Published: August 26, 2025 | Reading Time: 8 minutes

Here's some great news that just landed: Citi has quietly expanded its American Airlines AAdvantage transfer partnership to include no-annual-fee cards. This means you can now transfer ThankYou points to American Airlines even if you're not ready to pay an annual fee—though there's a catch we'll explain.

What Just Changed?

As of August 25, 2025, Citi expanded AAdvantage transfers beyond just their premium cards. Here's the complete breakdown:

Cards with 1:1 Transfer Ratio (No Change)

• Citi Strata Elite℠ Card - New premium card with Admirals Club passes
• Citi Strata Premier® Card - The workhorse travel card at $95 annual fee
• Citi Prestige® Card - No longer available to new applicants

NEW: Cards with 1:0.7 Transfer Ratio

• Citi Double Cash® Card - No annual fee
• Citi Custom Cash℠ Card - No annual fee
• Citi Strata℠ Card - No annual fee
• Citi Rewards+® Student Card - No annual fee

The 1:0.7 ratio means you'll get 700 AAdvantage miles for every 1,000 ThankYou points transferred. It's not as generous as the 1:1 ratio, but it's still valuable access to American's program.

Why This Matters for Your Points Strategy

American Airlines just became the only major U.S. airline with a direct credit card transfer partner. Neither Delta (despite its Amex partnership) nor United (despite its Chase partnership) offer direct transfers from flexible points currencies to their programs.

This development is particularly significant because AAdvantage miles are worth 1.55 cents each in TPG's August 2025 valuations, versus United MileagePlus miles at 1.3 cents and Delta SkyMiles at 1.2 cents. If you want to understand how this stacks up against other programs, check out our complete guide to American Express transfer partners for comparison.

The Competitive Landscape

Previously, if you wanted to redeem flexible points for American flights, you had to:

• Transfer to Oneworld partners like British Airways, Qatar Airways, or Cathay Pacific
• Book through your card's travel portal at lower redemption values
• Pay cash and miss out on award availability

Now you can transfer directly to AAdvantage and access American's entire route network plus all Oneworld partner awards.

How the Transfer Process Works

In our testing, points transfers from Citi's ThankYou Rewards program to the American Airlines AAdvantage program occurred instantly. Citi states transfers are "often completed within 24 hours, however, the process may take up to 5 business days."

Here's what you need to know:

• Minimum transfer: 1,000 points
• Transfer increments: 1,000 points
• Maximum: No limit
• Transfer fees: None
• Reversible: No—transfers are permanent

Best Ways to Use This New Option

For No-Fee Cardholders

Even with the 1:0.7 ratio, you're getting excellent value. Consider these sweet spots:

Domestic Economy Awards

• Off-peak domestic flights: 7,500 miles (about 10,700 ThankYou points)
• Standard domestic flights: 12,500-20,000 miles

International Sweet Spots

• Japan Airlines business class to Tokyo: 60,000 miles (about 85,700 ThankYou points)
• British Airways business class to Europe: 57,500 miles (about 82,100 ThankYou points)

To find award availability for these routes, tools like Expert Flyer can be invaluable for tracking down the best redemption opportunities.

Combining Cards Strategy

Here's a smart approach: pair a no-fee earning card with a premium card for transfers:

1. Earn with Citi Custom Cash (5x on rotating categories) or Double Cash (2x everything)
2. Transfer those points to your Citi Strata Premier account
3. Redeem at the full 1:1 ratio to AAdvantage

You can combine ThankYou points across cards on the same login, making this strategy seamless. For a deeper dive into maximizing your Citi earning potential, our Citi Trifecta guide shows how to earn 2-10x points on virtually every purchase.

