The best ways to use 150,000 Citi Rewards points

If you have a Citi Rewards credit card, you’ll earn points for all your eligible spending. You could also get thousands of bonus points when you sign up for a new Citi Rewards card with an introductory offer.

You can then use your points for a variety of rewards that range from travel and frequent flyer points to shopping, gift cards and cashback. If you’re wondering what your points are worth in dollars, you can use this guide to see what options you’d have with 150,000 Citi Rewards points in your account.

How can I use 150,000 Citi Rewards points?

• Frequent flyer points
• Travel
• Shopping
• Gift cards and cash

Frequent flyer points

If you have a Citi Rewards, Premier or Prestige credit card, you can transfer points to your Virgin Australia Velocity, Emirates Skywards or Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer frequent flyer account. Point transfers are also available if you have an existing Citi Rewards Gold Visa or CitiBusiness card. The transfer rates vary depending on the Citi card you have, but to give you a basic idea, the key details for Platinum or Gold cards are:

• Transfer rates. With Velocity, every 2.5 Citi Rewards points = 1 Velocity Point. With both Emirates Skywards and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, the transfer rate is 3 Citi Rewards points for 1 frequent flyer mile. Note that if you have a Citi Prestige or Premier credit cards, the exchange rates may be different. For example, the transfer rate to Velocity with either of these cards is 2 Citi Rewards points for 1 Velocity Point.
• No minimum transfer amount. While some credit card reward programs require a minimum number of points before you can convert them to frequent flyer rewards, there is no lower or upper limit through Citi Rewards.
• Eligible frequent flyer accounts. You can only transfer your Citi Rewards points to a Velocity, Skywards or KrisFlyer account that’s also in your name.
• Transfer times. While your Citi Rewards points will be taken from your account as soon as you successfully complete the redemption process, it may take up to 28 days before they land in your frequent flyer account.

How many frequent flyer points can I get with 150,000 Citi Rewards points?

These examples are based on the conversion rates for Citi Platinum cardholders (or existing Gold cardholders) as of 1 April 2019. Log in to the Citi Rewards website for current transfer details based on your card and frequent flyer program.

Based on these conversion rates, you’d have enough Velocity Points for a one-way economy flight from Melbourne to Los Angeles (from 44,800 points) or a return premium economy flight from Sydney to New Zealand (from 53,400 points).

Alternatively, 50,000 Skywards Miles could get you a one-way business class flight from Perth to Singapore with Qantas – which costs a total of 50,000 Skywards Miles for a flight with a QF booking code when you use the “Plan & Book” feature on the Emirates website. Meanwhile, 50,000 KrisFlyer Miles could get you a return economy flight from Australia to Singapore with Singapore Airlines (from 40,000 KrisFlyer Miles depending on which Australian capital city you fly from).

Travel

You can redeem your points for flights, accommodation, cruises, car hire and travel packages booked through the Citi Rewards website or by phoning Citi on 13 24 84. This service is provided by Connexions Loyalty Travel and in some cases a booking fee or other additional charges may apply.

As travel booking prices and details are customisable, there are no public details of how many points you’d need for specific types of bookings. So you’ll need to log in to your Citi Rewards account to find out how far your points can take you with this option.

Travel gift cards

The Citi Rewards website also gives you the option of using points to get travel-related digital gift cards. While the dollar values and points may vary, here are some examples of gift cards that were available on the Citi Rewards website in April 2019:

^{*Points and items based on citirewards.com search results from 1 April 2019.}

Based on these details, you could redeem 150,000 Citi Rewards points for around $700 worth of digital gift cards from any of these brands. Although it’s worth noting you would have to redeem several gift cards to make up this value.

For example, if you wanted $700 worth of Flight Centre gift cards, you’d need to redeem one $500 gift card for 104,200 points and two $100 gift cards for 20,900 points each. All up, that works out to be 146,000 points for $700 value over three separate Flight Centre gift cards.

Shopping and merchandise

The Citi Rewards website has a variety of items you can redeem with your points, with categories including apparel, kitchen appliances, electronics and even musical instruments. As with any retail store, the stock and prices will vary, so log in to your account to see details of what’s available when you want to redeem your Citi Rewards points.

Gift cards, cashback and charity donations

The Citi Rewards website offers a range of digital gift card options, with brands such as Coles Myer, Bunnings Warehouse, David Jones, iTunes and Woolworths WISH. You can also use your points for cashback on your account, an annual fee credit or a donation to a charity.

As with other rewards on the website, the point values may vary between individual accounts, so you’ll need to log in to see what’s available to you. But to give you some idea of how far 150,000 points would go, here are a few options listed on the Citi Rewards website on 1 April 2019:

• $500 David Jones eGift card: From 104,200 points.
• Platinum card annual fee: From 79,600 points.
• $100 Red Cross donation: From 16,700 points.

What else do I need to know about using 150,000 Citi Rewards points?

To make the most of your Citi Rewards points, keep these details in mind:

• Availability. The different rewards available can vary. Make sure you log in to your Citi Rewards account to see the current options available to you.
• Point value. Each reward has a different dollar value. Make sure you factor this in to your redemption so that you can get the most value from your rewards.
• Points Plus Pay. Citi Rewards gives you the option of using a combination of points and cash for some rewards, such as travel bookings made directly through Citi Rewards. You’ll be able to see when this option is available by logging in to your account and browsing rewards before making a redemption.
• Point expiry. Citi Rewards points don’t expire, so you can save them up for specific rewards that you want.
• Credit card costs. Remember to weigh the cost of your card against the value of rewards. Ideally, the value you get from rewards should be worth more than the annual fee and any interest charges.
• Bonus point requirements. If you want a Citi Rewards credit card that offers introductory bonus points, make sure you meet the requirements. This typically includes meeting a minimum spend requirement in the first few months you have the card, for example, $3,000 in the first three months.

With so many different ways to use Citi Rewards points, the “best” option will depend on your individual circumstances. But you can look at the dollar value of different rewards to help you weigh up your options. Just remember to log in to your Citi Rewards account so you can find the most accurate details.Pictures: ShutterstockBack to top