In most cases, your Citi ThankYou points stay active as long as you have an active card account in good standing. However, there are some exceptions: points expire after three to five years for those with select credit cards. There are also situations where you could lose your ThankYou points. Following the rules outlined in the Citi ThankYou Rewards program guide is the best strategy to keep your points from expiring.
Citi’s handling of point expiration differs slightly from other credit card issuers’ rewards programs. Let’s further explore some scenarios where you could lose your Citi ThankYou points, or they could expire so you know what to expect as you continue earning credit card rewards.
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When Citi points expire
Most Citi credit cardholders don’t have to worry about their points expiring. That’s because points never expire for most of these cards.
However, a handful of Citi credit cards have different expiration rules. These rules apply to a select few older Citi credit cards. If you have one of these cards in your wallet, you should know that your unused points expire after several years. Here’s what to expect.
Your points will expire three years from December 31 of the year you earned them for the following credit card:
- Citi Professional with Citi ThankYou Rewards
Your points will expire five years from December 31 of the year you earned them for the following credit cards:
- AT&T Universal Card
- AT&T Universal Rewards Card
- AT&T Universal Savings and Rewards Card
If you have specific questions about whether your Citi points will expire based on the card you have, review your credit card terms and conditions.
Reasons why you could lose your Citi points
Now that you know which Citi credit cards have points that can expire, it’s essential to understand how you could lose the points you’ve earned so you can avoid surprises.
The following reasons are outlined in the Citi ThankYou Rewards terms and conditions.
Misusing your account
Account misuse, fraud, abuse, or suspicious activity will result in you losing your Citi ThankYou points immediately. Some examples include buying or selling points, repeatedly opening Citi credit card accounts to acquire points, or using your credit card account in an abusive manner.
Closing your card
If you voluntarily close your Citi credit card account, you must use your points within 90 days. If you fail to do this, you’ll lose your points.
Converting your card or account
Converting your Citi credit card account to a Citi credit card that doesn’t participate in the Citi ThankYou Rewards program could result in losing unused points. After converting your account to one that doesn’t participate in the Citi ThankYou Rewards program, you must use your points within 90 days. If you don’t do this, you will lose your points.
Your account is closed or converted due to inactivity
If Citi closes your account due to inactivity or converts your account to a different type that doesn’t participate in the Citi ThankYou Rewards program, you must use your points within 90 days of closure or conversion. Otherwise, you’ll lose your points. You’ll need to contact Citi to redeem your rewards within that timeline.
Loss of points upon death
You may lose your points upon death. Your estate, successors, and assigns have no property rights to your Citi points unless the executor or administrator of your estate notifies Citi and provides documentation within one year of your death. In this case, any remaining Citi ThankYou points can be redeemed for cash.
Your Citi points could be temporarily suspended
It’s also important to understand what actions could result in your points being temporarily suspended. Here’s how that could happen:
Missed or late payments
It’s essential to pay your credit card bills on time. If you make late payments or miss a payment, Citi may temporarily suspend your Citi ThankYou Rewards program account. You may be unable to redeem your points until your credit card account is current. Once your account is current, you can contact Citi and request that your points be reinstated so you can use them.
How to keep your Citi points
Do you have points in your Citi ThankYou Rewards account? Here are a few ways to keep your Citi points so they’re available when you’re ready to redeem them:
Keep your account open and in good standing
The easiest way to keep your Citi ThankYou points is to keep your credit card account open and in good standing. Pay your bills on time and follow all rules outlined in the Citi ThankYou Rewards terms and conditions.
If you downgrade your credit card account, ensure it’s a card that participates in the Citi ThankYou Rewards program so you keep your points.
The following Citi credit cards participate in the Citi ThankYou Rewards program:
- Citi Custom Cash® Card ($0 annual fee)*
- Citi Double Cash® Card ($0 annual fee)**
- Citi Strata Premier℠ Card
- Citi Prestige® Card (No longer available to new applicants)
- Citi Rewards+® Card ($0 annual fee)**
- Citi ThankYou® Preferred Card (No longer available to new applicants)
- AT&T Access Card from Citi (No longer available to new applicants)
- AT&T Access More Card from Citi (No longer a
**If you have the Citi Double Cash® Card, Citi Rewards+® Credit Card, or the AT&T Points Plus Card, you can transfer your Citi ThankYou points to a limited number of transfer partners at a reduced transfer ratio:
| Travel partner | Transfer ratio |
| Choice Privileges | 1,000 Citi ThankYou points: 1,500 Choice Privilege points |
| JetBlue TrueBlue | 1,000 Citi ThankYou points: 800 TrueBlue points |
| Wyndham Rewards | 1,000 Citi ThankYou points: 960 Wyndham Rewards points |
Redeem your rewards
If you are considering closing your Citi credit card account or have been hoarding points for some time, you should redeem your rewards to avoid losing them.
Here are some redemption options to explore:
- Cash: If you prefer cash rewards, you can redeem your Citi points for a statement credit, direct deposit, or a check.
- Gift cards: You can redeem your Citi points for gift cards to popular brands like Apple, Gap, Macy’s, Petco, Sephora, Starbucks, Target, and Uber.
- Shop with points: Eligible Citi credit cardholders can pay for purchases at select retailers, such as Amazon, Best Buy, PayPal, Shell, and Walgreens.
- Cover recent purchases with points: Those with select Citi credit cards can redeem their points as a statement credit to cover recent eligible purchases.
- Book travel through CitiTravel: Most, but not all, Citi credit cards have this redemption feature. If available, you can redeem your Citi ThankYou points for travel bookings, such as hotels, flights, and car rentals.
- Donate to charity: You can donate your points to charities like No Kid Hungry, Susan G. Komen, and World Central Kitchen.
- Transfer your points to travel partners: Select Citi credit cardholders can transfer their points to eligible airline and hotel partners to redeem for flight and hotel stay bookings.
The following airline and hotel partners are eligible:
- Air France/KLM Flying Blue
- AeroMexico
- ALL Accor Live Limitless
- Avianca LifeMiles
- Cathay Pacific Cathay
- Choice Privileges
- Emirates Skywards
- Etihad Guest Miles
- EVA Air
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Leaders Club
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Qatar Privilege Club
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Thai Royal Orchid Plus
- Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- Virgin Atlantic FlyingClub
- Wyndham Rewards
Share your points
Citi allows most Citi cardholders to share their points with other ThankYou Rewards members. Once you share your points, the recipient must use them within 90 days. This feature isn’t available to Citi Custom Cash Cardholders.
Don’t lose your Citi points
You put in effort to earn your credit card rewards. To keep them, it’s in your best interest to follow the rules outlined in the Citi ThankYou Rewards program terms and conditions. You should also keep your account in good standing so your Citi points remain yours to use.
Before getting a new Citi credit card, research all available redemption options and decide how you will use them. If you need guidance on the best way to redeem your Citi ThankYou points, let point.me help. Our search tool makes it easy to find award flight availability.
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