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If you’re interested in booking flights within the United States and have Citi ThankYou® Points, there are more options than you might have considered. Let’s start with some background.
ThankYou Points are flexible currency earned through the Citi ThankYou® Rewards program. Like other flexible rewards programs, such as Chase Ultimate Rewards and American Express Membership Rewards, the primary benefit of Citi ThankYou Rewards is that there are many ways to use points.
You can redeem for cash back, statement credits, purchases at select retailers and gift card purchases. Specific travel uses include booking travel through Citi Travel and transferring points to hotel and airline partners to enable booking through partner loyalty programs.
We’re going to examine ways to book domestic flights on the three largest airlines providing domestic service in the U.S.—American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines—as well as other major U.S. airlines—Alaska Airlines, JetBlue and Southwest Airlines. Each airline has its own loyalty program, allows transferring points from one or more bank or hotel programs and—except Southwest—allows booking flights through partner airlines’ loyalty programs.
If you’re wondering which airlines’ domestic flights can be booked using Citi ThankYou® Rewards and how to do that, it’s important to understand more about Citi’s transfer partners, airline alliances and individual airline partnerships. The good news is that there’s a path for using Citi ThankYou Points to book flights on all six airlines.
How to Earn ThankYou Points
Citi has multiple credit cards that earn ThankYou Points, making it relatively easy to earn points through welcome bonuses and spending. A popular strategy for maximizing ThankYou Rewards earned is to obtain multiple cards and use certain cards for higher earnings on specific spending.
Cards earning ThankYou Points include:
- AT&T Access Card from Citi (not available to new applicants)
- AT&T Access More Card from Citi (not available to new applicants)
- AT&T Points Plus® Card from Citi
- Citi Custom Cash® Card
- Citi Double Cash® Card
- Citi Prestige Card (not available to new applicants)
- Citi Rewards+® Card (not available to new applicants)
- Citi Strata Premier℠ Card
The information related to the Citi Rewards+® Card has been collected by Milevalue.com and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product or service.
How to Redeem ThankYou Points
Let’s talk about ways to use ThankYou Points for flights within the U.S. The primary methods are booking flights through Citi Travel or transferring ThankYou Points to partner airlines’ loyalty programs and booking through these programs.
Book Through Citi Travel
ThankYou Points earned through credit cards can be used to book travel through Citi Travel with Booking.com, which is a third-party online travel agency. When points are used to purchase travel through Citi Travel, each point is worth 1 cent. For example, purchasing an airline ticket for $200 requires 20,000 points.
It’s possible to get a better redemption rate through Citi Travel if you hold the Rewards+ card. For a $200 ticket, 20,000 ThankYou Points would be used initially, but Rewards+ cardholders would receive a rebate of 2,000 points, resulting in a net cost of 18,000 ThankYou Points®. This rebate applies to the first 100,000 points redeemed each year.
Using ThankYou Points to book flights through Citi Travel may be worthwhile if:
- The cash price for the ticket is low.
- The specific flight you want to book isn’t available through partner loyalty programs, or award rates are high.
- You want to earn airline loyalty program points or elite qualifying credit for the flight but don’t want to spend cash on tickets. This works because using ThankYou Points to book flights through Citi Travel is like booking a cash ticket.
Booking flights through Citi Travel usually is straightforward. However, we recommend checking the airline’s website or app to ensure that the Citi Travel price is close to the airline’s price and that Citi Travel is displaying relevant availability.
Southwest flights may not be bookable online, but you can call Citi Travel to book them. Our online search for a simple nonstop flight on a route where Southwest operates multiple daily flights showed no results. The Citi Travel agent said that they use the same system as the public does, but he saw multiple Southwest flights available on the same route and date.
We previously shared step-by-step instructions for using Citi Travel to book flights on American Airlines, so let’s take a look at an example with booking a Delta flight. The cash rates for the flight from Washington (DCA) to Atlanta (ATL) on Nov. 3 are shown below.
