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Often overlooked, Citi’s credit card lineup offers big-time rewards for ongoing spending in a wide variety of categories. The right combination of cards boasts a minimum return of anywhere from 2.22 cents to 5.55 cents per dollar spent!
Better yet, transferring those points earned to any of Citi’s plethora of transfer partners provides an opportunity to get even more value out of them. And the best part? All of this is available for a grand total of $95 in annual fees.
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Citi Credit Card Key Combos
Two different Citi credit cards let you transfer ThankYou® Points to airline partners: the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card and the Citi Prestige® Card. Since the Prestige Card is no longer open to new applicants or product changes, the focus narrows on the Citi Strata Premier.
This card was recently refreshed and earns 3x points per dollar spent on a wide range of bonus categories including the following:
- Airfare
- Hotels
- Gas and EV charging stations
- Dining
- Supermarkets
The Citi Strata Premier also earns 10x per dollar spent on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com.
- 3X points per $1 on airfare and hotels and at gas stations, restaurants, and supermarkets
- Annual Hotel Benefit: Save $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when you book through CitiTravel.com
- No foreign transaction fees
- $95 annual fee
- 10X points per $1 on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com
- 3X points per $1 spent on airfare, and other hotel purchases
- 3X points per $1 spent at gas and EV charging stations
- 3X points per $1 spent on dining at restaurants, including cafes, bars and lounges
- 3X points per $1 spent at supermarkets
- 1X points per $1 spent on all other purchases
Pairing this card with others from Citi’s lineup produces some serious earning power from everyday spending. Like Chase, Citi cardholders can move points from card to card or share points with others. This means points earned via cards without access to transfer partners can be moved to the Citi Strata Premier and then to Citi's 21 partner airlines and hotel programs. Just remember that points sent to someone else expire 90 days after the transfer, so act quickly after moving any points.
Below are examples of how holding multiple Citi credit cards leads to enhanced rewards on routine spending. Note that these examples do not represent the only Citi card combinations.
Dynamic duo: Citi Strata Premier & Citi Double Cash® Card
This is the quintessential Citi credit card duo. The Citi Strata Premier earns 3x points on all of the categories described above, while the Citi Double Cash earns 2% cash back on everything — provided as 1% when you buy plus 1% as you pay — covering all other spend. And while this card is marketed as earning cash back, you'll actually earn Citi ThankYou Points.
This creates a minimum 2x points on all of your spending. And these 2 (or more) points earned on all purchases can be converted to points with all of Citi's citi_partners_total: transfer partners.
If you're looking to pay down debt or finance a larger purchase, this card also comes with one of the best available introductory APR offers on balance transfers.
- Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
- 2% cash back on every purchase - 1% when you buy + 1% when you pay
- 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months. After that, the (Variable) APR will be 18.24% - 28.24% based on your creditworthiness
- There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5)
- No annual fee
- Earn 2% cash back on every purchase—1% when you buy and 1% when you pay. Plus, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/25. Citi cash rewards now also convert to ThankYou points at 1:1 ($10 = 100 ThankYou points).
The Citi Double Cash also has no annual fee, which makes this 2x-on-everything card an easy addition to anyone’s wallet.
Trifecta: Add a Citi Rewards+® Card
For those with an appetite for more Citi cards, consider a trio of the Citi Strata Premier, Citi Double Cash, and the Citi Rewards+® Card. The no-annual-fee Citi Rewards+ doesn't get a lot of attention in the points and miles space, though it comes with two key points-generating aspects:
- Points earned through spend on the card round up to the nearest 10.
- The first 100,000 points redeemed each calendar year qualify for a 10% rebate.
To be clear, a small, $1 purchase (or less) with the Citi Rewards+ earns 10 points. This might not sound impactful, but anyone who makes countless small purchases throughout the year could benefit quite a bit from this card's “round up to the nearest 10” feature.
- 2X ThankYou® Points at supermarkets and gas stations for the first $6,000 per year and then 1X Points thereafter
- 1X points on all other purchases
- Automatically rounds up to the nearest 10 points on every purchase - with no cap
Perhaps more importantly, the 10% rebate on calendar year points redemptions helps cardholders get to their next redemption even quicker. This 10% rebate applies to points redeemed not just for online purchases with select retailers and gift cards but also for transfers to airline and hotel partners if you've linked your Citi Rewards+ to the Citi Strata Premier or Prestige Card for points transfers.
Since the baseline value for Citi ThankYou Point redemptions begins at 1 cent per point, and this trio of cards earns a minimum of 2 points per dollar, the 10% rebate from the Citi Rewards+ effectively creates a minimum return of 2.22 cents per dollar.
