If you have Citi ThankYou points and you’ve been planning to use them for hotel stays, you have until April 19, 2026. On that date, Citi is cutting transfer rates to two hotel partners: Choice Privileges and Preferred Hotels: by 25% and 50% respectively. Points transferred after that date will be worth significantly less.
What Is Changing
Citi is reducing ThankYou point transfer ratios to two hotel loyalty programs:
| Partner | Current Ratio | New Ratio (April 19+) | Value Cut |
|---|---|---|---|
| Choice Privileges | 1,000 TY : 2,000 CP points | 1,000 TY : 1,500 CP points | 25% |
| Preferred Hotels | 1,000 TY : 4,000 IHG points | 1,000 TY : 2,000 IHG points | 50% |
These cuts apply only to these two hotel programs. All airline transfer partners and other hotel partners remain unchanged.
Who Is Affected
Any Citi card that earns ThankYou points is affected:
- Citi Strata Elite (the current flagship ThankYou card)
- Citi Strata Premier
- Citi Premier (legacy)
- Citi Double Cash (earns 1 ThankYou point per $2 spent)
If you hold any of these cards and have been accumulating points for a Choice or Preferred Hotels redemption, the clock is running.
What You Should Do Before April 19
Two options if you value these hotel programs:
Transfer now if you have a specific redemption in mind. If you know you want Choice Privileges points for a Radisson or Comfort Inn stay, or Preferred Hotels points for a specific property, transfer before April 19 and lock in the better ratio. Points transferred before the cutoff are not affected once they land in your hotel account.
Reconsider the hotel programs entirely. After the cuts, both programs are weaker than Citi’s airline transfer partners. Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles, Avianca LifeMiles, and Wyndham Rewards remain at 1:1 and offer strong value for specific redemption strategies. Hyatt is not a Citi transfer partner.
Transferring Points
To transfer ThankYou points before the deadline:
- Log in at thankyou.com
- Go to Rewards, then Transfer Points
- Select Choice Privileges or Preferred Hotels
- Transfers typically post within 2 to 5 business days
The April 19 date refers to when the transfer must be initiated, not when it posts. Initiate your transfer before April 19 to guarantee the current ratio.
Context: Why This Matters More for Preferred Hotels
The Choice Privileges cut (25%) is meaningful but manageable. The Preferred Hotels cut (50%) is severe: you’ll get half as many points for the same ThankYou transfer. Preferred Hotels redemptions were already niche: mostly luxury independent hotels: but at 4:1, they offered standout value at specific properties. At 2:1, you’ll need to work harder to get positive value.
Choice Privileges, which covers Radisson, Comfort Inn, Econo Lodge, and Cambria Hotels, was one of the more accessible hotel programs for budget and midscale hotel redemptions. The cut makes it less competitive against simply booking direct or using a cash-back card at those properties.
Earning ThankYou Points Going Forward
If you want to keep building ThankYou points for airline transfers: which remain strong: the Citi Strata Elite earns at strong rates across travel, dining, and groceries. The Citi Double Cash remains a solid no-annual-fee option that accrues ThankYou points on everyday spending.
Bottom Line
If you have Citi ThankYou points earmarked for Choice Privileges or Preferred Hotels, transfer them before April 19, 2026. After that date, the same number of ThankYou points will buy you 25% fewer Choice points and 50% fewer Preferred Hotels points. For future redemptions, Citi’s airline transfer partners remain the stronger option.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does this affect points I’ve already transferred to Choice or Preferred Hotels?
A: No. Points already in your Choice Privileges or Preferred Hotels account are not affected. Only future transfers from ThankYou to these programs will use the new ratios.
Q: Are all Citi transfer partners being devalued?
A: No. Only Choice Privileges and Preferred Hotels are changing on April 19. All airline transfer partners, Wyndham Rewards, and other hotel partners remain at their current ratios.
Q: Can I transfer ThankYou points from a Citi Double Cash card?
A: Yes, if you also hold a Citi Strata Elite or Strata Premier. Standalone Double Cash accounts can only transfer to limited partners; pairing it with a premium ThankYou card unlocks the full partner list.
Q: When is the last safe day to initiate a transfer?
A: Plan to transfer no later than April 17 or 18 to build in a processing buffer. The cutoff is April 19 and transfers post within 2 to 5 business days, but to avoid any processing edge cases, initiate at least one day before the deadline.
Transfer ratios verified as of 2026-04-02. Confirm current ratios at thankyou.com before transferring.
What to Actually Book Before You Transfer
Before you transfer any ThankYou points, it helps to know which properties offer standout value so you can confirm availability first. Points in your ThankYou account are more flexible than points sitting in a hotel program, so check award availability before initiating the transfer.
Choice Privileges sweet spots worth targeting:
- Cambria Hotels in major U.S. cities (Chicago, Nashville, Denver) run 15,000 to 25,000 Choice points per night at rates that would otherwise cost $200 to $300 cash.
- Radisson Blu properties in Europe post at 35,000 to 50,000 points per night, which can represent strong value against cash rates of $250 to $400.
- WoodSpring Suites locations accept Choice points, useful for extended stays at under 15,000 points per night.
Preferred Hotels context post-devaluation: At 4,000 points per 1,000 ThankYou, transfers to Preferred Hotels made sense for independent luxury properties that posted at 50,000 to 100,000 points and had cash rates well over $500. At 2,000 points per 1,000 ThankYou, you will need to find properties with cash rates above $300 to justify the transfer over simply paying cash or using a different card.
Use the Choice Hotels award search and the iPrefer property search to identify available award nights before committing to a transfer.
How Citi ThankYou Compares to Other Hotel Transfer Programs
Even after these cuts, Citi ThankYou retains a broader airline transfer footprint than most programs. The hotel side has always been the weaker leg of the program. For context:
- Chase Ultimate Rewards transfers to Hyatt at 1:1 with no devaluation announcements pending, and Hyatt consistently delivers 1.5 to 2 cents per point in real redemptions.
- Amex Membership Rewards transfers to Hilton at 1:2, which is a weaker effective rate but Hilton’s sheer property volume means availability is rarely an issue.
- Citi ThankYou’s remaining hotel partners (Wyndham at 1:1) still work for roadside and budget travel, but Citi is not the right program if Hyatt or Hilton are your primary targets.
If hotel redemptions are your priority, this devaluation is a signal to lean into Citi for airline redemptions and use a different card ecosystem for hotel points accumulation.