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If you're looking for an easy way to earn a lot of Citi ThankYou® Points on your upcoming travels, the best way might be booking hotels, rental cars, and more through the Citi Travel portal. Several cards are offering promotional earnings on select travel purchases over the course of 2025 and even into 2026. And in this post, we'll show which cards those are and which purchases qualify.
Citi Travel Portal Earnings Boost for Select Credit Cards
Boosted earnings in the Citi Travel portal is a promotion we've become familiar with in the past year. And while many of these offers were scheduled to end before the calendar flipped to 2025, we're happy to report that many are sticking around for a lot longer.
Here's a look at the no-annual-fee Citi credit cards that'll earn up to 5X Citi ThankYou Points on select travel portal purchases — and how long the offer will last.
- Citi Double Cash® Card: Earn a total of 5X points per $1 spent on hotels and car rentals when you book on the Citi Travel portal through December 31, 2025. This offer provides 3X additional points on top of the 1X point per dollar on purchases and 1X point per dollar for payments on purchases.
- Citi Rewards+® Card: Earn a total of 5X points per $1 spent on hotels and car rentals when you book on the Citi Travel portal through December 31, 2025.
- Citi Custom Cash® Card: Earn an unlimited additional 4X points per $1 spent on hotels and car rentals when you book on the Citi Travel portal through June 30, 2026.
Perhaps the best of these is the offer on the Citi Custom Cash. If travel is your top spending category for a billing cycle, you'll earn a total of 9% cash back (delivered as 9X points) on travel purchases booked through the Citi Travel portal!
Related: How To Build a Winning Combo of Citi ThankYou Rewards Cards
Depending on who you are and how you travel, it may or may not make sense to book through the Citi Travel portal. There are obvious pros and cons to this practice — and third-party bookings in general. However, if you appreciate the rewards-earning potential you can unlock through Citi's portal, consider getting a specific card…
Earn Even More Points on Portal Bookings With the Citi Strata Premier® Card
Frequent Citi Travel portal users should consider getting the Citi Strata Premier® Card. The earning rates — including on portal bookings — exceed the promotional offers on Citi's no-annual-fee cards. Plus, you can get a one-time $100 credit for booking a hotel stay costing at least $500 through the Citi Travel portal.
Cardholders earn points within several other valuable categories as follows:
- 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
If you like to travel, the $95 annual fee Citi Strata Premier is a card you shouldn't overlook.
- 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
Related: Citi Strata Premier Full Review
Our Take
Booking hotels and rental cars through the Citi Travel portal can be a great way to rack up easy rewards, especially during promotional periods with boosted earning rates — like right now. Just make sure to check the fine print; pay attention to which purchases qualify and how long the elevated earnings last.
Keep in mind, though, that hotel stays booked through the Citi Travel portal likely won’t earn elite status credits or perks. Most hotel loyalty programs require you to book directly to access those benefits. However, for non-branded hotels and stays at hotels where you don't have status, booking hotel stays and car rentals with the right Citi card can really boost your Citi ThankYou points balance.
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