Citi Prestige, my newest rewards card

Citi Prestige Card

I have not directly written about my recent entré into the world of travel reward points and miles. I intend to offer my thoughts on that interest in the near future, but for now, I wanted to share why I chose the Citi Prestige Card as my next points and miles credit card and let you know about a really great offer from Citibank.

Earlier this year, I signed up for three new rewards cards . Having met the requirements for the bonus points on those cards, I was eager to apply for a new card. A few days ago, I saw an article on MillionMileSecrets.com about a new 50,000 point signup bonus on the Citi Prestige Card. This bonus is a significant improvement over the previous 30,000 point offer and only requires $3,000 of spend in the first three months of card membership, an easy hurdle for me.

I was pretty sure I wanted my next card to offer rewards in one of the "flexible points currencies" and Citi ThankYou Points is one such program. The points transfer to a variety of travel partners including Singapore Airlines which I am considering for a trip in the future. The $450 annual fee, which is not waived in the first year, is pretty steep but you do get a lot of value for that fee:

• $250 annual (calendar year) airline fee credit including airfare
• $100 Global Entry application fee credit
• American Airlines Admirals Club access when flying same-day on American
• Priority Pass Select lounge access

The 50,000 points alone are worth $800 but the above benefits make applying for this card a no-brainer. Since the airfare credit is on a calendar basis, I can get $250 for travel during 2015 and then another $250 for flights booked before my annual fee in 2016. While I don't travel internationally often, Global Entry is attractive because my understanding is that the program assigns you a Known Traveller Number (KTN) upon approval. A KTN allows you to use TSA Pre Check security lines. Assuming I don't renew the card, that is a potential value of $1,400 for just $450!

I applied online but had to call Citi since I do have two other cards with the bank. Once I spoke to a representative, I was quickly approved. Once my card arrives, I can start working on that spend requirement! My next task will then be to identify the next card to get in a few months!