After logging into your Citi ThankYou Rewards account, selecting “Book travel” and navigating to the “Flights” section, enter your search criteria.
After initial results are displayed, you can refine results through filtering. We filtered for direct Delta flights.
Delta and Citi Travel rates are the same for this flight. Citi rounds up to $155 (main-cabin rate) on the initial display while Citi Travel rounds down to $154. The rate for using ThankYou Points (15,448) is equivalent to $154.48.
First-class rates follow the same pattern.
Regardless of the type of fare selected, each ThankYou Point is worth 1 cent when redeemed through Citi Travel, and it’s possible to use all cash, a combination of cash and points, or all points for the flight.
Book Through Citi Transfer Partners
One requirement for transferring ThankYou Points to most airline programs is that the Citi cardholder initiating the transfer must have a Citi credit card that earns ThankYou Points and has an annual fee. For most people, this is the Strata Premier card. Older cards that no longer accept new cardholders (the Prestige card and the AT&T Access More card) also qualify.
Citi cardholders who hold only $0 annual fee credit cards are able to transfer points to JetBlue at a less favorable transfer rate and may be able to indirectly transfer points to other airline programs if the cardholder coordinates with a friend or family member who has a card with full transfer functionality. Citi refers to this as sharing points, and their FAQs provide more details.
Airline Alliances and Partnerships
Let’s discuss airline alliances and partnerships. These relationships facilitate using ThankYou Points to book flights through Citi transfer partners.
There are three global airline alliances: Oneworld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance. These alliances provide a global network of flights, allow passengers to earn and redeem miles across member airlines and provide elite benefits across the network. Four of the major U.S. airlines are alliance members:
- Alaska and American are Oneworld members.
- Delta is a SkyTeam member.
- United is a Star Alliance member.
Citi has transfer partners that are members of each alliance. If you transfer ThankYou Points to an alliance member’s loyalty program, you generally can use that program to book flights on that airline or other airlines. For example, you can transfer points to Avianca LifeMiles and use LifeMiles to book flights on Avianca, United or other Star Alliance airlines.
Many airlines also have partnerships outside of alliances. These partnerships involve different levels of cooperation and benefits. We’re interested in the partnerships that allow redeeming miles on partners outside of an alliance. The table below includes these partners.
Transfer Partner Summary
The usual transfer ratio for airline programs is 1:1, so for every 1,000 ThankYou Points transferred, the cardholder receives 1,000 airline points or miles. Exceptions are:
- Limited-time transfer bonuses (typically 15% to 40%) to specific programs
- A less favorable transfer rate of 1,000 ThankYou Points to 800 JetBlue points (1,000 to 700 beginning July 27, 2025) for cardholders who hold only $0 annual fee credit cards
- A reduced transfer ratio—from 1:1 to 5:4—for transfers to Emirates beginning July 27, 2025
Citi’s current airline transfer partners are shown below, along with each program’s alliance and the U.S. airlines on which each program’s miles can be redeemed.
| Airline and program | Alliance | U.S. airlines bookable through program |
| Aeroméxico Rewards | SkyTeam | Delta Air Lines |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | SkyTeam | Delta Air Lines |
| Avianca LifeMiles | Star Alliance | United Airlines |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | Oneworld | Alaska Airlines, American Airlines |
| Emirates Skywards | N/A | United Airlines |
| Etihad Guest | N/A | American Airlines |
| EVA Air Infinity MileageLands | Star Alliance | United Airlines |
| JetBlue TrueBlue | N/A | JetBlue |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | Oneworld | Alaska Airlines, American Airlines |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | Oneworld | Alaska Airlines, American Airlines |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | Star Alliance | Alaska Airlines, United Airlines |
| Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus | Star Alliance | United Airlines |
| Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles | Star Alliance | United Airlines |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | SkyTeam | Delta Air Lines |
Citi provides direct transfers to JetBlue and has multiple airline partners that can be used to book flights on other primary U.S. airlines, except Southwest. Multiple partners provide an opportunity to shop around for the best redemption option for a specific U.S. airline and route.
