Transfer bonuses are a great way to get even more value from your credit card points – and if you've got Citi ThankYou points from a card like the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card or the new Citi Strata Elite℠ Card there's a pair of new bonuses to help you do just that.
You can currently get up to 30% more points when transferring ThankYou points to two different airline programs. Exactly how big a bonus you'll get depends on the airline: 25% to Avianca LifeMiles and 30% to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.
Each of these transfer bonuses ends on April 18 at 11:59 p.m. ET!
Taking advantage of either of these bonuses makes sense, given the various sweet spots in each program. We typically see Citi roll out a handful of transfer bonuses to various travel partners each year, but it's quite rare to see two big bonuses like this at the same time.
Even after a string of recent devaluations, Avianca is one of the best programs for booking business class flights to Europe for less. Meanwhile, Virgin is still a solid choice for short Delta flights and even long-haul business class trips to England … albeit with higher fees.
Just know, you should (almost) never transfer credit card points without a specific use in mind. This is a one-way street: Once you send your credit card points to an airline account, you can't get them back. That means you'll want to have a purpose for these points before you send them to Avianca, Virgin, or any one of Citi's other travel partners.
Fortunately, there are some great ways to put this bonus to use…
Not sure where to start? Read our guide on Citi transfer partners and how it works!
Best Ways to Use Avianca LifeMiles
It's far from perfect, but LifeMiles can be one of the best mileage programs in the world for booking Star Alliance airlines like Lufthansa or SWISS to Europe, EVA Air to Asia, or even a domestic hop on United. It combines low mileage rates with just $50 to $100 in award taxes and fees. That makes it a go-to for travelers looking to book business or first class seats with their points and miles.
Heading to Europe? These days, the airline you're flying is the most important factor in determining what price you'll pay.
After hiking business class award rates to a blanket 80,000 miles each way, Avianca rolled back that increase (a bit) for every airline … except United. That means if you're flying a Star Alliance carrier like SWISS, TAP Air Portugal, or Lufthansa, you can still save big booking with LifeMiles … and this transfer bonus makes those deals even better.
So long as you avoid United, you'll now generally pay 69,000 miles one-way for a business class award to Europe with Avianca LifeMiles. That's true whether you're hopping on a short overseas flight from the East Coast … or making a longer journey, like this TAP Air Portugal business class flight from Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) to Lisbon (LIS).
With a 25% bonus, you'd only need to transfer 56,000 Citi points to make it a reality.
But LifeMiles is full of oddities … in a good way: There are a handful of routes that price out even cheaper. For example, you can head to Switzerland on this SWISS business class route from New York City (JFK) to Zurich (ZRH) for just 55,000 miles. Factor in that transfer bonus, and you need just 44,000 Citi points to book!
And if you're not concerned with flying at the front of the plane and just want to get to your destination for even less, LifeMiles has plenty of solid deals flying economy too:
- LifeMiles generally charges 15,000 miles (or fewer) for one-way routes flying United Airlines within the U.S.
- Routes to Europe typically cost 40,000 miles each way, though you'll find some still price out closer to 30,000 miles.
- Down to South America, you can book for 30,000 miles each way
Need more guidance on putting your LifeMiles to use? Read our complete guide to booking the best LifeMiles Sweet Spots!
Best Ways to Use Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Points
Virgin's transition to dynamic award pricing has resulted in some outstanding deals, flying Virgin Atlantic itself … for a fraction of the miles. Unfortunately, Virgin now tacks on close to $600 in taxes and fees on a one-way business class ticket to London-Heathrow (LHR).
Still, flying business class to London from East Coast cities like Boston (BOS), Miami (MIA), New York City (JFK), Washington, D.C.-Dulles (IAD), or Atlanta (ATL) for as low as 29,000 points could be worth stomaching the higher fees.
Factor in this transfer bonus, and you could book a lie-flat ride to London for as few as 23,000 Citi points each way.
There are deals to be had in the lower cabins now, too.
- A roundtrip from the East Coast to London for as few as 12,000 miles – as few as 10,000 Citi points with this bonus.
- A roundtrip in premium economy isn't bad either, at just 21,000 miles – as few as 17,000 Citi points with this bonus.
But this deal is good for more than just booking Virgin flights. You can often use Virgin Atlantic to book the exact same Delta flight and save a boatload of SkyMiles. The London-based airline offers a far more stable – and frequently cheaper – alternative to booking Delta flights than using SkyMiles outright.
There used to be far more Delta sweet spots you could book using Virgin points, but Virgin obliterated many of them over the last few years with a series of nasty devaluations. But booking short Delta flights – 1,000 miles in distance or less – through Virgin Atlantic Flying Club can still be a great deal!
For example, this short flight from Fargo (FAR) to Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) might otherwise cost you 20,000 SkyMiles. With Virgin Atlantic, you can still book for just 7,500 points each way – just 6,000 Citi points with this 30% bonus.
Thrifty Tip: Use this new workaround to pull up a calendar view of Delta's partner award availability, making it easier to book these deals!
Bottom Line
Transfer bonuses like these are great – it means you need fewer points to book your next getaway. And right now, you can get up to 30% more points when transferring your Citi ThankYou Rewards to either Avianca LifeMiles or Virgin Atlantic to book some truly unforgettable flights.
Just make sure you have a plan to take advantage of these bonuses before they end on April 18.
