Over the past few months, the Citi ThankYou Rewards program has been vastly improved. The value of ThankYou Reward points earned has been increased substantially as has the overall quality of promotional offers made available to new customers. At present, there are three different Citi ThankYou cards available and four different offers to choose from. Here, we’ll take a look at these offers and consider who can benefit the most from the various promotions.
Offer #1: The Citi ThankYou Card
While the basic Citi ThankYou card is lacking in the sign-up bonus relative to other offers, it does presently offer the longest 0% introductory period of any rewards credit card on the market. With a 0% APR for 15 months on balance transfers and purchases, this ThankYou card is definitely the best option for consumers who currently have credit card debt – and can benefit from a 15 month balance transfer – as well as those who may incur some debt in the coming months.
In many ways, this is a value credit card with the added bonus of a rewards program that lets cardholders earn one point for every dollar spent. Consequently, consumers who want to earn reward but who can benefit more from a 0% rate than a sign up bonus will find this is likely the best rewards credit card available. You can learn more below or view the online application here.
Offer #2: The Citi ThankYou Preferred Card
The Citi ThankYou Preferred card lacks the 0% rate features available on the basic card, but does offer two very good promotions. The first ThankYou Preferred card offers 15,000 bonus ThankYou points that can be redeemed for $150 in gift cards. To qualify for this bonus, new cardmembers must simply spend $1,000 within three months of becoming a member. This works out to $333 a month and shouldn’t be a stretch for most.
While a $150 bonus isn’t chump change, the best feature of this card is the ability to earn 5 ThankYou points on every dollar spent at supermarkets, drugstores and gas stations during the first year of membership. A family that spends $150 a week on gas and groceries can earn 39,000 Thank You Points during this promotion period – enough to obtain an additional $390 in gift cards. This, combined with the 15,000 point sign up bonus, can bring the total promotional value to $540, making it one of the most lucrative rewards offer presently available.
A second promotion being offered on the Citi ThankYou Preferred card is a 25,000 point bonus awarded to cardmembers who spend $2,000 during the first three months of membership. Despite this larger incentive, anyone who has large gas or grocery bills will likely fare better with the 15,000 point promotion, as the 25,000 version of the ThankYou Preferred card doesn’t offer a 5 point promotional bonus.
Offer #3: The Citi ThankYou Premier Card
The Citi ThankYou Premier card is the high end model of the ThankYou cards and is similar in many respects to the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card. Unlike other ThankYou offers, the ThankYou Premier card carries a $125 annual fee, though this is waiver during the first year of cardmembership. In exchange for the annual fee, however, cardmembers are given more opportunities to earn rewards points as well as a free airline companion ticket every year and a waiver on foreign transaction fees.
Most purchases made with the ThankYou Premier card earn 1 point. However, purchases made at gas stations, supermarkets, drugstores and commuter transportation earn 1.2 points. Additionally, this card carries the largest sign up bonus of the group. Cardmembers earn 30,000 ThankYou points as long as $2,000 in purchases are made with card within three months.
Ultimately, the Premier card is designed for higher spending cardholders who travel frequently and also travel outside the U.S. as the foreign transaction fee waiver essentially works out to a savings of 3% on all international purchases. Nevertheless, the $125 annual fee this card carries is relatively steep, so unless you’ll be taking advantage of the high end features, this may not be right card for you.
