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Key takeaways
- Strategically combining three Citi playing cards permits you to each earn extra rewards in addition to squeeze out extra worth if you redeem them.
- Three common playing cards to incorporate in your Citi trifecta are the Citi Premier® Card, Citi Double Money® Card and Citi Customized Money® Card.
- Citi Premier is the one card of the three that prices an annual payment.
When you’re a bank card fanatic or get pleasure from maximizing your rewards, chances are you’ll be fascinated about a bank card trifecta. This method combines three playing cards from the identical issuer to make the most of the very best perks and rewards charges on every card. Extra importantly, it permits you to simply mix your rewards for higher redemption choices, like the flexibility to switch rewards to journey companions.
What’s the Citi trifecta?
For the Citi bank card trifecta, we’re going to explain utilizing the Citi Premier® Card, Citi Double Money® Card and Citi Customized Money® Card to rack up piles of Citi ThankYou factors and money again.
All three playing cards supply totally different rewards constructions and redemption choices. On their very own, the playing cards supply the next:
- Citi Customized Money. Redeem your rewards for direct deposits, checks, assertion credit, present playing cards, journey booked by way of Citi or eligible purchases on Amazon through Store with Factors. This card earns “primary” ThankYou factors.
- Citi Double Money. Redeem your rewards for direct deposits, checks, assertion credit, present playing cards, journey booked by way of Citi or eligible purchases on Amazon through Store with Factors. Once more, this card earns “primary” ThankYou factors.
- Citi Premier. Redeem rewards for money again, present playing cards, procuring with factors, charitable contributions, journey by way of Citi Journey and transfers to Citi journey loyalty companions. You earn “full-fledged” ThankYou factors with this card.
- Various choice: The Citi Rewards+® Card might be used as an alternative of the Customized Money, however the rewards incomes construction doesn’t permit as a lot flexibility to maximise your incomes, so we’re specializing in Customized Money.
Discover that each Citi Double Money and Citi Customized Money earn primary Citi ThankYou factors that can not be transferred to the total slate of Citi journey companions. These switch companions are how one can understand essentially the most worth out of your redemption.
That’s the place Citi Premier is available in. It contains all the redemption choices out there for the Citi Customized Money and Citi Double Money plus the flexibility to switch Citi ThankYou factors to Citi airline and resort companions. Mix all of your rewards beneath your Premier card to transform your primary ThankYou factors into full-fledged, transferrable ThankYou factors.
Now, let’s take a more in-depth take a look at the perks and rewards constructions of the Citi Customized Money, Citi Double Money and Citi Premier playing cards earlier than we dive in to how one can maximize your rewards with every card:
| Playing cards | Welcome supply | Rewards fee | Annual payment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citi Customized Money Card | $200 (fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou Factors) after spending $1,500 within the first 6 months | 5% money again in your high eligible spending class every billing cycle (on as much as $500 spent, then 1% again); 1% again on all different purchases | $0 |
| Citi Double Money Card | $200 (fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou Factors) after spending $1,500 within the first 6 months | 2% money again — 1% again if you make a purchase order and one other 1% again if you repay your buy | $0 |
| Citi Premier Card | 60,000 bonus factors after spending $4,000 throughout the first 3 months of account opening | 3X factors on gasoline station, restaurant, grocery store, resort and air journey purchases; 1X factors on all different purchases | $95 |
Citi Customized Money: Finest for spending so much in a single class
The Citi Customized Money card comes with loads of perks, however the rewards you’ll be able to earn are the main focus right here, so ensure you max out the highest incomes class every billing cycle. Earn 5 % money again on as much as $500 spent in your high spending class every billing cycle. Classes embody eating places, gasoline stations, grocery shops, choose journey, choose transit, choose streaming providers, drugstores, residence enchancment shops, health golf equipment and reside leisure.
The important thing to creating the trifecta be just right for you is strategically utilizing all three playing cards. Subsequently, you wish to use your Customized Money card to earn 5% again on a full $500 spent every billing cycle. Try this and also you’ll earn $25 in money again per billing cycle, which is awarded as 2,500 ThankYou factors.
Plus, you’ll get a 0 % intro APR on eligible stability transfers and purchases for 15 months. After the intro interval expires, you’ll have a 19.24 % to 29.24 % variable APR.
Citi Double Money: Finest for spending so much in many various classes
Citi Double Money is the workhorse of the Citi trifecta. It earns flat-rate rewards so it isn’t going to earn a whole lot of rewards shortly, however it’s the card you must attain for if you make any buy that doesn’t qualify for greater rewards with one other card.
As an alternative of incomes greater rewards charges in a single spending class monthly, you earn 2 % money again on your entire purchases — you’ll get 1 % money again if you cost a purchase order and one other 1 % money again if you pay for that buy.
