Changes
In case you didn’t already know the Citi announced that there would be some changes made to the Citi ThankYou Premier on April 19th, these changes have now taken effect. Let’s have a quick recap of these changes for those not in the know:
- Annual fee reduced to $95 from $125
- Travel will earn 3x points up from 2x point
- Dining & entertainment will earn 2x points which is down from 3x points
- What codes as travel is being significantly increased and will include the following:Â airlines, hotels, car rental agencies, travel agencies, gas stations, commuter transportation, taxi/limousines, passenger railways, cruise lines, bridge and road tolls, parking lots/garages, campgrounds and trailer parks, time shares, bus lines, motor home/RV Rental and boat rentals
This is basically three upgrades and one downgrade. I like that the travel categories have been expanded (especially since they now include gas), but I would have loved to earn 3x on dining – especially now that I can’t earn 5% cash back with the U.S Bank Cash+.
[Read: Best credit cards for restaurant purchases]
They’ve also rolled out the new card design, which we’ve previously discussed. This new card design is extremely similar to the Citi ThankYou Prestige, with a front facing magnetic strip. I hate the front facing strips as it confuses cashiers like crazy. New design can be viewed below:
There is also another change to the sign up bonus, but we’ll be doing a seperate post on this shortly.
How do you feel about this as compared to Barclay’s Arrival+ (of which I still don’t understand: is it a redeem for credit only card) and possibly AMEX’s EveryDay Preferred?
I’m debating between this one and Prestige. Which is better?
That’s a personal choice, do you value the Citi Prestige benefits like lounge access? If not, Premier is much better option IMO.