[2019.11 Update] The all-time-high 30,000 sign-up bonus is here. This is one of two co-branded cards launched by Citi and online travel agency Expedia. The Citi Expedia+ is the no-annual-fee version. The points earned on this card are Expedia+ Rewards points, which can be redeemed for hotels and airfare. However, since many hotel benefits are not available when booking through Expedia, this card may not be a fit for everyone. But for people who often book hotels for others, this card could be a very good choice.
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Citi Expedia+ Voyager Credit Card Review
Application Link:
Key Features
- Sign-up bonus: 20,000 Expedia points
- