...constantly searching to find the best travel deals and places to visit. A never-ending quest for adventure!

Saturday, May 23, 2020

Weekend is here

Happy weekend everyone - this was supposed to be a trip back to Maine, though the travel/Covid issues have prevented that from taking place this year.  Not happy about it though there's not much I can do to fix it.  Thank goodness United was able to refund the flight costs!

Saturday, May 9, 2020

Citi Changing Premier Card Benefits this Fall

I've enjoyed using the Citi Premier and Double Cash as an option for points accrual to differentiate from Chase Ultimate Rewards.  The points transfer options to partners are more numerous and having that portfolio available can help with new and interesting travel ideas around the world.

In the last few weeks, Citi announced some points earning changes to the Premier card:

1x on Other Travel - starting April 10, 2021, all travel purchases (excluding air travel, hotels, and gas stations) will earn 1 ThankYou point per $1 instead of 3 points per $1

1x on Entertainment - starting April 10, 2021, entertainment purchases will earn 1 ThankYou point per $1 instead of 3 points per $1

Travel Redemption value - points redeemed for airfare, hotels, cruises, and car rentals through the ThankYou travel center will no longer get 25% more value


On August 23rd 2020, the following will be new:

- 3x points on Supermarkets and Restaurants (new), Air Travel, Hotels, and Fuel
- 2x points on Entertainment
- 1x points on everything else

Ugh.

I'm disappointed that "other travel" will no longer be a 3x option and the redemption value is being dropped - this has been a great choice to use for parking, tolls, and airport expenses.  I already get 3x points on the Sapphire Reserve for restaurants, so it's hard to use a new card for those purchases.  It's good they're giving plenty of notice for the changes, though I believe this devalues the card overall.