{"id":234989,"date":"2025-11-17T23:49:06","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T23:49:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/?p=234989\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T14:27:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T14:27:51","slug":"turkish-airlines-business-class-booking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/credit-cards\/citi-thankyou-rewards\/turkish-airlines-business-class-booking\/","title":{"rendered":"How I Stacked Two Credit Card Bonuses to Fly Turkish Business Class for $0 Out of Pocket"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s always exciting when a plan comes together. I\u2019ve been wanting to visit Turkey for over a year now for the sights and scenes, but also to take part in the country\u2019s medical tourism industry. Healthcare in Turkey is top-notch and a fraction of what it would cost in the United States. Turkish Airlines is jokingly called Turkish <em>Hairlines<\/em> because so many travelers fly there for hair transplants and other cosmetic procedures.<\/p>\n<p>The stars aligned after the release of the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/credit-cards\/airlines\/turkish-airlines-credit-card\/\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles Premier Visa Signature<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Credit Card<\/strong><\/a> in July 2024. I applied for it, and that card got me enough miles for a one-way ticket to Istanbul in economy. Fast forward to this past summer when the <a data-ccid=\"242\" href=\"\/blog\/link\/CitiStrataElite?var2=ccid~242\" rel=\"noopener nofollow sponsored\">Citi Strata Elite\u2120 Card<\/a> (<a data-ccid=\"242\" href=\"https:\/\/click.linksynergy.com\/fs-bin\/click?id=a3pDkecFgAg&offerid=1978593.4347&type=3&subid=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rates & Fees<\/a>) launched, and it got me thinking I might be able to fly to Turkey in business class instead.<\/p>\n<p><div class=\"qs-card\" data-id=\"242\">\n            <div class=\"qs-data\">\n                <div class=\"qs-view\">\n                    <div class=\"qs-cardname\">Citi Strata Elite\u2120 Card<\/div>\n                    <div class=\"qs-image\"><img data-aspectratio=\"150\/95\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/CardArt-CitiStrataEliteCard.png\" width=\"150\" alt=\"Citi Strata Elite\u2120 Card\" \/ class=\"lazyload\"><\/div>\n                    <div class=\"qs-apply\"><a class=\"btn-use qs-apply-now\" title='Citi Strata Elite\u2120 Card' data-ccid=\"242\" href=\"\/blog\/link\/CitiStrataElite?var2=ccid~242\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow sponsored\">Apply Now<\/a><\/div>\n                    <div class=\"qs-rates\"><span class=\"qs-terms\"><a data-ccid=\"242\" href=\"https:\/\/click.linksynergy.com\/fs-bin\/click?id=a3pDkecFgAg&offerid=1978593.4347&type=3&subid=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rates & Fees<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n                    <div class=\"qs-offer\"><strong>Welcome Bonus<\/strong> Earn 75,000 bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening. <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                <div class=\"qs-info\">\n                    <strong class=\"qs-cardname\">Citi Strata Elite\u2120 Card<\/strong>\n                    <div class=\"qs-offer\"><strong>Welcome Bonus<\/strong> Earn 75,000 bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening. <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"qs-fee\"><strong>Annual Fee:<\/strong><b>$595<\/b><\/div>\n                    <div class=\"qs-tabs\"><a class=\"qs-more\" href=\"#more\">Show more<\/a><a href=\"\" data-tab=\"wwl\">Why We Like It<\/a><a href=\"\" data-tab=\"hl\">Highlights<\/a><a href=\"\" data-tab=\"er\">Earning Rates<\/a><div class=\"qs-tab-wwl\">The Citi Strata Elite\u2120 Card is Citi's premier rewards card, delivering top-tier travel and dining rewards and standout perks like a $300 annual hotel credit and no foreign transaction fees. From Friday night dinners to weekend getaways, the elevated earnings on hotels, air travel, and CitiNights\u2120 purchases make this a powerhouse option for frequent travelers looking to maximize every dollar spent.<\/div><div class=\"qs-tab-hl\"><ul><li>Earn 75,000 bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.<\/li><li>Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com and 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com<\/li><li>Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights\u2120 purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time<\/li><li>Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases<\/li><li>Up to $300 Annual Hotel Benefit: Each calendar year, enjoy up to $300 off a hotel stay of two nights or more when booked through cititravel.com.<\/li><li>No Foreign Transaction Fees<\/ul><\/div><div class=\"qs-tab-er\"><ul>\r\n<li>12X \u2013 Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com.<\/li>\r\n<li>6X \u2013 Earn 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com.<\/li>\r\n<li>6X \u2013 Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights\u2120 purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time.