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A truly diversified reward portfolio should include bank rewards points, and Citi ThankYou points are no exception. With generous sign-up bonuses, flexible redemption options and great credit card benefits, investing in Citi ThankYou points is a good way to go. Here are more reasons you should consider giving your Citi ThankYou points balance a boost:
1. Earning Opportunities
Citi offers three credit cards that offer ThankYou points: The Citi ThankYou Preferred, Citi ThankYou Premier, and Citi Prestige. For those who are just getting started building their credit, there’s the Citi ThankYou Preferred Card for College Students. The annual fees on these cards range from $0 – $450, so you can choose the right card for you depending on what your budget is for credit card annual fees.
Aside from credit cards, eligible personal and business checking accountholders can earn up to 1,600 extra ThankYou points every month through various banking activities.
2. Current Generous Sign-up Bonuses
Both the Citi ThankYou Premier and Citi Prestige Card currently offer 50,000 point sign-up bonuses after $3,000 in spending requirements are met within three months.
With decent sign-up bonuses being much less common these days, a 50,000-point bonus is a solid offer. Plus, the Premier card has no annual fee the first year, so if you’re looking to stock up on ThankYou points without committing to a hefty fee, this is a great option.
3. Transfer Partners
The Citi ThankYou program has 12 transfer partners, all of them airline frequent flyer programs, with the exception of Hilton Honors:
- Asia Miles
- Etihad Guest
- EVA Air Infinity MileageLands
- Flying Blue Air France KLM
- Garuda Indonesia Frequent Flyer
- Hilton Honors
- Malaysia Airlines Enrich
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- Virgin America Elevate (added September 20, 2015)
Let’s be honest here, not all of these programs are going to be useful to most of us. However, many people get great value out of their ThankYou points by transferring them to Singapore KrisFlyer for a Singapore Suites award. This is one of the most aspirational redemptions out there, and channeling your ThankYou points towards this award frees up your Ultimate Rewards and Starpoints for other great uses.
4. Flexible Use
With rewards programs constantly devaluing, being able to use points for direct airline bookings can sometimes be a good value. If none of Citi’s transfer partners sound particularly appealing, you can redeem ThankYou points for direct airline bookings at a rate of 1.33 cents each. American Airlines and US Airways bookings yield a higher redemption value of 1.6 cents per ThankYou point. So that 50,000-point sign-up bonus from either the Citi Prestige or Premier card is worth at least $665 – $800 in airfare if booked directly.
If cruising is more your travel style, you can redeem 50,000 ThankYou points for a $500 cruise if you’re a Citi ThankYou Preferred cardholder or $625 if you have the Premier card. There are also options to redeem points for gift cards, but most of us are interested in travel and ThankYou points can go pretty far in that department.
5. Credit Card Benefits
Citi credit cards have some great card benefits, including travel accident insurance and purchase protection. Now Citi seems to be competing with American Express directly with their Citi Prestige card, which has of the same benefits and the same annual fee as the Platinum Card from American Express. The main advantage of the Prestige card? Mastercard is accepted at more merchants than American Express.
These are just a few of the reasons stocking up on ThankYou points is a good idea. What are some of yours?
*Terms and restrictions apply.
[Image via Getty]
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Delta® Reserve for Business
- Annual Fee: $450 fee
- Foreign Fees: No
- Card Type: Travel
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- Earn 40,000 bonus miles and 10,000 MQMs after you spend $3,000 in purchases with your new Card in the first 3 months.†
- Earn 15,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and 15,000 bonus miles after you reach $30,000 in eligible purchases on your Card in the calendar year.
- Earn 2 Miles per dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta. Earn 1 mile on every eligible dollar spent on purchases.
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Delta® Reserve for Business
- Annual Fee: $450 fee
- Foreign Fees: No
- Card Type: Travel
| FTG Review | Reward Breakdown | Points Breakdown |
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Breakdown
Earn (pt.)
Spend
3 months
0
$3,000
Per dollar on eligible purchases with Delta Purchases
2.00
$1
All Purchases
1.00
$1
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