Guide to Basic ThankYou Points Bankrate Caret RightMain Menu Mortgage Mortgages Financing a home purchase Refinancing your existing loan Finding the right lender Additional Resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Bank Banking Compare Accounts Use calculators Get advice Bank reviews Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Credit Card Credit cards Compare by category Compare by credit needed Compare by issuer Get advice Looking for the perfect credit card? Narrow your search with CardMatch Caret RightMain Menu Loan Loans Personal Loans Student Loans Auto Loans Loan calculators Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Invest Investing Best of Brokerages and robo-advisors Learn the basics Additional resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Home Equity Home equity Get the best rates Lender reviews Use calculators Knowledge base Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Loan Home Improvement Real estate Selling a home Buying a home Finding the right agent Additional resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Insurance Insurance Car insurance Homeowners insurance Other insurance Company reviews Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Retirement Retirement Retirement plans & accounts Learn the basics Retirement calculators Additional resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Advertiser Disclosure
Advertiser Disclosure
We are an independent, advertising-supported comparison service. Our goal is to help you make smarter financial decisions by providing you with interactive tools and financial calculators, publishing original and objective content, by enabling you to conduct research and compare information for free - so that you can make financial decisions with confidence.
Bankrate has partnerships with issuers including, but not limited to, American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi and Discover. SHARE: On This Page
Geber86/E+/Getty Images June 08, 2022 Checkmark Bankrate logo How is this page expert verified? At Bankrate, we take the accuracy of our content seriously. "Expert verified" means that our Financial Review Board thoroughly evaluated the article for accuracy and clarity. The Review Board comprises a panel of financial experts whose objective is to ensure that our content is always objective and balanced. Their reviews hold us accountable for publishing high-quality and trustworthy content. Aja McClanahan is an author, blogger and speaker on personal finance and entrepreneurship. Aja is the author of "How a Mother Should Talk About Money with Her Daughter." Claire Dickey is a product editor for Bankrate, and . Before joining Bankrate, Claire worked as a copywriter for brands within the telecommunications industry as well as a hybrid marketing and content writer. Bankrate logo The Bankrate promise
At Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict editorial integrity, this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation for how we make money. The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of the offers mentioned may have expired. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Bankrate logo The Bankrate promise
At Bankrate, we have a mission to demystify the credit cards industry — regardless or where you are in your journey — and make it one you can navigate with confidence. Our team is full of a diverse range of experts from credit card pros to data analysts and, most importantly, people who shop for credit cards just like you. With this combination of expertise and perspectives, we keep close tabs on the credit card industry year-round to: Meet you wherever you are in your credit card journey to guide your information search and help you understand your options. Consistently provide up-to-date, reliable market information so you're well-equipped to make confident decisions. Reduce industry jargon so you get the clearest form of information possible, so you can make the right decision for you. At Bankrate, we focus on the points consumers care about most: rewards, welcome offers and bonuses, APR, and overall customer experience. Any issuers discussed on our site are vetted based on the value they provide to consumers at each of these levels. At each step of the way, we fact-check ourselves to prioritize accuracy so we can continue to be here for your every next. Bankrate logo Editorial integrity
Bankrate follows a strict , so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. Key Principles
We value your trust. Our mission is to provide readers with accurate and unbiased information, and we have editorial standards in place to ensure that happens. Our editors and reporters thoroughly fact-check editorial content to ensure the information you’re reading is accurate. We maintain a firewall between our advertisers and our editorial team. Our editorial team does not receive direct compensation from our advertisers. Editorial Independence
Bankrate’s editorial team writes on behalf of YOU – the reader. Our goal is to give you the best advice to help you make smart personal finance decisions. We follow strict guidelines to ensure that our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers. Our editorial team receives no direct compensation from advertisers, and our content is thoroughly fact-checked to ensure accuracy. So, whether you’re reading an article or a review, you can trust that you’re getting credible and dependable information. Bankrate logo How we make money
You have money questions. Bankrate has answers. Our experts have been helping you master your money for over four decades. We continually strive to provide consumers with the expert advice and tools needed to succeed throughout life’s financial journey. Bankrate follows a strict , so you can trust that our content is honest and accurate. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. The content created by our editorial staff is objective, factual, and not influenced by our advertisers. We’re transparent about how we are able to bring quality content, competitive rates, and useful tools to you by explaining how we make money. Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. We are compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and, services, or by you clicking on certain links posted on our site. Therefore, this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within listing categories. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your self-selected credit score range can also impact how and where products appear on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range offers, Bankrate does not include information about every financial or credit product or service. Citi is an advertising partner. Once you find a card issuer that has a few great rewards credit cards, it only makes sense that you want to learn more about how the rewards work — especially if you’re interested in to get the most out of your rewards. Citi is one such credit card issuer with plenty of ways to earn rewards, including cash back as a statement credit, direct deposit, check or the option to receive, then redeem, ThankYou points. However, you may not know that not all ThankYou points are not created equal. Some points have more redemption options than others. But, thankfully, you’ve also got the option to combine ThankYou points accounts or even pool them with certain Citi cards. If all of this sounds confusing, don’t worry, it can be a lot to take in. Here’s a guide that will help you understand your Citi ThankYou points once and for all. What are Citi ThankYou points
