One thing that wasn't mentioned was that Citi just got 3 new transfer partners via Qatar Airways Privilege Club transitioning to Avios that can be transferred between British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus. That really unlocks a lot of booking options and puts them on a closer playing field with Chase/Amex.
That's interesting. I think they still have a long way to go, but it's encouraging that they are moving in the right direction. I'd really like a see some more hotel partners.
My wife and I both run a citi custom cash and have each other added as authorized users. One card has Gas written on it the other has groceries and we have both on us at all times
We have done something similar. One custom cash is for restaurants, and the other is for groceries. For gas, because we have Platinum Honors with BofA, we use their Customized Cash Rewards card where we get 5.25% (1.75% x 3) on gas.
@@sudhisira That’s stellar, I actually use the Bank of America 3x back for restaurants because we rarely eat out and occasionally switch it to online purchases
Been with citi for a long time. I prefer their travel portal and website interface over chase. like you mentioned, i use the CSP for flight insurance & auto CDW, but i use citi TY for hotel stays. easy to rack up pts with their setup.
This is the setup I currently use! :) I’d consider my household a pretty no-nonsense one; we generally stay at home and are pretty frugal. We find joy in the little things like fixing up the home, playing video games, eating out with friends, etc. We vacation on average once every two years, which is when I plan to cash in my ThankYou points!
You may want to try the Venture X. It's basically a free travel card if you fly anywhere like, once a year. Plus you get lounge access, primary CDW, etc...I'm going to convert my daily set-up from the Chase to Citi/VX set-up, and maybe another thrown in if I need it. VX is amazing because of the free AU, as well as for Citi Premier.
@@ryanshannon6963 i really am curious on possibly getting the venture x. But like swordy fish, i just dont travel enough to where this card probably makes sense for me. Right now i feel like the CSP is the perfect gateway travel card for me to dip my toes in and maybe be the only one unless i make some changes in my life and travel more. I technically have to spend $300 on travel to make it worth it for me and so far i only stay in hotels when i use my sapphire points
@@coreyw5981 Sure, and it makes sense if you don't travel too often. I would argue for a travel card with the primary insurance, CSP is probably a good one to have in your wallet. I think to accumulate points faster (even if you're not traveling actively, but want points for maybe emergency travel or just want to save them for the future) then the Citi Premier is another good one to have in your pocket. You get 3 points for every $1 spent on everyday stuff (gas stations, restaurants and supermarkets), and is only $95/year fee. The welcome bonus was 80k points, which is nice, with a nice selection of transfer partners. Otherwise, maybe just cash back cards would be great for those that don't really need the points unless you just really want to have points for the future.
Currently using this setup with a minor change. Replaced Double cash for Venture X - they both transfer to what I typically use (Avios, Aeroplan, lifemiles, Singapore, Turkish) Venture X has all the travel protection Citi is lacking so it works out great for me.
Like chase requiring a ultimate rewards card, i believe Citi requires premier card for transfer parters. Otherwise you’re stuck with their travel portal or for cash back and redemptions.
To be honest I don't know why AA is not added considering their relationship. Chase-UA and Amex-DL paired up quite well and the Citi-AA duo has to catch up
@@veezhang6988 AA miles are powerful, but I think AA waaay overvalues them (like ~2cpp on 1099s). I think they're afraid that if they open their program up to Citi transfers it would dilute them, or drive people away from their bad cobranded credit cards. It's similar to Marriott's paltry 1:1 transfer rate from Chase/Amex.
I'm not sure I agree with that. The Citi Premier, which I have, seems to be the card where you'll want to hoard your points because it redeems cash (statement credit) at 1 cent per point and also offers the travel transfer partners. With Rewards+ you'll get the 10% points boost, but if you want 1 cent per point you'll have to buy gift certificates because the cash redemption option is awful. I'm not sure what the exact amount is but it's much less than one penny a point, it might even be half a penny a point.
@@ramonsuarez1051 Rewards+ gives you 10% points back for redeeming your points up to 100k points per year. Just make sure you combine your Thank You accounts for all your cards. That includes when transferring to partners or cashing them out. You don't even have to use the Rewards+ card to get that rebate. You just need to have it for 10% more points (as rebate) earning for all your Citi cards.
@@SolidLiquidFox so you're saying that I can just get the Rewards+ card, not use it all, not add points to it, and all my Premier Thank You points up to 100,000 will be redeemed at 10% more?
Great Video Sebby. I have been a Citi cards user for a long time, and I like their inexpensive setup. One great thing you may have wanted to add is that Citi Premier card gives you a $100 back on a single hotel stay that costs more than $500. I think this is something a lot of us can find useful-- and also nullifies the entire cost of this trifecta. As pointed out by some of the other people here, their setup is more suitable for hotel redemptions than airlines due to lack of coverage benefits.
I think it's notable that citi custom cash card excludes Costco and Sam's gas stations. I fill up exclusively at costco or sams its usually between 30 to 50 cents cheaper. At gas prices around $4.35/gallon thats up to 11% cheaper so not worth the card. In comparison BOFA cash rewards take 3% and honors costco and sams gas. With that set up the savings together are up to 14%.🏀
That's a very rare situation. If you're a Costco or Sam's member and you go frequently, you'd be a fool not to apply for their store credit cards. The Costco card gives you 4% on gas and the Sam's card give you 5%.
🏀Definitely think Citi is focusing more on banking since I am constantly getting notifications about their savings, checking, and investment services. Tbh I'm not sure if I would ever choose their checking or investment services just because they seem pretty bare bones.
@@justjojo1666 Citi Checking has multiple options that are linked to total balances like reimbursed atm fees, free checks, zelle, and different qualifications for $0 monthly fees. But, there are other banks that provide the same or more features (e.g. Schwab has reimburses atm fees at no monthly fee or minimum). As for their investing services, there are so many other gold standards (fidelity, vanguard, td ameritrade, schwab) that have good track records and lower fees. I can't really find any reason to go with Citi for investing. The only banking service I really use is their high yield savings account which has a high 0.6% APY. My original setup was the double and custom cash so it's nice having everything in one app/bank.
@@AndrewCouch I have Schwab for their checkings and savings. Haven’t done anything with the other names you mentioned, do you bank with them? Whom do you bank/ invest into which banks or investment companies. I heard good things with Fidelity and Vanguard, but the others not to much about.
Maybe I'm old fashioned but I still see the value in brick and mortar for banking. If I happen to be doing cash transactions, I don't want to use an ATM for instance. So if Citi wants to do more banking, I think they need more locations.
🏀 I really appreciate you exploring other trifectas and setups. I recently had a really bad experience with Chase card services and it's making me wonder if I might be better off with another bank. Videos like this help me see other possibilities and inform my decisions. Always love to see what kind of tricks and advice you come up with in your research.
Great video Seb. Completely new to credit game. If 5/24 rule wasn't a thing, I would just have gone to citi set up first instead of me stacking up my chase cards. Seriously chase doesn't cover groceries and gas as efficient compared to citi smh.
