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Forbes
30-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
No Annual Fee? No Problem: Citi Now Lets More Cardholders Transfer ThankYou Points
Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations. Citi, a Forbes Advisor partner, just made a big move for travelers who want valuable travel perks without paying an annual fee. Now, holders of no-annual-fee Citi cards like the Citi Double Cash® Card * and Citi Strata℠ Card can transfer their ThankYou® Points to almost all of Citi's airline and hotel partners. This update gives you more options for flights and hotel stays without the annual cost of a premium travel card. Your weekly grocery hauls and Friday night dinners at your favorite spot can quietly build points toward your next getaway, thanks to these no-annual-fee cards. Earn 30,000 bonus Points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months of account opening Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed. Credit cards often offer a points transfer system , allowing cardholders to transfer the rewards earned using their cards to airline frequent flyer or hotel loyalty programs. Citi's ThankYou Points program works the same way, letting users convert their rewards into various travel currencies. Before this change, your options to transfer ThankYou Points were limited if you had a no-annual-fee Citi card. You could only move points to a few partners— JetBlue TrueBlue , Wyndham Rewards and Choice Privileges Rewards . Even then, the transfer rates weren't favorable, and cardholders received less value per point in comparison to the transfer rates offered on Citi's premium travel cards. Now, no-annual-fee cardholders can transfer points to almost all of Citi's airline and hotel partners. The transfer rates still aren't as generous as the premium cards, but for the occasional traveler, it's a flexible redemption option made available for extra cost. As of writing, Citi's no-annual-fee cards, such as the Citi Double Cash® Card * and Citi Strata℠ Card, allow cardholders to transfer their points to the following airline and hotel partners: Airline Partners Aeromexico Rewards (1,000:700) Air France-KLM Flying Blue (1,000:700) Avianca Lifemiles (1,000:700) Cathay Pacific Asia Miles (1,000:700) Emirates Skywards (1,000:560) Etihad Airways Guest Rewards (1,000:700) EVA Air Infinity MileageLands (1,000:700) JetBlue TrueBlue: (1,000:700) Qantas Frequent Flyer (1,000:700) Qatar Airways Privilege Club (1,000:700) Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (1,000:700) Thai Air Royal Orchid Plus (1,000:700) Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles (1,000:700) Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (1,000:700) Hotel Partners Retail Partner Here's the deal: With no-annual-fee Citi credit cards , you get slightly less value when you transfer points to airlines or hotels than with the issuer's premium cards. For example, when transferring your ThankYou Points to programs like Cathay Pacific Asia Miles , Air France-KLM Flying Blue and Avianca LifeMiles , 1,000 ThankYou Points gets you 700 miles in the respective program if you hold a no-annual-fee Citi card. If you hold a premium card, the transfer rate is 1:1 for those same partners, meaning 1,000 ThankYou Points equals 1,000 miles when transferred to a partner. These are just three examples; The transfer rates vary depending on the partner you are transferring to. However, the transfer ratio is lower for no-annual-fee cardholders. This might sound like a bummer, but it's a tradeoff given you're not paying an annual fee. For casual travelers or those new to points and miles, it still offers more flexibility in using your points without an extra cost. If you want to maximize your ThankYou Points, a little strategy goes a long way. Before transferring, check that your preferred airline or hotel has award availability—once you move points, you can't get them back. If you have multiple Citi cards, you can pool your points to hit the amount you need for a specific redemption. And don't forget that transfer ratios differ depending on the card. If you travel often, a premium card might make more sense in the long run. Find the best travel credit card for your travel needs. Citi just opened the door for no-annual-fee cardholders to transfer points to more airlines and hotels. While the transfer rates aren't quite as strong as those offered by Citi's premium cards, having more redemption options means you've got a better shot at snagging solid travel deals. Whether planning a quick summer trip close to home or dreaming of a big international getaway, the expanded ThankYou Rewards program makes it easier to turn those plans into reality, without stretching your budget.
