Citi has added Accor Hotels as a transfer partner, making ThankYou points more useful for stays at brands like Fairmont, Raffles, Sofitel, and Ibis (2023)

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• Citi has added Accor Live Limitless, the loyalty program of Accor Hotels, as its 17th transfer partner.
• You'll receive 500 Accor points for every 1,000 Citi ThankYou points you transfer (a 2:1 ratio).
• Accor points are worth around 2.17 cents each, meaning you'll receive just 1.08 cents per Citi point.
• Read Insider's guide to the best hotel credit cards.

If you've traveled internationally with any regularity, there's a decent chance you've stayed at an Accor hotel — even if you didn't realize it. Citi is an Insider partner.

Accor is an extremely prolific hotel chain with 45 brands and over 5,000 hotels spanning all types of travel styles, from budget to hyper luxury. However, they are located primarily throughout Europe and Asia — currently offering just 130 properties throughout North and Central America. Examples of popular Accor brands are:

• Banyan Tree
• Fairmont
• Ibis
• Raffles
• SLS
• Sofitel
• Swissotel

Accor has now been added to the list of Citi ThankYou Rewards points transfer partners, bringing Citi's number of partners to a whopping 17.

For every 1,000 Citi ThankYou points you transfer, you'll receive 500 Accor points. This can potentially be a good deal, but let's examine why you may want to save the points you earn with Citi credit cards for other valuable partners instead.

We're focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won't be worth it if you're paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it's important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.

Citi adds Accor as a transfer partner

This latest addition makes Accor the third hotel program on Citi's list of transfer partners. Only those with the Citi Premier® Card and Citi Prestige® Card (no longer available to new applicants) can convert points to Accor — meaning those who collect Citi ThankYou points with no-annual-fee credit cards like the Citi®Double Cash Card will need one of these cards to take advantage of this new partner.

Accor operates its rewards system differently than most hotel loyalty programs. For every 2,000 points you redeem, you'll receive the equivalent of 40 euros off your bill. This means your Accor points value will fluctuate slightly with the value of the dollar. Accor points are worth around 2.17 cents each based on current exchange rates.

But because Citi's transfer ratio to Accor is 2:1, you're effectively getting half that value — just 1.08 cents per point you transfer. That's significantly lower than Insider's valuation of Citi ThankYou points at 1.6 cents apiece, on average. In other words, Accor is almost never going to be a good destination for your Citi points. The best way to use Citi ThankYou points for maximum value is usually for award flights instead of free hotels.

However, if you were otherwise planning to redeem points for a hotel through the Citi ThankYou Travel Portal, it could still be a good idea. That's because Citi points are worth a flat 1 cent each when redeemed in this way. Just remember that the Citi Premier® Card and the Citi Prestige® Card both come with handy hotel-specific benefits, namely:

• Citi Premier® Card — Up to $100 off a single stay costing $500 or more (excluding taxes) booked through the Citi portal, once per year
• Citi Prestige® Card — Fourth night free on stays of four or more nights (excluding taxes) booked through the Citi portal, twice per year

You'll have to weigh these benefits before transferring your points to Accor.

What you need to know about transferring Citi points to Accor

The addition of Accor to Citi's growing list of transfer partners is great news. However, you'll have difficulty receiving an outsized value for your points. With a 2:1 transfer ratio, you can expect your Citi ThankYou points to be worth significantly less than Insider's average valuation of 1.6 cents each.