Holding onto the prestige for the lounges (its still the best Priority Pass if you have a family - includes priority pass restaurants and you can bring family members) and 5x dining, and its the lowest cost effective annual fee for an unlimited priority pass (other than the CNB crystal which charges for guests now)
My Citi Trifecta is actually a quadfecta, which includes Prestige, AT&T Access More, Sears and 9 Custom Cashes. One of the best setups on the market, IMO.
🏀 One big problems with Citi. 1) No travel insurance with Citi Premier. That leads to $30 to $60 per flight ✈️ to protect yourself. Also no rental car insurance. That is an additional $17 to $25 per rental car day, or between $119 to $175 for a week long rental. For 1 week long trip to Hawaii could easily turn into $244 on the low end. $95 annual fee, $30 for a domestic flight insurance ✈️, and $119 for the rental car 🚗.
I've got the Citi trifecta and it's nice. The Custom Cash is the shining star. Citi just needs better transfer partners. It was nice when they had American even though it was only temporary. I really only use Citi for Life Miles to book United Polaris or Turkish Business. But Citi doesn't really have any standout partners... like how Amex has ANA or how Chase has Hyatt.
You're a mind reader! I've been saying to myself...."I wonder if Sebby would ever feature a video on Citi?" I've been accruing ThankYou points like crazy lately from some wild offers. 12.5%-40% back and some of it is cumulative. In rare cases, I'm getting $110 back in points for $150 purchases. So I've been wondering what my best use of points would be. Looks like I have have some research to do for travel partners. Thanks! Great video, as always!
@@125henni yes, they're just promotional flyers I've been getting in the mail from Citi for my Sears card. 20% back on gas/grocery/restaurants up to $425 in spend. 20% back on online shopping up to $350. Spend $1k in a period, get $125 back in points. The latest is make 5 purchases of at least $30, get $60 in points back
@Joshua Bellis yeah from what I've seen in some forums, it's only the Sears card issued by Citi giving ThankYou points where most of these offers are coming from. Not sure if they're still taking applications for it.
I think I would prefer the Cap One Venture X and SavorOne combo. 10x hotel, 3x on grocery / gas / restaurant and 2x on the rest with, priority pass , primary CDW, no forex and effective zero annual fee.
My setup is Citi Premier, WF Active Cash, Sam's Club Mastercard (5% gas awesome), and Amazon Prime Visa. I considered the Citi Trifecta but I think I have it all covered. One nice thing about Citi is it doesn't lock you into their ecosystem. Chase has better redemption options if you use their Trifecta, but it locks into using their cards which are not optimal in my book for just plain cash rewards. If you think cash is king then I would place Citi over Chase. Chase is better for the guy who travels a lot.
Why do I imagine myself cashing in my thank you points on the floor of my living room on my knees with phone clasped in hand and tears in my eyes saying “Thank you! Thank you!” several times in a row while looking down at my phone and then back up to the ceiling? Is that normal?
I love the Citi Double Cash Card but I just wish they added no Foreign Exchange Fees and free TSA Pre-Check. I'm currently on a long trip and would of loved using their card but due to the Forex fees in laying it aside for the CSR. I could have easily spent $30k on it on this trip but they missed out. Been looking for 2%+ Cash back card with no forex and free TSA Pre-Check but haven't found any or at least no Forex fees.
Another card to consider is the Sears Mastercard that earns TYP. But the key thing is that you have to get their spending bonuses that can be sent out on a regular basis (I get them in the mail). As an example, one of the offers I got recently was 15x bonus points if I spent a minimum of $700 on online spending. Then, you just need to make sure to combine the TYP accounts under one roof. You can generate a lot of points this way, but, of course, YMMV.
@@LaBoricuaOG The spending bonuses vary, but it's any qualifying net spend at any qualifying merchant, definitely not just Sears. I haven't shopped at Sears in like a decade lol
Capital One Venture looks like a great standalone card. If you have it and you travel, then Quicksilver is useless. Maybe you can put Savor or Savor One to use, but can those points be converted to Venture miles? I don't know the answer, but I haven't read anything that says you can. I'm interested in Capital One too because I'm getting too close to 5/24 to consider Chase.
Hey sebby when the 1 year of my first card comes up thinking of getting the freedom flex and if I were accepted would I need to wait 24 months until I could apply for the freedom unlimited and get the welcome bonus thanks? and keep up the great content
Prestige is in some ways the most bare-bones of the high annual fee cards, especially as Citi isn't partnered with any of the big domestic airlines for points transfers except Jetblue (although frankly that isn't necessarily a bad thing, and I'm not that big on airlines in Oneworld); this is probably why the annual fee hasn't climbed like its competitors. I thought about downgrading the Prestige to the Premier for the rare grocery multiplier but got the Aeroplan card instead, I may still ultimately swap the Aeroplan for the Premier depending on how well Aeroplan gets me to Asia (I also have the CSR w/ freedom unlimited for miscellaneous spend and tend to fly United/Star Alliance since I live in the Bay Area). Nerfing the 4th night free to 2x a year really took the punch out of the product; now the only unique utility I've found personally is to horde Infinity Mileagelands points for a future upgrade on Eva Air (which isn't even that economical) whenever Taiwan finally opens its doors without a long quarantine.
I never get approved for Citi cards. Over the period of 5 years I have tried time and again to get these cards but have never been successful. For me, they are not transparent in what they take into account while approving cards. Last I checked with them, they told me that the credit score today should be better than what it was 6 months ago and there should not be any major changes to yoir credit history . Just last week, I met all the rules and got a pre selected to which when I applied I got rejected. Thanks Sebby for the video, well I would say they this setup is also for people who don't want to do the legwork and research what other bank trifacta offer. I am pretty sure I am going to stop pursuing Citi
As a mostly economy domestic traveler, Avianca to fly United is decent, and Virgin Atlantic to fly Delta is decent. An easy redemption is the 1:2 transfer to Choice hotels. Easy 1.5cpp (TY points)
One negative about this setup is that it takes time to set up if you want to receive multiple TY sign up bonuses. I believe you can receive one TU bonus every 24 months. I suppose you can just sign up for the Premier and then the others and just eat the bonuses to get the set up quicker.
That's funny I just recently discovered the citi custom Cash Card and I plan to use it for gas. I don't like to travel and I don't like to mess with transferring points, so I don't think the other two have a great deal of value for me. Thanks for the video though.
I already have a 5% gas card so we use the custom cash for groceries. In fact, my wife and I each have a custom cash card in case we need $1,000 per month for groceries.
@@bigmike4133 You are in luck. Two 5% options all year: 1.) Abound Credit Union Platinum Card. $10 (IIRC) to join. Rebates paid each statement. No clue if there is a monthly limit but it is well higher than $500 if one exists. 2.) Sam's Club Plus Mastercard. Rebates paid once per year. Realistically only a good card if you are a Sam's member.
@@bobbbobb4663 The Sam's Club Plus Mastercard is one of my core cards. I get the majority of my groceries at Sam's, and then when I add the benefit of getting 5% rewards on gas stations, this is a killer card! I use Citi Premier for grocery stores other than Sam's and for hotels when I'm on vacation.
Wait you can have twp custom cash cards? I never knew you could have same thing twice. Does that mean you can have, for example, one be for gas, one be for groceries?
