Helping Reader Utilize Citi Thank You Points for Flights to Europe

Now and again, I like to feature questions from readers. So, without further ado, here is an email I got a few days ago (names have been removed):

“I’ve been following your blog for a couple of years now.  I’ve been doing some miles and points travel since 2015– but only domestically.  However, next year, my husband, daughter and I would like to travel to Europe.

We would have to travel in June after school gets out. I’m  at a loss of how to even start with the flights. We normally just drive or take Southwest domestically.

I’m not sure I even have the right miles to make this trip?

Anyway here’s what we would like to do:

Start:  London or Paris- 3 nights

Normandy- One night   

End: London or Paris- 3 nights

Anytime in the month of June would work– my husband would love to be in Normandy on June 6th, but we know that may not be possible.

He and I are both over 5/24.

We currently have the following points stash (it is lean).

1- 130k Thank you points (I know very little about this program– I just signed up in case we wanted to take a cruise, but I’d rather go to Europe.  I finally got my husband to agree.)

2- 25k Marriott points

3- 125k Hilton points– or will once we finish minimum spend.

Do you have any advice for me?  I’ve never tried to use points for anything except a domestic flight.”

Tackling the most difficult part first: flights

In this post I won’t be focusing on Marriott or Hilton options because it will be easy to see what’s available via respective websites. Things are a bit trickier when it comes to flights.

So, this is the thinking process I personally go through when booking my own tickets with flexible points, applied to this reader’s situation.

1) Find the most direct/convenient route from my departure airport as well as airline that flies it.

Something that  reader hasn’t mentioned to me in the initial email is where in US they happen  to  live. This is critical in determining the best options. She followed up and said they plan to fly from Charlotte (AA hub), the nearest international airport. Ok, that means that American Airlines will be the airline of choice if they want direct flights to/from London and Paris.

2) Check revenue cost of flights.

Citi Thank You points can be used for revenue flights which you can book through their travel portal. This is the simplest and often the best way to book economy airfare since you get 1.25 cents per point. Over the recent years, the cost of flights to Europe has plummeted due to pressure from several low-cost carriers. See my related post where I interviewed one of my relatives who flew to Iceland for $200 roundtrip.

However, the price will vary depending on US airport since not all are served by low-cost carriers. Sure, you can book a positioning flight, but then you risk missing your connection or waste a day if you choose to overnight. As this reader has pointed out, June airfares from Charlotte to London, and out of Paris  currently cost quite a bit. And indeed, a simple Kayak search proves it:

Even if you are willing to make two connections, it will still cost you over 1k per person. Ouch! Airfares do tend to come down  few months before the departure, but there is no guarantee. Charlotte isn’t a major city like New York (which has a ton of competition).

3) Check mileage programs and compare cost/transfer time/ease of redemption. 

In this post I won’t be focusing on free stopover rules etc., since my goal is to keep it as simple as possible.

Citi Thank You program partners with the following programs:

VIRGIN ATLANTIC FLYING CLUB

TRUEBLUE

ASIA MILES

AVIANCA LIFEMILES

ETIHAD GUEST

EVA AIR

GARUDA INDONESIA

JETPRIVILEGE

MALAYSIA AIRLINES ENRICH

QANTAS FREQUENT FLYER

QATAR PRIVILEGE CLUB

SINGAPORE AIRLINES

THAI ROYAL ORCHID PLUS

TURKISH AIRLINES MILES & SMILES

With all of these programs, 1,000 points transfer to 1,000 miles. Correction: reader Audrey has reminded me that Jet Blue has a transfer ratio of 1000:800, at least till September 13th. At that time the transfer ratio via Premier Card will be 1000:1000.

Occasionally, Citi runs a transfer bonus, as is the case with Virgin Atlantic where through October 13th, you can get 1,300 miles. Unfortunately, Virgin Atlantic doesn’t fly to London from Charlotte, so we will ignore it for now.

Our task is to come up with a way to book American Airlines flight via one of Citi Thank You partners. The goal is to find the lowest price, but also a program that won’t make you jump through too many hoops. Keep in mind, partners can only book American Airlines operated flight as long as sAAver award is available via AA.com Let’s take a look.

When searching AA.com for sAAver availability, make sure to uncheck “British Airways” because those flights come with huge fuel surcharges.

There is quite a bit of availability to London, but what about Paris-Charlotte leg?

Most of the return flights I’ve found unfortunately have a connection. Also, keep in mind that flying Iberia will involve a mild fuel surcharge, but it’s nothing compared to British Airways. So, yes, there is some sAAver availability on our dates, and there are even non-stop fights to London available.

