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The Citi premier card is one of the best credit cards on the market. One of the perks is a $100 annual hotel credit. I wanted to learn more about how that works.
There are a lot of reasons to use the Citi premier card. Also, among other things.
The card has well-rounded bonus categories, and offers 3x points on dining, gas stations, groceries, airfare, and hotels
The card has a best-ever welcome bonus of 80,000 ThankYou points after spending $4,000 within the first three months
The card lets you maximize the value you can get from other Citi cards, like the no annual fee Citi® Double Cash Card (review), which I consider to be one of the best cards for everyday, non-bonused spending
Some of the benefits of the card that I like the most are listed in the full review here. Many people don't know about the card's $100 annual hotel credit.
80,000 ThankYou points can get you lots of travel!
You can get $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more every year with the Citi premier card. It is expected that there are some terms to be aware of.
You need to book your hotel online at thankyou.com, or by phone at 1-800-THANKYOU
This benefit is available once per calendar year
The reservation must be made by the primary cardmember, though the stay can be for the primary cardmember or an authorized user
You must spend at least $500 on a single hotel stay, excluding taxes and fees, to trigger the $100 savings
You must pre-pay for your complete stay with your Citi Premier Card, ThankYou points, or a combination of the two
If you cancel a booking for which you used the $100 hotel credit, the benefit will remain available to you for the same calendar year
Package rates, including air and hotel packages, or hotel and car rental packages, don’t qualify for this benefit
The $100 hotel credit can’t be combined with any other promotions or discounts on thankyou.com
If you have both the Citi Premier and Citi Prestige, you can’t stack the $100 hotel credit on the former with the fourth night free benefit on the latter
Save $100 on a hotel stay annually with the Citi Premier
Thankyou.com is the most convenient way to use this benefit. You need to log into the account with your card. The window on the hotel booking page will ask you if you want to use your $100 hotel credit.
If you choose to use the credit, the $100 discount will be applied during the booking process if you choose to do so. It is that simple.
Use the hotel credit directly through the Citi ThankYou portal
If you spend $500 on a hotel stay, you could save 20% if you use the Citi premier card. That's great. There are a few potential negatives, which are worth keeping an eye on.
The Citi ThankYou travel booking portal is considered an online travel agency, so if you’re staying at a chain hotel, you typically wouldn’t earn points or receive elite benefits on these stays
You may find cheaper rates for a hotel through other websites; for example, the major hotel groups often have members-only rates, and you typically won’t be able to book those through Citi ThankYou
If you’re staying at a luxury hotel, you may be able to get additional perks through programs like Virtuoso or Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts, which you can’t combine with these savings, so keep that opportunity cost in mind
I think there is value in this credit, but it is important to be careful with how you use it. I would recommend using the Citi premier credit benefit.
Booking a hotel stay costing as close to $500 as possible (without going under)
Using it at an independent hotel, or hotel where you’re forgoing the fewest points or perks by booking through a third party
Using it at a hotel where the price difference between the Citi ThankYou rate and the best available rate you can find online is the smallest
It's important to be strategic with this perk, but most people should be able to find value with it.
Ideally use this perk at an independent hotel
The Chase preferred card is a competitor to the Citi premier card. There are many reasons to think about this card. A $50 annual hotel credit is offered by Chase. What does that mean?
The credit is for $50 rather than $100, but it has the benefit of having no minimum stay amount; in other words, you could save $50 off a $50 hotel stay
The credit is per cardmember year, rather than per calendar year
Depending on your hotel pattern, the two credits are more valuable. Some prefer the larger discount of the Citi premier while others prefer the lower minimum. The Chase Sapphire Preferred hotel credit has a lower spending requirement than the other ones.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred also offers a hotel credit
There is a huge welcome bonus on the Citi Premier Card. The card has an annual hotel credit of $100 which can be applied to a hotel booking of $500 or more.
There are some terms associated with this, but it is still a valuable perk that you should keep in mind. It is possible to save up to 20% on a hotel stay.
Have you taken advantage of the $100 hotel benefit? What were your experiences like?
