CitiBank Rewards Card Craziness!

Posted by Noob Master on Nov 27, 2012 in AAdvantage, Citi Bank, ThankYou, Uncategorized | 0 comments

CitiBank went a little crazy last week and released a handful of new rewards card opportunities. Some good, some not-so-much.

I went ahead and consolidated them into this one post (you’re welcome), with all of the deets. Enjoy!

Citi Business ThankYouSM Card

This is a limited time offer that will expire on December 20th!

The Citi ThankYou business card earns “ThankYou” points. Yup. ThankYou points are best used for flights through the ThankYou portal, or cashing in for gift cards. Yes, I just said that.

You will earn 25,000 ThankYou points after spending $3,000 in 3 months. Then, you earn 25,000 more ThankYou points after spending an additional $3,000 within the next 3 months. That’s 50,000 ThankYou points for spending $6,000 in 6 months.

ThankYou points can be redeemed for gift cards at a 10:1 ratio. So, 50,000 ThankYou points is worth $500 in gift cards. It’s not for everyone, but I have friends and family who redeem their points this way. Gotta love them. I admit, there’s value here if you don’t travel often.

You must also hold the Citi ThankYou Premier card to redeem ThankYou points for flights. If you do, you can stretch the value of your 50,000 ThankYou points to $655. Obviously, that’s more value than buying $500 in gift cards, but to each his own.

Here are the full details:

• Designed for businesses with an established credit history
• Earn 25,000 bonus ThankYou Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of card membership
• Earn an additional 25,000 bonus ThankYou Points after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases within the next 3 months of cardmembership – offer ends 12/20/12
• 0% intro APR on Purchases for 6 months. After that, 13.24% variable.
• Earn 3 ThankYou(R) points for every dollar you spend on eligible purchases in quarterly rotating business categories.
• Redeem points on things for your business or for yourself like business supplies, merchandise, gift cards, travel or even cash.
• No limit to the amount of points you can earn on purchases and points don’t expire.
• No annual fee

Link: CitiBusiness ThankYouSM Card

Citi ThankYou® Preferred Rewards Card

EDIT: The 40k offer is now expired! Check out the bullets points for the current offer. 

You will receive 20,000 ThankYou points (man, I hate that name) after spending $3,000 in the first 6 months, and an additional 20,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 in the next 6 months. So, you have 12 months to spend a total of $6,000, and your reward will be 40,000 ThankYou points. Treat yo self.

Just like the business version, you can redeem your ThankYou points for $655 in flights if you have the Citi ThankYou Premier card. Or, if you hate flying, you can redeem your 40,000 ThankYou points for $400 in gift cards.

You can transfer ThankYou points in between ThankYou accounts, but beware – you must redeem the points within 90 days after transferring or they will expire.

-$100 gift card – When you redeem the 10,000 bonus ThankYou® Points received after $500 in purchases within 3 months of account opening.
-0% intro APR on Balance Transfers and Purchases for 12 months. After that, the variable APR will be 12.99%-22.99% based upon your creditworthiness*
-Earn 1 ThankYou Point for every $1 you spend on all purchases
-No expiration and no limit on the points you can earn
-Redeem ThankYou Points for merchandise, travel rewards, gift cards, cash and more
-Earn extra points when you shop through the ThankYou® Bonus Center, a network of 600+ retailers you know and love
-No annual fee* ”

Citi ThankYou® Preferred Rewards Card

Citi® Platinum Select®/AAdvantage® Visa Signature® Card

Earn 30,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after $1,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of cardmembership*

Your first eligible checked bag is free*

Earn 10% of your redeemed AAdvantage® miles back – up to 10,000 AAdvantage® miles each calendar year*

Link: Citi® Platinum Select®/AAdvantage® Visa Signature® Card

Citi Price Rewind

With the release of these new cards, Citi also introduced Citi Price Rewind. This is a new program that allows you to save after purchases made with a Citi card. Here’s how it works:

1. Make a qualified purchase entirely with an eligible Citi credit card in a store or online. Examples of common items Citi Price Rewind covers include electronics, appliances, clothing and toys. A full description of coverage and eligible Citi consumer credit cards, as well as exclusions and limitations, are included on www.citi.com/pricerewind.

2. Register an item on www.citi.com/pricerewind, including where and when it was purchased and the price paid.

3. For 30 calendar days after the purchase, Citi Price Rewind will search hundreds of retailers’ sites for a lower price on the same item.

4. If a price that is at least $25 lower than what was paid is found, the cardmember will receive an email notifying them that they qualify to request a refund.

5. Once the customer files an eligible claim, a check refunding the difference in price will be sent to the Citi cardmember. Citi cardmembers can enjoy savings of up to $250 per item and up to $1,000 annually.

I’m interested in trying this out, and I’m sure I will have the opportunity with the holidays right around the corner. I think Citi Price Rewind is a creative way to get card users to use their Citi cards, and reward them in the process.

Recap

It’s VERY nice to see Citi bank offer some new deals, but I’m not too keen on the minimum spend requirements. Don’t get me wrong – the bonuses are great, and minimum spends are easier to meet now. I just prefer getting my sign-up bonuses through one-tier spending requirements instead of the two-tier Citi system on all the cards above. That being said, there is still value to be had in the Citi ThankYou cards.

It’s always good to diversify, and getting up to $655 in flights or $500 in gift cards isn’t too shabby.

(Disclaimer: I receive a referral credit for the cards mentioned above. I’m truly grateful if you decide to support the blog by using my links. Cartwheel.)

— Noob Master