Citi Prestige and Premier join the bonus cashback bandwagon


A few months ago, Citi announced that their Premier card would start earning 3x ThankYou Points (TYP) at both grocery stores and restaurants starting August 23, 2020.  But it looks Citi has decided to join the bonus cashback party early as all grocery store and restaurant purchases from June 2, 2020 now qualify for the 3x TYP!  So through August 23, the bonus cashback categories for the Premier card will be the following:
  • 3x on dining
  • 3x at grocery stores
  • 3x on all travel
  • 3x on gas
  • 2x on entertainment
That is probably the best and most comprehensive bonus points afforded to any card on the market.  Though effective August 23, the bonus cashback categories will be modified to the following:
  • 3x on dining
  • 3x at grocery stores
  • 3x on airfare and hotels
  • 3x on gas
Initiating the 3x at dining and grocery stores early is a smart move as spending for most people have shifted to grocery stores, takeout, and food delivery since the COVID-19 pandemic began.  A few months ago, Chase also added temporary 5x and 3x cashback at grocery stores for their annual fee cards through June 30, 2020.


Prestige 5x for online purchases


Through August 31, 2020, Citi's flagship Prestige card will earn 5x on online purchases including the following:
  • Retailer website orders
  • Online grocery orders
  • Online drugstore orders
The 5x is capped at 7,500 bonus TYP, which amounts to $1,500 in spending.  This should be no problem for most card holders to max out as you can just buy Amazon or any online retailer gift cards.


Bottom line

It's good to see Citi jump on the bonus points bandwagon on the heels of Chase.  With the COVID-19 pandemic, our spending has drastically changed and veered away from travel purchases to more grocery and online shopping.  The Citi Premier bumping up their 3x initiation on grocery store purchases by a few months allows it to go toe-to-toe against Chase, and is also a good alternative for those of us who have already maxed out the Freedom's 5x quarterly bonus at grocery stores and gyms.

From all of us at Flying for Fitness, please stay healthy during this trying time.  We hope you enjoyed this post.  Please consider visiting one of our sponsors by clicking on the advertisements.  Our sponsors pay us for customer visits and help us to keep the lights on.  Thanks!



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