


Too bad I missed the news yesterday, or I wouldn’t have had to skip my Good Stuff Weekly column once again. Per this Flyertalk thread, the Citi ThankYou Premier Card did away with the split bonus and is offering a simple 50,000-ThankYou points bonus after meeting a $3,000 spending requirement in 3 months. The $95 annual fee is waived for the first year.
Citi ThankYou Premier 50K Bonus
For a long time, Citi Thank You Premier 50K Bonus was split over the 1st and 2nd year (20K + 30K)
Even so, I believed the card was valuable as reflected in this post: Citi ThankYou Premier — Rebirth of an Excellent Travel Credit Card.
To reiterate, this is what I love about the new Citi ThankYou Points program.
1. An eclectic mix of transfer partners
- Air France & KLM Flying Blue
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Etihad Guest
- EVA Air Infinity MileageLands
- Garuda Indonesia Frequent Flyer
- Malaysia Airlines Enrich
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
2. 3X on travel — and Citi Premier defines travel very loosely.

Citi Thank You Premier 50K Offer
3. The fact that you can share the points with any other ThankYou Points holders.
What is the Points Sharing feature?
Points Sharing is a ThankYou Rewards feature that allows you to give your qualifying ThankYou points to another ThankYou Member by sharing points from your ThankYou Member Account to the recipient’s ThankYou Member Account. Points Sharing provides a flexible way to use your points. Shared points received are valid 90 days from the date received.
Can I share my ThankYou Points with someone else?
You may share eligible points in your ThankYou Member Account with another ThankYou Member.
Is there a fee to share points with another ThankYou Member?
Currently there is no fee to use the Points Sharing feature.
4. Easy ways to get more ThankYou points with Citi Banking
Then the Citi Prestige card came into focus.
I wrote about Citi Prestige and its 50,000ThankYou points bonus in this post: 9 Reasons Why the New Citi Prestige 50000 Points Offer Is Almost Too Good to Be True!
This is an excellent card that is totally worth it despite the high $450 annual fee. You really need to check the post for more details, but here is the gist.
1. $250 a year air-credit (any air travel-related charges qualify!). Here you go: your annual fee is taken care of.
2. 50,000 points = $800 in American Airlines bookings.
3. Best Priority Club lounge coverage among all US credit cards.
4. Only $50 for an additional cardholder.
Yes, there are more valuable benefits, but let’s stop here.
The Citi ThankYou Premier 50K Bonus has made the ThankYou Program a serious contender to the Membership Rewards and Ultimate Rewards
With an introduction of the Citi ThankYou Premier 50K Bonus, you are able to earn 100,000 points with only two credit card applications. That’s a one way flight on Singapore in a coveted First Class suite, and you will still have some points left.
If that’s too rich for your blood, I hear you. There are numerous sweet spots in these programs, and I will research and write more on how to optimize redemptions on these airlines. However, even if you go for the easiest possible redemptions, 100,000 points mean $1,600 in American Airlines bookings.
The ability to earn 3X on your everyday commute (with Citi Premier) is another great bonus. Gas, parking, and public transportation expenses do add up, at least in my household. And let’s not forget more earning options if you have banking relationships with Citibank.
Just remember that you can’t apply for two Citi cards at the same time. You need to space your applications at least 8 days apart.
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[…] Excellent Citi ThankYou Premier 50K Bonus that Makes It All Even Better! – The Lazy Traveler’s Handbook Wow, is Citibank coming back or what? Great to see it becoming competitive again! I should knock out a few in this household. But I am swimming in miles/points dear readers. Am I losing my touch? Am I getting bored? Getting a bunch more only to be angry when they devalue again shortly after they hit our accounts? Oh the tough choices we make separating miles/points from our favorite banks. Life is so hard sometimes. Just as I was creating some space… Read more »
[…] already covered both Citi Premier and Citi Prestige credit cards and told you how awesome they work in tandem. Then Citi went ahead […]