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Citi has a really great list of transfer partners and what I believe to be the most underrated card on the market, the Citi Thank You Premier. Citi just added Choice Hotels as a transfer partner with a 1:2 transfer ratio.
If you’re like me, odds are, when you hear the name Choice hotels, the likes of Quality Inn, Comfort Suites, etc come to mind. Great budget minded hotels, but the thought of getting pampered silly isn’t synonymous with the brand. That’s where we are both a bit wrong. While the overall hotel chain isn’t taking the luxury hotel market head on, their points program actually does an excellent job of opening up high end redemption options through their partnership with Preferred hotels.
Choice Hotels and Preferred Hotels:
If you’re unfamiliar with Preferred hotels, they are a collection of independent luxury hotels ( some 650+ ) around the world. Choice…allows the usage of their points for redemption. VOILA!
Redemptions I’d be interested in via Preferred hotels:
The 1:2 redemption option actually makes redemptions like this an interesting proposition. Many of these are 45k and 55k redemptions which translates to just 22.5k and 27.5k Citi Points per night. Properties like Montage, Sherry Netherland, Kahala, would usually provide values well in excess of 2 pennies a point. Definitely something to at least consider going forward.
Montage rarely drops below $595 a night – with this deal you could have it as low as $265
Ojai Valley Inn is a Hollywood fave located in Santa Barbara Wine Country. Rates regularly fetch $500+
Easily one of the most Iconic hotels in all of America and around the corner from BoardingArea’s HQ!
The Jefferson has one of the best locations in the city and rates regularly push upwards of $500 a night
A drop dead gorgeous hotel located in Hana ( formerly the Hotel Hana) where rates normally crack $400 +
The Brown for $125 a night is a steal.
The Grand Dame of New Orleans where rates regularly start at $400 a night
Another fanastic hotel in a great location. $265 is a steal for the Boston Harbor Hotel
One of the most famous hotels in New York. On my bucket list to stay at and may be one of the reasons I’d purchase. Rates typically start at $450+
Overall
This requires a higher level of point savviness because you’d need to understand that Choice is partnered with Preferred hotels, search on their website to find award avail, and then call Choice to book. Most people will never think of this redemption, and if you’re reading this you’re ahead of the curve. For those that understand this technique, the ability to redeem Citi Thank You points for luxurious Preferred hotels will find a valuable redemption option in the future.
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex® and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
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