Citi extends welcome bonus period, expands Prestige travel credit

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More news continues to break regarding customer-friendly changes to many travel credit cards amidst the COVID-19 crisis. Amex and Chase have both just added new perks and increased mile and point earning on key spending categories for those who are stuck at home during the quarantine. Citi has now decided to join in and make some positive moves for its cardholders.

Citi extending welcome bonus period

Citi has announced it’s increasing the time period to complete a minimum spend requirement to receive a welcome bonus. For those who opened a new Citi card between December 1, 2019, and May 31, 2020, cardmembers will now have an additional three months to complete the minimum spending requirement. This could make it much easier to meet the welcome bonus spend threshold in a time when many are cutting back on their purchases.

For instance, you can earn 15,000 Citi ThankYou points when you open the Citi Rewards+® Card and spend $1,000 on purchases within the first three months of opening your account. Now you’ll have a total of six months to spend that $1,000 and earn the bonus. If you’re more enticed to open a card because of this news, make sure to check out our list of the best Citi cards.

Chase and American Express are also offering more time to reach minimum spending requirements.

Citi Prestige travel credit expanded

Additionally, for those who still need to burn the Citi Prestige® card’s $250 travel credit, the credit will now work for restaurant and grocery purchases. This will make it much easier to receive the full rebate and offset the Prestige’s hefty $495 annual fee while travel is on pause.

Specifically, Citi says:

“Between May 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020, in addition to eligible Travel purchases, purchases made with a Prestige card at Supermarkets and Restaurants (including takeout) will also count toward this expanded $250 Travel Credit benefit in 2020. To qualify, cardmembers must have an open Citi Prestige account at the time the statement credit is posted.”

The information for the Citi Prestige has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Bottom Line

It’s great to see so many banks make customer-friendly changes in a rocky economy, especially to travel credit cards that now feel much less appealing during these uncertain times. It’s likely these aren’t the last announcements from big banks so make sure to subscribe to our newsletter to get notified about big credit card and travel news.

Featured image by Wyatt Smith.