<\/li>\r\n<li>1.5X \u2013 Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n            <a class=\"qs-share\" href=\"\/find-a-card\/CitiStrataElite\/\" title=\"copy\"><svg width=\"12\" height=\"16\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 16\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><use href=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/awardwallet\/public\/builds\/icon\/icon-sprite.svg?v2026-4-307b22a62b#share-square\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/use><\/svg><\/a>\n        <\/div><\/p>\n<p>This booking took a lot of research, but it paid off. I locked in a round-trip Turkish Airlines business class award at more than 2 cents per point. And the best part is that I paid nothing for this business class ticket out of pocket.<\/p>\n<p>Here's how I did it.<\/p>\n<div id=\"toc_container\" class=\"toc_light_blue no_bullets\"><p class=\"toc_title\">Page Contents<\/p><ul class=\"toc_list\"><li><a href=\"#The_Goal_Fly_to_Turkey_in_Turkish_Airlines_Business_Class\">The Goal: Fly to Turkey in Turkish Airlines Business Class<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#How_I_Earned_Turkish_Airlines_Miles_Smiles_Miles\">How I Earned Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles Miles<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Redeeming_Turkish_Airlines_Miles_for_Round-Trip_Business_Class\">Redeeming Turkish Airlines Miles for Round-Trip Business Class<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Using_my_leftover_Turkish_miles_to_book_a_positioning_flight\">Using my leftover Turkish miles to book a positioning flight<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#Bottom_Line\">Bottom Line<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n<h2><span id=\"The_Goal_Fly_to_Turkey_in_Turkish_Airlines_Business_Class\">The Goal: Fly to Turkey in Turkish Airlines Business Class<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I\u2019m based in South Florida, so the plan was simple. Fly round-trip from Miami to Istanbul for as little as possible. The only carrier that operates a nonstop on this route is Turkish Airlines.<\/p>\n<p>At first, I was completely fine with flying economy if it meant covering the entire trip with miles. But after seeing how impressive Turkish Airlines business class looks, I knew I had to at least try to land that seat, even if it ended up being for only one way.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_105938\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-aspectratio=\"600\/480\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-105938 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Turkish-Airlines-business-class-featured-photo-by-JT-Genter.webp\" alt=\"business class cabin on Turkish Airlines\" width=\"600\" height=\"480\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Turkish-Airlines-business-class-featured-photo-by-JT-Genter.webp 1500w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Turkish-Airlines-business-class-featured-photo-by-JT-Genter-300x240.webp 300w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Turkish-Airlines-business-class-featured-photo-by-JT-Genter-1024x819.webp 1024w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Turkish-Airlines-business-class-featured-photo-by-JT-Genter-768x614.webp 768w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Turkish-Airlines-business-class-featured-photo-by-JT-Genter-325x260.webp 325w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><center><em>Turkish Airlines business class. Credit: JT Genter \/ AwardWallet<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n<h2><span id=\"How_I_Earned_Turkish_Airlines_Miles_Smiles_Miles\">How I Earned Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles Miles<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When the <strong>Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles Premier Visa Signature Credit Card<\/strong> debuted last summer, it came with a simple welcome bonus. Earn 40,000 miles after spending $3,000 within 90 days of opening an account. After hitting the bonus, I ended up with a little more than 46,000 miles.<\/p>\n<p>Those miles sat unused for over a year since I didn\u2019t want to use the card for daily spending just to earn enough for one flight.<\/p>\n<p>One year later, I added a premium card to my billfold: the <a data-ccid=\"242\" href=\"\/blog\/link\/CitiStrataElite?var2=ccid~242\" rel=\"noopener nofollow sponsored\">Citi Strata Elite<\/a>. That allowed me to lock in a 75,000 point bonus, which transfer to Turkish Miles at a 1:1 ratio.<\/p>\n<p>An alternative to Citi would be a Capital One card that transfers to partners like the <a data-ccid=\"4048272\" href=\"\/blog\/link\/CR-CapitalOneVentureXRewardsCreditCard\" rel=\"noopener nofollow sponsored\">Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card<\/a>. You can transfer to Turkish Airlines at a 1:1 ratio, so you could build your Miles & Smiles balance through Capital One's transfer partners instead. I went with the Citi Strata Elite for this booking, but the Capital One Venture X would've gotten me to the same destination.