Limited Partner Award Availability
One significant caveat for booking U.S. airline flights through partner airline programs is that award availability is limited by the airline operating the flight. Award inventory that can be booked by partner programs sometimes is referred to as Saver award space and may be extremely limited, especially in premium cabins.
Differences in Partner Programs
If you primarily book awards through U.S.-based airlines loyalty programs, it’s important to understand that there sometimes are significant differences with foreign airline programs. This includes taxes and fees on flights, cancellation and change policies, and overall ease or difficulty of booking through each program.
Alaska Airlines and American Airlines Partners
We’re discussing these two airlines together because both are members of the Oneworld alliance, and other Oneworld airlines programs can be used to book flights on Alaska and American Airlines.
Differences include:
- Etihad Airways has a separate partnership with American Airlines, so Etihad Guest miles can be used to book American flights but not Alaska flights.
- Singapore Airlines has a separate partnership with Alaska, so you can use KrisFlyer miles to book Alaska flights but not American flights.
Our articles about booking cheap Oneworld domestic awards and using Citi ThankYou Rewards to book American Airlines flights provide more details about partner airlines programs and sample award searches. We’ll briefly discuss each program and recommend reading the linked sources for more information.
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
Cathay Pacific modified award rates for its own flights in April 2025. Asia Miles award rates are distance-based, and rates are calculated based on total distance for the entire route rather than pricing each segment separately.
Asia Miles doesn’t publish award rates for partner-operated flights, but partner award rates typically are somewhat higher than Cathay Pacific flights of similar distance. For example:
- Award rates on the same American Airlines route from Washington (DCA) to New York (LGA) used in a 2024 search remain at 10,000 Asia Miles for economy and 20,000 miles for business.
- A Cathay Pacific flight in the same distance band requires 7,000 Asia Miles for economy and 16,000 miles for business.
To determine Cathay Pacific award rates for flights on Alaska or American Airlines, Asia Miles members must log into their accounts and use the redeem flight award search for the desired itinerary.
Etihad Guest
Etihad’s award chart for American Airlines flights is recreated below. Award rates are based on the distance of each segment, making awards more expensive on connecting routes.
| Distance range (in miles) | Economy | Premium economy | Business | First |
| 0 – 500 | 6,000 | 7,500 | 20,000 | 35,000 |
| 501 – 1,000 | 12,000 | 13,000 | 25,000 | 40,000 |
| 1,001 – 1,500 | 15,000 | 19,000 | 30,000 | 45,000 |
| 1,501 – 2,000 | 23,000 | 25,000 | 40,000 | 54,000 |
| 2,000 – 2,500 | 28,000 | 31,000 | 50,000 | 67,000 |
| 2,501 – 3,000 | 34,000 | 37,000 | 60,000 | 80,000 |
| 3,001 – 4,000 | 45,000 | 49,000 | 80,000 | 107,000 |
| 4,001 – 5,000 | 60,000 | 62,000 | 100,000 | 134,000 |
| 5,001 – 6,000 | 67,000 | 74,000 | 120,000 | 160,000 |
| 6,001+ | 75,000 | 90,000 | 140,000 | 200,000 |
There are some niche good-value redemptions—such as economy flights within the shortest distance band for 6,000 miles—but Etihad Guest has customer-unfriendly award change and cancellation policies. Conditions for making changes are limited. Cancellation fees range between 25% and 100% of the miles required for the award, depending on the cancellation timeframe.
Qantas Frequent Flyer
Qantas announced upcoming award rate increases for bookings made on or after Aug. 5, 2025. New rates represent increases up to 20%. Current and new distance-based award tables are posted, and different tables are used for Alaska and American.
- Qantas Classic Flight Rewards apply to flights operated by Qantas, American Airlines and selected other partner airlines.
- Partner Classic Flight Rewards apply to flights operated by Alaska Airlines and other partners.