On to finding AA partner airlines. I’ve narrowed down my search to three programs: Qantas, Etihad Guest and Asia Miles. All three allow you to redeem miles on AA-operated flights. Now it’s time to check the cost. Both Etihad Guest and Qantas charge 30k miles one-way for economy AA flight from Charlotte to London or Paris. Qantas chart is based on mileage between cities, and you can easily determine it on GCMAP.com

You can (usually) book AA flights on Qantas.com, but you have to call Etihad Guest. See this guide on using Qantas points for booking  partner awards online

Ok, Etihad is out, on to Asia Miles program. Asia Miles has changed its chart, where many premium seats have gotten more expensive. See the current award chart Economy redemptions didn’t take a huge hit, though, and in some cases have gotten cheaper. Asia Miles program is a bit of a maze, as they have separate charts for different partners. You can use this calculator for American Airlines. Once you plug in the airports, this is the price for one-way ticket:

 Asia Miles program usually calculates the mileage rate based on the distance between originating airport and final destination. In other words, unlike Avios, they don’t price per leg.

Be aware, according to many reports, Asia Miles reps aren’t well versed in their own program. My reader Seth has mentioned to me that he was quoted a rate of 50k miles for one-way economy ticket from New York to Europe. This is definitely incorrect, so you may have to call back. I think the agent was referring to a roundtrip flight, but who knows.

Still, the rate of 25k miles is the lowest out of the three programs. If you book roundtrip tickets for three people, it will save you a total of 30k miles, a substantial amount. But what about transfer times? According to this post on ThePointsGuy blog, it takes 24 hours, which isn’t bad. Then again, this is Citi we are talking about.

According to my research, Asia Miles will put your award on hold as long as you have 70% of required miles in your account. This is worrisome because American sAAver availability can disappear in the meantime. In addition, Asia Miles expire three years after they are earned, regardless of activity.

Fortunately, our reader has mentioned that she has some flexibility in her schedule. Still, I recommend you call and ask Asia Miles rep nicely to put the seats on hold without having miles. Of course, first make sure to sign up for their frequent flyer program. To book your award ticket on American, you will have to call Asia Miles US support center at 1866 892 2598

4) Looking for ways to quickly top up your account if short on miles/points.

In this case, the reader has 130k Citi Thank You points. Assuming she decides to take a chance on Asia Miles, she will need 150k miles for three roundtrip tickets. She currently has 130k points. She could consider buying 20k points. You can do so  by calling Citi (used to be able to do it online):

It would cost her $500, which is a lot. But one-way tickets from Europe to US can be expensive, so this is most likely the best way to lock in the redemption if she wants to fly American. Asia Miles partners with Amex Membership Rewards program, so that’s another possibility to top up an account.

Of course, you can also apply for a credit card and hope that award availability will be there when your bonus posts. But that’s risky. Speaking of Asia Miles, according to DoC  there is a co-branded credit card out there from a somewhat obscure bank, which currently offers 40k miles after spending $2k.

5) Consider other alternatives.

The whole reason I’ve focused on American flights was due to non-stop route from Charlotte to London and Paris. If this reader can’t book it, then perhaps it’s best to look at other options. Earlier, I’ve mentioned a transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic, which is worth looking into. Usually, flying to London (not from) is better due to lower taxes. However, even originating in London could be worth it, depending on where you live. Here is the price for next June for three passengers flying to Newark:

 

Due to transfer bonus, you would pay 23k Citi Thank You points, plus $800 all-in. For three tickets during high season this ain’t bad. Obviously, this option will work best if you actually need to fly from London to Newark, but still.

Air France Flying Blue could be a decent choice if you are originating  in Paris, so that’s another possible alternative. Price will vary, but in general, you should expect to pay at least 25k miles one-way (plus taxes and fuel surcharges) unless there is a promotion. You can  redeem Flying Blue as well as Virgin Atlantic miles on Delta flights.

Bottom line

Dealing with miles, especially when you are redeeming on partners, requires work. There is just no way around it. Often you will have to navigate a maze of a foreign calling center and deal with folks who speak less than stellar English. But that’s the tradeoff if you don’t want to pay $1,700 per person. Alternatively, you can look into using award booking service who will do the work for you for about $100 per person.

Personally, I think anyone with a reasonable intelligence and decent level of patience can do it on their own. Google is your friend, but feel free to shoot me an email if you are confused. Keep in mind, I will be happy to give you (free) general advice, but I will not make calls for you or search specific dates. I have a blog to run and family to take care of. 🙂

I also assume no responsibility if award seats disappear by the time the miles show up in your account. This game comes with risks, and you need to fully understand them before you take the leap. If all goes well, you’ll hopefully have your flights to Europe (or other place) booked via miles and save a ton of money in the process.

P.S. Citi Thank You Premier card currently offers a 60k points bonus, highest ever. The card does pay us commission if you wish to support the blog. Posts like these take an enormous amount of time to write, so by using our affiliate links (at no cost to you), you motivate Nancy and me to keep at it. Thank you for your support!

Click here to view various credit cards and available sign-up bonuses