There's a 40% transfer bonus from Citi to Turkish Airlines running right now. It ends August 31. Most people will scroll past it because they don't understand what Turkish miles can do.
Here's the short version. Citi ThankYou points normally move to Turkish Airlines Miles and Smiles at 1:1. During this bonus, 1,000 Citi points become 1,400 Turkish miles. The window is August 1 through August 31, 2026.
That is a real 40% discount on some of the best award seats in the sky.
Why Turkish miles are the sleeper currency
Turkish Miles and Smiles is a Star Alliance program. That is the whole trick.
Those miles don't just book Turkish flights. They book United, and United is the airline most of our Texas and Florida members actually fly. Turkish prices Star Alliance awards on its own chart, and a few of those prices are absurdly low.
Most people never learn this because Turkish's website is clunky. Their loss.
The sweet spot that matters for us
Short domestic United flights. That's the one to circle.
Turkish charges just 7,500 miles one-way for a short United economy hop, and 10,000 for slightly longer ones. With this bonus, 7,500 Turkish miles costs about 5,360 Citi points. A short nonstop from Dallas, Houston, Miami, or Orlando for barely 5,000 points is a genuinely great deal.
Round trip, you're looking at roughly 15,000 Turkish miles for a domestic United coach seat.
The bigger swing: Istanbul and Europe
Turkish flies nonstop to Istanbul from Houston (IAH), Miami (MIA), and Dallas (DFW).
Booking those on points during a 40% bonus is where the real value shows up, especially in business class. From Istanbul, you connect onward to 340-plus cities across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. It is one of the widest networks in the world from a single hub.
If a lie-flat seat to Europe has ever felt out of reach, this is the closest it gets.
Which points qualify
This is a Citi ThankYou transfer, so you need Citi points.
The main earner is the Citi Strata Premier. If you've been building a ThankYou balance and sitting on it, this bonus is your reason to finally put it to work. Points transfer in 1,000-point increments, and the transfer is one-way and permanent.
Never transfer on speculation. Only move points for an award you've already found.
Step by step
1. Search the award first. Confirm the exact United or Turkish flight has a saver award seat before you move a single point 2. Do the math: divide the Turkish miles needed by 1.4 to get your Citi cost 3. Log into your Citi ThankYou account and open the Turkish Airlines Miles and Smiles transfer option 4. Transfer only the miles that specific booking needs 5. Book the award through Turkish once the miles post, calling their line if the online search won't show a partner seat 6. Finish before August 31 at 4:59 PM ET, when the bonus closes
The honest caveats
Turkish Miles and Smiles is powerful but finicky. Partner award bookings sometimes require a phone call, and their site can be slow to show United space.
Give yourself time, and don't transfer until you've confirmed the seat exists. This is not a program for booking in a panic five minutes before the bonus ends.
The bottom line
If you hold Citi points and you've been waiting for a reason to use them, this is it. Forty percent off a currency that already books cheap United seats and nonstops to Istanbul is a strong offer.
Find the seat, do the 1.4 math, transfer only what you need, and book before August 31.
For more on stretching bank points, read our Chase transfer partner playbook and our Amex sweet spot guide, and browse more in Points and Miles. If you'd rather have transfer bonuses and award sales flagged the moment they hit, sign up for Early Bird Air free, and Premium Plus members get the alert first.