Qantas cancellation and change fees are assessed in points, not money. The 6,000-point cancellation fee and 5,000-point change fee represent a large percentage of the award cost for some domestic awards, particularly shorter flights in economy class.
Qatar Airways Privilege Club and other Avios Programs
Qatar Airways Privilege Club is one of several airline loyalty programs that use Avios, and it’s possible to move Avios among programs. Flights on American and Alaska can be booked using Avios through Qatar Airways Privilege Club and other loyalty programs that use Avios and are Oneworld members, including British Airways, Finnair and Iberia.
Each airline has a separate loyalty program, and the ability to move points among programs provides travelers an opportunity to use the program that provides the best award options and availability for a particular flight. Some key differences among these programs are summarized below.
Award Charts
All four Avios programs increased award rates in 2024, and negative changes often occur without any notice.
British Airways Club, Club Iberia Plus and Qatar Privileges Club no longer publish award charts, but these programs use distance-based pricing for partner awards. British Airways and Iberia award rates generally are the same and are calculated per segment, making connecting routes more expensive.
Recently observed British Airways and Iberia award rates for Alaska Airlines and American Airlines flights are based on the following distance bands.
| Distance range (in miles) | Avios required per segment | |
| Economy | Business | |
| Up to 650 | 12,000 | 24,000 |
| 651 – 1,150 | 16,000 | 32,000 |
| 1,151 – 2,000 | 18,000 | 40,000 |
| 2,001 – 3,000 | 20,000 | 50,000 |
| 3,001 – 4,000 | 20,750 | 62,000 |
| 4,001 – 5,500 | 25,750 | 77,250 |
Qatar’s award rates sometimes differ from British Airways and Iberia rates. Latest observed and reported Privilege Club award rates for North American flights are shown below.
| Flight distance (in miles) | Number of Avios required | |
| Economy | Business | |
| 1 – 650 | 9,500 | 20,000 |
| 651 – 1,151 | 13,000 | 27,000 |
| 1,152 – 2,000 | 14,500 | 34,000 |
| 2,001 – 3,000 | 16,000 | 43,000 |
| 3,001 – 4,000 | 20,750 | 62,000 |
| 4,001 – 5,500 | 25,750 | 77,250 |
Finnair publishes partner award charts for each partner airline and uses zone-based award rates. With this approach, longer flights and/or connecting flights often have cheaper award rates compared to other Avios programs. Finnair award rates are different for Alaska and American Airlines.
Current Alaska Airlines award rates are shown below.
| Route (one way) | Economy | Business | First |
| Continental U.S. and Canada | 11,000 | N/A | 40,000 |
| North America – Mexico | 12,500 | N/A | 49,500 |
| North America – Hawaii | 13,500 | N/A | 50,500 |
Current American Airlines award rates are shown below.
| Route (one way) | Economy | Business | First |
| Flights within North America (continental U.S. and Canada) | 16,500 | N/A | 40,000 |
| North America – Caribbean and Mexico | 15,000 | 25,000 | 40,000 |
| North America – Hawaii and Central America | 15,000 | 38,000 | 47,500 |
Cancellations and Changes
Each airline has different policies and prices for cancelling or changing award flights, as detailed in the article about using Citi ThankYou Rewards to book American Airlines flights.
Other Considerations
Award availability and taxes and fees charged for Alaska and American flights may vary between the Avios programs.
The process of finding and booking awards is more challenging with Finnair Plus and Qatar Airways Privilege Club. Finnair awards must be booked by phone or chat, and Qatar’s search tools don’t display award availability on certain flights within the U.S. that may be bookable by an agent.
Singapore KrisFlyer
Although Singapore Airlines is a Star Alliance member, the carrier has a separate partnership with Alaska. Under this partnership, KrisFlyer miles can be used to book Alaska flights in accordance with a zone-based award chart. There are five zones within the U.S., and one-way award rates range from 8,500 miles to 14,000 miles for economy class and 20,000 miles to 53,000 miles for business, which is first class on domestic Alaska Airlines flights.