CNBC
29-07-2025
- Business
- CNBC
Everything you need to know about Citi's all-new Citi Strata Elite Card, a premium card for travel and dining
There's a new premium credit card on the market and CNBC Select has everything you need to know. Recently, Citi announced the all-new Citi Strata Elite℠ Card, focused on travel and dining benefits. We think the $595 Strata Elite stands out most for its handful of statement credits and high 12X rewards rate on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked on A big plus, cardholders can also transfer their points to American Airlines. In its recent announcement, Citi has also rebranded the Citi Rewards+ Card (no longer available) to the Citi Strata℠ Card. This no-annual-fee credit card is more of an everyday card that lets you choose your own rewards category from a list of options. On Citi's site On Citi's site With the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card you can earn 80,000 bonus Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening. Good to Excellent670–850 21.24% - 29.24% variable $595 Earn 80,000 bonus Points See rates and fees. Terms apply. The Citi Strata Elite℠ Card aims to brings premium restaurant rewards and travel benefits to users, including an annual hotel benefit of $ transfer fee applies with this offer 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum. On Citi's site On Citi's site The Citi Strata℠ Card allows you to earn an unlimited 3X points in one of five categories of your choosing, plus there's an introductory 0% APR period on new purchases and balance transfers. Good to Excellent670–850 19.24% - 29.24% variable $0 Earn 30,000 bonus Points See rates and fees. Terms apply. The Citi Strata℠ Card is a solid rewards credit card that earns in several everyday spending categories, with no annual is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. A balance transfer fee of 5% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies if completed after 4 months of account opening. The revamped Citi Strata has a welcome offer of 30,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in the first three months of account opening. The new Citi Strata Elite has a slightly higher offer of 80,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first three months of account opening, with an in-branch offer of up to 100,000 points. Both of these Citi cards earn rewards in the form of Citi ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for a range of rewards at varying values. The Citi Strata is a no-annual-fee card. The Citi Strata Elite, on the other hand, comes with a $595 annual fee, in exchange for its more premium offerings. It's pretty standard for a premium travel card to be this expensive; Chase just recently upped its lux Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) to $795 per year. Now, the Citi Strata Elite does come with almost $1,500 in value annually, which helps offset the cost of the card. What's most important is that the benefits fit easily into your lifestyle; more on that below. The no-annual-fee Citi Strata doesn't have any additional benefits itself, but does qualify for World Elite Mastercard benefits, including Lyft, Mastercard ID theft protection, priceless experiences and more. With the Citi Strata Elite being a more premium card, it brings many perks that focus on elevated travel and dining options: The Strata Elite is also the first issued "World Legend" credit card, the newest premium tier to the Mastercard Collection, offering priority reservations at restaurants, including in Europe through Mastercard's partnership with TheFork, ticketing access and more. The ability to transfer ThankYou Points to AAdvantage miles — a favorite perk of ours — is available to Citi Strata Elite, Citi Strata Premier℠ and Citi Prestige® Card customers (the last no longer open to new applicants). When it comes to earning Citi ThankYou Points, the Citi Strata gives you the ability to choose one of your own categories: The self-select category defaults to streaming services, but you can change it once per quarter, either online or by calling customer service. The Citi Strata Elite is more travel-focused, with its rewards offering: What first jumps out about the new Strata Elite is the 12X rewards category, which is high compared to many credit cards these days, even among those with large annual fees. It's worth noting that in order to earn this elevated rate, you'll have to book through the Citi Travel portal, which may restrict your options. The Strata Elite also has something rather unique about one of these rewards categories: a time frame. On Friday and Saturday nights, from 6 PM to 6 AM ET, you'll earn double the normal rewards on restaurant spending, for a total of 6X points, with the time frame being dubbed "Citi Nights." While the 3X points earned any other time are a solid return, the bump to your rewards on Friday and Saturday evenings could make weekend date nights a little more rewarding. The ThankYou Points that both the Citi Strata and Citi Strata Elite offer can be redeemed for a number of different rewards, with varying levels of value: You'll likely receive the highest value from your ThankYou Points when you transfer them to one of Citi's 20 different transfer partners, including 14 airlines, 5 hotels and 1 retail option: Since Citi offers a wide range of transfer partners, you have increased flexibility with the points you're earning, letting you pick the airlines and hotels that best fit your needs. If you're looking for more benefits than the Citi Strata offers but a less costly option than the Citi Strata Elite, here are some alternatives we love. The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express is a great $0 annual fee card (see rates and fees) that earns a solid rate of rewards in everyday spending categories, like at U.S. supermarkets and on U.S. online retail purchases. If you have an eligible Disney streaming membership, you can receive a credit of up to $84 in $7 monthly chunks after using your enrolled Blue Cash Everyday Card to spend $9.99 or more each month (subject to auto renewal). The card earns cash back in the form of Reward Dollars, which can then be redeemed for statement credits to help pay your credit card bill. On the American Express site On the American Express site Good to Excellent670–850 20.24%-29.24% Variable $0 Earn a $200 statement credit See rates and fees, terms apply. Read our Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express review. The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express has no annual fee and earns bonus rewards on a wide range of common $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater. 2.7% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars There's also the $95 Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees), which earns 3X Ultimate Rewards® points in categories like dining and online groceries. The card also comes with a helpful suite of travel protections, including trip cancellation and interruption insurance, and it offers up to $50 in statement credits for hotel stays purchased through Chase Travel each account anniversary. On Chase's site On Chase's site With Points Boost, your rewards will be worth up to 1.5x on thousands of top-booked hotels and flights from select airlines through Chase Travel. Good to Excellent670–850 19.99% - 28.24% variable $95 Earn 75,000 bonus points See rates and fees. Terms apply. Member FDIC. Read our Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card review. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card packs a punch for a $95 annual fee card, offering annual travel credits, comprehensive travel protections and $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater Money matters — so make the most of it. Get expert tips, strategies, news and everything else you need to maximize your money, right to your inbox. Sign up here. At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every credit card article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit card products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.
