Citi is an advertising partner. Citi is no longer accepting applications for the Citi Custom Cash® Card product as of May 28, 2026.
With the launch of Citi's newest premium travel card, the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card, Citi also added an enticing transfer partner in American Airlines. While you can use other credit card points to indirectly book American award flights, many Citi cardholders can now transfer ThankYou® Points directly to the airline, with several cards offering one-to-one transfers.
CNBC Select dives into Citi's newest transfer option, American Airlines, and how the partnership enhances the value of certain Citi cards.
The Citi Strata Elite℠ Card aims to brings premium restaurant rewards and travel benefits to users, including an annual hotel benefit of $300.
- High rewards rate on travel
- 6X on restaurants
- Can transfer points to American Airlines at a 1:1 rate
- Up to $200 annual splurge credit
- High annual fee
- Limited rewards categories
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn 75,000 bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
- Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com and 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com
- Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights℠ purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time
- Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
- Up to $300 Annual Hotel Benefit: Each calendar year, enjoy up to $300 off a hotel stay of two nights or more when booked through cititravel.com.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
Balance transfer fee
Balance transfer fee applies with this offer 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.
Citi and American Airlines Partnership
In December 2024, Citi and American deepened their partnership and announced that Citi would become the sole issuer of American Airlines credit cards. American was one of the only major U.S. airlines without a credit card transfer partner, which was clearly a pain point they wanted to address.
Initially, only three cards allowed Citi ThankYou® Points transfers to American Airlines. However, Citi has expanded its American Airlines partnership to include point transfers for many credit cards with no annual fee.
Which Citi cards can transfer to American Airlines?
While there's a handful of Citi credit cards that can now transfer points to American, they don't all transfer at the same ratio.
Citi cards with 1:1 American Airlines transfers
To access the best transfer ratio to American Airlines, you'll need a Citi travel credit card that has an annual fee, such as:
- Citi Strata Elite
- Citi Strata Premier® Card
- Citi Prestige® Card customers (no longer open to new applicants)
The Citi Strata Premier® Card has competitive rewards rates and unlocks access to all of the Citi ThankYou® transfer partners, which boosts the value of your points.
- Unlocks point transfers to all of the Citi ThankYou® partners, including Emirates Skywards, Choice Privileges, Flying Blue and more
- Generous bonus spending categories include dining, supermarkets, hotels and flights
- Valuable welcome bonus
- Has an annual fee
- Car rental coverage is secondary, not primary
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.
- Earn 10 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on CitiTravel.com.
- Earn 3 Points per $1 on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases, at Restaurants, Supermarkets, Gas and EV Charging Stations.
- Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- $100 Annual Hotel Benefit: Once per calendar year, enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when booked through CitiTravel.com. Benefit applied instantly at time of booking.
- No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases
Balance transfer fee
Balance transfer fee applies with this offer 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.
These cards also offer transfers to other loyalty programs, including Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Choice Privileges, Wyndham Rewards and more.
Citi cards with a reduced transfer ratio
American Airlines transfers are also available for select no-annual-fee cards, but at a lower rate. You can transfer ThankYou® Points to American Airlines with the following cards at a 1:0.7 ratio (1,000 Citi points = 700 American AAdvantage miles):
- Citi Strata℠ Card (see rates and fees)
- Citi Double Cash® Card
- Citi Custom Cash®
- Citi ThankYou® Preferred (no longer open to new applicants)
The Citi Double Cash® Card is one of the best no-annual-fee cash-back cards thanks to its straightforward rewards structure.
- Balance transfers get a long intro APR
- Generous flat-rate cash-back rewards structure
- No annual fee
- Travelers face a foreign transaction fee
- Intro APR only applies to balance tranfer
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
- Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time. Plus, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked with Citi Travel.
- Balance Transfer Only Offer: 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months. After that, the variable APR will be 17.49% - 27.49%, based on your creditworthiness.
- Balance Transfers do not earn cash back. Intro APR does not apply to purchases.
- If you transfer a balance, interest will be charged on your purchases unless you pay your entire balance (including balance transfers) by the due date each month.
- There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).
Balance transfer fee
There 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.
Foreign transaction fee
3%
These cards also have access to the same Citi ThankYou® partners as the above Citi cards with annual fees, but at reduced transfer ratios. It's worth mentioning that if you have one of the premium cards with the improved transfer ratios, you can pool your points and transfer all your points at the higher rate.
If Citi cards seem to fit your lifestyle, you can pair a more premium card with one of the $0-annual-fee cards to maximize your rewards.
Additional American perks
In addition to the new Citi Strata Elite offering transfers to American Airlines, it also provides unlimited access to Priority Pass airport lounges and limited access to American Airlines Admirals Club lounges.
Each calendar year, Citi Strata Elite primary cardholders receive four Admirals Club Citi Strata Elite Passes, which grants you entry to Admirals Club lounges worldwide. You're allowed to bring up to three guests under the age of 18, but anyone 18 or older will require an additional Admirals Club pass.
The Strata Elite card also offers a Splurge Credit, which provides up to $200 in statement credits every calendar year for two brands you choose. You can select American Airlines as one of those brands (exclusions apply).
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Information about the Citi Prestige Card, Citi Custom Cash® and Citi ThankYou Preferred card has been collected independently by CNBC Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.
