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I’m in the midst of a big wallet change up and this past week I pulled the trigger and added the Citi Thank You Premier back into the flock. I’d had the card a few years ago, but opted to downgrade it to a Citi Double Cash to use in tandem with a Citi Prestige. That all changed this past week when I was approved for the Citi Thank You Premier.
What pushed me over the edge? An incredible combination of an all time high welcome offer ( 80k Thank You points after $4k spend in 3 months ) and the temporary, and hopefully long term, addition of American Airlines as a transfer partner. I’m not sure you can argue that a better all around card exists.
I used 70k AA miles to fly Qatar Airways Qsuites
My fave Citi Thank You Premier benefits
Worry free, every time you swipe, earn triple points on air travel, hotels, supermarkets, dining, AND gas…this is the most straightforward card out there. Even if you don’t wish to utilize the rich transfer partners of Citi Thank You, you can redeem them for 1 penny a piece towards airfare in the Citi Travel Center.
- 80k bonus Thank You points after spending $4k in the first 3 months
- 3x points on
- Air Travel
- Hotel
- Supermarkets
- Dining
- Gas
- Access to Mastercard World Elite benefits
- No foreign Transaction fees
- $95 annual fee
Why this card may not be for everyone
The biggest drawback that I can see is the program’s transfer partners require a bit more savviness in terms of redemption compared with Chase and Amex who both have more US domestic partners. However… until November 13th, American Airlines is a transfer partner of Citi Thank You which I think makes it a very compelling card for no other reason that access to AA.
Personally, I love the traditional Citi Thank You partners, but most of them are foreign carriers. This doesn’t mean you can’t use their miles on domestic carriers
Overall
If Citi made AA a long term transfer partner I would push a lot more of my overall spend through the program. But, if it added in a couple of great hotel programs and improved the referral system…I think Chase and Amex would have a run for their money
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
60k Points after $4k spend in 3 months
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 60k points after $4k spend in 3 months
- Worth $750 in Chase Travel℠ and way more if you maximize transfer partners
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex℠and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
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