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This means that if you have ever earned a welcome bonus on select cards, you can no longer get it again. Here's what to know.
Citi Adds Once-Per-Lifetime Rule
Citi's Strata-branded card offer language previously said you could be eligible for the welcome bonus once every 48 months. However, the terms and conditions on all three cards have changed.
At the time of publishing, the offer terms on the Citi Strata Elite state:
“New account bonus offer is not available if you currently have or previously had a Citi Strata Elite® account. You also may not be eligible for the new account bonus offer based on a number of factors, such as your history of opening, closing and using
.” credit cards
We are seeing this new language on all three cards in the Citi Strata family — each of which offers a solid welcome bonus for new cardholders:
- Citi Strata℠ Card: Earn 20,000 bonus Points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
- Citi Strata Premier® Card: Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel
rewards - Citi Strata Elite℠ Card: Earn 75,000 bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
- 5X – Earn 5 ThankYou® Points for each $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals and Attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ via cititravel.com
- 3X – Earn 3 ThankYou® Points for each $1 spent in an eligible Self-Select Category of your choice (Fitness Clubs, Select Streaming Services, Live Entertainment, Cosmetic Stores/Barber Shops/Hair Salons, or Pet Supply Stores). Choose your eligible Self-Select Category on Citi Online or by calling customer service. The default Self-Select Category is Select Streaming Services.
- 3X – Earn 3 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent at Supermarkets
- 3X – Earn 3 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on Select Transit purchases
- 3X – Earn 3 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent at Gas and EV Charging Stations
- 2X – Earn 2 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent at Restaurants
- 1X – Earn 1 ThankYou® Point per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
$95Rates & Fees
- 10X on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked through CitiTravel.com
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Restaurants
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Supermarkets
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Gas and EV Charging Stations
- 1X – Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
$595Rates & Fees
- 12X – Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – Earn 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights℠ purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time.
- 1.5X – Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases.
Luckily, the restrictive language appears to apply to each Strata card independently. That means prospective cardholders can earn the bonus on all three Strata cards available — but only once each.
This update seems to affect only the Strata family of cards. Other Citi cards, like the Citi Double Cash® Card, still show the following:
“Bonus ThankYou® Points are not available if you have received a new account bonus for a Citi Double Cash account in the past 48 months or if you converted another Citi credit card account on which you earned a new account bonus in the last 48 months into a Citi Double Cash account.”
This is somewhat of a silver lining, but it's unclear how long it will last.
How these new limitations compare to other card issuers
American Express led the way on card bonus restrictions. Many of its cards include similar language indicating you can earn the welcome bonus only once. However, reports suggest American Express considers a “lifetime” to be around seven years, so we aren't sure whether that will be the case for Citi as well.
If so, Citi moving from a 4-year policy to a 7-year policy would sting. But if it's truly once per lifetime, that makes it much more challenging to earn
Chase has also added restrictive language to both the Sapphire and Ink card families. This is an unfortunate trend for award travelers looking to earn and burn points as quickly as possible, and it's disappointing news for those planning to reapply for Strata cards 48 months after they last earned a welcome bonus.
Related: Understanding Rewards Credit Card Application Rules and Restrictions
Bottom Line
If you have gotten a welcome offer on one or more Citi Strata cards in the past, it appears you will no longer be able to get one again — even if you have since canceled the card. Citi is just the latest example of banks tightening their rules around earning points and miles, making award travel even more elusive.
With these new restrictions, you might consider waiting to apply for one of these cards until there's a best-ever offer on the table.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Citi Strata℠ Card (Rates & Fees), Citi Strata Premier® Card (Rates & Fees), and Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees)
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