Remember that the maximum of a 10,000-point rebate each calendar year (from 100,000 points redeemed) does cap this benefit. However, for those who redeem 100,000+ points annually, an extra 10,000 points per year, just for holding a no-annual-fee card, seems like a no-brainer.
Quadfecta: Add a Citi Custom Cash® Card
Bonus categories from the Citi Strata Premier earn 3x on purchases. Then, holding a Citi Rewards+® Card boosts the return on those purchases from 3x to 3.33x, or a minimum redemption value of 3.33 cents per dollar spent.
However, Citi fanatics have the opportunity to earn an even higher return on spend. The Citi Custom Cash earns 5% cash back on up to $500 of purchases in your top eligible spending category each billing cycle , and 1x on all other purchases. And while this is marketed as cash back, earnings come in the form of ThankYou Points — just like the , Citi Double Cash.
Eligible categories include the following:
- Restaurants
- Gas stations
- Grocery stores
- Select travel
- Select transit
- Select streaming services
- Drugstores
- Home improvement stores
- Fitness clubs
- Live entertainment
- Sign-up bonus of $200 in cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening, issued as 20,000 ThankYou® Points
- 5% cash back in your top eligible spend category on up to $500 of purchses each billing cycle
- No rotating bonus categories to sign up for--the top earning category adjusts automatically each month to the eligible category in which you spend the most.
- Excellent intro APR offer on purchases and balance transfers
- No annual fee
- Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent
- 1% cash back thereafter, plus, you'll earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases
- No rotating bonus categories to sign up for – as your spending changes each billing cycle, your earn adjusts automatically when you spend in any of the eligible categories.
- Special Travel Offer: Earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2025.
- Eligible spending categories are: Restaurants, Gas Stations, Grocery Stores, Select Travel, Select Transit, Select Streaming Services, Drugstores, Home Improvement Stores, Fitness Clubs and Live Entertainment.
With careful purchasing habits, that $500 per month in spend earns an extra 2x–3x over what other available Citi cards offer. Again, paired with a Citi Rewards+, the 5 cents per point minimum return increases to 5.55 cents. Best of all, the Citi Custom Cash also has no annual fee.
Sign-Up Strategy
Don’t go signing up for all four Citi cards on this list all at once. You won’t be approved. Citi's credit card application rules restrict you to one personal card per eight-day period and two personal cards in a 65-day period.
Each card has a welcome bonus, which can be a great leap forward in building a stash of ThankYou Points. Unfortunately, sign-up bonuses on much of the quadfecta lineup leaves a lot to be desired, with the exception of the 60,000 points available on the Citi Strata Premier.
The cards with no annual fee routinely offer ho-hum bonuses. In the past, we've even seen long periods without any welcome bonus on some of these cards.
The bigger bonus play
Citi stands out among card issuers by allowing cardholders to product change between card “families.” For example, a co-branded American Airlines credit card could be product changed to a Citi Double Cash, or vice versa. The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® has a welcome bonus of 60,000 miles after spending $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. The annual fee is $99, waived for first 12 months, and I would happily skip 20,000 points from one of Citi's no-annual-fee cards to start with this card, earn the bonus American Airlines miles, and then change to a Citi Double Cash or Citi Custom Cash a year later.
Be advised that you'll have to wait 48 months between earning a bonus on a Citi card again. However, this applies to that card, not all cards from Citi or even all Citi cards earning the same type of rewards. That means you could earn a welcome bonus on the Citi Strata Premier and Citi Custom Cash just months apart, even though they're both from Citi and earn the same type of rewards.
Making the rewards worth more than advertised
You may have noticed our conservative estimations here. At minimum, you can redeem your Citi points for 1 cent apiece by cashing them out or using them to pay for trips with Citi TravelSM. Thus, with the 5.55x we've discussed above, that means the rewards would be worth at least 5.55 cents. However, using Citi's airline and hotel partners can provide much more value.
Consider that AwardWallet users typically redeem Citi points at 2.19¢ each. Even if we take the “easy math” approach by rounding to an even 2¢ per point, getting 5.55x earnings and redeeming at 2¢ per point means 11.1¢ in value from your 5x categories coupled with the 10% points rebate feature. That's pretty incredible value.
Related: How To Transfer Citi ThankYou Points
Final Thoughts
What Citi credit card offerings lack in terms of flash, they make up for in long-term substance. Those looking to steadily and consistently earn higher rewards on routine spending should consider a Citi card combo. Whether that means a duo of the Citi Strata Premier and Citi Double Cash or a full-fledged quadfecta, Citi provides opportunities aplenty to be well-rewarded on your spending.
Thanks to the unique features of these cards, the right combination scores a minimum of 2.22 cents and up to 5.55 cents for every dollar spent — or maybe double that, depending on how you redeem. And considering that only one of these cards has an annual fee, all of this earning is possible for just $95 per year.
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