Comparing Options for Booking Alaska and American Flights
As suggested by the discussion, award charts and previously reported sample searches, there’s no universal best program to use. By considering each program’s award rates and factors specific to your trip—including but not limited to flight distance, number of connections and class of service—some programs may be better than others for each situation. Ease of use and different award availability also factor into decisions about which partner to use.
Delta Air Lines Partners
Three Citi ThankYou Rewards airline partners are SkyTeam members.
Aeroméxico Rewards
Aeroméxico Rewards has two types of awards:
- Aeromexico Rewards Ticket: Region-based fixed award rates are published in a table.
- Aeromexico Rewards ticket with dynamic fare: Points required “depend on the destination, class/cabin, flight availability and flight demand.”
Although it’s not stated that the region-based awards can’t be used on routes that are entirely within the U.S., the award chart shows rates from Mexico only. There’s a selection area above the award table, but it displays “Mexico” with no other options to select.
Several online award searches between two U.S. airports with Delta nonstop flights produced error messages or no results. An Aeroméxico agent indicated that Delta flights solely within the U.S. can’t be booked with Aeroméxico Rewards points using fixed or dynamic awards.
Even if dynamic rate awards can be used for Delta domestic flights, redemption rates are tied to the flight’s cash rate. Dynamic awards aren’t likely to require fewer points than booking with points through Citi Travel, and the latter is far easier than transferring ThankYou Points to Aeroméxico and trying to book through Aeroméxico Rewards.
Air France-KLM Flying Blue
The Flying Blue program offers variable award pricing. The website has an estimate tool, which is supposed to provide low-level award prices. Attempts to use this tool for flights between two U.S. domestic airports produced error messages.
Even if you have Delta SkyMiles, it’s worth checking Flying Blue award rates on Air France or KLM websites or apps because U.S. domestic flights often require fewer miles through Flying Blue than through the SkyMiles program.
Flying Blue, like many other airline loyalty programs based outside the U.S., has higher fees for cancelling or changing flights and may have higher taxes and fees on award tickets. The Flying Blue fee for cancelling or changing a flight more than 24 hours after booking is 70 euros ($79).
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club has different award structures and rates depending on which airline operates a specific flight. To see award rates and other details for Delta, click on the airline’s logo on the partner page or use this direct link and review content under “Spend Virgin Points.”
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club uses distance-based award rates for Delta flights within the U.S. Flights are priced by segment, making connecting flights more expensive than nonstop flights.
The relevant section of the award chart is recreated below.
| Flight distance | Delta Main Cabin | Delta Premium Select | Delta One |
| 0 – 500 | 7,500 | 12,000 | 21,000 |
| 501 – 1,000 | 11,000 | 26,000 | 41,500 |
| 1,001 – 1,500 | 16,500 | 38,000 | 59,500 |
| 1,501 – 2,000 | 18,500 | 42,500 | 66,500 |
| 2,001 – 3,000 | 22,000 | 46,000 | 70,000 |
| 3,001 – 4,000 | 35,000 | 57,500 | 80,000 |
| 4,001 – 5,000 | 44,000 | 75,000 | 105,000 |
Cancellation fees for flights booked through Flying Club are $100 per person for flights originating outside the United Kingdom. This fee applies more than 24 hours after booking and until 24 hours before travel. For cancellations made within 24 hours of travel, points and fees aren’t refundable, but some taxes are refunded.
Comparing Options for Booking Delta Flights
Given that these partner programs have different approaches to award rates, results will vary depending on specific flights.
We looked at availability for a 547-mile nonstop Delta flight from Washington (DCA) to Atlanta (ATL). This is a key Delta route, and 11 nonstop flights are scheduled for Nov. 3. Almost seven months in advance, Delta’s lowest award rates (shown below for one flight) and cash rates of $155 in economy and $385 in first class were available on 10 of these flights in both cabins.
We also used this date and route for Citi Travel searches and found that cash rates were the same through Citi Travel and Delta’s direct booking channels. Given that Citi Travel provides a value of 1 cent per point, booking through Citi Travel requires 15,448 ThankYou Points for economy and 38,449 points for first class.
