The ThankYou Premier Credit Card from Citi is designed for frequent travelers who want to earn points toward free travel on all of their purchases, but aren't necessarily loyal to any particular airline or hotel program.
The card is offered as either a MasterCard or Visa, whichever you prefer.
Sign up Bonus, Rewards and Transfer Options
The Citi ThankYou Premier Credit Card does not offer a sign up bonus – which is highly unusual as just about every other travel rewards card offers a sign up bonus. This gap alone makes me wonder why anyone would apply for this card when there are so many others out there with nice sign up bonuses. Are the feature of the card that good that they don't need a sign up bonus?
You will earn:
- 3x ThankYou Points for every dollar you spend on travel, including gas stations (Chase does not consider gas stations with their travel bonus, so that is a plus)
- 2x ThankYou Points on every dollar spent on Dining out and Entertainment (Entertainment includes including live entertainment, live theatrical productions, concerts, live sporting events, movie theaters, amusement parks (including zoos, aquariums, circuses and carnivals), tourist attractions (including museums and art galleries), record stores, video rental stores and on-demand internet streaming media)
- 1x ThankYou Points on all other purchases
Points earned in the first year with the Citi ThankYou Premier Card
Assume you spend $3,000 per month on the Credit Card in the first 12 months.
+ 0 Bonus Points –
+36,000 Points from Spending – 1:1 ratio of points per dollar charged on the card (would most likely be higher than this due to category bonuses of travel, gas and dining this is a conservative estimate)
= 36,000 Points earned in the first year. That’s enough for:
- Over $450 of free travel rewards, if redeemed through the Thank You Travel Center, OR
- $360 in Cash Back
Additional Benefits of the Citi ThankYou Premier Card
The ThankYou Premier Credit Card comes with a suite of benefits exclusively available to cardholders. These benefits include:
- Thank You Points can be redeemed for retailers and restaurants: Such as Home Depot, Banana Republic, Morton’s, Starbucks and many more. Points for these items can be redeemed through ThankYou.com or by calling 1-800-THANKYOU (1-800-842-6596)
- Lost Luggage Reimbursement: If your checked or carry–on luggage is lost, stolen, or damaged by the common carrier while on a trip, you may be refunded the purchase price of the missing items or the cost to repair or replace the damaged items, whichever is less.
- Trip Cancellation / Interruption Insurance: If certain unforeseen events get in the way of your trip, you may be reimbursed for non–refundable trip expenses, like change fees, provided you paid for the trip with your Citi card.
- Worldwide Travel Accident Insurance: Worldwide Travel Accident Insurance is a type of coverage that you hope to never need, but it may offer some financial help to you or your loved ones if a tragic accident does occur.
- Extended Warranty Protection: Extends the terms of the original manufacturer's U.S. warranty (of one year or less) for up to one additional year.
- No Cap on the amount of points you can earn and no expiration:
Our Take on the Citi ThankYou Premier Card
Is it right for you?
I really can't see any reason anyone would apply to this card, there is no sign up bonus and the features are nothing special. I don't even know who the target market would be for this card (unless it's someone who spends a huge amount on gas and wants to take advantage of the 3x bonus).
If you are looking for a great travel rewards card with both a nice sign up bonus and great earning ability skip this one and take a look at the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card or the SPG American Express Card.
For a complete list of all Travel Credit Cards go to our Travel Credit Card Page. On this page you will find all of the best travel credit cards including the best Travel Reward Cards, Airline Mile Cards, Hotel Point Cards and the latest sign up bonus offers.
Know your Credit Score
Before you apply for any credit card, you should make sure you have an understanding of your credit score and credit history. Most Travel Credit Card Companies require you to have a strong credit score, ideally they will prefer a FICO score of at least 700.
Once you apply for a credit card, the credit card company will perform a credit inquiry. Be aware that credit inquiries will affect your credit score. Each time you apply for a credit card (or any type of loan for that matter), the inquiry will reduce your score anywhere from 2-5 points.
By law, you are allowed to obtain a free copy of your credit report from each of the credit bureaus once a year. The free annual copies of your credit report will give you all of the data that provides the foundation for your credit score, but the Credit Reports don't provide the Credit Score itself. You will need both your Credit Report and Credit Score to get the full view of your credit situation.
Here are four links to get your Free Credit Score:
- CreditReport.com Free Credit Score
- CreditSesame (no card required – provides Experian Score)
- CreditKarma (no card required – provides TransUnion Score)
- myFICO (link to the Free credit score estimator page)
Here is the link to get your Free Credit Report:
Disclaimer:
Finally, please only apply for any travel credit card if you pay your bills in full each month. Carrying a balance on any travel credit card will eliminate the benefit of the travel rewards due to the higher interest rates associated with these cards.
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