Citi ThankYou points transfer to JAL Mileage Bank from September 20, 2026, with 30% extra through October 24. Annual-fee cards get 1,300 miles per 1,000 points, no-fee cards 910. What a JAL seat costs, and the 60-day rule.
Checked September 20, 2026 against Citi's ThankYou transfer page and its transfer terms, and against JAL Mileage Bank's own award chart and rules pages. Citi added Japan Airlines today.
TL;DR
Citi's transfer screen lists the cards under each rate:
| Your card | Base ratio | With the 30% bonus, per 1,000 points |
|---|---|---|
| Citi Strata Elite, Citi Strata Premier, Prestige, AT&T Access More | 1,000 to 1,000 | 1,300 JAL miles |
| Citi ThankYou Preferred, Citi Strata, Citi Double Cash, Citi Custom Cash, Citi ThankYou Mastercard, AT&T Universal Rewards World, AT&T Universal Savings and Rewards, AT&T Universal Rewards, AT&T Points Plus, AT&T Access | 1,000 to 700 | 910 JAL miles |
This is the same split Citi uses for American Airlines. A Double Cash on its own reaches JAL at 0.7, and no bonus changes that; 30% of 700 is still 910.
One more line from the terms that matters for the deadline: "Transfers to JAL Mileage Bank Miles are typically completed within 24 hours, however the process may occasionally take up to 5 business days." The bonus applies to transfers completed inside the window, so a transfer started on October 24 that takes five business days is a gamble. Move the points by the middle of that week.
JAL Mileage Bank publishes a chart for members living in the US. These are the base miles for one-way awards between the US and Japan on JAL's own flights, updated September 8, 2026:
| One way, US to Japan | JAL miles | Citi points, annual-fee cards | Citi points, no-fee cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economy | 27,000 | 21,000 | 30,000 |
| Premium economy | 40,000 | 31,000 | 44,000 |
| Business | 55,000 | 43,000 | 61,000 |
The same base price applies from New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Seattle. The Citi columns divide the miles by 1.3 and 0.91 and round up to the next thousand points.
Two more lines from the same chart matter more than the miles. JAL lists a fuel surcharge "from USD 316.30" and taxes and fees "from USD 29.00" per person, one way, as of September 1, 2026. And JAL now prices awards with "Award Ticket PLUS": when the base-mile seats are gone, the price floats up. The chart's ceiling for a business class seat from Dallas is 509,500 miles. A seat is only 55,000 if a base seat is open on your date.
First class is seasonal on JAL's chart: 110,000 miles in low season, 125,000 regular, 140,000 high, one way from the US.
JAL's redemption page: "Mileage may not be redeemed for JMB awards for a maximum of 60 days following enrollment in JMB." If you open a JAL Mileage Bank account this week to catch the bonus, the miles can arrive but the account may not be able to book until late November. The award seat you found in October may not be there in November.
So the order is: search JAL's own calendar for a base-mile seat first. If you already hold a Mileage Bank account older than 60 days, transfer the exact amount and book. If you do not, weigh the 30% against the wait; the miles do not expire quickly, but the seat might.
Two more JAL rules from the same page. Awards can be booked for the member, a spouse, and relatives within the second degree, not for friends. And JAL "may not be combined with miles earned through other airlines' mileage programs," so a short balance in JAL cannot be topped up with Avios.
| Route into JAL Mileage Bank | Per 1,000 points | Until |
|---|---|---|
| Citi ThankYou, annual-fee cards, with the 30% bonus | 1,300 | October 24, 2026 |
| Bilt Rewards | 1,000 | standing |
| Capital One, with its 30% bonus | 975 | September 30, 2026 |
| Citi ThankYou, no-fee cards, with the 30% bonus | 910 | October 24, 2026 |
| Capital One, no bonus | 750 | standing |
The Citi annual-fee cards are the best door into JAL right now by a wide margin. The Citi no-fee cards are the worst door with a bonus attached, and still beat Capital One without one.
If your points are in a no-fee Citi card, the ratio follows the card, not the account. Holding a Strata Premier alongside a Double Cash is the way Citi cardholders reach the 1:1 rate; our Citi Strata Premier guide covers what that card costs and earns. JAL is also a oneworld airline, so Avios can book its flights too, at British Airways' or Iberia's prices rather than JAL's.
This bonus joins our transfer bonus history when it ends, and the September roundup lists the others live this month. The Citi to JAL bonus ends at 11:59 PM Eastern on October 24, 2026, and Citi counts the day the transfer completes, not the day you start it.