Posted: July 9, 2026

Travel credit cards can be a great way to accumulate points and miles that you can transfer to a variety of airline and hotel partners, helping you save money on your travels. If you are looking to use Citi points, here is a helpful guide from the Flights From Home team on how to transfer your points, what airlines you can use them with, and more. (Have a different travel card? Check out our guides for Capital One, Chase, and American Express cards.)

Which airlines and loyalty programs can you transfer Citi points to?

Citi ThankYou rewards earned by certain cards can be directly transferred to 14 different airline loyalty programs:

American Airlines AAdvantage
Avianca LifeMiles
Cathay Pacific
Emirates Skywards
Etihad Guest
Eva Air
Flying Blue (Air France/KLM)
JetBlue TrueBlue
Qantas Frequent Flyer
Qatar Airways Privilege Club
Singapore Airlines
Thai Royal Orchid Plus
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

For Citi cards, the transfer points ratio will depend on the card you have. Some cards have a 1:1 ratio for most of the airline programs (1,000 Citi points convert to 1,000 miles to that program), while others have a lower ratio (1,000 Citi points transferring to 700 airline miles, for example). You can see how your Citi points will transfer to each loyalty program based on your card here.

Citi also has a line of co-branded cards with American Airlines, with many offering free bags and preferred boarding on American Airlines flights, and more AAdvantage miles earned on your purchases.

How to transfer your points

To transfer your points, you’ll want to log in to your ThankYou account at ThankYou.com and log in with your Citi card information. You’ll navigate to the “Travel” section and select “Points Transfer.”

Remember, point transfers are irreversible, so know how many points you need to transfer before doing so. Best practice is to search for your flight first and then transfer the amount of points you need for that flight.

Can you use Citi points for Delta flights?

Citi points can’t be directly transferred to Delta, but they can be transferred to Flying Blue, the Air France and KLM loyalty program, and both airlines are Delta partners. You can book many of Delta’s flights (but not all) through the Air France or KLM websites, allowing you to use your Citi points.

In order to do this, you’ll first need to create a Flying Blue account. Once you have an account set up, you’ll then want to search for your flight on the Air France or KLM booking website.

You’ll plug in the flight you are searching for and then make sure the “Book with Miles” toggle is on. (If you aren’t signed into your Flying Blue account, turning on the toggle will prompt you to log in first.)

Flights that are operated by Delta will have the Delta logo in the left-hand corner. Once you find the flight you want, you’ll then want to transfer the amount of miles that you need from your Citi account to the Flying Blue rewards program.

This trick may also work with other airline programs that are in the same airline alliance as Delta, such as Virgin Atlantic.

What are the associated fees when transferring and then booking with Citi points?

There are no fees for transferring or booking with your Citi points.

Do Citi points ever expire?

No, as long as your account is open and in good standing, your points will never expire. The only expectation is points shared with you by another Citi ThankYou rewards member (Citi ended the ability to share points in May 2026), with those points expiring after 90 days.

What are some of the best ways to earn Citi points?

Many Citi cards offer welcome bonuses for spending a certain amount within the first few months you have the card. For example, the Citi Strata Elite card often offers 75,000 bonus miles if you spend $6,000 on the card within the first 3 months of opening your account.

Citi cards sometimes offer targeted referral bonuses for referring a friend or family member to a Citi card, but these bonuses aren’t as commonly available as other travel cards.

You’ll also earn points as you spend on the card, with different Citi cards having different point earnings based on category. For example, the Citi Strata Elite card allows you to earn 3 times the points on dining, or 6 times the points for air travel purchased through Citi Travel.

Are point transfers reversible?

No, point transfers are not reversible. We recommend searching for the flight you want first to determine how many points it will cost, and then transferring the amount you need to purchase.

How can I find flight deals using Points & Miles?

Points & miles deals can be a little trickier to find than regular cash deals. Here are some tips to find deals:

Sign up for email alerts from your favorite airlines and follow them on social media. Airlines will often send an email and/or post about a sale happening, letting you know when there might be a discount.
Be flexible when looking for points & miles deals. The best savings come when you're able to book a random deal, often to a destination that is not on your radar or calendar.
If you are a Flights From Home Premium+ or Luxury member, we find flight deals for you using Points & Miles departing out of Salt Lake City. We currently look for P&M deals on Delta, Alaska, Southwest, and American flights. Sign up hereto get P&M deals sent to your email!
Take advantage of transfer bonuses! Some airlines will offer bonuses when transferring points from your credit card, like Citi, to use for that airline. For example, an airline may offer a 20% transfer bonus, allowing for 1,000 credit card points to become 1,200 miles on that airline.