How This Compares to Competition

vs. Chase Ultimate Rewards

• Chase advantage: Better hotel partners (Hyatt, Marriott)
• Citi advantage: Direct access to American Airlines
• Verdict: Depends on whether you prioritize flights or hotels

vs. Amex Membership Rewards

• Amex advantage: More premium airline partners, better transfer bonuses
• Citi advantage: American Airlines access, lower entry point (no-fee cards)
• Verdict: Citi wins for American Airlines loyalists

vs. Capital One Miles

• Capital One advantage: 1:1 transfers to most partners regardless of card
• Citi advantage: Better earning rates on specific categories
• Verdict: Capital One more straightforward, Citi potentially higher earning

If you're considering Capital One as an alternative, the Capital One Venture X Rewards offers 2x miles on everything with excellent travel benefits, though without direct American Airlines transfers.

The Cards to Consider

For Premium Benefits: Citi Strata Elite℠ Card

The newest addition comes with compelling American Airlines perks:

• 4 Annual Admirals Club Passes (valued at $300+)
• $200 Annual Splurge Credit (can be used on American Airlines purchases)
• 1:1 AAdvantage transfers
• Premium earning rates

For Value: Citi Strata Premier® Card

At just $95 annually, this card punches above its weight:

• 60,000 point welcome bonus after $4,000 spend
• 3x on gas stations, supermarkets, restaurants, air travel, and hotels
• 1:1 transfers to all 17 airline partners
• $100 hotel credit annually

For No Annual Fee: Citi Double Cash® Card

The simplest approach:

• 2% back on everything (1% when you buy, 1% when you pay)
• No annual fee ever
• Access to AAdvantage transfers at 1:0.7 ratio

For more detailed strategies on maximizing your ThankYou points earning and redemption, check out our comprehensive Citi ThankYou Points guide.

Real-World Example: Tokyo Business Class

Let's say you want to book American Airlines' partner Japan Airlines in business class from Los Angeles to Tokyo (80,000 AAdvantage miles):

With 1:1 cards: Transfer 80,000 ThankYou points
With 1:0.7 cards: Transfer 114,300 ThankYou points

Even with the reduced ratio, you're getting tremendous value compared to paying cash (often $4,000-6,000 for this route). If you don't find availability through American directly, you can also book through Expedia for comparison, though you'll miss out on the award space that's only available to AAdvantage members.

For tracking award availability across multiple dates and routes, consider using Point.Me to search American and partner availability simultaneously.

What's Next for Citi?

This expansion suggests Citi is serious about competing with Chase and Amex in the transferable points space. American Airlines confirmed that those Barclays co-branded products will be phased out by next year, eventually leaving Citi as the sole issuer.

We wouldn't be surprised to see:

• Transfer bonuses to AAdvantage in the coming months
• Additional American Airlines perks on Citi cards
• More aggressive welcome bonuses to compete with Chase and Amex

Should You Make the Switch?

This development makes Citi ThankYou points significantly more attractive, especially if you:

• Fly American Airlines or Oneworld partners regularly
• Live near an American Airlines hub
• Want access to American's award availability without going through partners
• Prefer having both premium and no-fee card options

However, stick with your current setup if:

• You're heavily invested in Chase or Amex ecosystems
• You primarily fly Delta or United
• Hotel points are more valuable for your travel style

For those interested in the broader points and miles landscape, our American Express retention offers guide shows how to maximize value from existing cards before making any switches.

The Bottom Line

Citi's expansion of American Airlines transfers to no-fee cards is a win for everyone. Premium cardholders get access to the most valuable U.S. airline program, while no-fee cardholders get a taste of what transferable points can offer.

Even with the reduced 1:0.7 ratio on no-fee cards, you're accessing award availability that often beats cash prices by thousands of dollars. For anyone considering the points and miles game, this makes Citi a much more compelling option than it was just weeks ago.

Our recommendation: If you're new to points and miles, consider starting with the Capital One VentureOne Rewards for no-fee flexibility, or jump into the Citi ecosystem with their Double Cash for earning and potentially adding the Strata Premier for full transfer ratios as you get more comfortable.

The competition between Chase, Amex, and Citi just got a lot more interesting—and that's great news for all of us trying to maximize our travel rewards. To dive deeper into Citi's travel booking options beyond transfers, check out our Citi Travel Portal guide.

This post contains affiliate links. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products, though this never affects our recommendations or editorial content.