We checked award availability and rates for the same date and Delta route through Citi partner airlines. Aeroméxico Rewards is excluded given the lack of results. Flying Blue has the lowest award rates.
| Booking program | Economy | First class | ||
| Miles / points | Tax / fee amount | Miles / points | Tax / fee amount | |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | 7,500 | $17.38 | 19,500 | $22.82 |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 11,000 | $5.60 | 41,500 | $5.60 |
Other details follow.
Air France-KLM Flying Blue
Awards were available on seven nonstop flights in economy and four flights in first class, and award rates were the same on all flights with availability.
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Awards were available on three nonstop flights in economy and two flights in first class, and award rates corresponded with the distance-based award chart.
JetBlue
Citi cardholders can transfer ThankYou Rewards directly to JetBlue TrueBlue instead of transferring points to a partner program that can be used to book JetBlue flights. TrueBlue points can be used to book domestic travel on JetBlue flights and selected flights on JetBlue partners with domestic routes, Cape Air and Hawaiian Airlines.
TrueBlue is a revenue-based program, and award rates on JetBlue flights are directly related to cash rates. Points and miles experts generally value TrueBlue points at 1.3 to 1.5 cents each. Point values vary among fare types and routes. Unlike many other airline programs, TrueBlue points typically are worth less when redeeming for JetBlue’s premium-cabin product (called Mint®).
Let’s look at a JetBlue route with Mint service as an example of how point valuation varies among fare classes. TrueBlue points required for a nonstop flight from Los Angeles to Boston are shown below, followed by cash rates for the same flight.
We calculated the value for each fare type available using points and cash. Values are expressed in cents per point (cpp):
- Blue Basic: 1.39 cpp
- Blue: 1.36 cpp
- Mint: 1.3 cpp
JetBlue doesn’t charge for changes or cancellations when booking with TrueBlue points, but taxes and fees are refunded as a JetBlue travel bank credit rather than being refunded to the credit card or other original form of payment.
United Airlines Partners
There are six Citi ThankYou Rewards airline partners that may be used to book flights on United Airlines, but some aren’t as useful because of high award rates or other factors.
Avianca LifeMiles
Avianca Airlines is a Star Alliance member, and LifeMiles can be redeemed on partner airlines, including United. The LifeMiles program has region-based award pricing with a single award chart for Star Alliance partners and separate award charts for each non-alliance partner. To find a specific chart, select a partner such as United, and follow the link in the details section to view the award chart.
The Star Alliance award chart has several regions for U.S. domestic travel. The continental U.S. is divided into three regions. Alaska is part of “Rest of North America,” and Hawaii is a separate region. The Caribbean region includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Region details are noted in the award chart.
The following table shows the regions relevant to domestic travel in economy (“X” on the award chart) and domestic first class (“I” on the award chart). We’re excluding “O” class from the full LifeMiles award chart since this class of service doesn’t apply to United flights.
| From region | To region | |||||
| Hawaii | Rest of North America | United States 1 | United States 2 | United States 3 | Caribbean | |
| Hawaii | X: 6,000I: 8,500 | X: 22,500I: 40,000 | X: 22,500I: 40,000 | X: 22,500I: 40,000 | X: 22,500I: 40,000 | X: 22,500I: 40,000 |
| Rest of North America | X:12,500I: 25,000 | X:12,500I: 25,000 | X:12,500I: 25,000 | X:12,500I: 25,000 | X:17,500I: 30,000 | |
| United States 1 | X: 7,500I: 15,000 | X:10,000I: 15,000 | X:12,500I: 25,000 | X:17,500I: 30,000 | ||
| United States 2 | X: 7,500I: 15,000 | X:12,500I: 25,000 | X:17,500I: 30,000 | |||
| United States 3 | X: 7,500I: 15,000 | X:17,500I: 30,000 | ||||
| Caribbean | X:10,000I: 20,000 | |||||
The LifeMiles program has some quirks and challenges, so many travelers choose other programs if award rates are similar. Some things to consider about LifeMiles redemptions are:
- Fees: Avianca LifeMiles has higher award change and cancellation fees than some other programs, charges a partner booking fee of $25 per passenger and doesn’t show the final taxes and fees until near the end of the award booking process. Cancellation and change fees vary, with a range of $50 to $200 reported depending on the route and class of service. You can avoid cancellation and change fees with a lifemiles+ subscription, which also provides a discount on award rates.