<\/p>\n<div class=\"compare-cards-wrap compare-count-cards-2 compare-p-capital-one\"><div class=\"compare-card\"><div class=\"compare-pre\"><div class=\"compare-image\"><div><img data-aspectratio=\"150\/95\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/CardArt-CitiStrataEliteCard.png\" width=\"150\" alt=\"Citi Strata Elite\u2120 Card\" \/ class=\"lazyload\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"compare-name\">Citi Strata Elite\u2120 Card<\/div><div class=\"compare-offer\"><strong>Welcome Bonus<\/strong> Earn 75,000 bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening. <\/div><\/div><div class=\"compare-apply\"><a class=\"btn-use qs-apply-now\" title='Citi Strata Elite\u2120 Card' data-ccid=\"242\" href=\"\/blog\/link\/CitiStrataElite?var2=ccid~242\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow sponsored\">Apply Now<\/a><\/div><div class=\"compare-fee-score\"><div class=\"compare-fee\"><strong>Annual Fee<\/strong><p>$595<span class=\"compare-terms\"><a data-ccid=\"242\" href=\"https:\/\/click.linksynergy.com\/fs-bin\/click?id=a3pDkecFgAg&offerid=1978593.4347&type=3&subid=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rates & Fees<\/a><\/span><\/p><\/div><div class=\"compare-rating compare-rating--0\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"compare-earning\"><ul>\r\n<li>12X \u2013 Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com.<\/li>\r\n<li>6X \u2013 Earn 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com.<\/li>\r\n<li>6X \u2013 Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights\u2120 purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time.<\/li>\r\n<li>1.5X \u2013 Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul><\/div><\/div><div class=\"compare-card\"><div class=\"compare-pre\"><div class=\"compare-image\"><div><img data-aspectratio=\"150\/94\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/CardArt-CapitalOneVentureXRewardsCreditCard.png\" width=\"150\" alt=\"Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card\" \/ class=\"lazyload\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"compare-name\">Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card<\/div><div class=\"compare-offer\"><strong>Welcome Bonus<\/strong> Earn 75,000 Miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening<\/div><\/div><div class=\"compare-apply\"><a data-ccid=\"4048272\" class=\"btn-use qs-how-apply\" title='Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card' href=\"\/blog\/link\/CR-CapitalOneVentureXRewardsCreditCard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow sponsored\">How to Apply<\/a><\/div><div class=\"compare-fee-score\"><div class=\"compare-fee\"><strong>Annual Fee<\/strong><p>$395<\/p><\/div><div class=\"compare-rating compare-rating--6\"><strong>Credit Score<\/strong><p>Excellent<\/p><\/div><\/div><div class=\"compare-earning\"><ul>\r\n<li>10X miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel<\/li>\r\n<li>5X miles per $1 on purchases through Capital One Entertainment<\/li>\r\n<li>5X miles per $1 on flights when booking via Capital One Travel<\/li>\r\n<li>5X miles per $1 on vacation rentals booked via Capital One Travel<\/li>\r\n<li>2X miles per $1 on all other eligible purchases<\/li>\r\n<\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<p>The Citi Strata Elite became my go-to as a daily spending card thanks to its wide range of earning categories and access to valuable <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/credit-cards\/citi-thankyou-rewards\/citi-transfer-partners\/\" rel=\"noopener\">transfer partners<\/a>, including Turkish Airlines. My balance started growing, but I was still far from having enough miles for a round-trip business class ticket.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_235779\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-aspectratio=\"600\/480\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-235779 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Turkish-Airlines-787-Featured.png\" alt=\"Turkish Airlines 787-9 at DTW.\" width=\"600\" height=\"480\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Turkish-Airlines-787-Featured.png 1000w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Turkish-Airlines-787-Featured-750x600.png 750w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Turkish-Airlines-787-Featured-900x720.png 900w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Turkish-Airlines-787-Featured-768x614.png 768w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Turkish-Airlines-787-Featured-325x260.png 325w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><center><em>Credit: Tyler Glatt \/ AwardWallet<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n<p>But I got one step closer thanks to a big transfer bonus. In October, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/news\/citi-thankyou-rewards\/turkish-transfer-bonus\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Citi offered a 50% transfer bonus to Turkish Airlines<\/a>. I transferred 122,000 Citi ThankYou<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> points and received 183,000 Miles & Smiles miles.<\/p>\n<p>That brought my total to 229,000 miles. Unfortunately, that was still short of the 270,000 miles required for a round-trip Miami to Istanbul business class award. I looked into buying miles, but the cost was rather lofty at $30 per 1,000 miles. I also checked whether I could <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/travel\/which-programs-allow-free-points-sharing\/\" rel=\"noopener\">pool miles<\/a>, but the program limits pooling to married couples and their children. So, I expanded my map and looked for something more affordable.