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 bonuses to help you do just that … if you hurry.
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.
Both of these transfer bonuses end on Saturday, April 18 – so you've got just a couple of days left!
Taking advantage of either of these bonuses could make 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 offers some of the absolute lowest award rates to Europe … 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.
If you're feeling really fancy, you could even use this bonus to book Lufthansa First Class for fewer points. Take this flight from Houston (IAH) to Frankfurt (FRA) for example: First class can be had for a hefty 128,000 LifeMiles one way. While that's no doubt a hefty sum of miles, you'd “only” need 103,000 Citi points to book with this transfer bonus.
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
Normally, a big bonus like this would be cause for celebration. But Virgin's recent fee hike – its second in less than a year – makes this bonus less appealing for anyone planning to fly Virgin itself.
About those fees: Virgin now tacks on over $700 in taxes and fees on a one-way business class ticket to London-Heathrow (LHR). Ouch!
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 out-of-pocket cost.
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. If you value your Citi points at 1 cent each (a pretty conservative estimate), that's like paying $900 for a one-way business class flight – still cheaper than the typical cash fare!
There are deals to be had in the lower cabins now, too.
- A one-way from the East Coast to London for as few as 6,000 miles – as few as 5,000 Citi points with this bonus – and $164 in taxes and fees
- A roundtrip in premium economy isn't bad either, at just 10,500 miles – as few as 9,000 Citi points with this bonus – and $298 in taxes and fees
But this deal is good for more than just booking Virgin flights – and thankfully, fees haven't risen elsewhere (yet). 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 take advantage before these offers end on Saturday, April 18 at 11:59 p.m. ET!