The Citi Premier really does look like a solid points earning card. If it was used as a solo card it would be fantastic. I don't think I'll get it though because it would eat into my Chase/AMEX setup. Though I have considered getting it as a gas card. Currently my AMEX Hilton Surpass card fills that need. Thanks for the great analysis Sebby!
With CITI's New CEO and their CC restructuring I'm sure we will see some new things down the road The Thank YOU Points seems like they will be the heavy lifter for the rewards. The Citi Trifecta may well be the start of some new things coming. I do miss a lot of the other perks that were discontinued however I think CIti is up to something and it was just delayed until we start to get back to a new Normal SEBBY you always Keep me Thinking!!!!
It’s a set that I wanna run 🏀 wanted to know you’re thoughts on Citi trifecta Already have the Double cash need custom cash & premiere to complete think this would replace the chase trifecta scenes I’m in chase 5/24 Jail
Anyone know if I were to switch from Blue Cash Preferred card to a Delta Amex card would this seen as closing an account by credit bureaus or would it still report as the same amex credit account?
Citi clearly states you can have only one Custom Cash card per person. I'm think that one way around it is to get another card for your spouse or domestic partner with whom you share expenses.
Too bad (and pretty stupid) that opening and closing cards hurts your credit score. I get the importance of paying on time but this unfortunately adds an extra thing to consider when switching banks.
I just booked a KLM flight via Virgin Atlantic yesterday. They don't make it easy. The website kept erroring out and I had to call in and wait on hold for a while.
@Norton H What are Travel Points? In my example, I transferred points to Virgin Atlantic then used those points to book a KLM flight. As mentioned, it was challenging as I needed to call in.
I started with the premiere after getting declined for the csp, which was kind of a good thing, since I got an 80k sign up bonus. I started my chase trifecta with the freedom flex, but once I have the csp, I’m going add the other citi cards as soon as I can.
Thinking of getting the custom cash card for 5% gas but I see a lot of comments saying they use it for groceries. For the ones who use it for groceries what CC do y’all use for gas?
Did you end up picking a CC for gas? I’m on the same boat I’m looking for one as well and I can’t do the Sams one bc since I’m always on the road I can’t always go to a sams club one… the custom cash one is good but isn’t the cap $500 a month? I spend like $1,500 a month so I’m not sure which one
I have Citi Premier, but the more I study it, the more I agree with you. The Chase Hyatt partnership is a deal maker. I don't count the other hotels because their discounts are so miniscule you're better off just taking the cash and finding the best price. The only comparable value CIti has is with Choice Hotels. So it's Choice vs Hyatt. LOL
I hear you, except to me and many others, Marriott is far and away a better hotel choice than Hyatt. Marriot is generally bigger, more variety and just a better company than Hyatt. For me, I am willing to create a credit card trifecta that doesn't need to be linked to hotel or air travel spend. If you take hotel and air travel out of the equation, I think Citi trifecta is better than Chase trifecta. I just use my Marriot Brilliant for all hotel needs and perks, and I do not see a huge difference in getting air travel through Thank You portal versus Chase UR portal. I understand that redeeming points via Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve gives you a bonus, but you only realize that bonus if you travel alot, like a business traveler or you travel 3 or times a year and are constantly redeeming points. It seems for me, I would be redeeming points once or twice a year at most.
@@DT-we2ye right now I have Citi Premier and a few other complimentary cards outside of Citi, but I've been having Chase envy mostly because of their partnership with better hotels. But my last trip was booked directly with the hotel because I saved more than $100 by not using Citi's travel portal, and all the other internet travel portals were no better. So getting a good cash redemption option is important because travel portals are not always the best way to go. I'm guessing there are Chase customers out there that don't explore options outside the Chase travel portal because their travel rewards center around using it, but that might be detrimental.
@@ramonsuarez1051currently have the chase trifecta, and it’s pretty great, and I have never used the chase portal, because frankly it overcharges. I just load up on URs, transfer them to UA, and Google for hotels. That said, I’m looking forward to starting the citi quadfecta soon. Already have the DC, and will add Rewards+ this summer. Had a great 8 years with Chase, but looking forward to a new ecosystem to sign-up bonus :)
I can see CITI taking away the 5% category on the custom cash or dropping it to 4 to 3%. I feel like 90% of the people that get it just use it for 1 category and this includes me. CITI is gonna see that after a year or 2 and make changes accordingly. I don't see how they make $ with the 5% when people just use for only 1 category strictly 🏀
Only the credit card enthusiasts like us will max out that 5% category. They’re banking on vast majority using it for all random purchases or not optimizing, thus getting only 1% back. Thats why i gave my wife a simple 2% card. She doesn’t care about rewards or categories.
Studies have shown that most people are not optimizers like a lot of us nerds are! LOL I think they will stay at 5% as long as Chase and Discover are offering 5% on rotating categories.
Has it been confirmed that you can change cards to get multiple Custom Cash cards? I remember they seemed to make a point of saying that there was a limit of one per person
I wonder if one card person means I can have one card and my wife can have a second one with a separate account number. That kind of setup along with a 2% everything card would be tough to beat.
Anyone know if you can transfer points to your spouse if only one of you will have the premier card? For example if I have the full trifecta and my partner only has the double cash and the custom cash, are they able to transfer their points to me so that I can transfer them out to partners?
As team cashback I considered this, but there are some issues. 1. One can do a little better than 2% for catch all, there are several options. 2. Cards are MCs, so for Costco you're going to have to add the Costco card. For example Ally or USAA 2.5% handles both of these bullet points better. 3. Custom Cash is fantastic, and for team cash back can stand on its own. IMHO it's the best groceries card out there. 4. The Premier (again considering team cash back) doesn't really add anything here. Assuming a 2.5% catch all card, it adds 0.5% for gas, travel, and restaurants. Groceries are already covered by the Custom Cash. For me that 0.5% doesn't even begin to cover the annual fee or burden of carrying yet another card. As you said, the card doesn't really provide any other useful perks or insurances. The $100 hotel credit for bookings of $500 or more I found to be useless. The costs were higher to begin with via their portal. So all in all, while it's a cheap setup, I don't really see it working as an optimal cash back setup.
@@ramonsuarez1051 On credit karma the citi custom cash reviews are the majority and they are terrible, its only 50 1 star compared to 38 5 star, but people say that their limits were decreased, overwhelming denials leaving a hard inquiry and unable to make purchases or get 0% balance transfers. I want to apply for this card in 4 days. But now I am not so sure. My credit is around the 720 range with a fico of 744. Length is around 1yr7mos. I have 3 cards and a denial would kill me….
@@pedromiranda7346 there are other ways to get 5%. Sam's or Costco is one way. I get 80-90 pct of my groceries that way, and the discounts alone are worth more than 5% cash back. The Amex Blue Preferred is one way to get 6% on groceries for the first $6,000 and then you switch to another card after that. The Sam's Club card gives me 5% on gas at any gas station, so it covers most of my everyday expenses.
