Citi ThankYou Rewards Review

Citi ThankYou Rewards Review Summary

Citi ThankYou Rewards is the 10th best credit card rewards program, according to WalletHub's latest comparison, receiving 85 points out of a possible 100. The Citi ThankYou Rewards program features some very popular rewards credit cards, including the Citi Rewards+® Card and the Citi Premier® Card.

Citi rewards cards provide ThankYou Rewards points, which are generally worth 0.5 cents to 1 cent apiece, depending on which card you have and how you redeem. There are plenty of redemption options, from a statement credit to travel to gift cards.

Citi ThankYou Rewards Review Scorecard

#15 for Earning Policies
#1 for Redemption Policies
#1 for Rewards Value per Point
#24 for Eligibility & Transparency

Best Citi ThankYou Rewards Credit Cards

Summary: Citi ThankYou Rewards Scores by Review Category

How to Earn Citi ThankYou Rewards

Category Rating: 83% (25/30)

You will earn at least one Citi ThankYou Rewards point in return for every dollar you spend with a Citi rewards credit card. Choosing the right credit card and using it strategically can enable you to earn even more points, and there’s no limit on how many points you can earn.

Earning Restrictions to Watch Out For:

• Spending Limit on Bonus Rewards
  Certain Citi credit cards – such as Citi Rewards+® Card – may limit the amount of bonus points you can earn. For example, you might earn 2 points per $1 on the first $6,000 you spend per year at supermarkets and gas stations, but only 1 point per $1 spent after.

How to Redeem Citi ThankYou Rewards

Category Rating: 79% (16/20)

The best way to redeem Citi ThankYou Rewards points is a cash rewards check, travel or gift cards, as these options offer the greatest value for your points. Below, you can learn more about each of the different Citi ThankYou Rewards redemption options.

Gift Cards

You can redeem your Citi ThankYou Rewards points for gift cards from many popular retailers, such as Best Buy, Home Depot, Airbnb, Starbucks, Petco, Old Navy, Target, Nintendo, CVS and more.

“Shop with Points” at Amazon.com

Citi allows you to use your points to directly make Amazon purchases.

Cash Back

Cash back redemption can take the form of a statement credit, a check, or a payment toward a Citi mortgage or student loan.

Travel

You can book new travel through Citi’s booking tool. Or, you can transfer your points into the loyalty program of one of Citi’s transfer partners.

Charitable Donation

You can use your Citi ThankYou Rewards points to make a donation to the American Red Cross disaster relief.

Noteworthy Features:

• Multiple Credit Card Options: Citi ThankYou Rewards has credit cards for different types of needs, such as cash back vs. travel. There are also options for people who either are or are not willing to pay an annual fee.
• Transfer Rewards From Citi Double Cash: You can convert cash back from one of the most popular cash back cards on the market into ThankYou points ($1 = 100 points). Learn more about the Citi Double Cash Card.
• Earn Bonus Points With a Citi Checking Account: All you have to do is enroll your account in ThankYou Rewards, and you can start earning extra points right away. 

• Numerous Transfer Partners: Citi ThankYou Rewards has 19 transfer partners, to which certain cardholders can send their ThankYou Rewards earnings for direct booking. Transfers are usually done at a 1:1 ratio – one Citi ThankYou Rewards point for one JetBlue mile, for example. But you can only transfer in 1,000-point increments.

Citi ThankYou Rewards Transfer Partners

 Redemption Restrictions to Watch Out For:

• Travel Redemption Restrictions–To book travel online, you must use Citi’s travel service provider (cxLoyalty) through your Citi account. Or, you can book by phone and pay a $23 fee per ticket.

Citi ThankYou Rewards Value per Point

Category Rating: 100% (30/30)

Citi ThankYou Rewards points are worth 0.5 cents to 1 cent each, and cards that participate in the rewards program offer different amounts of points for different types of purchases. Values also vary when you transfer points to a ThankYou Rewards transfer partner.

 

Citi ThankYou Rewards Eligibility & Transparency

Category Rating: 69% (14/20)

Not every Citi rewards credit card gets to participate in the ThankYou Rewards program. Most of Citi’s co-branded credit cards – those affiliated with a particular retailer – are not eligible, for instance. Cards with partial ThankYou Rewards rights can convert their rewards to ThankYou points but do not directly participate in the program.

Other Key Things to Know:

Rewards Currency Confusion 
Citi ThankYou Rewards is a purely points-based rewards program. You will not earn miles or cash back with any of the participating cards, even though some – Citi Custom Cash℠ Card, for example – advertise the ability to do so. You can, however, redeem your points for cash back or travel.

Discontinued ThankYou Rewards Cards

Citi has discontinued some of its ThankYou Rewards credit card offers over the years. While some people may still have these cards, they’re not available to new applicants and were not factored into scoring.

• Citi ThankYou® Preferred Card
• Citi Prestige® Card
• Citi PremierPass® American Express® Credit Card
• Citi PremierPass® American Express® Credit Card - Elite Level
• AT&T Access More Credit Card
• AT&T Access More Credit Card
• AT&T Universal Rewards Card
• AT&T Universal Rewards World MasterCard
• AT&T Universal Savings & Rewards
• Citi Professional Card with Citi ThankYou® Rewards

Popular Citi ThankYou Rewards Credit Cards

For more information, check out our editors’ latest picks for the best Citi credit cards by category.

5 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Citi ThankYou Rewards

Following these tips could mean the difference between earning a free family vacation and only getting enough for a one-way flight:

1. Pick the Right Card & Use it Wisely 
   Some Citi cards offer bonus points if you spend a certain amount within a few months of account opening. Others reward you more for purchases in certain spending categories. And some combine the two. Your job is to find a card that complements your particular needs.

2. Redeem regularly
   The whole point of earning credit card rewards is to enjoy the savings they provide. If you just leave your Citi ThankYou Rewards points sitting in your account unused, they won’t do you much good. Citi ThankYou Rewards points usually will not expire as long as your card remains open and in good standing, but it’s important to check your card’s terms and conditions. Redeeming regularly helps to avoid any chance of expiration.

3. Pay your bill in full every month
   Paying interest at a credit card’s regular APR will end up costing you more than rewards save you.
4. Redeem before closing your account
   You will lose any Citi ThankYou Rewards points left unredeemed when you close your account.

 

Citi ThankYou Rewards vs. Chase Ultimate Rewards vs. American Express Membership Rewards

Citi ThankYou Rewards Review Methodology

This review of Citi ThankYou Rewards is based on the same methodology as WalletHub’s annual study on the Best Credit Card Rewards Programs. Editor’s ratings reflect the sum of each program’s scores across the study’s four major categories, adjusted to a 5-point scale to create a representative distribution of ratings. The four major categories considered were: Earning Policies, Redemption Policies, Rewards Value per $1 Spent and Eligibility & Transparency.

WalletHub calculated Citi ThankYou Rewards point values by comparing the dollar value of redemption items against the number of points needed for each.