Best Citi Sign Up Bonuses & Strategy To Use Before New Rules Go Into Place

In case you’ve been living behind a rock, Citi has updated the fine print on their credit cards to say that you’re not eligible for the sign up bonus on their credit cards if you’ve opened or closed a card within that brand in the last 24 months. For example, here is what it says on the Citi Prestige:

Bonus ThankYou points are not available if you have had ThankYou Preferred, ThankYou Premier, Citi Prestige or Citibusiness ThankYou cards opened or closed in the past 24 months.

Thankfully this new rule doesn’t go into place until August 28th, according to the Citi media department. In this post we will list the best sign up bonuses on each Citi card and also give you some tips on what you should do before this new rule goes into place.

Things To Know

• New rule starts on August 28th
• Maximum of one Citi application per eight day period
• No more than two applications per 65 day period
• No more than one business application per 95 day period
• The only things that reset the Citi clock are opening or closing a credit card
• The previous Citi rule of not being able to get a bonus if you’ve opened or close that specific card within the past 24 months still applies
• The Chase Sapphire Reserve is due to come out on August 21st

Strategy

Basically between now and when the new rule comes into place, you’ll be able to apply for a maximum of two personal cards (remember that you’re limited to two cards every 65 day period). If you’ve had less than 5 new accounts within the past 24 months, you should be able to get the Chase Sapphire Reserve as you’ll be under the Chase 5/24 rule. The sign up bonus on that card is huge, so I’d focus on that if you’re under 5/24 rather than worrying about Citi cards (you’d still be able to get in at least one application after you got that card as well).

Hopefully you have a list of what cards you’ve opened and close with Citi in the past 24 months. If you haven’t opened/closed a card within a specific brand in the last 24 months, I’d consider those ‘clean’ and apply for them after the new rule goes in place. Better to focus on cards that you won’t be eligible for after it goes into place right now. Similarly if you’re close to the clock resetting (e.g closed a card within a specific brand 21 months ago) then you’d be better off focusing on brands where this isn’t the card (you also wouldn’t want to sign up for a card with a relatively low bonus).

Best Citi Sign Up Bonuses

I’m going to split this up by ‘brand’ to make things easier. I’ll also let you know if these brands will fall under the new rule or not.

Citi American Airlines Personal

The new rules apply to these cards, you can only get the sign up bonus if you haven’t opened or closed any of these cards within the last 24 months. New rule readers:

American Airlines AAdvantage^® bonus miles not available if you have had any Citi / AAdvantage card (other than a CitiBusiness^® / AAdvantage card) opened or closed in the past 24 months.

The bonuses are as follows:

• Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select MasterCard: 50,000 miles after $3,000 in spend
• Citi / AAdvantage Gold Card MasterCard: 25,000 miles after $750 in spend. As we previously reported, you might be able to get matched to 40,000 points.
• Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite MasterCard: 60,000 miles after $5,000 in spend

Executive has the biggest sign up bonus, but also the biggest spend requirement and annual fee. I’d personally pick up the Platinum Select if I didn’t open/close within the past 24 months, followed by gold and then executive last. But it really depends on how you value American Airline miles and also the benefits of the executive card.

Citi American Airlines Business

The new rules do apply to this card, but it’s the only card under this brand so it’s basically the same rule as before. New rule reads:

This card is not available if the business already has a CitiBusiness^® / AAdvantage^®Platinum Select^® World MasterCard^® account. Bonus miles and any additional special offer not available if you have had any CitiBusiness^® / AAdvantage^® account opened or closed in the past 24 months.

The best sign up bonus on this card is as follows:

• 50,000 miles after $3,000 in spend

Citi AT&T

No working links currently, so unable to see if new rule applies or not.

Citi Costco

These cards don’t have a sign up bonus and never have.

• Costco Anywhere Visa Card By Citi
• Costco Anywhere Visa Business Card By Citi

Citi Expedia

The new rules apply here as well, rule reads as follows:

Expedia+/Expedia+ Voyager Points Bonus Offer is not available if you have had any Expedia+ or Expedia+ Voyager card opened or closed in the past 24 months

• Expedia+ Voyager:
  • 25,000 Expedia+ points after $2,000 in purchases within 3 months
  • 20,000 Expedia+ points after $2,000 in purchases within 3 months + An additional $100 statement credit when you make a purchase of $100 or more on Expedia
• Expedia+:
  • 15,000 Expedia+ points after $1,000 in purchases within 3 months
  • 10,000 Expedia+ points after $1,000 in purchases within 3 months + An additional $50 statement credit when you make a purchase of $50 or more on Expedia

Cards aren’t particularly exciting, I doubt many of you actually hold or have held these cards before – but could be a decent option when the new rule goes into effect.

Citi Hilton

The new rules do apply to this card and read as follows:

Bonus Hilton HHonors points are not available if you have had any Citi^®Hilton HHonors^™ card opened or closed in the past 24 months.

OR

Weekend Night Certificates offer is not available if you have had any Citi^®Hilton HHonors^TMcard opened or closed in the past 24 months

The best sign up bonuses are as follows:

• Citi Hilton HHonors Reserve: Two Free nights when you spend $2,500 or more within four months of accout opening + $100 statement credit
• Citi Hilton Hhonors Visa Signature Card:
  • 75,000 points after $2,000 in spend within three months
  • 50,000 points after $1,000 in spend within three months + $50 statement credit

Personally I think the stronger offer is the Reserve, but you’ll be limited to whatever card it is you haven’t opened/closed in the past 24 months anyway.

Citi Misc

These are miscellaneous Citi cards and don’t fall under the new rule.

• Citi Double Cash: No sign up bonus
• Citi Simplicity: No sign up bonus
• Citi Diamond Preferred Card: No sign up bonus
• Citi Secured MasterCard: No Bonus

Citi ThankYou Personal

These cards do fall under the new rule, reading as follows:

Bonus ThankYou points are not available if you have had ThankYou Preferred, ThankYou Premier, Citi Prestige or Citibusiness ThankYou cards opened or closed in the past 24 months.

Those cards have the following sign up bonuses:

• Citi Prestige: 40,000 points after $4,000 in spend (50,000 offer is no longer available sadly). You can get 50,000 points with $350 annual fee in branch.
• Citi Preferred: 10,000 points after $1,000 in spend + $100 statement credit after making $100 in Live Nation purchases
• Citi ThankYou Preferred Card for College Students (this is considered as a regular preferred as well): 2,500 points after $500 in spend within three months
• Citi Premier: No bonus

Obviously the Citi Prestige is offering the best bonus here, although it does have an annual fee of $450 and it’s benefits are being reduced soon.

Citi ThankYou Business

You won’t be eligible for this if you’ve had any of the above personal cards either. It requires you going into a Citi branch to get this offer and it’s as follows:

• 20,000 points after $3,000 in spend

Our Verdict

Not a whole lot going on with Citi at the moment unfortunately, Prestige is probably the strongest offer but the fact that the benefits are being decreased kills the value a bit. There is always good value in the American Airline cards, and I wouldn’t mind another Citi Reserve either. I haven’t decided what my last two apps will be yet, I need to consult my spread sheet to work out what cards I’m eligible for. I hope people found this post useful, feel free to share your strategy and thoughts in the comments.

If you’re opening a new card now, it might also make sense to cancel any other cards you have within that brand that you don’t plan to keep long term (as you’ll already be resetting the 24 month clock). Also just a friendly reminder that we don’t use affiliate links for credit cards, I really don’t mind if you do/don’t sign up for new credit cards – I’m just trying to help you. If you find other bloggers helpful, then consider using their affiliate links for your credit card applications.