The Citi ThankYou® Rewards program allows eligible bank or credit card customers to earn ThankYou Points, a flexible rewards currency, on purchases made with certain Citi credit cards. And, although the Chase Ultimate Rewards and American Express Membership Rewards programs both offer more cards that earn their respective currencies, the Citi ThankYou Points are still valuable and easy to earn. 

You can earn Citi ThankYou Points by opening new credit cards and earning sign-up bonuses, paying for everyday purchases with eligible credit cards and also by holding Citi checking accounts.

I’ve been a huge fan of card combinations that can really sweep you off your feet at the ability to rapidly earn tons of points without chasing a bonus. Combos like the Citi Premier® Card and the Citi® Double Cash Card, or the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and the Chase Freedom Unlimited®.

For the past few years, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and Chase Freedom Unlimited® has been my absolute go to combo. However, with some recent updates I think another bank may be wooing me in.

No, it isn’t American Express, Bank of America, or Barclays.

In a little bit of a shocking move, Citi has announced a new limited time ThankYou Points transfer partner - American AAdvantage.

Starting July 18, 2021 and running through November 13, 2021, if you have either the Citi Premier Card or the Citi Prestige Card, you can transfer ThankYou Points 1:1 to American AAdvantage miles. If you have the Citi Preferred or the Citi Rewards+ cards, you can transfer the points 2:1.

Welcome back! Let’s continue our series on the types of credit card reward programs frequented by travelers.

By Amy M. Gardner and Keith R. Sbiral

This is Part III of our series on how we used miles and points to make possible a 10 week, round-the-world trip in 2018. 

If you missed Part I, you can check it out here.You can find Part II (on airlines) here. 

In Part III we will discuss hotels and accommodations.  For more information on photography, photographers, and places we traveled, please check out reddotbluedot.com.

This coming Sunday, July 23, the Citi Prestige Card will lose some benefits and gain some new ones.

This is the current offer, as of today:

Sign Up Bonus: 50,000 ThankYou Points after $4,000 in spending within 3 months of opening card
Category Bonuses: 3x on air travel and hotels, 2x on restaurants and entertainment
Air Travel Credit:  $250 statement credit per calendar year ($500 during first year of cardmembership)
Global Entry: $100 application fee credit
Lounge access: Priority Pass lounges worldwide for you and two guests
Free golf: Three rounds of golf annually booked through Citi
Free

On July 23, 2017, the following benefits will change for Citi Prestige cardholders:

Free Golf: no more reservations for your free rounds of golf will be accepted (you had three total to begin with per calendar year).
4th Hotel Night Free: The “4th hotel night free” benefit will be calculated differently.

About a year ago I excitedly opened a Citi Prestige card, ready for my 50,000 ThankYou point bonus and lounge access, among other things. Since the, the bonus has dropped to 40,000 ThankYou Points, but considering the myriad of other benefits the card maintained, it's still worth getting if you haven't had it yet. Read our full review of the Citi Prestige.

11 months into holding any card that's got an annual fee, I do a cost/benefit analysis to figure out if I'm getting enough value from the card to keep it open.

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ MasterCard® 60,000 mile offer has expired. Check out the current best credit card offers here.

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Citi just changed the benefit terms regarding Admiral's Club Lounge access for Citi Prestige® Card holders. Take a look at this screenshot from my Prestige account's explanation of benefits:

The Admirals Club lounge benefit will be pulled effective July 23rd, 2017 (roughly a year from now). This is one of many changes happening with the Citi Prestige® Card right now.

The Citi Prestige® Card offers the fourth night free on paid hotel stays if you book through its designated travel agent. This benefit can save you a lot more than 25% on your next hotel stay.

4th Night Free on Hotel Stays
From the terms and conditions of the benefits of the Prestige Card:

You will enjoy a complimentary fourth night with no black-out dates, when you book four consecutive nights at any hotel booked by a personal travel advisor designated by MasterCard (the “designated travel advisor” is Carlson Wagonlit Travel).