The Citi ThankYou program is on a bit of a transfer bonus spree at the moment. The program has just launched a new transfer bonus to Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles, in addition to bonuses offered to Avianca Lifemiles, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.
In this post:
Transfer Citi points to Turkish Airlines with 50% bonus
Between September 21 and October 18, 2025, the Citi ThankYou program in the United States is offering a 50% bonus on points transfers to Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles. This is obviously a massive transfer bonus, and interestingly, it’s the first transfer bonus I ever recall seeing between the two programs.
Ordinarily points transfer at a 1:1 ratio (in 1,000 point increments), while through this promotion you’d get 1,500 Miles&Smiles miles for every 1,000 Citi ThankYou points transferred.
There are several great cards earning Citi ThankYou points, including the Citi Strata Premier® Card (review) and Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (review), and it’s easy to combine points between the cards.
Should you transfer Citi points to Turkish Airlines?
Back in the day, the Turkish Miles&Smiles program offered incredible redemption values across the board, but that’s no longer really the case. At this point, I’d say the sweet spot with the Miles&Smiles program is if you’re looking to travel on Turkish Airlines specifically to or from Istanbul.
That’s because the Miles&Smiles program now charges per segment for awards on Turkish Airlines metal. You can find the cost of one-way saver awards below, just to give you a sense of pricing.
So as an example, a one-way business class award between the United States and Istanbul will cost you 65,000 miles. In other words, with a 50% transfer bonus, you’d be paying just 44,000 Citi ThankYou points for a business class award, which is a pretty great deal.
If you know what you’re doing and have specific redemption plans in mind, this could be a great deal. Just be sure you understand the complexities of the program, and read my guide to the Turkish Miles&Smiles program. Also keep in mind the Miles&Smiles expiration policy, which is that miles expire 36 months after they’re earned, regardless of activity.
Bottom line
Through October 18, 2025, the Citi ThankYou program is offering a 50% bonus on points transfers to Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles. This is the first transfer bonus that I recall seeing between the two programs, and best of all, it’s a huge one.
If you’re looking to travel on Turkish Airlines to or from Istanbul, there are some incredible deals to be had by taking advantage of this.
Do you plan on taking advantage of this Citi transfer bonus to Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles?
Interesting, similar to the previous 45k standard pricing for US to IST.
Anyone know which US routes are currently using the "Aeroflot" A350 seats or are scheduled for the new Crystal business class?.
Let’s hope for a bonus points on transfer from capital one cards, too.