Citi ThankYou Points: 50% Transfer Bonus to Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles (Ends October 18, 2025)

Citi ThankYou Rewards has launched an exceptional transfer bonus promotion, offering a 50% bonus when transferring points to Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles. This rare opportunity, available through October 18, 2025, represents the first major transfer bonus between these programs and could deliver substantial value for the right redemptions.

With this promotion, Citi cardholders can effectively turn 1,000 ThankYou points into 1,500 Turkish Airlines miles—a significant enhancement to the standard 1:1 transfer ratio. If you’ve been considering a trip on Turkish Airlines or looking to leverage some of the program’s sweet spots, this limited-time offer deserves your attention.

Promotion Details

Transfer ratio: 1,000 Citi ThankYou points = 1,500 Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles miles
Promotion period: September 21 – October 18, 2025
Minimum transfer: 1,000 points
Transfer time: Typically within 24 hours (up to 5 business days)
Expiration policy: Turkish Airlines miles expire after 36 months, regardless of account activity

The bonus appears automatically when initiating a transfer through your Citi ThankYou account—no registration is required beyond having a Miles&Smiles account linked to your Citi profile.

Eligible Citi Cards

The transfer bonus varies depending on which Citi card you hold:

Cards Eligible for the Full 50% Bonus (1,000 points = 1,500 miles)

Citi Strata Elite℠ Card
Citi Strata Premier^® Card
Citi Prestige^® Card
AT&T Access More Card from Citi

Our credit card selection
Credit card	Annual fee	Welcome offer
Citi Strata Elite℠ Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$595	Welcome offer 80,000 points	Apply NowCompare
Citi Strata Premier^® Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$95	Welcome offer 60,000 points	Apply NowCompare

Cards Eligible for a 5% Bonus (1,000 points = 1,050 miles)

Citi ThankYou^® Preferred Card
Citi Strata℠ Card
Citi Double Cash^® Card
Citi Custom Cash^® Card
Citi ThankYou^® Mastercard^®
Various AT&T co-branded cards

Remember that if you have multiple Citi cards, you can combine your ThankYou points and transfer them from the account with the best transfer options.

Best Ways to Use This Transfer Bonus

While Turkish Airlines has devalued its program in recent years, several sweet spots remain that become even more attractive with this 50% transfer bonus. Here are some of the best redemption opportunities:

1. Turkish Airlines Business Class to Istanbul

Standard price: 65,000 Miles&Smiles miles one-way
With 50% bonus: Only 44,000 Citi ThankYou points needed
Value: Excellent for experiencing Turkish Airlines’ renowned business class service
Availability: Generally good, especially when booking in advance

Turkish Airlines offers an exceptional business class product, particularly on their Boeing 787 Dreamliners, featuring lie-flat seats, excellent catering, and access to their spectacular business class lounge in Istanbul. At just 44,000 Citi points with this transfer bonus, this represents one of the best values for reaching Europe or connecting to destinations beyond.

2. United Airlines Economy to Hawaii

Standard price: 10,000 Miles&Smiles miles one-way
With 50% bonus: Only 7,000 Citi ThankYou points needed
Value: Exceptional for domestic Hawaii travel
Availability: Can be limited; flexibility helps

This remains one of the absolute best deals in the award travel world. At just 7,000 Citi points for a one-way economy ticket to Hawaii on United Airlines, you’re getting tremendous value compared to other programs that charge 20,000+ miles for the same routes.

3. United Polaris Business Class to Hawaii

Standard price: 15,000 Miles&Smiles miles one-way
With 50% bonus: Only 10,000 Citi ThankYou points needed
Value: Extraordinary, if you can find availability
Availability: Very limited; requires persistence and flexibility

This is perhaps the single best premium cabin award value available, though availability is extremely scarce. At just 10,000 Citi points for a business class ticket to Hawaii, you’re looking at a value of potentially 10+ cents per point.

4. United Transcontinental Business Class

Standard price: 15,000 Miles&Smiles miles one-way
With 50% bonus: Only 10,000 Citi ThankYou points needed
Value: Excellent for premium domestic travel
Availability: Limited but possible with flexibility

For transcontinental routes featuring United’s premium Polaris business class service (such as between Newark/New York and Los Angeles/San Francisco), this represents an outstanding value at just 10,000 Citi points one-way.

5. Star Alliance Business Class to Europe

Standard price: 85,000 Miles&Smiles miles one-way (Europe Region 1)
With 50% bonus: 57,000 Citi ThankYou points needed
Value: Good, especially for specific European destinations
Availability: Varies by partner airline and route

Turkish Airlines divides Europe into two regions, with Region 1 including countries like Greece, Hungary, and Croatia. While not the absolute best value in the program, 57,000 Citi points for business class to Europe is still competitive with other programs.

Important Considerations

Before transferring your valuable Citi ThankYou points to Turkish Airlines, keep these important factors in mind:

Miles Expiration Policy

Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles has one of the stricter expiration policies among major frequent flyer programs. Miles expire after 36 months from the date they’re earned, regardless of account activity. There’s no way to extend this expiration through additional activity, so only transfer points if you have specific redemption plans within this timeframe.

Booking Challenges

The Turkish Airlines website and booking system can be frustrating to use. Partner award availability doesn’t always display correctly online, and you may need to call or visit a ticket office to book certain awards. Be prepared for potential technical difficulties and have alternative redemption plans in mind.

Per-Segment Pricing

Turkish Airlines now prices awards on its own metal on a per-segment basis, meaning connecting itineraries will cost more than direct flights. This is particularly important to consider for complex routings through Istanbul, as each segment will be priced separately.

