Good afternoon everyone, I hope your weekend is going well. I just finished listening to the latest Frequent Miler on the Air episode “Chase Sapphire Reserve card: More costly, coupony, and complicated” and had a wild idea…
Greg lamented that it used to be so easy to recommend the Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card (CSR) to friends, family, and readers who travel a decent amount each year. But with the upcoming increased annual fee and complex benefits, it is harder to recommend the CSR than it used to be. With all the recent Chase and AMEX news about increasing annual fees and adding multiple coupons, there is going to be a void in the travel credit card space for a solid travel rewards credit card with a $400 – $500 annual fee. This could be a great opportunity for Citi to fill the void with their new Citi Strata Elite Credit Card (CSE).
Grant daydreaming about the new Citi Strata Elite Credit Card
I want you to imagine a world where the CSE launches with…
- 100K ThankYou Points (TYPs) sign up bonus
- Earns 3x on all travel purchases
- Earns 3x on all restaurant purchases
- Includes a $300 travel credit
- Ability to redeem TYPs for 1.5 cents per point (CPP) through the Citi ThankYou Travel Portal
- *Only* a $450 annual fee
I think Citi would have an awesome card on their hands and many former CSR credit card holders would gladly jump ship to the CSE. If the CSE launched in the coming weeks with those benefits, I would definitely apply. Let me know what you think of those benefits and share your thoughts in the comments section below. Have a great weekend everyone!
P.S. Citi, if you are reading, you can thank me with 1 Million TYPs *Dr. Evil laugh*
And Priority Pass access with 2 guests to replace the crappy VentureX changes. Let’s do it Citi!
Hey Dan, that is a great suggestion! I haven’t had good luck with Priority Pass lounges recently. Every time I walk past a PP lounge, there is a line of 20-30 people waiting for 20-30 minutes to enter. Hopefully you have had better luck visiting your local PP lounges.
Great idea. Lots of people would switch and there is a market for the mid tier.
Thank you John! I’m glad I am not the only one who see’s this opportunity.
Not gonna happen. Chase lost money hand over fist with the Reserve hence all of the radical changes. Can’t reward 3x when the swipe fees are 3.5% Max and then award 1.5 cpp value in the portal.
You make a good point, but… Citi was losing money on my Citi Rewards+ card and my 3 Custom Cash cards. Maybe they will give this idea a try and see what happens :)
I’d be happy if they just make it like the old, original Citi Prestige.
Hi Landion, I would like that too! I never used the 4th night free or golf benefits, but I did enjoy using my Citi TYPs for 1.6 CPP for paid American Airlines flights. What was your favorite benefit on the old Citi Prestige CC?
I think the Amex Green is a pretty good alternative, and will be moving a lot of my travel spending there.
3 x on dining, travel & transit (incl taxis, ride share & tolls).
$199 Clear credit
$150 fee
No Foreign transaction fees
Car rental insurance (but not liability)
Hi Tom, I always forget about the AMEX Green Card (probably because the sign up bonus is pretty small for an AMEX card). Those are pretty good 3x categories for earning AMEX MR Points. That card would pair nicely with an AMEX Business Plus Card for 2x everywhere.
Knowing Shiti bank they’ll do a 65k bonus and 2.2x for a $895 fee
Hi Dan, don’t give Citi any ideas!
P.S. That sounds like it could be called the Citi Double Double Cash Back Credit Card (not affiliated with In-N-Out) :D
A bit off point here, but addressing an earlier post of yours, I just transferred two and a half million membership reward points from my wife’s and my accounts to Hawaiian and then onto Alaska. ALL the points I hadn’t used and have been accumulating for the last 12 years. I think I had burned 3/4 of a million over that time but still had an ocean of points left. I used the process you described months ago to do it. Alaska is the best program out there, and for all the people worried about Alaska devaluing, well, that’s an issue across the board for all programs. If you live on the west coast, that just seems to be too valuable to pass up.
Hi Mike, you went all in – 2.5M Alaska Airlines miles should last you a long time! Being on the West Coast definitely helps since we have AS flights up and down the cost, over to Hawaii, up to Alaska, and many travel partners around the world. I have my eye on the new SEA-FCO flight coming next year on Alaska metal :)