In this article
Transfer Bonus: Citi ThankYou to Air France Flying Blue
Citi has a new transfer bonus on now for transfers from their ThankYou points to Air France’s Flying Blue program. You’ll get a 25% bonus on transfers through April 16th at 11:59pm ET.
Is this a Good Deal? How’s FlyingBlue?
It’s been a while since we’ve seen a transfer bonus to FlyingBlue. And FlyingBlue *can* be a great way to book Skyteam and even Virgin Atlantic flights. They went to a dynamic pricing a couple of years ago for Air France / KLM flights, so you have to run searches to see if it’s a deal or not. Virgin tends to not be any cheaper than direct, except with a 25% bonus, it could be.
For flights through September 30, 2021, they’ll waive change/cancellation fees (normally 45 Euro).
But I 1,000% would not speculatively transfer. That’s because if you don’t have a flight credited to Flying Blue (or charge on their co-brand credit card) within 24 months, your miles will expire. You can’t just bank them and forget it.
Better Uses for ThankYou Points
If I had an upcoming flight I was confident I’d be taking, I would definitely see if I could squeeze a better deal out of this transfer bonus. 25% is sweet.
But if not, I’d continue to do what I do – save my Citi ThankYou points to spend with Turkish Airline’s Miles and Smiles program, where you can book one way flights anywhere in North America + Mexico / Caribbean for a maximum cost of 15,000 points each way in Business Class provided you can find Saver availability on United. And you can even hold the flights while you transfer.
That’s why I love the Citi Trifecta and especially the Citi Premier card, which earns 3x points on dining (including takeout and delivery), gas stations, groceries, airline tickets, and hotels.
I break down the best ways to spend Citi ThankYou points in this post.
Thoughts?
Let me know below in the comments, on Twitter, or in the private MilesTalk Facebook group. And don't forget to follow me on Instagram for all sorts of tips on miles, points, credit cards, and travel.
If this post helped you, please consider sharing it!
You can find credit cards that best match your spending habits and bonus categories at Your Best Credit Cards.
New to all of this? My “introduction to miles and points” book, MilesTalk: Live Your Wildest Travel Dreams Using Miles and Points is available on Amazon and at major booksellers.
