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It seems like every few days now we’re writing about updated product offers. What an exciting time in the world of points and miles.
Citi has updated the Citi Premier Card with a new welcome offer of 80,000 ThankYou Points after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first three months. This is the best ever welcome bonus on this product that we’ve seen and a significant bump from the standard 60,000 ThankYou Points offer.
Citi ThankYou Points are often overlooked in favor of Membership Rewards or Ultimate Rewards, but they shouldn’t be ignored. They are not as versatile or easy to use as other transferable currencies, but they definitely have their value.
Earn 80,000 ThankYou Points with the Citi Premier Card
The new welcome bonus is 80,000 ThankYou Points after spending $4,000 within the first three months. The card had a $95 annual fee, not waived the first year.
You can redeem Citi ThankYou Points for 1 cent each toward a variety of travel purchases or gift cards. Or better yet, the points can be transferred to Citi ThankYou airline and hotel partners for much higher value. In short, 80,000 points get you at least $800 worth of travel or gift cards, or 80,000 airline miles.
All of Citi’s general application rules apply and the welcome bonus isn’t available if you’ve:
- Received a new cardmember bonus on any ThankYou earning card in the past 24 months. The list includes the Citi Rewards+, Citi ThankYou Preferred, Citi Premier, or Citi Prestige OR
- Closed Citi Rewards+, Citi ThankYou Preferred, Citi Premier, or Citi Prestige, in the past 24 months
This is different from other banks because you are NOT eligible for the bonus if you either earned the bonus OR closed one of the ThankYou earning cards in the last 24 months.
So you are eligible for the new 80,000 points welcome offer even if you currently have one of these cards.
According to the Citi rules, you can have more than one of the same card at any time. If you are currently a Citi Premier card holder, and it’s been more than 24 months since you’ve got the bonus, you are eligible to apply and receive the new bonus.
Why Is the Citi Premier Card a Great Card
Citi doesn’t have as many transfer partners as Amex or Chase and a lot of people are unaware of how versatile ThankYou Points can be.
The Citi Premier has excellent bonus earning categories and earns 3X on airfare, dining, gas, groceries, and hotels worldwide.
If you have the Citi Premier, you can maximize the points you earn with the no annual fee Citi Double Cash Card that earns 2X on all purchases. All ThankYou Points can be combined into one account and if you have the Premier card, you can redeem the points you earned with the Double Cash card for travel.
One of the benefits of the Citi Premier Card is a $100 hotel credit every calendar year, valid on a single hotel stay of $500 or more booked through the Citi ThankYou portal. This could be of limited utility as the portal prices are often higher than booking directly with the hotel or through another online travel agency, such as Hotels.com. You also won’t earn elite qualifying nights and won’t be eligible for any elite benefits because it’ll be considered a third party booking. However, if you find a good deal on a boutique or non-chain hotel in the ThankYou portal, this might not be a bad deal.
What Can You Do with 80,000 ThankYou Points
We recently wrote about an amazing LifeMiles sweet spot that lets you get to Europe for just 35,000 miles one way in business class. LifeMiles is a transfer partner of Citi, so just one welcome bonus can buy you a round-trip ticket to Europe in business class and you’ll have some miles left over for a domestic trip.
Another valuable transfer partner is Turkish Airlines. Turkish has extremely attractive rates for its own flights. For example, you can get to Europe from the U.S. for just 45,000 miles one-way in business class or from the U.S. to the Middle East, including Israel, for 47,000 miles one-way in business class.
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles program also has great rates for U.S. domestic travel. One-way economy tickets can be booked with just 7,500 miles, including the long transcontinental flights.
Final Thoughts
Not to be left behind its competitors, Citi also decided to surprise us all and came out with an elevated offer of 80,000 ThankYou Points on its Citi Premier card. If you are over Chase’s 5/24 rule, now would be a great time to apply and take advantage of this amazing offer.
Just getting started in the world of points and miles? The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best card for you to start with.
With a bonus of 60,000 points after $4,000 spend in the first 3 months, 5x points on travel booked through the Chase Travel Portal and 3x points on restaurants, streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), this card truly cannot be beat for getting started!
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Do the 80,000 miles go into my AA account? How do I find out if I’m over the 5/24 rule?
Thanks.
This card earns Citi ThankYou Points, not AA miles. Citi offers cobranded AA cards that earn AA miles, but these points will remain in your Citi account until you’re ready to use them.
And sure thing. To check your 5/24, follow the steps outlined in this article – https://milevalue.com/chase-5-24-rule/