Citi ThankYou, which is one of the four major transferable points programs, has just added an awesome new hotel partner, and I’m impressed by the value proposition.
In this post:
Transfer Citi points to Choice at a 1:2 ratio
The Citi ThankYou program has just added Choice Privileges as its newest transfer partner. Assuming you have one of the premium Citi cards, like the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card (review), the transfer ratio is 1:2 (as opposed to the typical 1:1 ratio).
This is Citi ThankYou’s sixteenth transfer partner, and the only hotel transfer partner, so it’s great to see that added. Furthermore, I’m thrilled to see that the transfer ratio is 1:2, since admittedly we often see currencies that are less valuable on a per-point basis still only offer 1:1 transfers.
Keep in mind that there are several great cards earning Citi ThankYou points, and as long as you have a premium card like the Citi Premier, then all points can be transferred to the ThankYou airline and hotel partners.
Is transferring Citi points to Choice Privileges worth it?
Admittedly Choice Privileges is a pretty niche hotel loyalty program, at least if you’re based in the United States, and if your goal is to redeem for luxury travel. That being said, there are some good uses of Choice points, and the transfer ratio here is quite good:
- When Choice Privileges has promotions on purchased points, the cost is typically 0.7-0.8 cents per point; if you were to transfer points at a 1:2 ratio, that means you’d be getting 1.4-1.6 cents per point compared to the cost of paying cash to buy points
- Generally speaking, Choice Privileges charges anywhere from 8,000 to 35,000 points per night (excluding some properties in Asia-Pacific, which are more expensive), so at a 1:2 transfer ratio, that’s like paying 4,000 to 17,500 Citi ThankYou points per night, which could be a good deal in some cases
- I’ve written in the past about how you can redeem 16,000 Choice Privileges points per night for hotels in Northern Europe that include breakfast and dinner, and those properties can often cost $200+ per night if paying cash
So while I’m not rushing to transfer my points, and while this won’t be for everyone, I do think this is a valuable transfer option that’s worth keeping in mind when planning hotel stays.
Bottom line
The Citi ThankYou program has added Choice Privileges as a transfer partner, making it the program’s only hotel partner. This could represent a great deal for redemptions, given the 1:2 transfer ratio. Kudos to Citi for improving the value of ThankYou points.
Now if only programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards would make IHG Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy transfers 1:2 as well (unfortunately the latter is unlikely to ever happen for a variety of reasons).
Anyone plan to transfer Citi points to Choice?
Has anyone tried using Choice points on Preferred Hotels? The list of participating hotels looks impressive: I see Hotel Bayerischer Hof and Nobu Hotel (Warsaw).
There could be real value when using Choice points for Preferred Hotels and Resorts.
Have you stayed at a choice property
While Choice has some significant problems with enforcing brand standards, they’re sometimes the best option in rural locations and their Ascend brand has some solid options at reasonable redemption rates.