Citi launches direct point transfers to American Airlines AAdvantage program

Citi has announced a significant partnership with American Airlines, allowing 1:1 point transfers from its ThankYou Rewards program to the airline's AAdvantage loyalty program. This makes Citi the only card issuer offering direct transfers to American Airlines, one of the three largest U.S. airlines. The points transfer feature became available on Sunday.

This development coincides with the launch of Citi's new premium-tier credit card, the Citi Strata Elite Card. The card includes annual day passes to American Airlines' Admirals Club network as part of its benefits. These lounge passes are exclusive to the Strata Elite Card, but holders of other cards like the Citi Strata Premier and Citi Prestige can also transfer their ThankYou Rewards points to American.

Pam Habner, Citi's head of U.S. branded cards and lending, expressed enthusiasm about this partnership: "I think that we have always desired a major airline point transfer partner, and of course it would only be with American, so we're delighted that we've come to the conclusion that customers will value this."