantic.com)
t- How to book awards: Book over the phone with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.
t- Key warnings: Virgin Atlantic charges each segment separately (i.e. an itinerary with a single connection will cost 25K miles), so they are not a good choice for connecting itineraries. Furthermore, Air New Zealand business class award space is extremely rare.
t- The short story: Qantas's low-cost-carrier Jetstar flies between Hawaii and several Australian cities and can be booked with Qantas points.
t- Miles required: 57,600 miles one-way in business class from Honolulu to Sydney on Jetstar before September 18, 2019, 61,500 miles thereafter.
t- How to find awards: Search for available space at Qantas.com (you'll need to create a free Qantas Frequent Flyer account)
t- How to book awards: Book online at Qantas.com.
t- Key warnings: Jetstar flights can be quite cheap. While their business class is much more expensive than their economy class fares, it's worth comparing to cash fares to be sure you're getting a decent value.
t- The short story: While the award cost here is substantially higher than others included in this sweet-spot posts, it may be worth it to those who really want an indulgently long experience in Emirates business class. It is possible to spend upwards of ~30 hours in A380 business class by routing via Dubai (note that some US cities have 777 service, which is likely angled in business class).
t- Miles required: 128,000 miles one-way in business class between North American cities and those cities served by Emirates in Australia and New Zealand.
t- How to find awards: Search for available space at Qantas.com (you'll need to create a free Qantas Frequent Flyer account)
t- How to book awards: Book online at Qantas.com.
t- Key warnings: Fuel surcharges are around $300 each way - not cheap, but not prohibitively expensive, either. Choose A380 routes to get a fully-flat aisle access business class seat with a bar at the rear of the plane.
Finally, you may also get decent value out of Citi ThankYou points for hotel bookings if you have both the Citi Prestige card and Citi Premier card. That's because by stacking the Prestige's 4th night free with the Premier's 1.25cpp value when booking travel through Citi, you could potentially get up to 1.67cpp in value towards hotel bookings. The math on this gets murky at best and hotel bookings made at thankyou.com do not earn hotel points or qualify for elite credit or elite benefits, so this option may not be valuable in many instances. See: Up to 1.67 cents per point value from ThankYou points and our Complete Guide to the Citi Prestige 4th Night Free for more info.
High value Citi ThankYou points sweet spots: Bottom line
Citi ThankYou points often get little attention compared to Ultimate Rewards and Membership Rewards. While Chase and Amex offer some even better transfer partners, Citi is not without good value spots (as seen above). Keep in mind that this post does not list all of the value spots in Citi's transfer partners but rather easy (or easy-ish) ways to get good value from ThankYou points. If you're willing to put in some more time and effort, programs like Turkish Miles and Smiles and EVA MileageLands may also offer solid value for Star Alliance flights. However, if you're looking for relatively simple values, there are plenty to be had with ThankYou points.
For sweet spots in other programs, see:
