Citi ThankYou Rewards is without doubt one of the most precious rewards currencies in the marketplace.
The Citi ThankYou Rewards program gives 22 switch companions, together with American Airways AAdvantage, Singapore KrisFlyer and Wyndham Rewards. Citi ThankYou Rewards factors are among the many most precious versatile currencies, with TPG’s September 2025 valuations pegging them at 1.9 cents every — practically on par with American Categorical Membership Rewards and Chase Final Rewards.
If you wish to supercharge your factors incomes and maximize your redemptions with the Citi ThankYou Rewards program, you could wish to choose up the Citi Trifecta. It refers to a three-card setup of Citi bank cards that opens up sturdy incomes and redeeming potential.
You should use totally different combos to construct a Citi Trifecta, and your alternative will rely on the way you journey and redeem your factors. Let’s dive into the combos and see which one can be finest on your pockets.
What’s the Citi Trifecta?
The Citi Trifecta is a card setup containing three playing cards that earn Citi ThankYou Rewards factors.
On the whole, you will need your Citi Trifecta to cowl three sorts of spending:
- A card that maximizes on a regular basis spending
- A card that earns in your high spending class
- A card that unlocks the very best redemption worth on your factors
Why do you have to get the Citi Trifecta?
Whenever you maintain three playing cards to make a Citi Trifecta and spend deliberately with the cardboard that earns probably the most in any particular class, you will find yourself supercharging your Citi ThankYou Rewards factors incomes, which will get you to aspirational redemptions sooner.
Maximize factors incomes
Relating to incomes, you will wish to choose Citi playing cards that earn bonus factors in your widespread bills.
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First, the Citi Double Money® Card (see charges and costs) is the only option for nonbonused spending, because it earns a set 2% money again on every little thing (1% as you purchase, plus an extra 1% as you pay).
Subsequent, the Citi Customized Money® Card is a good alternative for maximizing earnings in your high spending class. It’s because it earns 5% again on the primary $500 spent inside your high eligible spending class.
The knowledge for the Citi Customized Money has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or offered by the cardboard issuer.
Lastly, the Strata playing cards function bonus classes to profit from your frequent spending, which we’ll get into later:
Get probably the most out of your redemptions
With ThankYou Rewards factors, you may redeem for assertion credit, money again or present playing cards. Nevertheless, the easiest way to get closest to TPG’s 1.9 cents per level worth (per TPG’s September 2025 valuations) is to switch your factors to companions.
Citi’s ecosystem contains many high-value companions, akin to Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Selection Privileges and Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership.
Whenever you switch factors to companions, it’s important to have a premium Citi ThankYou Rewards card to obtain a full 1:1 switch ratio.
When you maintain the Citi Status® Card (not out there to new candidates), the Strata Elite or the Strata Premier, you will obtain 1 level or mile in this system you are transferring to for each 1 ThankYou Rewards level (for most companions).
The knowledge for the Citi Status has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or offered by the cardboard issuer.
When you do not maintain one in all these playing cards, you will obtain solely 0.7 factors or miles for each 1 ThankYou Rewards level transferred (for many companions).
Because of this we suggest including the Strata Elite or the Strata Premier to a Citi Trifecta as a substitute of the no-annual-fee Strata; the Strata will not unlock the complete 1:1 switch worth.
Associated: Greatest methods to redeem Citi ThankYou Rewards factors
Which playing cards are in a Citi Trifecta?
Here’s a breakdown of the playing cards you may choose from to construct a Citi Trifecta.
Citi Double Money Card
Annual payment: $0.
Welcome provide: Earn $200 money again after spending $1,500 on purchases within the first six months from account opening.
Key incomes charges:
- 5% money again on lodge, automotive leases and points of interest booked with Citi Journey
- 2% money again on each buy (a vast 1% money again as you purchase, plus an extra 1% while you pay for these purchases)
The Double Money is the cardboard to get for on a regular basis purchases. It ensures you will all the time obtain not less than 2% again on all of your spending.
To study extra, learn our full evaluation of the Double Money.
Apply right here: Citi Double Money Card
Citi Customized Money Card
Annual payment: $0.
Welcome provide: Earn $200 money again after spending $1,500 on purchases within the first six months from account opening.
Key incomes charges: 5% money again on the primary $500 of purchases in your high spending class for that billing cycle, together with:
- Drugstores
- Health golf equipment
- Fuel stations
- Grocery shops
- Dwelling enchancment shops
- Dwell leisure
- Eating places
- Choose transit*
- Choose journey**
- Choose streaming providers***
*Choose transit is outlined as automotive leases, ferries, commuter railways, subways, taxis/limousines/automotive providers, passenger railways, bridge and street tolls, parking heaps/garages, bus traces, and motor residence and leisure car leases. It additionally contains retailers that promote electrical energy for charging an electrical car. It excludes bike/scooter leases, auto golf equipment and insurance coverage firms.