- Award availability: For flights operated by United or other partners, Avianca LifeMiles may display fewer or no award seats compared to other partner programs. In some situations, this may be an accurate reflection of award availability being different among partners. In other cases, IT issues may result in Avianca not displaying available awards.
- IT and customer service: Avianca LifeMiles has a reputation for being a challenging program to use, so other programs might be better options for some travelers. Besides award search issues, there are cases where an award shows as available in an online search, but the booking can’t be completed online. LifeMiles agents often can resolve these errors, but it may take multiple calls.
Emirates Skywards
Emirates isn’t a Star Alliance member, but the airline has a separate partnership with United. Under this partnership, Emirates Skywards miles can be used to book United flights. Emirates notes that awards on United flights start at 8,000 Skywards miles.
When searching for awards on United flights, you must select “Classic Reward” and then choose “Partner” from the dropdown menu before entering your origin, destination and dates.
Emirates seems to limit partner awards to nonstop flights based on our sample searches, which suggests needing to book two or more awards if the route isn’t direct. Although there is a multi-city option on Emirates search tool, it wasn’t selectable when searching for partner awards.
Skywards no longer publishes its partner award chart, but past versions of the award chart were published elsewhere. Through sample searches, we were able to validate some award rates from multiple sources published in 2024.
Award rates for distance bands relevant for domestic travel on United follow.
| One‑way distance (miles) | Economy class | Business class |
| 0 – 250 | 8,000 | 17,500 |
| 251 – 500 | 8,000 | 25,000 |
| 501 – 1,000 | 12,000 | 35,000 |
| 1,001 – 2,000 | 18,000 | 50,000 |
| 2,001 – 3,000 | 22,000 | 65,000 |
| 3,001 – 4,000 | 26,000 | 77,500 |
| 4,001 – 5,000 | 32,000 | 92,500 |
Emirates charges cancellation and change fees. When viewing flight details prior to booking, a short flight on United noted a change fee of $25 and cancellation fee starting at $75.
EVA Air Infinity MileageLands
Taiwan-based EVA Air is a Star Alliance member, and the Infinity MileageLands program uses region-based award charts. The Star Alliance flights award chart applies to United domestic flights. The downloadable chart shows round-trip award rates for economy (Y), business (C) and first-class (F) awards, and one-way awards can be booked for half of the round-trip rate.
For the two regions relevant to domestic travel on United, one-way award rates for economy and business—the latter should apply to United domestic first-class—are:
- 19,500 miles in economy and 29,000 miles in business for flights within North America
- 25,000 miles in economy and 40,000 miles in business for flights between North America and Hawaii / Central America
- 30,000 miles in economy and 55,000 miles in business for flights within the Hawaii / Central America region
EVA Air Infinity MileageLands can be a difficult program to use. In particular, booking two or more people traveling together is a complicated multi-step process. In many situations, it’s easier and sometimes cheaper to book through a different program.
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer’s Star Alliance award chart provides round-trip award rates for flights operated by Star Alliance partner airlines. One-way awards are available at half the round-trip award rates.
Two regions are applicable to United Airlines domestic travel, and one-way award rates for economy and business—business applies to United domestic first—are:
- 14,000 miles in economy and 26,000 miles in business for flights within North America
- 19,500 miles in economy and 39,000 miles in business for flights between North America and Hawaii / Central America
- 19,500 miles in economy and 39,000 miles in business for flights within the Hawaii / Central America region
Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus has several award charts, and the relevant chart for traveling on Star Alliance airlines—alone or in combination with Thai Airways flights—is the zone-based Thai and Star Alliance award chart. Two zones apply to domestic travel on United Airlines: Zone 8 Hawaii and Zone 11 North America / The Caribbean.