This flat 2 % money again fee makes the Citi Double Money among the finest flat money again playing cards available on the market since most playing cards earn 1 % to 1.5 % again on all common purchases. With the Citi Double Money, you received’t should hold monitor of bonus or rotating classes; you’ll be able to earn the identical excessive fee of money again on each buy.
The Citi Double Money additionally comes with a 0 % intro APR on eligible stability transfers for 18 months, then a variable APR of 19.24 % to 29.24 %.
Citi Premier Card: Finest for frequent vacationers
The Citi Premier Card is the key weapon of the Citi trifecta. It’s the cardboard it’s good to maximize the rewards you earn with the opposite two playing cards within the group since that is the cardboard that permits you to switch to journey companions.
The Citi Premier card is a journey rewards card that earns Citi ThankYou factors you’ll be able to switch to Citi airline and resort companions. Plus, you’ll earn 3X factors on restaurant, grocery store, gasoline station, resort and air journey purchases, together with 1X factors on all different purchases.
As for different advantages, you’ll get pleasure from World Elite Mastercard advantages and an annual $100 low cost on a single resort keep of $500 or extra (excluding taxes and costs) if you use your card to guide your keep by way of Citi ThankYou.
The best way to maximize the Citi trifecta
Select the precise card on your purchases
Efficiently maximizing the Citi trifecta hinges on being conscious of how you utilize every card. Managing a number of bank cards at all times requires extra technique and a spotlight than solely carrying one card, however managing a number of playing cards with a purpose of maximizing rewards takes {that a} step additional.
Right here’s a tough define of what you must use every card for:
| Card | Spending class | Incomes fee |
|---|---|---|
| Customized Money | Choose one of the next for as much as $500 spent in that class per billing cycle: Eating places, gasoline stations, grocery shops, choose journey, choose transit, choose streaming providers, drugstores, residence enchancment shops, health golf equipment and reside leisure | 5% (as much as $500 spent per billing cycle) |
| Citi Double Money | Every part that doesn’t earn extra with Premier or Customized Money | As much as 2% (1% if you purchase, 1% if you pay) |
| Citi Premier | Fuel station, air journey, resort, eating places and supermarkets purchases (When NOT your Customized Money class for the month) | 3 factors per greenback |
Preserve the Customized Money’s spending restrict in thoughts
You’ll have to watch out when selecting between the Customized Money and Double Money for some purchases. When you max out the Customized Money’s 5 % class, and if the Citi Premier doesn’t supply that very same class, ensure you change over to the Double Money so you’ll be able to earn that as much as 2 % money again as an alternative of dropping to the Customized Money’s 1 % again.
Redeem rewards for high-value choices
As with most bank card trifectas, the principle motive to make use of a bank card mixture is to maximise rewards redemption worth. By including within the Citi Premier, you’ll be capable to switch your rewards to Citi airline and resort companions. Entry to this redemption technique is essential for maximizing your rewards worth. Your factors might be price about 0.0 cents every when transferred to a high-value journey accomplice, based on Bankrate’s valuations. Their base worth with out Citi Premier switch choices is simply 0.0 cents every.
Make a plan to earn the welcome bonuses
It isn’t an ongoing technique, however incomes your welcome bonus is a part of maximizing your rewards. In complete, the present bonuses for the Citi trifecta playing cards add as much as 100,000 ThankYou factors. That’s a whole lot of factors to go away on the desk if maximizing rewards is your main purpose. Subsequently, make certain your price range and way of life assist you to meet the minimal spend requirement and earn the bonuses.
The best way to get the Citi Trifecta
Because the title suggests, the Citi trifecta technique requires you qualify for all three Citi playing cards — Citi Premier, Citi Double Money and Citi Customized Money. And to qualify for these playing cards, you’ll want to glorious credit score rating. Nonetheless, the upper your credit score rating, the upper your probabilities of qualifying. For instance, you will have a greater shot at approval in case you have a FICO rating of 700 or greater.
In case your credit score rating is just too low, you’ll be able to work on constructing your credit score by paying your payments in full and on-time every month and by paying off as a lot of your present bank card debt (in case you have it) as you’ll be able to.
The underside line
Using the Citi trifecta is an effective way to maximise your Citi ThankYou rewards. However this transfer received’t work for everybody. When you don’t journey a lot, for example, the Citi Premier received’t make sense for you, particularly contemplating its annual payment. Or if you happen to don’t spend a lot within the out there bonus classes for the Premier or Customized Money, you received’t earn as many rewards.
Evaluation your spending habits earlier than making use of for the Citi Premier, Citi Double Money and Citi Customized Money. In case your present month-to-month spending habits received’t outcome within the highest doable quantity of rewards, these playing cards may not be the very best mixture for you. But when they do, the Citi trifecta might be your excellent rewards bank card technique.
