【Updated 2019.11】A record-high 70,000 welcome bonus is here. This is one of two co-branded cards from Citi and the online travel agency Expedia. The Citi Expedia+ Voyager is the annual-fee version, and there is also a no-annual-fee version. Points earned on this card are Expedia+ Rewards points, which can be redeemed for hotels and airfare. However, because many hotel perks are not available when you book through Expedia, this card may not be right for everyone. But for people who often book hotels for others, this card could be a very good fit.
Also, the welcome bonus on the no-annual-fee version has increased to 30,000. If you don't want to keep the annual-fee card, you can downgrade to the no-fee version in year two.
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Citi Expedia+ Voyager Credit Card Overview
Application link:
Key features
- Welcome bonus: 50,000 Expedia points
- Earn rates: Earn 4x points on eligible Expedia purchases, 2x points on dining and entertainment, and 1x point on all other purchases. Eligible purchases include Expedia Rate hotels, vacation packages, and activities. In short, the transaction has to code as Expedia. Airfare and hotels booked at standard rates or paid at the hotel are not included.
- Redemption: Redeem for purchases on Expedia
- No foreign transaction fee
- $95 annual fee (not waived the first year)
Benefits
- $100 airline incidental credit: Available every year, and can be used for baggage fees, in-flight entertainment, in-flight Wi-Fi, airport Wi-Fi, and even TSA PreCheck and Global Entry application fees. The full list is below. This can offset the annual fee. This credit is not discussed very often, and there are some restrictions. It covers baggage fees, in-flight meals and entertainment, and similar charges. There are not many data points for more advanced uses. The credit is limited to the following major U.S. airlines:
- Alaska Airlines (AS, Alaska Airlines), American Airlines (AA, American Airlines), Delta Air Lines (DL, Delta Air Lines), Frontier Airlines (F9, Frontier Airlines), JetBlue Airways (B6, JetBlue Airways), Southwest Airlines (WN, Southwest Airlines), United Airlines (UA, United Airlines), Virgin America (VX, Virgin America Airlines)
- There have also been data points that buying AA gift cards can be reimbursed
- Expedia Gold membership: Cardholders are automatically upgraded to Expedia+ Gold membership. When staying at VIP Access hotels, you can enjoy a free room upgrade (similar to Amex FHR) and earn 30% extra Expedia+ Rewards points. You can file a Best Price Guarantee claim until 12:00 a.m. the day before check-in, which means if the hotel rate drops, you can come out ahead with a $50 Expedia voucher.
- Spend bonus of 5,000 points: Spend $10,000 in a calendar year and receive 5,000 additional Expedia+ Rewards points.
Drawbacks
- Even when booking hotels through Expedia, you only earn 4x points. Compared with other cards on the market, such as Citi Prestige and Citi ThankYou Premier, the advantage is not that strong.
How to use Expedia+ points and membership
The best-value use of the points is to redeem them for VIP Access+ hotel vouchers. Every 3,500 points can be exchanged for a $50 voucher, which works out to a value of 1.43 cents per point. A quick search shows that the VIP Access+ hotel network is pretty good. There are currently 595 participating VIP Access+ hotels in the U.S. Most are smaller independent properties, but some major hotel groups are included as well. Looking at California and New York, I found: Fairmont San Francisco, DoubleTree Los Angeles, and Wyndham New Yorker. They are not all upscale brands either. Many lower-end Wyndham properties are included too.
If you use them for other hotels, the value drops to a $25 voucher for every 3,500 points, which is very poor value. Redeeming for airfare is also not very good.
For Expedia+ Silver and Expedia+ Gold users, there is a special perk: you can file a Best Price Guarantee claim until 12:00 a.m. the day before check-in. In other words, if the hotel rate drops, you can come out ahead with a $50 Expedia voucher.
My take
For people who don't care much about hotel perks, this card does have some appeal. You don't have to be tied to a single hotel brand, and you can keep earning one type of points. Of course, the downside is that hotels booked through Expedia don't offer many elite benefits, and you also won't earn hotel points. But for people who don't travel much, that may be better than spreading points across a bunch of different programs. The downside is that the card's points are fairly limited in use, and they really shine only when redeemed for VIP Access+ hotels. Still, considering the $100 annual credit, the annual fee can be offset, so this card is worth considering. After all, you won't always be staying at major hotel groups, and when you occasionally need to book a hotel through Expedia (or book one for someone else), this card can show its value.
Application
- If you have opened or closed an Expedia-related credit card within the past 24 months, you will not be eligible for the welcome bonus if you apply again
- Citi application status link or call: 877-343-4118
- 8/65/95 rule: You can apply for only one personal card every 8 days, only two personal cards every 65 days, and only one business card every 95 days. This refers to application submission limits, regardless of whether you were approved or not.
- 24/48-month welcome bonus rule: If you have received a welcome bonus on a ThankYou Points card within the past 24 months, you will not be eligible to receive the bonus again. For AA products, the restriction is 48 months, but both rules apply only to the same card; there is no restriction across different card families.
- You can call the reconsideration line (800-763-9795) to speed up the credit card approval process or ask a representative to review a denied credit card application again.
- Having a Citi Checking/Gold relationship may help with your application.
- More about applying for Citi credit cards