**Choose journey is outlined as airways, resorts, cruise traces and journey companies.
***Choose streaming providers are outlined as cable, satellite tv for pc and streaming suppliers, akin to Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Music, Apple Music, Disney+, DirecTV Stream, ESPN+, FuboTV, Max, NBA League Cross, Netflix, Pandora, Paramount+, Showtime, Sling TV, Spotify, Starz, SiriusXM, Vudu, YouTube Crimson, YouTube TV and Tidal.
Plus, you will earn 4% money again on resorts, automotive leases and points of interest booked with Citi Journey.
The Customized Money is the cardboard to get for the bonus class you most often spend on. You possibly can max out a unique class every billing cycle, which provides flexibility to your trifecta.
To study extra, learn our full evaluation of the Customized Money.
Citi Strata Premier Card
Annual payment: $95.
Welcome provide: Earn 60,000 bonus factors after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
Key incomes charges:
- 10 factors per greenback spent on resorts, automotive leases and points of interest booked by way of Citi Journey
- 3 factors per greenback spent on air journey and different lodge purchases and at eating places, supermarkets, and fuel and EV charging stations
The Strata Premier is the cardboard for frequent vacationers who can maximize its many bonus classes, akin to fuel and flights. It is also an ideal choice to earn on eating and groceries.
To study extra, learn our full evaluation of the Strata Premier.
Apply right here: Citi Strata Premier Card
Citi Strata Elite Card
Annual payment: $595.
Welcome provide: Earn 80,000 bonus factors after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. (You possibly can earn a better welcome provide of 100,000 bonus factors with the identical spending requirement when you apply in particular person at a Citi department.)
Key incomes charges:
- 12 factors per greenback spent on resorts, automotive leases and points of interest booked by way of Citi Journey
- 6 factors per greenback spent on air journey booked by way of Citi Journey
- 6 factors per greenback spent at eating places, together with restaurant supply providers on CitiNights℠ purchases, each Friday and Saturday from 6 p.m. to six a.m. Japanese time (3 factors per greenback spent on restaurant purchases outdoors of as of late and hours)
The Strata Elite is the best choice for somebody who would use the cardboard’s premium perks. That is additionally the best choice for many who wish to e-book by way of the Citi Journey portal and maximize incomes factors when eating out on weekend evenings.
To study extra, learn our full evaluation of the Strata Elite.
Apply right here: Citi Strata Elite Card
Citi Strata Card
Annual payment: $0.
Welcome provide: Earn 30,000 bonus factors after spending $1,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
Incomes charges:
- 5 factors per greenback spent on resorts, automotive leases and points of interest booked by way of Citi Journey
- 3 factors per greenback spent at supermarkets, on choose transit purchases and at fuel and EV charging stations
- 3 factors per greenback spent in an eligible self-select quarterly class (which you’ll be able to change every quarter), together with barbershops, beauty shops and hair salons, health golf equipment, reside leisure, pet provide shops and choose streaming providers
The Strata is the cardboard to decide on when you’d maximize the cardboard’s bonus classes and pair it with a premium card to unlock the complete 1:1 switch worth. However the different playing cards on this checklist cowl most bonus classes.
To study extra, learn our full evaluation of the Strata.
Apply right here: Citi Strata Card
Trifecta instance
As an instance you select to construct a Trifecta with the Double Money, the Customized Money and the Strata Premier.
This is an instance of how you would maximize your month-to-month spending with these three playing cards:
| Normal, nonbonused purchases | Double Money | $1,000 | 2,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Groceries | Customized Money | $500 | 2,500 |
| Flights and resorts | Strata Premier | $1,000 | 3,000 |
| Whole | – | $2,500 | 7,500 |
You possibly can hypothetically switch these 7,500 factors for a brief U.S. home flight by way of AAdvantage. Or, you would save up throughout the 12 months for a complete of 90,000 factors to then use for a premium lodge or flight redemption.
Associated: I am not offered on the Strata Elite — however the Strata Premier may grow to be my new pockets staple
Backside line
Citi ThankYou Rewards factors are an exceptionally worthwhile foreign money, and setting up a Citi Trifecta is a superb solution to earn them at a profitable price and redeem them for luxurious redemptions.
Bear in mind, to unlock full worth out of your transferable ThankYou Rewards factors, you will wish to guarantee your Citi Trifecta contains the Strata Elite, the Strata Premier or the Status. This provides you with the very best redemption worth.
Apply right here: Double Money
Apply right here: Strata Premier
Apply right here: Strata Elite
Apply right here: Strata
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