@@ramonsuarez1051 That Amex switch is a gem lol. Regardless, I sat and weighed out every possibility and direction I want and could take for my credit. This citi card for 5x gas is my best choice for a long term card I’ll have to serve as a foundation for my credit. I applied today and was approved!! I do potentially want the Sam’s Mastercard in the future though
thinking this will be my next trifecta now that Amex Gold is not going to be added to my wallet. Goal if getting the Double Cash and then product changing it in a year or so to a 2nd Custom Cash card to double up on the 5x. Just wish the Custom was capped at $12k a year vs $500 a month for the 3 months or so when grocery is a category on the Flex and then could make up those 3 months with higher than $500 spend in other months.
Hi guys! How somebody can help me. Do you know why I cannot find a city (destination) in another star alliance airline? Example. I need to book a flight to Merida, Mexico. That’s a United destination, however I cannot find it on Avianca or Turkish Airways and those are united parters. Am I doing anything wrong? I really appreciate your help.
Citi could easily become the best system of they do two things. 1. A top tier travel card like the Sapphire Reserve, Platinum Card, or Venture X. 2. A domestic transfer partner. The rewards+ I'd say is a pretty key part of the value here because you get 10% of your spent points back every year. So the double cash actually earns 2.2x points on all spending if you use the rewards+ card. That's a feature that is really cool and no other issuer has anything like it. Couple that with the fact that Citi has great earnings with a really cheap setup, they could be going blow for blow with the big players like Chase and Amex soon. The credit card space is in kind of a golden age right now. Very exciting times.
You don't even need to use the Rewards+ card. Just having it gives you the 10% boost on up to 100K. It's confusing because it doesn't make sense that just holding an extra card makes your points more valuable. This has to be mentioned on any Citi Trifecta videos.
Personally, I think if Citi copies Chase that's a mistake because they can't do Chase as well as Chase. They are obviously moving in another direction. They removed their protections and focused more on rewards. In my opinion they already have better rewards cards than Chase. Chase has better travel cards. I also wanted to comment on the Rewards+ card. As I understand it, Rewards+ just has your run-of-the-mill ThankYou Points with terrible redemption options. You'll have to get gift cards instead of statement credits or cash if you want one cent per point, so even with a 10% boost it's not so great. Citi Premier points are much better IMO because you can get one cent per point on statement credits or cash, or you can transfer to travel partners and do even better.
@@ramonsuarez1051 The Rewards+ rebate is for all points spent on the account, not on the card itself. And Chase doesn't do anything particularly special. The only real difference between them are travel protections and a few choice transfer partners. If Citi add a US domestic transfer partner there wont be anything Chase is better for except protections. They have better earnings rates, cheaper cards, and a couple really good transfer partners in Qantas, Etihad, and Avianca. CapOne already beat Chase on the top tier travel card with the Venture X, but they don't have the best ecosystem. If Citi introduce a card like the Venture X they'll have the best card system of them all.
I got the custom cash back in November. I used to use my BoA Cash Rewards for my dining to get 3.3% (or something a little over 3%) and have switched that to gas while I use my custom cash for all my dining. 5% back is great, and I don't think I've ever gone over $500 for dining. Got a sign up bonus of $300 for $1000, only shame is it has the lowest limit of any of my cards :P
🏀 Still holding onto my Prestige like a damn fool. Just can’t bear to think that they’ve killed off so many benefits with no sign of redemption (no pun intended) in sight. Someone please bring back Price Rewind too!
But I think it's required to have Premier to transfer to travel partners. Also, Premier points can be redeemed for cash at one penny per point. I don't think that's true with all Citi cards. I know my old ThankYou Preferred card would only redeem cash at a half penny per point so I had to get gift certificates instead.
@@DT-we2ye I think you're right. That's probably true of any Citi card with Cash in the name. Premier seems to be their premium card right now with the best redemption options because you can either get cash at a 1.0 rate or points transfer to travel partners. It's Citi's version of Chase Sapphire Preferred with better rewards rates but no boost in portal travel redemption and no insurance protections.
One thing that wasn't mentioned was that Citi just got 3 new transfer partners via Qatar Airways Privilege Club transitioning to Avios that can be transferred between British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus. That really unlocks a lot of booking options and puts them on a closer playing field with Chase/Amex.
That's interesting. I think they still have a long way to go, but it's encouraging that they are moving in the right direction. I'd really like a see some more hotel partners.
GREAT value-added comment to Sebby's video!
My wife and I both run a citi custom cash and have each other added as authorized users.
One card has Gas written on it the other has groceries and we have both on us at all times
We have done something similar. One custom cash is for restaurants, and the other is for groceries. For gas, because we have Platinum Honors with BofA, we use their Customized Cash Rewards card where we get 5.25% (1.75% x 3) on gas.
@@sudhisira That’s stellar, I actually use the Bank of America 3x back for restaurants because we rarely eat out and occasionally switch it to online purchases
Same here.
Ok
Been with citi for a long time. I prefer their travel portal and website interface over chase.
like you mentioned, i use the CSP for flight insurance & auto CDW, but i use citi TY for hotel stays. easy to rack up pts with their setup.
@Joshua Bellis - just use their travel portal for now, but might try out transfer partners in the future
This is the setup I currently use! :) I’d consider my household a pretty no-nonsense one; we generally stay at home and are pretty frugal. We find joy in the little things like fixing up the home, playing video games, eating out with friends, etc. We vacation on average once every two years, which is when I plan to cash in my ThankYou points!
Once every 2 years? Sheesh
y'all gotta hustle a little more...
You may want to try the Venture X. It's basically a free travel card if you fly anywhere like, once a year. Plus you get lounge access, primary CDW, etc...I'm going to convert my daily set-up from the Chase to Citi/VX set-up, and maybe another thrown in if I need it. VX is amazing because of the free AU, as well as for Citi Premier.
@@ryanshannon6963 i really am curious on possibly getting the venture x. But like swordy fish, i just dont travel enough to where this card probably makes sense for me. Right now i feel like the CSP is the perfect gateway travel card for me to dip my toes in and maybe be the only one unless i make some changes in my life and travel more. I technically have to spend $300 on travel to make it worth it for me and so far i only stay in hotels when i use my sapphire points
@@coreyw5981 Sure, and it makes sense if you don't travel too often. I would argue for a travel card with the primary insurance, CSP is probably a good one to have in your wallet. I think to accumulate points faster (even if you're not traveling actively, but want points for maybe emergency travel or just want to save them for the future) then the Citi Premier is another good one to have in your pocket. You get 3 points for every $1 spent on everyday stuff (gas stations, restaurants and supermarkets), and is only $95/year fee. The welcome bonus was 80k points, which is nice, with a nice selection of transfer partners. Otherwise, maybe just cash back cards would be great for those that don't really need the points unless you just really want to have points for the future.
Currently using this setup with a minor change. Replaced Double cash for Venture X - they both transfer to what I typically use (Avios, Aeroplan, lifemiles, Singapore, Turkish) Venture X has all the travel protection Citi is lacking so it works out great for me.
Like chase requiring a ultimate rewards card, i believe Citi requires premier card for transfer parters. Otherwise you’re stuck with their travel portal or for cash back and redemptions.
Is it worth the premium?
