If you hold the Citi Strata Premier and transfer ThankYou Points to hotel loyalty programs, there’s an unwelcome change coming to Hotel Transfer and point values.
Citi has announced a devaluation of ThankYou Points transfers to Choice Privileges and I Prefer, effective April 19, 2026. While the notice arrived via a routine “program update” email, the math tells a different story: fewer hotel points for the same number of Citi points. Your points tomorrow are worth less than today.
As usual, the impact will be felt most by travelers who actually use their points strategically via point transfers rather than hoarding them for some vague future redemption or via Citi’s own portal.
What’s Changing
Today, Citi still offers unusually strong transfer ratios to two hotel programs, which is quite night given how expensive hotel point redemptions can be.
Here’s how things look right now, through April 18, 2026:
- 1,000 ThankYou Points → 2,000 Choice Privileges® points
- 1,000 ThankYou Points → 4,000 I Prefer points
But starting April 19, the ratios drop hard:
- 1,000 ThankYou Points → 1,500 Choice Privileges® points
- 1,000 ThankYou Points → 2,000 I Prefer points
That’s a 25% cut to Choice transfers and a 50% devaluation for I Prefer transfers.
No added flexibility. No new partners. Just ThankYou points worth less.
Transferring Points to Hotels. Smart or?
I will always argue that of points to hotels are rarely the best use of transferable points. But in certain situations they can still make sense. Personally I think it makes more sense to use 80-100K points for a 1 way business class ticket which can easily cost $3000+. Then again, hotels are only getting more expensive post pandemic. For some, this is how they travel or indulge
Choice points can be incredibly valuable in specific markets:
- High-end Nordic and Japanese properties under the Ascend and Preferred umbrellas
- Seasonal European hotels where cash rates spike to $500+ especially in the summer
- Some surprisingly solid independent properties that don’t play the dynamic pricing game nearly as hard as Hilton or Marriott
Until now, Citi’s 2:1 transfer to Choice made these redemptions compelling. Slashing that ratio to 1.5:1 meaningfully erodes the value proposition, especially when competitors like Chase and Amex already undervalue hotel transfers.
The I Prefer devaluation is even harder to justify. While I Prefer has niche appeal (mostly small luxury and boutique properties), cutting transfer value by half effectively relegates it to “only in emergencies” status.
Point Devaluation are Commong.
We see this across hotel and airlines programs, but we’re now seeing credit cards also decrease the value of their points. As more people use rewards points, points are a liability for the banks. People have redemption value. It’s similar to vacation time on the books for an employer. So when there’s too many points out there, make them worth less and then there’s less overhead risk.
In the end, this move fits a broader industry trend. banks steadily clawing back generosity from points programs under the guise of “adjustments” rather than outright announcements.
We’ve seen this play out repeatedly. Airlines inflate award charts and reward less points. Look at the move to points per dollar spent vs mile flown. Or look at awards costs on Delta. There’s a reason why SkyMiles is referred to as SkyPesos.
Yet it’s not just airlines. Hotels quietly have adopt dynamic pricing learning from the airlines. Award categories often change with little to no notice, making the nicer hotels unattainable.
Finally, there’s the banks. Banks chip away at transfer ratios instead of offering new value. More points through sign up bonuses, but when points are worth less, you are not getting more.
The end result is always the same. Your points buy less travel than they did before. So use them today!
What makes this particularly frustrating is that Citi has quietly leaned on solid hotel transfer ratios as a differentiator for the Strata Premier. Remove that advantage, and Citi’s ecosystem looks a lot less special.
What You Should Do Now
If you were already planning to transfer ThankYou Points to either Choice Privileges or I Prefer, the advice is simple. Transfer before April 18, 2026
If you don’t have an imminent use, be cautious. Hotel programs are notorious for their own devaluations, and speculative transfers are rarely smart.
That said, if you have a near-term redemption planned, especially with Choice, locking in the current 2:1 ratio could still represent solid value.
Bottom Line
This may feel like a niche change, but it’s part of a larger pattern travelers should pay attention to. Points are not a savings account. They are a constantly depreciating currency, and banks have every incentive to reduce their liability over time.
For Citi cardholders, this is another reminder that flexibility not loyalty is the real value of transferable points. Use them deliberately, watch for devaluations, and don’t assume today’s “great deal” will still exist tomorrow.
Citi is devaluing ThankYou Point Transfers to Choice Privileges and I Prefer points starting April 18. Use your points wisely today.
