Best Ways to Book Delta Flights with Citi ThankYou Points

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Citi ThankYou® Points are among the most valuable and easy-to-earn points that you can find with any rewards program. Whether you have the Citi® Double Cash Card, the Citi Premier® Card or the Citi Prestige Card in your wallet, it’s easy to rack up points and redeem them for a wide variety of rewards. 

However, one of the main complaints about the Citi ThankYou Rewards program is that Delta SkyMiles is not included in its list of transfer partners. 

Since Delta Air Lines is one of the largest airlines in the world by fleet size, it’s unfortunate that Citi ThankYou Rewards members can’t redeem their points directly for one of Delta’s award flights. However, you can actually use your ThankYou Points to book Delta flights by transferring your ThankYou Points to a “middleman” transfer partner. 

Let’s take a look at the best ways to book Delta flights using Citi ThankYou Points using transfer partners.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

One of the most common ways that people use their Citi ThankYou Points to book Delta flights is by first transferring them into the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club loyalty program. The points transfer at a 1:1 ratio. Because Virgin Atlantic is a Delta partner, you can use your Flying Club points to book Delta flights. 

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club’s award chart for Delta flights looks like this:

Flight Distance	Delta Main Cabin	Delta One/First
0 to 500 miles	7,500 points	17,500 points
501 to 1,000 miles	8,500 points	27,500 points
1,001 to 1,500 miles	11,500 points	40,000 points
1,501 to 2,000 miles	12,500 points	45,000 points
2,001 to 3,000 miles	15,000 points	52,500 points
3,001 to 4,000 miles	22,500 points	80,000 points
4,001 to 5,000 miles	27,500 points	105,000 points
5,001 to 6,000 miles	35,000 points	130,000 points
6,000+ miles	45,000 points	165,000 points

It should be noted that Virgin Atlantic prices its awards by adding up the mileage for each segment. For example, an itinerary consisting of two 1,500-mile segments is going to cost 23,000 points (11,500 points x 2 segments)—not the 15,000 points it would cost for a 3,000-mile nonstop flight. 

If you have any experience with booking award flights with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, you’ll know that Virgin Atlantic adds large surcharges to its own award flights, which often means these award flights aren’t even worth the cost. Fortunately, you won’t see those high surcharges when booking domestic Delta flights through Virgin Atlantic.

In fact, redemption values for Delta flights through Virgin Atlantic are often even better than they would be if you booked the same flights directly through the Delta SkyMiles program, particularly with domestic nonstop flights. 

Although Virgin Atlantic is not a SkyTeam member, it tends to have more access to Delta awards than most SkyTeam carriers do. This is probably because Delta owns a large stake in Virgin Atlantic. 

Out of all the ways to use your Citi ThankYou Points to book Delta flights, transferring them to the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club rewards program is the best way to consistently find good deals on Delta flights.

Air France-KLM Flying Blue

The Citi ThankYou Rewards program also gives you the option to transfer your points into Air France-KLM Flying Blue miles at a 1:1 ratio. And, since Air France-KLM is a member of the SkyTeam alliance, you can then redeem those miles for Delta flights. 

Air France-KLM doesn’t have a fixed award chart for Delta flights. The number of points that you’ll have to pay depends on the specific flight that you’re trying to book, and the cost can change as often as several times per week. 

However, if you book a Delta flight using France-KLM Flying Blue miles at the right time, you can often get a better deal than if you booked the same flight directly through Delta SkyMiles. Flying Blue tends to have better prices for Delta flights to destinations outside of the U.S. and Europe than SkyMiles or Flying Club. 

Below is a flight from Salt Lake City to London listed at 35,500 miles through Flying Blue.

Delta SkyMiles wants 82,000 miles for the same flight.

Unfortunately, finding a Delta flight through Flying Blue may be difficult as the program typically doesn’t have as much access to Delta award flights as Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. 

Still, before you redeem your Citi ThankYou Points elsewhere, it’s worth looking at what Flying Blue has to offer. You might get a lower price than you would on Delta SkyMiles or Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. However, make sure that you book your flight as soon as you make the transfer because Flying Blue’s Delta award prices change so frequently.

Aeroméxico Club Premier

Citi also partners with the Aeroméxico Club Premier program, which gives you the opportunity to transfer your Citi ThankYou Points to Club Premier points at a 1:1 ratio. Since Aeroméxico is a SkyTeam member, you can then use your Club Premier points to book Delta flights. 

Unfortunately, booking Delta flights with Aeromexico Club Premier points is rather inconvenient because it can’t be done online. If you want to book a Delta flight with Club Premier points, you’ll have to call Aeromexico’s U.S. call center at 800-237-6639. 

Before you call Aeroméxico, you can search for award flights on other SkyTeam member websites. For instance, a Delta award flight that’s available on the Air France-KLM Flying Blue website is likely also available through Aeroméxico Club Premier (and all other SkyTeam members). 

Occasionally, the redemption rate offered by Club Premier may be better than the rate offered through Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Air France-KLM Flying Blue or Delta SkyMiles. So, calling Aeroméxico may end up getting you the best deal. However, you’re probably going to have to stay on the phone for a while. 

Bottom Line

More often than not, the best way to use your Citi ThankYou Points to book Delta flights is to transfer them to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. The program typically has the best access to Delta award flights and great redemption values that may even surpass the deals offered through Delta SkyMiles. 

It’s also worth checking the deals that Air France-KLM Flying Blue is offering on Delta flights. Flying Blue will sometimes have better deals on Delta flights than Flying Club or SkyMiles, particularly if you’re looking to book flights to destinations outside of the U.S. and Europe. Just make sure to buy your award flight as soon as you find a deal because their rates change frequently.

The fact that you can’t book a Delta flight through the Aeroméxico Club Premier program online makes it a non-option for travelers who hate dealing with call centers. In general, you’re not going to get a much better redemption rate than you would with fellow SkyTeam member Air France-KLM. Not to mention, Aeroméxico’s call center might put you on hold for an hour.