🏀 for the love! Also, if Citi was to add AA as a transfer partner, it would really bring the setup to the forefront
To be honest I don't know why AA is not added considering their relationship. Chase-UA and Amex-DL paired up quite well and the Citi-AA duo has to catch up
@@veezhang6988 AA miles are powerful, but I think AA waaay overvalues them (like ~2cpp on 1099s). I think they're afraid that if they open their program up to Citi transfers it would dilute them, or drive people away from their bad cobranded credit cards. It's similar to Marriott's paltry 1:1 transfer rate from Chase/Amex.
Citi fights inflation well with easy to understand cashback. Citi Rewards+ is probably mandatory in this set up making it a quadfecta.
Agree! Good for team cashback.
LOL, Solid point in these times!!
I'm not sure I agree with that. The Citi Premier, which I have, seems to be the card where you'll want to hoard your points because it redeems cash (statement credit) at 1 cent per point and also offers the travel transfer partners. With Rewards+ you'll get the 10% points boost, but if you want 1 cent per point you'll have to buy gift certificates because the cash redemption option is awful. I'm not sure what the exact amount is but it's much less than one penny a point, it might even be half a penny a point.
@@ramonsuarez1051 Rewards+ gives you 10% points back for redeeming your points up to 100k points per year. Just make sure you combine your Thank You accounts for all your cards. That includes when transferring to partners or cashing them out. You don't even have to use the Rewards+ card to get that rebate. You just need to have it for 10% more points (as rebate) earning for all your Citi cards.
@@SolidLiquidFox so you're saying that I can just get the Rewards+ card, not use it all, not add points to it, and all my Premier Thank You points up to 100,000 will be redeemed at 10% more?
Citi Trifecta has become VERY strong w/ low cost 🏆 Still needs a top-tier travel card for benefits though.
Waiting for the Prestige revamp 👀
@@AskSebby insert Escobar waiting meme here
Where the 🏀?
Hey…. I know you. 😂
@@ramonn.6816 - what do you mean?
Great Video Sebby. I have been a Citi cards user for a long time, and I like their inexpensive setup. One great thing you may have wanted to add is that Citi Premier card gives you a $100 back on a single hotel stay that costs more than $500. I think this is something a lot of us can find useful-- and also nullifies the entire cost of this trifecta. As pointed out by some of the other people here, their setup is more suitable for hotel redemptions than airlines due to lack of coverage benefits.
I actually got the Citi premier because of a previous video you made. I love this card and use it for everything. Thanks for the information!
I think it's notable that citi custom cash card excludes Costco and Sam's gas stations. I fill up exclusively at costco or sams its usually between 30 to 50 cents cheaper. At gas prices around $4.35/gallon thats up to 11% cheaper so not worth the card. In comparison BOFA cash rewards take 3% and honors costco and sams gas. With that set up the savings together are up to 14%.🏀
That's a very rare situation. If you're a Costco or Sam's member and you go frequently, you'd be a fool not to apply for their store credit cards. The Costco card gives you 4% on gas and the Sam's card give you 5%.
🏀Definitely think Citi is focusing more on banking since I am constantly getting notifications about their savings, checking, and investment services. Tbh I'm not sure if I would ever choose their checking or investment services just because they seem pretty bare bones.
What does bare bones mean
@@justjojo1666 Citi Checking has multiple options that are linked to total balances like reimbursed atm fees, free checks, zelle, and different qualifications for $0 monthly fees. But, there are other banks that provide the same or more features (e.g. Schwab has reimburses atm fees at no monthly fee or minimum).
As for their investing services, there are so many other gold standards (fidelity, vanguard, td ameritrade, schwab) that have good track records and lower fees. I can't really find any reason to go with Citi for investing.
The only banking service I really use is their high yield savings account which has a high 0.6% APY. My original setup was the double and custom cash so it's nice having everything in one app/bank.
@@AndrewCouch I have Schwab for their checkings and savings. Haven’t done anything with the other names you mentioned, do you bank with them? Whom do you bank/ invest into which banks or investment companies. I heard good things with Fidelity and Vanguard, but the others not to much about.
Maybe I'm old fashioned but I still see the value in brick and mortar for banking. If I happen to be doing cash transactions, I don't want to use an ATM for instance. So if Citi wants to do more banking, I think they need more locations.
🏀 I really appreciate you exploring other trifectas and setups. I recently had a really bad experience with Chase card services and it's making me wonder if I might be better off with another bank. Videos like this help me see other possibilities and inform my decisions. Always love to see what kind of tricks and advice you come up with in your research.
I've had terrible experiences with Chase as well.
Great video Seb. Completely new to credit game. If 5/24 rule wasn't a thing, I would just have gone to citi set up first instead of me stacking up my chase cards. Seriously chase doesn't cover groceries and gas as efficient compared to citi smh.
Holding onto the prestige for the lounges (its still the best Priority Pass if you have a family - includes priority pass restaurants and you can bring family members) and 5x dining, and its the lowest cost effective annual fee for an unlimited priority pass (other than the CNB crystal which charges for guests now)
My Citi Trifecta is actually a quadfecta, which includes Prestige, AT&T Access More, Sears and 9 Custom Cashes. One of the best setups on the market, IMO.
🏀 One big problems with Citi. 1) No travel insurance with Citi Premier. That leads to $30 to $60 per flight ✈️ to protect yourself. Also no rental car insurance. That is an additional $17 to $25 per rental car day, or between $119 to $175 for a week long rental. For 1 week long trip to Hawaii could easily turn into $244 on the low end. $95 annual fee, $30 for a domestic flight insurance ✈️, and $119 for the rental car 🚗.
I've got the Citi trifecta and it's nice. The Custom Cash is the shining star. Citi just needs better transfer partners. It was nice when they had American even though it was only temporary. I really only use Citi for Life Miles to book United Polaris or Turkish Business. But Citi doesn't really have any standout partners... like how Amex has ANA or how Chase has Hyatt.
I have the citi bifecta. Premier + Costco credit card. 4% back on gas, 3% on hotels, dining, and groceries is a pretty good base
Can you convert the Costco cash back to thank you points? I’m guessing not but I’ll ask anyway.
@@Sir_Arkady no, you can only cash it out through Costco. Only downside is they’re not ‘points’
🏀 I personally always love hearing the Sebby analogies.
You're a mind reader! I've been saying to myself...."I wonder if Sebby would ever feature a video on Citi?"
I've been accruing ThankYou points like crazy lately from some wild offers. 12.5%-40% back and some of it is cumulative. In rare cases, I'm getting $110 back in points for $150 purchases.
So I've been wondering what my best use of points would be. Looks like I have have some research to do for travel partners. Thanks! Great video, as always!
Wow! Didn't know Citi had offers like this. I should check them out more
Is this just for random offers?
@@125henni yes, they're just promotional flyers I've been getting in the mail from Citi for my Sears card. 20% back on gas/grocery/restaurants up to $425 in spend. 20% back on online shopping up to $350. Spend $1k in a period, get $125 back in points. The latest is make 5 purchases of at least $30, get $60 in points back
@Joshua Bellis yeah from what I've seen in some forums, it's only the Sears card issued by Citi giving ThankYou points where most of these offers are coming from. Not sure if they're still taking applications for it.
