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Citi is a TPG promoting accomplice.
Some issues in life are higher in twos — and that’s completely the case with the Citi Premier® Card and the Citi Rewards+® Card.
Whereas the Citi Premier is a superb stand-alone journey bank card, you need to critically contemplate including the Citi Rewards+ to realize one other sign-up bonus and earn extra factors on on a regular basis spending — all for no annual price.
This additionally works in reverse. Should you already carry the Citi Rewards+ — a no-annual-fee cash-back card — multiply your earnings by including the Citi Premier to your pockets and make your factors 1.8 instances extra priceless (primarily based on TPG’s valuations). Right here’s the within scoop on how this duo works.
Earn two sign-up bonuses
The Citi Premier comes with a welcome supply of 60,000 ThankYou factors after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. Then again, the Citi Rewards+ comes with 25,000 ThankYou factors after spending $1,500 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
Simply do not forget that Citi has an utility restriction on its ThankYou rewards playing cards. Opening or closing a Citi ThankYou points-earning card will make you ineligible for a welcome bonus on one other ThankYou points-earning card for not less than 24 months.
If it’s been greater than 24 months because you utilized for the Premier or the Rewards+ card, you’ll doubtless be eligible to use for the opposite card and attain the sign-up bonus.
Remember to pool your whole factors in your Premier card’s stability to extend the worth of your rewards. On their very own, the factors on the Citi Rewards+ are price 1 cent every while you redeem for reward playing cards. They’re price even much less when you redeem your factors at Amazon or Greatest Purchase (which we strongly advise you don’t do).
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Nevertheless, when you switch your factors to the Citi Premier, you’ll unlock all-new redemption potentialities price considerably extra. The worth will increase from 1 cent to 1.8 cents (primarily based on TPG valuations) since you’ll now have entry to Citi’s suite of airline and resort switch companions, equivalent to Avianca LifeMiles and Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership.
Plus, having each playing cards could make your redemptions extra priceless in one other manner as a result of the Citi Rewards+ Card presents 10% factors again for the primary 100,000 factors you redeem per 12 months. Experiences have proven that in case you have the Citi Rewards+ Card, you will additionally get 10% factors again while you redeem ThankYou Factors from a linked card.
Which means in case you have each playing cards, you’ll be able to hyperlink your accounts and get the most effective of each worlds: 10% factors again, entry to many switch companions, and redemptions for airfare by way of the Citi journey portal at a redemption worth of 1.25 cents.
Associated: Higher collectively: An final information to the most effective bank card pairings
Enhance your points-earning
The subsequent promoting level of proudly owning each playing cards is their complementary incomes charges.
With the Citi Premier, you’ll earn 3 factors per greenback on eating places, supermarkets, gasoline stations, air journey and accommodations, and 1 level per greenback on different eligible purchases.
The Citi Rewards+ earns 2 factors per greenback at supermarkets and gasoline stations on the primary $6,000 per 12 months (then 1 level) and 1 level per greenback on different eligible purchases.
As well as, Premier and Rewards+ cardholders can earn 10 and 5 factors per greenback, respectively, on resort, automotive leases and eligible points of interest (excluding air journey) by way of the Citi Journey portal by way of June 30, 2024.
Generally, you need to be utilizing the Citi Premier at supermarkets and gasoline stations (3 factors versus 2 factors per greenback) — however there are a number of noteworthy exceptions. That’s as a result of the Citi Rewards+ comes with an attention-grabbing worth proposition: Each buy you make robotically rounds as much as the closest 10 factors.
Which means the Citi Rewards+ is a greater card for smaller purchases — like that $2 chocolate bar — or purchases that don’t earn bonus factors with the Citi Premier. Right here’s a desk as an example how this profit works in your favor:
| Buy | Utilizing the Citi Premier | Utilizing the Citi Rewards+ |
|---|---|---|
| $3 sweet on the gasoline station. | 9 factors (3 factors per greenback on gasoline). | WINNER
10 factors (2 factors per greenback plus spherical as much as the closest 10 factors). |
| $41 of gasoline on the gasoline station. | WINNER
123 factors (3 factors per greenback on gasoline). |
90 factors (2 factors per greenback plus spherical as much as the closest 10 factors). |
| $6 pack of cookies on the grocery store. | 18 factors (3 factors per greenback at supermarkets). | WINNER
20 factors (2 factors per greenback plus spherical as much as the closest 10 factors). |
| $68 grocery retailer buy. | WINNER
204 factors (3 factors per greenback at supermarkets). |
140 factors (2 factors per greenback plus spherical as much as the closest 10 factors). |
| $2 beer at a bar. | 6 factors (3 factors per greenback at eating places). | WINNER
10 factors (1 level per greenback plus spherical as much as the closest 10 factors). |
| $8 glass of wine at a bar. | WINNER
24 factors (3 factors per greenback on eating places). |
10 factors (1 level per greenback plus spherical as much as the closest 10 factors). |
| $42 haircut. | 42 factors (1 level per greenback on all different eligible purchases). | WINNER
50 factors (1 level per greenback plus spherical as much as the closest 10 factors). |
| $159 flight. | WINNER
477 factors (3 factors per greenback on flights). |
160 factors (1 factors per greenback plus spherical as much as the closest 10 factors). |
The Citi Rewards+ is a superb card when you make these routine small purchases — maybe you’re responsible of visiting your neighborhood cafe too typically and shopping for a $4 espresso nearly day by day.
If the mathematics is an excessive amount of to maintain monitor of, you can decide to simplicity and use the Citi Premier to earn 3 factors per greenback on all of its bonus classes and the Citi Rewards+ for non-bonus purchases for its capacity to spherical as much as the closest 10 factors.
Associated: The very best bank cards with factors you’ll be able to mix
Entry extra redemption choices
As mentioned earlier, all of the factors you earn from the Citi Rewards+ can seamlessly be mixed together with your Premier stability. Then, you’ll be able to switch your factors to 15-plus airline loyalty applications at a 1:1 ratio — so 100,000 ThankYou factors can flip into 100,000 factors or miles with any of Citi’s switch companions.
When you can learn our in depth information on maximizing Citi ThankYou factors for journey, right here’s a preview of a few of our favourite methods to redeem them.
Delta One suite to Europe for 50,000 miles one-way
Switch your Citi ThankYou factors to Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership to attain a Delta One suite to Europe for 50,000 Virgin Atlantic miles and solely $5.60 in taxes and costs. Availability is often very restricted, however when you’re versatile on dates and may plan far upfront, you would possibly have the ability to snag a improbable award.
Learn extra: When and how one can e book Delta awards with Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership
Qatar Qsuite to Doha for 70,000 miles one-way
One other Citi switch accomplice that may supply nice worth is Qatar Airways’ Privilege Membership program. One-way flights in Qsuite (the service’s business-class product) from any U.S. gateway to Doha, Qatar (DOH), require simply 70,000 miles. You may as well add connecting flights to different locations for an affordable variety of miles — just like the Maldives for 85,000 miles or Cape City, South Africa (CPT) for 95,000 miles.
Associated: How Qatar Airways’ new 787-9 enterprise class compares to Qsuite
United economic system home flight for six,500 miles one-way
Stretch the worth of your factors by reserving economic system jaunts. By transferring your Citi ThankYou factors to Avianca LifeMiles, you’ll be able to e book United home economic system flights for as few as 6,500 miles one-way.
Backside line
For extra particulars, take a look at our full evaluations of the Citi Rewards+ and the Citi Premier.
Official utility hyperlink: Citi Premier Card
Official utility hyperlink: Citi Rewards+ Card
Extra reporting by Emily Thompson.
