Citi is cutting the transfer ratios to two hotel partners on April 19, 2026. If you have Citi ThankYou Points and any value for Choice Privileges or Preferred Hotels iPrefer, you have until April 18 to transfer at the current rates.
Here is exactly what is changing, whether it is worth acting on, and how to do it in under five minutes.
What Is Changing
| Transfer Partner | Current Ratio | New Ratio (April 19) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Choice Privileges | 1,000 TY : 2,000 Choice | 1,000 TY : 1,500 Choice | -25% |
| Preferred Hotels iPrefer | 1,000 TY : 4,000 iPrefer | 1,000 TY : 2,000 iPrefer | -50% |
Both changes are permanent. All Citi ThankYou cards are affected: Strata Elite, Strata Premier, Citi Prestige, and AT&T Access More.
Should You Transfer Before the Deadline?
Choice Privileges: Yes, if you stay at Choice properties
At the current 1:2 ratio, 50,000 ThankYou Points become 100,000 Choice Privileges points. Choice category 7 properties (Cambria, Ascend Collection, some Radissons) start at 35,000 points per night, making a free night worth around 500 TY points. The post-April-19 rate of 1:1.5 makes the same free night cost 667 TY points. If you are planning a Choice stay in the next 6-12 months, transferring now locks in a 25% better result.
Who should skip: If you do not stay at Choice properties (Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, Clarion, Cambria, Econo Lodge, MainStay Suites, Radisson), there is no reason to park your points here. ThankYou Points sitting in Choice cannot be transferred back or moved to airline partners.
iPrefer: Only with a confirmed stay booked
The iPrefer cut is the sharper one. Going from 1:4 to 1:2 is a 50% reduction. Preferred Hotels iPrefer covers 750+ independent luxury hotels globally, and free night awards start around 30,000 iPrefer points. At 1:4, that is 7,500 ThankYou Points per free night. At 1:2, it becomes 15,000. The value drops from roughly 0.4 cents per TY Point to 0.2 cents, which is well below what you get from Flying Blue, LifeMiles, or Turkish Miles and Smiles.
Unless you have a specific Preferred Hotels stay confirmed in the near future, this transfer is hard to justify even at the current rate.
How to Transfer Before April 18
- Log into your Citi account at thankyou.com
- Select “Rewards” then “Transfer Points”
- Choose Choice Privileges or Preferred Hotels iPrefer from the partner list
- Enter the amount you want to transfer (minimum 1,000 points, in 1,000-point increments)
- Confirm the transfer
Transfers to both partners are typically instant. Transfer by end of day April 18 to be safe. Point transfers are one-way and cannot be reversed.
What Stays Strong After April 19
The Choice and iPrefer cuts do not affect the best uses of ThankYou Points. These partners remain at their current rates:
- Air France/KLM Flying Blue (1:1): Monthly promo awards frequently discount transatlantic business class by 20-30%. One of the best uses of ThankYou Points.
- Avianca LifeMiles (1:1): No fuel surcharges on Star Alliance partners. United business class to Europe or Hawaii at competitive rates.
- Turkish Airlines Miles and Smiles (1:1): Still has low fixed rates for short-haul United flights. Domestic first-class can run 7,500 miles round-trip.
- Wyndham Rewards (1:1): Free nights at 7,500-15,000 Wyndham points per night across U.S. properties.
Which Cards Earn ThankYou Points
The Citi Strata Premier ($95 annual fee) earns 3x on restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel, and hotels. Pair it with the Citi Custom Cash (no annual fee, 5% on your top spending category up to $500/month) to pool ThankYou Points and unlock all transfer partners.
Bottom Line
Transfer to Choice Privileges before April 18 if you have a specific Choice stay planned in the next year. Skip iPrefer unless you have a confirmed booking at a Preferred Hotels property. The devaluation does not change the best ThankYou uses, which are all airline partners and remain unaffected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Which Citi cards are affected by this change?
A: All Citi ThankYou cards: Strata Elite, Strata Premier, Citi Prestige, and AT&T Access More. Custom Cash and Double Cash are only affected if pooled with a premium ThankYou card.
Q: Can I reverse a transfer after I make it?
A: No. Point transfers to hotel or airline partners are always one-way and cannot be reversed. Only transfer points you have a specific plan for.
Q: Is Choice Privileges worth transferring into at the new 1:1.5 ratio after April 19?
A: It depends on the property. For Cambria or Ascend Collection properties at 35,000 points per night, you would need about 23,000 ThankYou Points per night at 1:1.5, which is reasonable for a mid-scale hotel. For lower-end Choice properties where cash rates are already inexpensive, paying cash often makes more sense.
Q: Does this affect points already transferred to Choice or iPrefer?
A: No. Points already in your Choice Privileges or iPrefer account are not affected. The change only applies to the transfer ratio going forward from April 19.
Q: What are the best ThankYou transfer partners after April 19?
A: Flying Blue for transatlantic routes, Avianca LifeMiles for Star Alliance awards without fuel surcharges, and Turkish Miles and Smiles for domestic United at low rates. All three transfer at 1:1 and are unaffected by these changes.