@@richbasister3182 it could be because it’s a sears card? I haven’t seen offers like those in any of their standard cards yet
I think I would prefer the Cap One Venture X and SavorOne combo. 10x hotel, 3x on grocery / gas / restaurant and 2x on the rest with, priority pass , primary CDW, no forex and effective zero annual fee.
yeah but you still have to deal with crapital one, nope never again
Hey Sebby, great video!!! can you do a comparison of the best card based on insurance benefits when you book flights, cars.
I love basketball analogies! I’m gonna work on that premier card soon…thanks Sebby👍🏼
I LOVED the math and breakdowns on this one, @Ask Sebby!! more like this video, please!
My setup is Citi Premier, WF Active Cash, Sam's Club Mastercard (5% gas awesome), and Amazon Prime Visa. I considered the Citi Trifecta but I think I have it all covered. One nice thing about Citi is it doesn't lock you into their ecosystem. Chase has better redemption options if you use their Trifecta, but it locks into using their cards which are not optimal in my book for just plain cash rewards. If you think cash is king then I would place Citi over Chase. Chase is better for the guy who travels a lot.
Is it available to have more than 1 (citi custom cash card) ?
Can you have more multiple custom cash?
Why do I imagine myself cashing in my thank you points on the floor of my living room on my knees with phone clasped in hand and tears in my eyes saying “Thank you! Thank you!” several times in a row while looking down at my phone and then back up to the ceiling? Is that normal?
I love the Citi Double Cash Card but I just wish they added no Foreign Exchange Fees and free TSA Pre-Check. I'm currently on a long trip and would of loved using their card but due to the Forex fees in laying it aside for the CSR. I could have easily spent $30k on it on this trip but they missed out. Been looking for 2%+ Cash back card with no forex and free TSA Pre-Check but haven't found any or at least no Forex fees.
Another card to consider is the Sears Mastercard that earns TYP. But the key thing is that you have to get their spending bonuses that can be sent out on a regular basis (I get them in the mail). As an example, one of the offers I got recently was 15x bonus points if I spent a minimum of $700 on online spending. Then, you just need to make sure to combine the TYP accounts under one roof. You can generate a lot of points this way, but, of course, YMMV.
does the online spending with the card has to happen at Sears or any online merchant?
@@LaBoricuaOG The spending bonuses vary, but it's any qualifying net spend at any qualifying merchant, definitely not just Sears. I haven't shopped at Sears in like a decade lol
Would you consider doing a video on a CapitalOne based setup? Great video as always!!
Capital One Venture looks like a great standalone card. If you have it and you travel, then Quicksilver is useless. Maybe you can put Savor or Savor One to use, but can those points be converted to Venture miles? I don't know the answer, but I haven't read anything that says you can. I'm interested in Capital One too because I'm getting too close to 5/24 to consider Chase.
can you open and close a credit card then reopen it later??
The points stack now, they combined my double points and my old as Citi card points into 1 bank which is cool
Hey sebby when the 1 year of my first card comes up thinking of getting the freedom flex and if I were accepted would I need to wait 24 months until I could apply for the freedom unlimited and get the welcome bonus thanks? and keep up the great content
Prestige is in some ways the most bare-bones of the high annual fee cards, especially as Citi isn't partnered with any of the big domestic airlines for points transfers except Jetblue (although frankly that isn't necessarily a bad thing, and I'm not that big on airlines in Oneworld); this is probably why the annual fee hasn't climbed like its competitors. I thought about downgrading the Prestige to the Premier for the rare grocery multiplier but got the Aeroplan card instead, I may still ultimately swap the Aeroplan for the Premier depending on how well Aeroplan gets me to Asia (I also have the CSR w/ freedom unlimited for miscellaneous spend and tend to fly United/Star Alliance since I live in the Bay Area). Nerfing the 4th night free to 2x a year really took the punch out of the product; now the only unique utility I've found personally is to horde Infinity Mileagelands points for a future upgrade on Eva Air (which isn't even that economical) whenever Taiwan finally opens its doors without a long quarantine.
🏀 thanks for all your info! Noob here and you help a lot!
I never get approved for Citi cards. Over the period of 5 years I have tried time and again to get these cards but have never been successful. For me, they are not transparent in what they take into account while approving cards. Last I checked with them, they told me that the credit score today should be better than what it was 6 months ago and there should not be any major changes to yoir credit history . Just last week, I met all the rules and got a pre selected to which when I applied I got rejected. Thanks Sebby for the video, well I would say they this setup is also for people who don't want to do the legwork and research what other bank trifacta offer. I am pretty sure I am going to stop pursuing Citi
As a mostly economy domestic traveler, Avianca to fly United is decent, and Virgin Atlantic to fly Delta is decent. An easy redemption is the 1:2 transfer to Choice hotels. Easy 1.5cpp (TY points)
do they have a soft pull pre-approval and what is their min required credit score?
One negative about this setup is that it takes time to set up if you want to receive multiple TY sign up bonuses. I believe you can receive one TU bonus every 24 months. I suppose you can just sign up for the Premier and then the others and just eat the bonuses to get the set up quicker.
Citi Strata Premier put back travel protections. This is huge.
great video, basketball analogies work great 🏀
Citi Trifecta and Hilton Aspire is nearly perfect 🏀
I have the citi double cash card and it is pretty great!!! Better than the 1.5 cards. 🏀
I am in the "go to the airport last minuet" boat. I am also last to board too.
That's funny I just recently discovered the citi custom Cash Card and I plan to use it for gas. I don't like to travel and I don't like to mess with transferring points, so I don't think the other two have a great deal of value for me. Thanks for the video though.
I already have a 5% gas card so we use the custom cash for groceries. In fact, my wife and I each have a custom cash card in case we need $1,000 per month for groceries.
@@bobbbobb4663 that's cool man the closest I've gotten to 5% on gas is my 4% Verizon card.
@@bigmike4133 You are in luck. Two 5% options all year: 1.) Abound Credit Union Platinum Card. $10 (IIRC) to join. Rebates paid each statement. No clue if there is a monthly limit but it is well higher than $500 if one exists. 2.) Sam's Club Plus Mastercard. Rebates paid once per year. Realistically only a good card if you are a Sam's member.
@@bobbbobb4663 The Sam's Club Plus Mastercard is one of my core cards. I get the majority of my groceries at Sam's, and then when I add the benefit of getting 5% rewards on gas stations, this is a killer card! I use Citi Premier for grocery stores other than Sam's and for hotels when I'm on vacation.
Wait you can have twp custom cash cards? I never knew you could have same thing twice. Does that mean you can have, for example, one be for gas, one be for groceries?
🏀 always a treat to watch your videos man!
Will you ever review Blockfi credit card? I’m curios on your take.
Maybe on the blog or second channel. Crypto videos tank on this channel.
The Citi Premier really does look like a solid points earning card. If it was used as a solo card it would be fantastic. I don't think I'll get it though because it would eat into my Chase/AMEX setup. Though I have considered getting it as a gas card. Currently my AMEX Hilton Surpass card fills that need. Thanks for the great analysis Sebby!
