Estate planning as a Citi ThankYou account holder

Citi ThankYou Points are bank-proprietary points earned on the Citi Strata Premier, Double Cash, Custom Cash, and other Citi cards and on participating Citibank checking accounts. Points can be redeemed for travel, gift cards, statement credits, direct deposits, checks, and charitable contributions, and transferred to airline and hotel partner loyalty programs. Citi is unusual among points programs in publishing a death provision that runs in the estate's favor: the Terms and Conditions state points are lost at death and that the estate has no property rights in them, but carry a Cash Rewards option — if the executor or administrator sends a written request within one (1) year of the death, with evidence of the death and of their appointment, Citi "can allow" the remaining points to be redeemed for Cash Rewards. Citi's Estate Servicing Center says the same thing in plainer words: "ThankYou points must be redeemed by the estate representative within one year." The route is discretionary, check-only, and time-limited, and the points themselves never become property of the estate.

Citibank, N.A. reviews transfer requests for Citi ThankYou points on a case-by-case basis after the account holder's death. Approval is at the company's sole discretion, and documentation requirements must be met before any transfer is considered.

What happens at death

The current Citi ThankYou Rewards Terms and Conditions (Last Updated September 2026) provide, under the heading "Loss upon Death": "You will lose your Points upon your death, and your estate, successors and assigns have no property rights or other legal interests in such Points, except under these circumstances: Cash Rewards Option. If we receive a written request within one (1) year of your death from the executor or administrator of your estate, along with evidence satisfactory to us of your death and the identity and appointment of the executor or administrator, we can allow Points remaining in your ThankYou account to be redeemed for Cash Rewards. Only a lawfully designated executor or administrator may redeem Points on behalf of the deceased. Contact the ThankYou Service Center at 1-800-THANKYOU (1-800-842-6596) (TTY: We accept 711 or other Relay Service) for more information." Citi says the same thing outside the agreement: its Estate Servicing Center page answers "What happens to Citi credit card ThankYou points?" with "ThankYou points must be redeemed by the estate representative within one year." Five limits follow from the text itself. (1) The default is loss, and the points are never property of the estate. (2) The exception is discretionary: Citi "can allow" the redemption; the agreement does not say it will. (3) The request must be WRITTEN, must come from the executor or administrator — "Only a lawfully designated executor or administrator may redeem Points on behalf of the deceased" — and must reach Citi within one (1) year of the death, with evidence satisfactory to Citi of both the death and the appointment. (4) The redemption is limited to Cash Rewards, which the current agreement defines as a check: "Cash Rewards. You can redeem Points for a check made payable to You. The minimum redemption amount for a check is $5. Checks are valid for one hundred eighty (180) days," and "Your Cash Rewards confirmation letter and check are sent only to your address on record via USPS First-Class Mail within one (1) to three (3) weeks of redemption." The executor does not get the partner transfers, travel bookings, statement credits, or direct deposits a living cardholder has. (5) The agreement fixes no points-to-dollar rate: "The value of a Point may vary depending on the Reward for which it's being redeemed. The value of a Point may also vary depending on whether it was earned with a Citibank Checking Account or with a particular Card Account. We have the right to change the Points to dollar conversion rate for Rewards at any time." Timing matters because the same agreement forfeits points on account closure: "If we close your Citi Account for any reason other than inactivity, You will lose your Points immediately, unless prohibited by law," and "If You have Points, and your ThankYou Account is closed for any reason, You will lose them immediately, unless prohibited by law." A voluntary close, a conversion, or an inactivity close leaves ninety (90) days. The card account is closed on death notification, so the executor's written request belongs with the notification of the death rather than after the closure of the account.