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/credit-cards\/citi-thankyou-rewards\/citi-strata-elite\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Citi Strata Elite\u2120 Card Full Review<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Redeeming_Turkish_Airlines_Miles_for_Round-Trip_Business_Class\">Redeeming Turkish Airlines Miles for Round-Trip Business Class<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>After digging into the Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles program, I learned about Turkish Airlines saver awards. These are the airline\u2019s cheapest award tickets, and from North America to Istanbul, for example, they price at 65,000 miles per way in business class. That's far less than the 130,000 miles per way you'd pay for a standard award. The catch is that they're harder to find.<\/p>\n<p>True to form, I couldn\u2019t find saver space from Miami no matter how hard I tried, so I searched from Chicago instead. Sure enough, I found round-trip availability for 130,000 miles plus about $500 in taxes. I was thrilled to see the fare, but much less thrilled about the taxes.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_165197\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-aspectratio=\"750\/459\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-165197 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Turkish-award-ordist-300x184.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of Turkish award pricing from Chicago to Istanbul\" width=\"750\" height=\"459\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Turkish-award-ordist-300x184.png 300w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Turkish-award-ordist-1024x627.png 1024w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Turkish-award-ordist-768x470.png 768w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Turkish-award-ordist-1536x940.png 1536w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Turkish-award-ordist-2048x1253.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><center><em>Credit: Turkish Airlines<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n<p>At checkout, Turkish Airlines gives you the option to cover taxes with miles. For me, keeping $500 in my pocket was far more appealing than holding on to more miles, even if it meant not unlocking the optimal cents-per-point value.<\/p>\n<p>So, I redeemed a total of 210,232 Turkish miles and secured round-trip business class to Istanbul without paying a single dime out of pocket.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/airlines\/book-with-turkish-airlines-miles\/\" rel=\"noopener\">How to Search and Book Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles Awards<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Using_my_leftover_Turkish_miles_to_book_a_positioning_flight\">Using my leftover Turkish miles to book a positioning flight<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>This booking left me with 19,000 Turkish miles in my account, which would likely sit unused and <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/airlines\/do-turkish-airlines-miles-expire\/\" rel=\"noopener\">eventually expire<\/a>. But Turkish Airlines is part of Star Alliance, which includes United Airlines and nearly two dozen other partner airlines. And I still need a <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/travel\/positioning-flights\/\" rel=\"noopener\">positioning flight<\/a> from South Florida to Chicago.<\/p>\n<p>I can use my Turkish miles to book that positioning flight. It\u2019s a highly underrated <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/airlines\/turkish-airlines-award-chart\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Turkish Airlines sweet spot<\/a>, but you can fly United Airlines within the U.S. for just 10,000 miles per way in economy. On the dates I need to travel, I found <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/airlines\/find-airline-partner-award-availability\/\" rel=\"noopener\">partner award availability<\/a> through Turkish, so I\u2019ll be able to use only 20,000 miles for round-trip flights between Fort Lauderdale and Chicago and pay just $11.20 out of pocket, since you can\u2019t cover these taxes and fees with miles.<\/p>\n<p>I haven\u2019t booked the positioning flights yet since I\u2019m waiting for my next batch of points earned on my <a data-ccid=\"242\" href=\"\/blog\/link\/CitiStrataElite?var2=ccid~242\" rel=\"noopener nofollow sponsored\">Citi Strata Elite<\/a> to post to my account. But in the coming days, this Turkish Airlines business class itinerary will be finalized, and it\u2019ll easily be my best award redemption ever.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Bottom_Line\">Bottom Line<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>This all started with the end goal in mind: getting to Turkey as cheaply as possible. That\u2019s the mindset every points and miles enthusiast should keep front and center. Earning without a goal can feel aimless and overwhelming, like collecting puzzle pieces without any idea of what the final picture looks like.<\/p>\n<p>You also shouldn\u2019t be afraid to set a bold goal. It might take time, and this one was almost two years in the making. But with savvy earning and a little bit of perfect timing \u2014 like jumping on a massive <a data-ccid=\"242\" href=\"\/blog\/link\/CitiStrataElite?var2=ccid~242\" rel=\"noopener nofollow sponsored\">Citi Strata Elite<\/a> offer and earning the welcome bonus before Citi launched a big transfer bonus to Turkish \u2014 you can reach your travel goals and save several thousand dollars and a lot of points and miles in the process.