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This morning, I got a familiar itch — it was time to apply for a new credit card. But when I went to scratch that itch, Citi gave me something I hadn't seen or heard before: a pop-up window saying I was pre-qualified for the Citi Strata Premier® Card (Rates & Fees), but I wasn’t eligible for the new account bonus.
That part wasn’t a complete surprise, considering Citi's new lifetime-style welcome offer restrictions. What caught me off guard was Citi telling me this before I even finished the application.
Citi Adds New Pop-Up Eligibility Tool
Rather than letting me continue on without knowing whether I could earn the bonus, Citi clearly spelled it out. I was pre-qualified for the card, but not eligible for the welcome offer. From there, I had two choices: continue the application without the bonus or cancel it altogether.
Citi’s pop-up also stated that bonus ineligibility can happen for several reasons, including currently having or previously having a Citi Strata Premier or Citi Premier account. Additionally, the message specifically noted that Citi may consider your broader history of opening, closing, and using
What This Means for Citi Strata Applicants
Citi’s new language is a major departure from its previous 48-month rule. If you’ve had a particular Strata card before, you'll no longer be eligible to earn its welcome offer again.
As much as I don't like it, this makes Citi’s new pop-up especially useful. Before I finished the application, Citi told me I wasn’t eligible for the bonus. It also stated that reviewing the offer wouldn’t affect my credit score.
That’s an important distinction for anyone applying mainly for the welcome offer. If the bonus is off the table, you can decide whether the card is still worth opening or not before you go any further. This pop-up seems to be available only for the Strata family of cards. The Citi Double Cash® Card still features 48-month language, making a pop-up less crucial. However, it would be nice to roll this feature out to all of Citi's cards, including its co-branded lineup.
More and more issuers offer something similar.
Our Take
Citi’s new lifetime-style restrictions are much less generous than its previous 48-month welcome offer rules. But if Citi is going to make bonus eligibility harder to navigate, I’m glad it's warning applicants before they commit.
Citi calls it “Apply with more peace of mind.” I wouldn’t go that far, but I'd definitely rather know I’m out of luck before I finish the application.
Want to try your luck with Citi? Here are the current Citi card offers:
- 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.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Citi Strata Premier® Card (Rates & Fees), Citi Strata℠ Card (Rates & Fees), and Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees)
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