With CITI's New CEO and their CC restructuring I'm sure we will see some new things down the road The Thank YOU Points seems like they will be the heavy lifter for the rewards. The Citi Trifecta may well be the start of some new things coming. I do miss a lot of the other perks that were discontinued however I think CIti is up to something and it was just delayed until we start to get back to a new Normal SEBBY you always Keep me Thinking!!!!
Very solid cash back setup 🏀.
I don't think it's available anymore, but the Citi AT&T Access More is fantastic for online purchases.
Just got the citi custom cash card with a $300 SUB. Cancelling my gold so I can make this my 5% grocery.🏀
Great strategy
It’s a set that I wanna run 🏀 wanted to know you’re thoughts on Citi trifecta Already have the Double cash need custom cash & premiere to complete think this would replace the chase trifecta scenes I’m in chase 5/24 Jail
Would u wait for the premier to get a better bonus?
Anyone know if I were to switch from Blue Cash Preferred card to a Delta Amex card would this seen as closing an account by credit bureaus or would it still report as the same amex credit account?
What about the Citi Costco card?
It unfortunately doesn’t earn TY points, and once you have the card, you either have to keep or cancel it.
🏀 I put the Citi quadfecta in my queue for acquisitions in 2025 (waiting to drop under 5/24 after digging up Chase & Amex's backyards)
Has there been confirmation that you can PC into multiple custom cashes? My understanding was only one allowed per SSN
Citi clearly states you can have only one Custom Cash card per person. I'm think that one way around it is to get another card for your spouse or domestic partner with whom you share expenses.
Did you say that a person is able to hold more than 1 Custom Cash card?
Too bad (and pretty stupid) that opening and closing cards hurts your credit score. I get the importance of paying on time but this unfortunately adds an extra thing to consider when switching banks.
I just booked a KLM flight via Virgin Atlantic yesterday. They don't make it easy. The website kept erroring out and I had to call in and wait on hold for a while.
@Norton H What are Travel Points? In my example, I transferred points to Virgin Atlantic then used those points to book a KLM flight. As mentioned, it was challenging as I needed to call in.
@Norton H The points transferred to Virgin America were from AMEX where I took advantage of a transfer bonus.
I started with the premiere after getting declined for the csp, which was kind of a good thing, since I got an 80k sign up bonus. I started my chase trifecta with the freedom flex, but once I have the csp, I’m going add the other citi cards as soon as I can.
🏀 Great vid with great explanation.. I have that setup by default since I have 3 of their cards. But Chase's Trifecta is still my fav..
Def wanna get this set up once I'm done with chase
Thinking of getting the custom cash card for 5% gas but I see a lot of comments saying they use it for groceries. For the ones who use it for groceries what CC do y’all use for gas?
I use the Sam's Club Mastercard for 5% gas up to $6,000 per year. Only drawback is that Sam's Cash only comes once a year.
Did you end up picking a CC for gas? I’m on the same boat I’m looking for one as well and I can’t do the Sams one bc since I’m always on the road I can’t always go to a sams club one… the custom cash one is good but isn’t the cap $500 a month? I spend like $1,500 a month so I’m not sure which one
As long as Chase has Hyatt and Citi doesn't, Chase is better.
chase is at the top of the food chain
I have Citi Premier, but the more I study it, the more I agree with you. The Chase Hyatt partnership is a deal maker. I don't count the other hotels because their discounts are so miniscule you're better off just taking the cash and finding the best price. The only comparable value CIti has is with Choice Hotels. So it's Choice vs Hyatt. LOL
I hear you, except to me and many others, Marriott is far and away a better hotel choice than Hyatt. Marriot is generally bigger, more variety and just a better company than Hyatt. For me, I am willing to create a credit card trifecta that doesn't need to be linked to hotel or air travel spend. If you take hotel and air travel out of the equation, I think Citi trifecta is better than Chase trifecta. I just use my Marriot Brilliant for all hotel needs and perks, and I do not see a huge difference in getting air travel through Thank You portal versus Chase UR portal. I understand that redeeming points via Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve gives you a bonus, but you only realize that bonus if you travel alot, like a business traveler or you travel 3 or times a year and are constantly redeeming points. It seems for me, I would be redeeming points once or twice a year at most.
@@DT-we2ye right now I have Citi Premier and a few other complimentary cards outside of Citi, but I've been having Chase envy mostly because of their partnership with better hotels. But my last trip was booked directly with the hotel because I saved more than $100 by not using Citi's travel portal, and all the other internet travel portals were no better. So getting a good cash redemption option is important because travel portals are not always the best way to go. I'm guessing there are Chase customers out there that don't explore options outside the Chase travel portal because their travel rewards center around using it, but that might be detrimental.
@@ramonsuarez1051currently have the chase trifecta, and it’s pretty great, and I have never used the chase portal, because frankly it overcharges. I just load up on URs, transfer them to UA, and Google for hotels. That said, I’m looking forward to starting the citi quadfecta soon. Already have the DC, and will add Rewards+ this summer. Had a great 8 years with Chase, but looking forward to a new ecosystem to sign-up bonus :)
I can see CITI taking away the 5% category on the custom cash or dropping it to 4 to 3%. I feel like 90% of the people that get it just use it for 1 category and this includes me. CITI is gonna see that after a year or 2 and make changes accordingly. I don't see how they make $ with the 5% when people just use for only 1 category strictly 🏀
Beats me man, but it’s one hell of a concept for a card
Only the credit card enthusiasts like us will max out that 5% category. They’re banking on vast majority using it for all random purchases or not optimizing, thus getting only 1% back. Thats why i gave my wife a simple 2% card. She doesn’t care about rewards or categories.
Studies have shown that most people are not optimizers like a lot of us nerds are! LOL I think they will stay at 5% as long as Chase and Discover are offering 5% on rotating categories.
🏀 Looks like it's time to run a full press on some Citi cards.
diggin the outro music
🏀 Thanks for the info.
Has it been confirmed that you can change cards to get multiple Custom Cash cards? I remember they seemed to make a point of saying that there was a limit of one per person
I would love to know this too. A second custom cash would be a dream come true.
No, I don't think so. I can't find official fine print but a reddit post agrees with me.
"Citi will only issue one Citi Custom CashSM Card account per person" from the offer page
@@mattromano7679 right, which is why I was confused about product changing to another custom cash, because that's what was said in the video.
I wonder if one card person means I can have one card and my wife can have a second one with a separate account number. That kind of setup along with a 2% everything card would be tough to beat.
Anyone know if you can transfer points to your spouse if only one of you will have the premier card? For example if I have the full trifecta and my partner only has the double cash and the custom cash, are they able to transfer their points to me so that I can transfer them out to partners?
Very curious about this setup for cash back. We have the custom cash for gas, but are currently in the Amex camp with some chase cards too
🏀great video and info
well, i learned about the term 'glue guy'.. had to put on the subtitles cuz i thought you were having a stroke
As team cashback I considered this, but there are some issues.
1. One can do a little better than 2% for catch all, there are several options.
2. Cards are MCs, so for Costco you're going to have to add the Costco card. For example Ally or USAA 2.5% handles both of these bullet points better.
