Citi Rewards is one of the most versatile points programs in Australia with a range of redemption options and transfer partners. But sometimes life gets in the way and travel isn’t your biggest priority. Luckily, your Citi reward Points don’t have to sit dormant. Far from it. Instead, you can effectively use your Points to offset the soaring costs of living thanks to Pay with Points.

What is Pay with Points?

Pay with Points gives you the ultimate flexibility in using your hard-earned Points to offset purchases on your Citi Rewards, Citi Premier and Citi Prestige cards. There are three ways to do this:

  • Pay with Points (full amount)
  • Pay with Points (partial amount via the Citi Mobile® App only)
  • Spend and Redeem (real-time SMS offer)

No matter which option you choose, you will be able to redeem your Citi reward Points at a rate of up to $10 back per 2,500 Citi reward Points (0.4 cents per point). Yes, you’d likely get more ‘value’ per point if you were to transfer them to an airline partner and use them for flights. But in a time of rising interest rates and inflation, using your Points for a statement credit could be a clever idea, particularly if you’re not planning to travel anytime soon.

Remember, reward Points don’t accumulate interest, so using the Points now for day-to-day purchases may be better than saving the Points for bigger-ticket items such as e-vouchers. Pay with Points is also inherently more flexible than e-vouchers, which limit you to certain retailers and denominations.

How do I use Pay with Points?

You can access Citi Pay with Points through the website or on the Citi Mobile® App. We recommend using the Citi Mobile® App as you’ll be able to make both full and partial redemptions (the website only supports full redemptions). You may also get real-time SMS offers to Pay with Points just after you’ve completed a purchase – if you have enough Points and your account is in good standing.

On the Citi Mobile® AppOn the Citi website
– Go to your credit card dashboard
– Tap on ‘See all transactions’
– Tap your eligible purchase
– Tap ‘Pay with Points’
– Sign on to Citi Online
– Click on ‘Rewards’ and ‘Pay with Points’
– Select the purchase(s) you want to cover with Points

If you get a Spend and Redeem SMS after making a purchase, the link is valid for 14 days. Within that timeframe, you can choose whether to offset that purchase with Points or not.

Once successful, you’ll receive a statement credit for the transaction you’ve chosen to offset with Points within two business days. That’s all it takes to start easing the burden on your wallet and your mind!

What should I know about Pay with Points?

Here’s the nitty-gritty you should know about paying for your purchases with Citi reward Points.

  • Pay with Points is offered on eligible transactions, which includes most purchases. However, you can’t use it on non-eligible purchases such as (but not limited to) BPay payments, cash advances, balance transfers, government-related spend such as Australia Post and the ATO, bank fees and so on. See the terms and conditions for more information.
  • Use Pay with Points within 60 days of the initial transaction.
  • You must still make the minimum, full or any overdue payments in accordance with your credit card agreement. Pay with Points does not count towards those payments in the current statement period, though it will be reflected in the following statement period.
  • Pay with Points statement credits cannot be reversed back into Points. Any redeemed statement credits will remain even if you refund the original transaction.
  • There is a limit of five eligible purchases that can be offset with Points at a time, but you can repeat the process multiple times if you have enough Points.

Summing up

Pay with Points ensures everyone can make use of their Points. Whether it’s a cheeky 1,250 Points to cover your morning coffee or a bigger chunk of Points to offset an important purchase, Pay with Points is there to help.

Not planning to travel or use your Points for other rewards? Only have a few thousand Points left and not sure what to do with them. No matter what your scenario is, Pay with Points promises to be a flexible way for you to make the most of your credit card rewards.


National Australia Bank Limited (ABN 12 004 044 937, AFSL and Australian Credit Licence 230686) (“NAB”) is the credit provider and issuer of Citi branded financial and credit products. NAB has acquired the business relating to these products from Citigroup Pty Ltd (ABN 88 004 325 080, AFSL and Australian Credit Licence 238098) (“Citi”) and has appointed Citi to provide transitional services. Our/us/we means NAB unless the context otherwise requires it. “Citi”, “Citibank”, “Citigroup”, the Arc design and all similar trade marks and derivations thereof are used temporarily under licence by NAB from Citigroup Inc. and related group entities. 


Citi ‘Pay with Points’ offers flexibility and savings with your Citi reward Points was last modified: December 6th, 2023 by Point Hacks