Citi ThankYou points are rewards points that you can earn with several different Citi credit cards. Depending on the Citi card you have, you can redeem these points for rewards ranging from statement credits to travel and gift cards. Some cards even allow you to transfer ThankYou points to airline partners. Most of the time, Citi ThankYou points are worth about 1 cent each. However, depending on how you redeem your points, they can be worth slightly more or less than 1 cent. And what are basic Citi ThankYou points
Citi doesn’t really use the word “basic” to describe the type of points that don’t have as much flexibility as “full-fledged” ThankYou points. However, our colleagues over at The Points Guy, a credit card and travel site, have coined the terms “basic” and “full-fledged” to distinguish between the types of ThankYou points and make things easier to understand. Just know you won’t find these designations in any of Citi’s card terms and conditions. You can’t transfer basic ThankYou points to travel partners, although you can still use them to book travel through Citi at a 1 cent value. If you have trouble remembering which of your Citi cards award basic or full ThankYou points, the rule of thumb is that Citi cards with no annual fee allow you to earn basic ThankYou points. Here’s a list of no-annual-fee Citi credits cards that earn basic ThankYou points: Citi Double Cash Card Citi Custom Cash℠ Card Citi Rewards+ Card What are full-fledged Citi ThankYou points
In essence, full-fledged ThankYou points are transferable to airline partners through Citi ThankYou Travel. According to , ThankYou points can be worth up to around 1.9 cents with certain transfer partners. Cards that allow you to earn full-fledged points include: Citi Prestige Card* (no longer available) Citi Premier Card Even though your ThankYou points could be worth slightly more in some redemption scenarios with these cards, you’ll pay an annual fee. The Citi Prestige has a $495 annual fee while the Citi Premier has a $95 fee. Note, of course, the Prestige is no longer available to new applicants, so keep this in mind if you don’t already own it. If you spend and travel enough to take advantage of the Premier’s perks, you shouldn’t have any trouble justifying the cost of its annual fee. And since owning the Premier grants you the ability to redeem points toward airline and hotel partner travel, here’s a list of : Air France/KLM Flying Blue Aeromexico Club Premier Asia Miles Avianca Lifemiles Choice Privileges Rewards Emirates Skywards Etihad Guest EVA Air Infinity MileageLands JetBlue TrueBlue Qantas Frequent Flyer Qatar Airways Privilege Club Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Wyndham Rewards How can I earn both types of ThankYou points
Here is a list of available credit cards currently issued by Citi that allow cardholders to earn both basic and full ThankYou points: Card ThankYou points Rewards rate Best for Full ThankYou points 3X points on restaurant, supermarket, gas station, hotel and air travel purchases; 1X points on all other purchases Transfer partner travel Basic ThankYou points 5% cash back (on up to $500 each billing cycle, then 1%) on your top spending category each billing cycle Flexible rewards Earn cash back that can be converted to basic ThankYou points Unlimited 1% as you buy, plus another 1% when you pay for your purchases Flat-rate cash back Basic ThankYou points 2X points at supermarkets and gas stations (on up to $6,000 in purchases per year, then 1X points); 1X points on all other purchases; 5X points at restaurants during the first 12 months (on up to $6,000 in purchases, then 1X points) Grocery and gas spending How can I get the most value from basic ThankYou points
To get the most value from your ThankYou points (basic and full-fledged), you should pair Citi cards — or even build a — to maximize your rewards. In either scenario, you’ll essentially use a combination of cards that will help you earn the most rewards based on your spending, then move points around for boosted redemption values. Ideally, you’d pool your basic ThankYou points with full-fledged ThankYou points (Citi Prestige or Citi Premier required). Then, you’d transfer this lot of combined ThankYou points to any of the Citi ThankYou travel partners listed above. You should also know about expiration dates and other limitations for your ThankYou points. As long as you keep the card that you earned your points on open, the points do not expire. However, points that you transfer expire within 90 days. Is earning basic ThankYou points worth it
Any rewards you earn from a credit card can give you some value — whether it’s in the form of cash back, statement credits or discounted travel. If you’re loyal to the Citi brand of cards, there’s plenty to take advantage of in terms of rewards, but the real value will come down to your preferences and lifestyle. If you’ve got a penchant for discounted travel, a pairing of the right Citi cards could help you satisfy your wanderlust. However, if you’d rather earn rewards on everyday spending, basic ThankYou points still have solid value (even if they can’t be transferred to travel partners). The information about the Citi Prestige Credit Card has been collected independently by Bankrate.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer. SHARE: Aja McClanahan is an author, blogger and speaker on personal finance and entrepreneurship. Aja is the author of "How a Mother Should Talk About Money with Her Daughter." Claire Dickey is a product editor for Bankrate, and . Before joining Bankrate, Claire worked as a copywriter for brands within the telecommunications industry as well as a hybrid marketing and content writer. Related Articles