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 Premierâ„ Card there's a new bonus to help you do just that.
You can currently get a 20% bonus when transferring ThankYou points to Air France/KLM's Flying Blue program. This transfer bonus ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on Aug. 22!
Using transfer partners like Air France/KLM is one of the best ways to get even more value from Citi ThankYou points. And these transfer bonuses make it even better – think of it as a way to get some free airline miles.
We typically see Citi roll out a big transfer bonus to Air France/KLM once or twice a year, but no matter how appealing a 20% bonus might be, 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 Air France or any one of Citi's other travel partners.
Fortunately, there are some great ways to use this bonus. Keep reading!
Not sure where to start? Read our guide on Citi transfer partners and how it works!
Best Ways to Use This Bonus
We'll never turn down some free Flying Blue miles.
This is the combined mileage program for Air France and KLM, and it's one of the best ways to book flights with SkyTeam airlines including Delta, Korean Air, and Air France or KLM, of course.
Fly Air France or KLM to Europe
With low rates and fairly solid availability to actually book these flights with your miles, this is one of the best ways to book business class to Europe.
Whether you want to get to Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) or Amsterdam (AMS), or connect almost anywhere in Europe, Flying Blue charges as low as 60,000 each way in business class. Availability can be hard to pinpoint, but if you find it, you’d need just 50,000 Citi points to book it with this transfer bonus.
You can also book economy awards to Europe using Air France and KLM miles – including one-way trips from several U.S. cities for 25,000 miles or even less if you time it with a monthly Promo Rewards discount. But Flying Blue also passes on some hefty cash surcharges on award tickets that make it less appealing for economy prices, while it can easily be worth paying $200 or so for a one-way business class ticket for Europe.
Finding flights at these low rates may require some flexibility, as they aren't available on every date. Luckily, Air France and KLM let you scroll through up to a month's worth of flights to find the best deals. After an increase earlier this year, Flying Blue now typically tacks on about $350 for a one-way business class award to Europe – and about $400 or more for the way back. As steep as it sounds, that's a small price to pay for $6,000-plus flights.
And it’s a great ride across the Atlantic Ocean, whether you’re flying with Air France or KLM.
Read our full Air France business class review!
Occasionally, though, the deals get even better.
Book Discounted Promo Rewards
Every month, Flying Blue unleashes a set of discounted routes it calls Promo Rewards. And the airlines' latest monthly promo is a decent one, offering discounted rates to Europe from a handful of North American cities.
Just beware: You'll have to act fast, as availability at these rates tends to go fast (or has already disappeared). With fares under 19,000 miles each way (16,000 with the transfer bonus!), it could easily be worth paying a few hundred in taxes and fees.
For travel through December 2026, you can book economy flights to Europe from:
- Atlanta (ATL) starting at 18,750 Flying Blue Miles
- Denver (DEN) starting at 18,750 Flying Blue Miles
- Miami (MIA) starting at 18,750 Flying Blue Miles
- Montreal (YUL) starting at 18,750 Flying Blue Miles
- Ottawa (YOW) starting at 18,750 Flying Blue Miles
- Portland (PDX) starting at 18,750 Flying Blue Miles
- Raleigh-Durham (RDU) starting at 18,750 Flying Blue Miles
- Toronto (YYZ) starting at 18,750 Flying Blue Miles
And even a few premium cabin deals like:
- Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) starting at 30,000 Flying Blue Miles for premium economy
- Los Angeles (LAX) starting at 30,000 Flying Blue Miles for premium economy
- New York (JFK) starting at 45,000 Flying Blue Miles for business class
With a 20% transfer bonus like this, you could book business class from New York to Paris (and beyond) for just 38,000 Citi points.
Book Delta for Less!
For years, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club was the go-to method to book Delta-operated flights when the airline was charging far too many SkyMiles. But after a slew of devaluations in recent years to that program, those days are over.
Now, Flying Blue is the best workaround to book many Delta flights. And this 20% transfer bonus means you can do it for even fewer Citi points.
Want to book short Delta domestic flights? Flying Blue charges as few as 6,000 or so miles, like for these flights from Minneapolis to Chicago-O'Hare (ORD). With that 20% bonus, you'd need only transfer 6,000 Citi points to Air France/KLM.
Delta might be charging 70,000 SkyMiles or more for roundtrip flights to Hawaii, but you can book those exact same flights for under 40,000 miles through Flying Blue. With this transfer bonus, that's just 31,000 Citi points.
Flights down to Mexico and the Caribbean are a serious sweet spot for Flying Blue, like this flight on the relatively new route from Minneapolis to Aruba (AUA) for just 41,000 miles roundtrip. With that 20% transfer bonus, that's just 35,000 Citi points!
Sadly, the days of booking Delta One business class to Europe for 50,000 points each way via Virgin Atlantic are over. Luckily, it can still be a bargain through Flying Blue: Air France/KLM, meanwhile, still charges low cash fees on top of your miles.
While finding availability on any of Delta's nonstop routes from Europe can be a challenge, we recently alerted our Thrifty Traveler Premium members to multiple deals flying Delta One from the East Coast to Europe for as low as just 60,000 miles one-way and $10 in fees.
With that 20% bonus in mind, you'd only need to transfer 50,000 Citi points for this lie-flat seat to Europe!
Fly to Taipei in Business Class
One of the best ways to get to Taiwan – or connect elsewhere in Southeast Asia – is in China Airlines' spiffy business class seats. And using Air France/KLM Flying Blue miles is the best way to make it happen.
You could fly from Vancouver (YVR) to Taipei (TPE) for just 61,000 Flying Blue miles and about $100 in taxes and fees.
Factor in this 20% transfer bonus, and you'll need to transfer just 51,000 Citi points. Not bad for a 12-plus hour flight in seats like these, right?
Unfortunately, finding business class award space between North America and Taipei has been rough lately. Aside from a few drips and drabs here or there, this one has gotten a bit like finding a needle in a haystack. Nonetheless, it's possible – and when you can do it, it's a fantastic deal!
This is just the start – read our full guide on the best ways to use Flying Blue miles!
Bottom Line
Right now, you can stretch your Citi points further with a new 20% transfer bonus to Air France/KLM Flying Blue. Combine that with Flying Blue's monthly Promo Rewards or a cheap Delta flight, and your next vacation might be just around the corner.
Just make sure to have a plan in place before you transfer points and take advantage before it ends on Aug. 22!