The award chart includes rates for four classes of service, but United Airlines domestic flights only offer economy or first cabins. United first-class awards should be available at Royal Orchid Plus business award rates. One-way rates are:
- 17,500 miles in economy and 27,500 miles in business for flights within Hawaii
- 17,500 miles in economy and 27,500 miles in business for flights within North America / Caribbean
- 65,000 miles in economy and 105,000 miles in business for flights between Hawaii and North America / Caribbean
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
Turkish Airlines uses region-based award charts for its own flights and on Star Alliance partners. Award charts show round-trip award rates, but one-way awards are available for half of the round-trip rate.
For domestic travel on United Airlines, you can ignore the regional pricing, because there are separate rates labeled as “OW Domestic Flights” that reflect the one-way rate for U.S. domestic travel. These rates are 10,000 miles for economy and 15,000 for business class.
Turkish’s award rates are lowest among United partners for most domestic routes. Exceptions are some short-haul economy-class flights booked through Avianca LifeMiles or Emirates Skywards and flights within Hawaii in business class through Avianca LifeMiles.
There are tradeoffs between lower award rates and challenges with Miles&Smiles. The process of searching for and booking tickets sometimes is problematic because of less-than-stellar website and app functionality and customer service. There also is some quirkiness with region definitions and high taxes and fees on some flights.
Comparing Options for Booking United Flights
We examined award availability and rates for a 1,122-mile nonstop route from Houston (IAH) to Las Vegas (LAS) departing Aug. 20. We selected this date since it was a rare date with United first-class Saver award availability on the nonstop flight. United Saver award availability—identified by booking code “X” for economy and “I” for international business or domestic first—is necessary to enable booking awards through partner programs.
Given the number of airline programs that might be useful for booking domestic United flights, we recommend focusing first on programs with better award rates—given known region- or distance-based rates— and then checking other programs as needed to find desired award space.
We looked at additional programs to validate award rates and see availability, even though it was apparent that they wouldn’t have the best award rates.
Findings for partner award rates are summarized below.
| Booking program | Economy | First class | ||
| Miles / points | Tax / fee amount | Miles / points | Tax / fee amount | |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 15,000 | $30.60 | 30,000 | $30.60 |
| Emirates Skywards | 18,000 | $10.10 | 50,000 | $10.10 |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 14,000 | $5.60 | 26,000 | $5.60 |
| Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles | 10,000 | $5.60 | See notes | |
The best award rates for economy class is through Turkish Miles&Smiles, and the lowest available option for first class (see below) is through Singapore KrisFlyer. Some additional considerations are:
- Avianca LifeMiles rates would be 10% lower with the lifemiles+ subscription.
- Emirates Skywards rates are even worse compared to other programs once the 5:4 transfer ratio is implemented.
- EVA Air and Thai Airways results aren’t provided because of website issues. Even if the searches found award availability, both airlines’ region-based award rates would be higher than some other programs.
- The Turkish Airlines search didn’t display the business-class award despite repeated attempts to search for business-class availability and use the “Business Class” button or link shown below to toggle from economy to business awards.
Final Thoughts
Despite having just one U.S.-based airline, JetBlue, as a direct transfer partner, Citi ThankYou Points can be useful for booking domestic flights on other major U.S. airlines.
Using Citi Travel to book flights may make sense for booking flights on Southwest or on any airline when partner awards aren’t available or cash rates are low relative to award rates.
Transferring points to Citi’s airline partners and booking flights through partner programs provides an opportunity to maximize value. Alliance and other partner programs can be used to book domestic flights on Alaska, American, Delta and United. Multiple Citi transfer partners can be used to book awards with each airline, and the best option depends on the specific flight you want to book and each partner program’s award structure, rates and availability.