Citi ThankYou Points now has another transfer option: TYP can be transferred to Virgin America (VX) Elevate points at a 2:1 ratio.
Transfer bonus deal
Even better, if you transfer by October 21, there is an extra 25% bonus, so 1000 TYP points can be converted into 625 Virgin America miles.
Virgin America award tickets are priced based on the cash ticket price, and each mile is worth 2.2 cents. In other words, transferring TYP to VX right now gives you a value of 1.375 cents/point. While that is not as high as the 1.6 cents/point you can get when redeeming through Prestige for AA, it is still a decent deal for those who do not have Prestige and may have a chance to fly Virgin America. That said, it is not especially amazing, because TYP can also be used directly to buy VX tickets at 1.25 cents/point. VX points can also be used for partner airline awards, which are priced based on flight distance, but those redemptions may come with hefty fuel surcharges (YQ), so be careful before transferring points. If you can find an award option with relatively low fuel surcharges, this could be a very worthwhile use.
Summary: Transferring TYP to Virgin America
If you need to fly VX soon, and you cannot use your TYP for higher value elsewhere, you can consider transferring some now. Later on, the transfer value will drop to just 1.1 cents/point. Based on Citi’s recent moves, it is not impossible that more transfer partners could be added in the future. Given the relationship between Citi and AA, many people are hoping for the day when TYP can be transferred to AA.
Have you transferred points today? Leave your thoughts in the comments.