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Citi launches direct point transfers to American Airlines AAdvantage program

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Citi launches direct point transfers to American Airlines AAdvantage program
Research
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Clint Henderson Managing editor | The Points Guy

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."

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Scott Long, American's senior vice president of AAdvantage, hinted at future developments: "This is a rethinking of what we can do as partners, and a new partnership to go broader and deeper than we have before," he said. "We think there's more that we can do, but this is an exciting first step."

Previously, JetBlue was Citi's only U.S. airline transfer partner. This meant that Citi cardholders wishing to redeem points for flights on American had to use Oneworld alliance partners like Cathay Pacific or Qatar Airways.

The announcement marks a shift in partnerships for American Airlines as it previously did not have a credit card transfer partner among major U.S. banks after ending its brief tie-up with Bilt Rewards over a year ago.

Citi and American Airlines have had a long-standing relationship through various co-branded cards over several decades. This latest collaboration enhances their ties by offering additional benefits and options for travelers who frequently fly with American Airlines.

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