<\/p>\n<p><div class=\"qs-card\" data-id=\"242\">\n            <div class=\"qs-data\">\n                <div class=\"qs-view\">\n                    <div class=\"qs-cardname\">Citi Strata Elite\u2120 Card<\/div>\n                    <div class=\"qs-image\"><img data-aspectratio=\"150\/95\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/CardArt-CitiStrataEliteCard.png\" width=\"150\" alt=\"Citi Strata Elite\u2120 Card\" \/ class=\"lazyload\"><\/div>\n                    <div class=\"qs-apply\"><a class=\"btn-use qs-apply-now\" title='Citi Strata Elite\u2120 Card' data-ccid=\"242\" href=\"\/blog\/link\/CitiStrataElite?var2=ccid~242\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow sponsored\">Apply Now<\/a><\/div>\n                    <div class=\"qs-rates\"><span class=\"qs-terms\"><a data-ccid=\"242\" href=\"https:\/\/click.linksynergy.com\/fs-bin\/click?id=a3pDkecFgAg&offerid=1978593.4347&type=3&subid=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rates & Fees<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n                    <div class=\"qs-offer\"><strong>Welcome Bonus<\/strong> Earn 75,000 bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening. <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                <div class=\"qs-info\">\n                    <strong class=\"qs-cardname\">Citi Strata Elite\u2120 Card<\/strong>\n                    <div class=\"qs-offer\"><strong>Welcome Bonus<\/strong> Earn 75,000 bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening. <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"qs-fee\"><strong>Annual Fee:<\/strong><b>$595<\/b><\/div>\n                    <div class=\"qs-tabs\"><a class=\"qs-more\" href=\"#more\">Show more<\/a><a href=\"\" data-tab=\"wwl\">Why We Like It<\/a><a href=\"\" data-tab=\"hl\">Highlights<\/a><a href=\"\" data-tab=\"er\">Earning Rates<\/a><div class=\"qs-tab-wwl\">The Citi Strata Elite\u2120 Card is Citi's premier rewards card, delivering top-tier travel and dining rewards and standout perks like a $300 annual hotel credit and no foreign transaction fees. From Friday night dinners to weekend getaways, the elevated earnings on hotels, air travel, and CitiNights\u2120 purchases make this a powerhouse option for frequent travelers looking to maximize every dollar spent.<\/div><div class=\"qs-tab-hl\"><ul><li>Earn 75,000 bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.<\/li><li>Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com and 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com<\/li><li>Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights\u2120 purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time<\/li><li>Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases<\/li><li>Up to $300 Annual Hotel Benefit: Each calendar year, enjoy up to $300 off a hotel stay of two nights or more when booked through cititravel.com.<\/li><li>No Foreign Transaction Fees<\/ul><\/div><div class=\"qs-tab-er\"><ul>\r\n<li>12X \u2013 Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com.<\/li>\r\n<li>6X \u2013 Earn 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com.<\/li>\r\n<li>6X \u2013 Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights\u2120 purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time.<\/li>\r\n<li>1.5X \u2013 Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n            <a class=\"qs-share\" href=\"\/find-a-card\/CitiStrataElite\/\" title=\"copy\"><svg width=\"12\" height=\"16\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 16\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><use href=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/awardwallet\/public\/builds\/icon\/icon-sprite.svg?v2026-4-307b22a62b#share-square\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/use><\/svg><\/a>\n        <\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I wanted to fly to Istanbul in Turkish Airlines business class using points and miles and pay nothing out of pocket, and I accomplished this by stacking two credit card welcome bonuses. Here&#8217;s how I did just that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":142218,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":null,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"default","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[12067],"tags":[12707,12756,12629],"coauthors":[36393],"class_list":["post-234989","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-booking-travel","tag-citi-thankyou-rewards","tag-turkish-miles-and-smiles","tag-using-points"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234989","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=234989"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234989\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":241194,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234989\/revisions\/241194"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/142218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=234989"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=234989"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=234989"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=234989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}