Citi quietly added a brand-new transfer partner today: Copa Airlines ConnectMiles. Starting October 25, 2026, Citi ThankYou points convert into ConnectMiles, giving Citi cardholders a direct pipeline into one of the last fixed award charts in the Star Alliance — and a back door to Emirates business class with no carrier surcharges.

Copa is the first U.S. credit card program to offer transfers to ConnectMiles. Until today, the only ways to get ConnectMiles were flying Copa, buying miles, or transferring from Rove Miles (1:1) or Marriott Bonvoy (3:1). Citi is now the only bank currency that moves into Copa, and it becomes Citi's 21st transfer partner — just five weeks after Japan Airlines joined the program.

The headline rate is 1:1, but only for some cardholders. That split is the whole story.

Exact offer and eligibility

• Transfer ratio, annual-fee cards: 1:1 — 1,000 ThankYou points become 1,000 ConnectMiles. Applies to Citi Strata Elite, Citi Strata Premier, Citi Prestige (closed to new applicants), and AT&T Access More cardmembers.
• Transfer ratio, no-annual-fee cards: 1:0.7 — 1,000 ThankYou points become 700 ConnectMiles. Applies to Citi Strata, Citi Double Cash, Citi Custom Cash, Citi ThankYou Preferred, and other no-fee Citi cards.
• Minimum transfer: 1,000 ThankYou points.
• Timing: transfers typically complete within 24 hours, but Citi warns they can occasionally take up to 5 business days.
• Irreversible: once points leave Citi, they cannot come back. Confirm award availability in ConnectMiles before transferring.
• Expiration: ConnectMiles expire after 24 months without earning or redeeming activity.
• Launch date: October 25, 2026. No launch bonus and no published end date — this is a permanent partner addition, not a promotion.

Why ConnectMiles is worth a look

Most airline programs have moved to dynamic pricing, where the same seat costs more miles on a holiday weekend than on a Tuesday. ConnectMiles still prices awards off a fixed, region-based chart for both Copa flights and partner flights. If a saver seat exists, you know what it costs before you search.

Sample one-way saver prices from the U.S.:

• Within the U.S. or Canada: 12,500 miles in economy
• U.S. to Central America or the Caribbean: 15,000 miles in economy, 30,000 in business
• U.S. to northern South America: 15,000 miles in economy, 35,000 in business
• U.S. to Panama on Copa: 17,500 miles in economy, 30,000 in business
• U.S. to Europe: 30,000 miles in economy, 70,000 in business
• U.S. to Dubai on Emirates: 80,000 miles in business

The Emirates price is the standout. Booking that same Emirates business seat through Emirates' own Skywards program typically adds hundreds of dollars in carrier-imposed surcharges on top of the miles. ConnectMiles awards, by contrast, typically carry taxes and airline fees but not the carrier-imposed fuel surcharges that inflate Skywards pricing on the same seat — though Copa's official award rules do not state this as an explicit blanket policy, so check the cash portion before ticketing. The same 80,000 miles also reach the Maldives on Emirates, Austrian, or Air India.

Do the math on the no-fee-card penalty before you move points. That 80,000-mile Emirates business seat costs 80,000 ThankYou points from a Strata Premier or Strata Elite — but 114,286 points from a Double Cash or Custom Cash at the 0.7 ratio, a 34,286-point surcharge for holding the wrong card. If you hold both a no-fee Citi card and a premium one, pool your points under the premium card first: Citi sets the transfer ratio by the most premium card on the account.

Round-trip ConnectMiles awards also allow one stopover and up to two open jaws, which turns a South America trip into a two-destination itinerary. Note the fine print: Copa's award rule permits the stopover on round-trip awards only, and its separate Panama Stopover program — which advertises a Panama stay of 24 hours to 15 days at no additional airfare — does not explicitly confirm award-ticket eligibility in its published terms, so confirm before building an itinerary around it. Copa itself flies to nearly 90 destinations across 32 countries from its Panama City hub, and it was rated the most punctual airline in Latin America in 2025, operating 90.75% of its flights on time.

Who benefits—and who should skip it

Benefits: Citi Strata Premier and Strata Elite holders with a stash of ThankYou points and a specific Star Alliance or Emirates award in mind — especially U.S. to Europe at 30,000 miles in economy, or Emirates business to Dubai or the Maldives at 80,000 miles with no surcharges. Travelers headed to Central or South America also win: 15,000 miles each way in economy undercuts most competing programs, and the free Panama stopover is a genuine extra trip.

Should skip it: anyone holding only a no-fee Citi card who would eat the 30% haircut — 700 miles per 1,000 points turns every sweet spot above into a mediocre one. Skip it too if you have no award in hand: transfers are one-way, ConnectMiles expire after two inactive years, and Copa's online award booking engine has a reputation for glitching on partner awards, sometimes forcing a phone booking. And if your trip is within a week, note Copa's late booking fee: awards ticketed 7 days or less before departure cost base members an extra $75 on international itineraries ($25 domestic), waived for Gold members and above.

Awardtrail analysis

This is a quietly excellent addition, not a headline-grabbing one. Copa will never be the partner Citi cardholders use most — but for the two redemptions that matter (cheap Americas economy and surcharge-free Emirates business), it is now the best route Citi points have ever had to either. The catch is entirely in the card you hold: the 1:1 rate is a premium-card privilege, and no-fee cardholders should treat this partner as a 30%-off sale on their points.

Before you transfer: confirm the exact award seat shows up in ConnectMiles, not just on a partner search tool. Then transfer only what the booking needs — the 24-hour-to-5-day window means a transfer started today may not land in time for a seat that disappears tomorrow.

Primary source: Citi ThankYou Rewards

Verified: October 25, 2026