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Citi is currently offering a 60,000-point bonus on the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card. This is one of the few elite travel cards with an annual fee under $100, and it earns incredibly valuable points.
- 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
But are you eligible to apply? And more importantly, if you're approved for a new Citi Strata Premier, can you earn the lucrative welcome bonus of 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points?
In this post, we'll cover the rules for who can apply for one of Citi's ThankYou® Rewards earning cards—plus who is eligible to earn a welcome bonus.
Understanding the Citi Credit Cards Lineup
Cards in the ThankYou® lineup include:
- Citi Strata Premier℠ Card
- Citibank Custom Cash card
- Citi Double Cash® Card
- Citi Rewards+® Card
- Citi Prestige® Card (no longer open to new applicants)
You might be surprised to see some of those cards on this list. Don't they earn cash back? Citi issues rewards as points on cards like the Citi Double Cash and Citi Rewards+; however, the points have limited uses if you don't have a card with an annual fee to unlock transfer partners.
Citi Application Rules
Like many card issuers, Citi has policies designed to ensure new card applicants are the type of customers the issuer wants to acquire. If you aren't already familiar with why these rules exist, check out our guide to creating a healthy relationship with the banks.
With Citi, there are two important but subtly different restrictions to understand:
- The first set of rules relates to when you can successfully apply for a card (the timing of your application). If you fail to follow these guidelines, Citi may not even process your application. These restrictions apply to all cards issued by Citi.
- The second set of rules relates to whether you can earn the sign-up bonus being marketed to new card members. Indeed, you may be able to apply for a card successfully. But, if you run afoul of this second type of restriction, you could end up getting approved for the card only to discover that you aren’t eligible to earn a new cardmember bonus.
Related: Understanding Rewards Credit Card Application Rules and Restrictions
When can you apply?
Citi's timing rules aren't publicized on Citi's website or application pages. But thanks to many applicants who shared information about their experience, the points and miles community has generally been able to agree on the following:
For personal (consumer) credit cards, Citi will accept a maximum of one (1) application in an eight-day period and a maximum of two (2) applications in a 60-day period.
In other words, your application will be rejected if either of the following is true:
- You’ve applied for any Citi card in the past eight days.
- You’ve applied for two Citi cards in the past 60 days (many sources advise waiting until day 65 to be safe).
For business cards, Citi only accepts new applications once per 90 days.
The restrictions described above are often referred to by the shorthand “Citi 8/65 rule.” So, to determine your eligibility, you need to track the dates you applied for Citi-issued credit cards. The date your application was approved or denied doesn't matter. It's based on the application date.
When can you earn a welcome bonus?
Much of the confusion about Citi's application rules centered on a previous rule where opening, closing, or earning a bonus on one card could affect your eligibility for a bonus on another card earning the same type of rewards. This previous restriction applied for 24 months across cards within the same family. That was complicated, to say the least.
Luckily, most cards have moved away from this general “family” rule and changed to a “this particular card” timeline. Moreover, Citi is known for only approving applicants who are eligible for the bonus. That's good news; it's unlikely that you'll be approved for a credit card and then not receive the bonus after meeting the spending requirements. For most cards, the rule now focuses on 48 months.
Related: Learn how to earn more Citi ThankYou Points
Earning a ThankYou Rewards Bonus
There is a 48-month rule you need to know about on the Citi Strata Premier, which you can find in the application terms:
Thus, if you've had this card previously and earned a welcome bonus in the past 48 months, you probably aren't eligible for the welcome bonus.
Final Thoughts
When a bank offers a sign-up bonus, it's betting on recouping that cost over the life of its new relationship with the customer. In recent years, we've seen increasingly sophisticated rules to exclude customers that banks don't think will be profitable. These restrictions aren't always easy to understand, but learning the basics is critical to a successful points and miles strategy.
Along with Chase Ultimate Rewards and Amex Membership Rewards, Citi's ThankYou Points are among the most valuable and versatile points you can earn. The current 60,000-point offer on the Citi Strata Premier is an excellent bonus that should give all points and miles collectors a good reason to review Citi's application rules.
- 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
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