3. Custom Cash is fantastic, and for team cash back can stand on its own. IMHO it's the best groceries card out there.
4. The Premier (again considering team cash back) doesn't really add anything here. Assuming a 2.5% catch all card, it adds 0.5% for gas, travel, and restaurants. Groceries are already covered by the Custom Cash. For me that 0.5% doesn't even begin to cover the annual fee or burden of carrying yet another card. As you said, the card doesn't really provide any other useful perks or insurances. The $100 hotel credit for bookings of $500 or more I found to be useless. The costs were higher to begin with via their portal.
So all in all, while it's a cheap setup, I don't really see it working as an optimal cash back setup.
Great points, 5X back on groceries OR gas every month is a game changer
@@pedromiranda7346 heck, I get 5% on gas and groceries just by using my Sam's Mastercard! I use Citi Premier for small grocery store purchases.
@@ramonsuarez1051 On credit karma the citi custom cash reviews are the majority and they are terrible, its only 50 1 star compared to 38 5 star, but people say that their limits were decreased, overwhelming denials leaving a hard inquiry and unable to make purchases or get 0% balance transfers. I want to apply for this card in 4 days. But now I am not so sure. My credit is around the 720 range with a fico of 744. Length is around 1yr7mos. I have 3 cards and a denial would kill me….
@@pedromiranda7346 there are other ways to get 5%. Sam's or Costco is one way. I get 80-90 pct of my groceries that way, and the discounts alone are worth more than 5% cash back. The Amex Blue Preferred is one way to get 6% on groceries for the first $6,000 and then you switch to another card after that. The Sam's Club card gives me 5% on gas at any gas station, so it covers most of my everyday expenses.
@@ramonsuarez1051 That Amex switch is a gem lol. Regardless, I sat and weighed out every possibility and direction I want and could take for my credit. This citi card for 5x gas is my best choice for a long term card I’ll have to serve as a foundation for my credit. I applied today and was approved!! I do potentially want the Sam’s Mastercard in the future though
thinking this will be my next trifecta now that Amex Gold is not going to be added to my wallet. Goal if getting the Double Cash and then product changing it in a year or so to a 2nd Custom Cash card to double up on the 5x. Just wish the Custom was capped at $12k a year vs $500 a month for the 3 months or so when grocery is a category on the Flex and then could make up those 3 months with higher than $500 spend in other months.
Dang, not on of the first today but can't wait to hear your thoughts :)
🏀 thoughts on kuminga?
Since we’re in the basketball topic, let’s give a big shout out to Kansas for this March madness 🏀🏀❤️💙
Are there any rules like Chase's 5/25 rules for City, Barclay's, Capital One, US Bank, etc?
Hi guys! How somebody can help me.
Do you know why I cannot find a city (destination) in another star alliance airline?
Example. I need to book a flight to Merida, Mexico. That’s a United destination, however I cannot find it on Avianca or Turkish Airways and those are united parters. Am I doing anything wrong?
I really appreciate your help.
1. Amex Trifecta
2. Capital One Duo (Venture + Savor)
3. Citi Trifecta
4. Chase, but they need to be careful cause Bilt is on the rise.
Anyone think citi will ever add aeroplan in the future? Seb what ya think?
Got denied double cash… I’ll have to settle for a duo of custom cash and premier 😔
Is AA permanently added as travel transfer partner ?
Citi could easily become the best system of they do two things.
1. A top tier travel card like the Sapphire Reserve, Platinum Card, or Venture X.
2. A domestic transfer partner.
The rewards+ I'd say is a pretty key part of the value here because you get 10% of your spent points back every year. So the double cash actually earns 2.2x points on all spending if you use the rewards+ card. That's a feature that is really cool and no other issuer has anything like it. Couple that with the fact that Citi has great earnings with a really cheap setup, they could be going blow for blow with the big players like Chase and Amex soon.
The credit card space is in kind of a golden age right now. Very exciting times.
You don't even need to use the Rewards+ card. Just having it gives you the 10% boost on up to 100K. It's confusing because it doesn't make sense that just holding an extra card makes your points more valuable. This has to be mentioned on any Citi Trifecta videos.
Personally, I think if Citi copies Chase that's a mistake because they can't do Chase as well as Chase. They are obviously moving in another direction. They removed their protections and focused more on rewards. In my opinion they already have better rewards cards than Chase. Chase has better travel cards.
I also wanted to comment on the Rewards+ card. As I understand it, Rewards+ just has your run-of-the-mill ThankYou Points with terrible redemption options. You'll have to get gift cards instead of statement credits or cash if you want one cent per point, so even with a 10% boost it's not so great. Citi Premier points are much better IMO because you can get one cent per point on statement credits or cash, or you can transfer to travel partners and do even better.
@@ramonsuarez1051 The Rewards+ rebate is for all points spent on the account, not on the card itself. And Chase doesn't do anything particularly special. The only real difference between them are travel protections and a few choice transfer partners. If Citi add a US domestic transfer partner there wont be anything Chase is better for except protections. They have better earnings rates, cheaper cards, and a couple really good transfer partners in Qantas, Etihad, and Avianca. CapOne already beat Chase on the top tier travel card with the Venture X, but they don't have the best ecosystem. If Citi introduce a card like the Venture X they'll have the best card system of them all.
Didn't understood shit but I still watch it and comment
I am just gonna stick with this trifecta since amex and capital one raised my APRs big time. Citi left them alone
🏀 makes it easy to follow and understand
I got the custom cash back in November. I used to use my BoA Cash Rewards for my dining to get 3.3% (or something a little over 3%) and have switched that to gas while I use my custom cash for all my dining. 5% back is great, and I don't think I've ever gone over $500 for dining. Got a sign up bonus of $300 for $1000, only shame is it has the lowest limit of any of my cards :P
What’s your limit?
@@Mr.305_ 1500. My lowest was 1200 but it was bumped up after a while of having the card.
🏀 Still holding onto my Prestige like a damn fool. Just can’t bear to think that they’ve killed off so many benefits with no sign of redemption (no pun intended) in sight. Someone please bring back Price Rewind too!
Is it possible just to open or product change to have multiple Custom Cash cards? The ultimate trifecta would be to earn 5% in all categories. 🤔
🏀 analogies are great :)
Citi denied me a few months ago. I think because I had to many cards and never used the AA card after I got the bonus. So it was like an air ball 🏀
All Citi cards generate thank you points now, it's not required to have the premier to convert to thank you points
But I think it's required to have Premier to transfer to travel partners. Also, Premier points can be redeemed for cash at one penny per point. I don't think that's true with all Citi cards. I know my old ThankYou Preferred card would only redeem cash at a half penny per point so I had to get gift certificates instead.
@@ramonsuarez1051 I believe the Citi Double Cash is a penny a point for cash redemption.
@@DT-we2ye I think you're right. That's probably true of any Citi card with Cash in the name. Premier seems to be their premium card right now with the best redemption options because you can either get cash at a 1.0 rate or points transfer to travel partners. It's Citi's version of Chase Sapphire Preferred with better rewards rates but no boost in portal travel redemption and no insurance protections.
Cito still doesn’t have any travel protection or a luxury card anymore.