Let's get the news that matters out of the way, then I will share some related thoughts.
Citi ThankYou Premier Card signup bonus reduced to 40,000 points
Citibank has dropped the signup bonus on the Citi ThankYou Premier Card to 40,000; the spending requirement remains the same at $3,000 in the first three months (click to enlarge)
It's pretty simple and straightforward. Thursday, Citibank reduced the signup bonus on the Citi ThankYou Premier Card to 40,000 points after completing initial spend of $3,000 in three months. That is certainly not good news for those who did not take advantage of the previous sign-up bonus of 50,000 points (or the short-lived 60,000 points from last year). However, even at 40,000 points, this is still a great card.
- Spending category bonuses
- Travel (including gas) - 3x
- Dining & Entertainment - 2x
- $95 annual fee waived for the first year
- ThankYou Points transfer to hotel and airline loyalty programs
- No foreign transaction fees
I was fortunate enough to jump on this card when the 60,000 point offer was live. However, even at 40,000 points, I would still apply for the card in order to augment my Citi ThankYou Point balance. Will there be a special promotion like last year that could offer a short-term increase of 10,000 points? No way to know, so do your homework before you decide whether to apply for the card now or roll the dice for a bump in the bonus later this year. I am sure there will be rampant speculation and reporting if such an increase happens. And that brings me to why I call this news anti-climatic.
Oh my, the breathless coverage
In the last week or so, I have read numerous articles merely speculating whether a change would be made to the Citi ThankYou Premier Card, and, if so, would bonus points fall, spending requirements increase, etc. One of my favorite points and miles/travel blogs posted three such articles! Though it speculated correctly, when the actual changes were publicized, the confirmation was anti-climatic. In my opinion, the change certainly did not warrant the edge-of-the-seat anticipation that some had for the announcement.
Don't get me wrong: this was certainly a blogworthy announcement in the points and miles community. Our interests and passions make this high-profile information though the average Joe might say "What's the big deal? It's just a credit card." But in a sense, I agree with that sentiment: it's an adjustment to a sign-up bonus, a pretty routine change. Just in the year I have actively followed this "hobby," I have seen the sign-up bonuses change, up or down, permanently or temporarily, on numerous cards. It's just a business-as-usual update on the part of the banks.
Each blogger - including myself - is free to post whatever he or she wants. But after the third post of little more than speculation, I was getting frustrated since I go to this blog almost daily for insightful commentary, great trip reports and all around interesting material. The posts felt like filler and this blog doesn't need filler. At best, the posts provided no valuable information. A single post would have done the trick to notify readers of the possible change so as to give them a chance to take advantage of the better outgoing offer. Oh well, I suppose the "24-hour news cycle" with its resulting sensationalizing of basic events has come to points-and-miles blogging.