Partner Award Availability

While the sweet spots on United and other Star Alliance partners offer tremendous value, availability can be limited, especially for premium cabins and popular routes. Be flexible with dates and consider alternative airports to maximize your chances of finding availability.

How to Transfer Citi Points to Turkish Airlines

If you’re ready to take advantage of this promotion, follow these steps:

Ensure you have a Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles account (sign up on the Turkish Airlines website if needed)
Log in to your Citi ThankYou account at thankyou.com
Navigate to “More Ways to Redeem” and select “Points Transfer”
Select Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles from the list of partners
Link your Miles&Smiles account if you haven’t already done so
Enter the number of points you wish to transfer (minimum 1,000)
Confirm the transfer

The bonus will be automatically applied, and you should see the miles in your Turkish Airlines account within 24 hours in most cases, though it can occasionally take up to 5 business days.

Bottom Line

The 50% transfer bonus from Citi ThankYou to Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles represents a rare opportunity to access some truly exceptional award values. For travelers planning to fly Turkish Airlines business class to Istanbul or looking to book one of the program’s sweet spots on United Airlines, this promotion offers substantial savings.

However, given the expiration policy and booking complexities, this isn’t a transfer to make speculatively. Ideally, you should have specific redemption plans in mind and confirm availability before transferring your points.

If you have eligible Citi cards and travel plans that align with Turkish Airlines’ strengths, this 50% bonus is definitely worth considering before it expires on October 18, 2025. Just be sure to understand the program’s quirks and limitations before committing your valuable ThankYou points.

Compare

Citi Strata Elite℠ Card

CitibankCiti ThankYou

Annual fee: $595
Our valuation: $1,520Milesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$1,520Total$1,520Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
Welcome offer: 80,000 points

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do Turkish Airlines miles remain valid?

Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles miles expire 36 months after they are earned, regardless of account activity. Unlike many other frequent flyer programs, there is no way to extend this expiration through additional earning or redemption activity. This strict expiration policy is an important consideration before transferring points, especially if you don’t have immediate travel plans. Only transfer the amount you’re confident you can use within this timeframe to avoid losing miles to expiration.

How do I find and book award flights using Turkish Airlines miles?

To search for and book award flights with Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles:

1. Visit the Turkish Airlines website and log in to your Miles&Smiles account
2. Select “Award Tickets” when searching for flights
3. Enter your origin, destination, dates, and preferred cabin
4. Review available options and select your preferred flights

For Star Alliance partner awards (like United Airlines flights to Hawaii), you may need to call Turkish Airlines or visit a ticket office if the flights don’t appear online. The Turkish Airlines website can be temperamental when displaying partner availability. For best results, search segment by segment and be prepared to try multiple times or contact Turkish Airlines directly if you encounter difficulties.

Can I combine ThankYou points from multiple Citi cards for this transfer?

Yes, you can combine ThankYou points from multiple Citi cards before transferring to Turkish Airlines. This is particularly useful if you have both premium cards eligible for the full 50% bonus and other cards that only receive the 5% bonus. To combine points:

1. Log in to your Citi ThankYou account
2. Select “More Ways to Redeem” and then “Points Sharing”
3. Choose the option to combine points between your accounts
4. Select the source and destination accounts
5. Enter the amount of points to transfer

Once combined, initiate the transfer to Turkish Airlines from the account that offers the best transfer ratio (typically your premium card account). Remember that points sharing between different cardholders is limited and has different rules than combining points between your own cards.

How does Turkish Airlines price award tickets on partner airlines?

Turkish Airlines uses a region-based award chart for Star Alliance partner flights, which is different from how it prices its own flights. For partner awards:

• Pricing is based on the origin and destination regions, not distance
• One-way awards are available at half the round-trip price
• Mixed-cabin awards are possible but priced at the higher cabin level
• Stopovers are permitted on round-trip awards for an additional 5,000 miles

For example, all flights within the continental US and Canada fall into the North America region, which is why flights from anywhere in the US to Hawaii cost just 10,000 miles in economy or 15,000 miles in business class one-way. This region-based pricing creates several sweet spots in the program, particularly for domestic US travel on United Airlines and transatlantic travel on Star Alliance carriers.

Are there any fuel surcharges when booking with Turkish Airlines miles?

Yes, Turkish Airlines does pass on fuel surcharges for award tickets, but the amount varies significantly depending on the airline and route:

• Turkish Airlines’ own flights: Moderate fuel surcharges apply
• United Airlines: No fuel surcharges on domestic US flights (including Hawaii)
• Lufthansa: High fuel surcharges, especially for premium cabins
• SWISS and Austrian: Moderate to high fuel surcharges
• Air Canada: Moderate fuel surcharges

This is why United Airlines awards represent such good value—not only are the mileage requirements low, but you also avoid significant fuel surcharges. When booking Turkish Airlines’ own flights, expect to pay approximately $200-300 in taxes and fees for a one-way business class award between the US and Istanbul, which is reasonable compared to some other programs.

Can I transfer points to someone else’s Turkish Airlines account?

No, you cannot transfer Citi ThankYou points directly to someone else’s Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles account. Points transfers must be made to an account in the same name as the Citi ThankYou account holder. However, there are a few workarounds:

1. You can book award tickets for family members or friends using your own Miles&Smiles account
2. Turkish Airlines allows family pooling of miles through their Family Program
3. You could transfer ThankYou points to your own Miles&Smiles account and then use the Turkish Airlines miles sharing feature (though fees apply)

If you’re looking to book travel for others, the simplest approach is to transfer your ThankYou points to your own Miles&Smiles account and then book the award ticket for your companion directly through your account.