If you have been sitting on a stash of Citi ThankYou Points you planned to share with a family member or travel companion, your window is closing fast. Citi has confirmed that its ThankYou Points Sharing feature will end permanently on May 17, 2026. The last day to initiate a points transfer to another ThankYou member is May 16.
After that date, the ability to send points to other ThankYou accounts will no longer be available for any cardholder, regardless of card type or account standing.
What Exactly Is Ending
ThankYou Points Sharing is the peer-to-peer transfer feature that lets one ThankYou member send points directly to another member’s account. It has been available on most Citi ThankYou-earning cards, including the Citi Strata Premier, Citi Custom Cash, and Citi Double Cash.
Under the current program, cardholders can share up to 100,000 ThankYou Points per calendar year and receive up to 100,000 points per year. Shared points have historically carried a 90-day expiration clock from the date of transfer, meaning the recipient must use them within 90 days of receiving them.
After May 17, neither the send nor receive functions will be available. There is no grace period once the feature is disabled.
What Is NOT Changing
It is important to separate ThankYou Points Sharing from other ThankYou features that will continue:
- Account pooling across your own cards: If you have multiple Citi ThankYou-earning cards, you can still pool points across your own accounts. This is a separate feature and is not affected by the May 17 change.
- Points redemption: All redemption options remain in place: transfer to airline and hotel partners, book travel through the Citi Travel portal, redeem for cash back, gift cards, or statement credits.
- Transfer partnerships: Citi’s travel partners (Flying Blue, Turkish Airlines, Avianca LifeMiles, Singapore KrisFlyer, and others) remain active.
Who This Affects
If you have been accumulating ThankYou Points with the intention of gifting them to a spouse, partner, or friend to top off their account for a specific redemption, you need to act before May 16. Common scenarios include:
- Topping up a travel companion’s account so they have enough points for a flight award
- Consolidating points from a lower-earning cardholder into a more active account for a joint trip
- Giving points as a gift to a family member who earns ThankYou Points but does not have enough for a redemption
If you fall into one of these categories, initiate the transfer before midnight on May 16. Once May 17 arrives, the feature is gone.
How to Share Points Before the Deadline
Log in to your Citi ThankYou account at thankyou.com. Navigate to the “Share Points” section, typically under the “Earn & Redeem” menu. You will need the recipient’s ThankYou member number. Enter the amount you want to share (up to your remaining annual limit), confirm the transfer, and the points will be deposited into the recipient’s account.
Keep in mind the 90-day expiration on transferred points. Make sure the recipient has a redemption plan ready. Points that expire unused after transfer cannot be recovered.
Why Citi Is Making This Change
Citi has not publicly explained the reason for ending the feature. Points-sharing programs create liability for issuers. Shared points that expire unused represent a cost, and peer-to-peer transfers add complexity to points accounting and fraud detection. Several issuers have scaled back or eliminated similar features in recent years as they tighten loyalty program economics.
The Bottom Line
ThankYou Points Sharing ends May 17, with May 16 as your last opportunity to transfer. If you have a plan that depends on sharing points, execute it now. If you hold a Citi Strata Premier or another ThankYou-earning card and have been banking points for a future transfer, do not wait.
After May 17, points must be redeemed through your own account. Plan your transfers before the deadline.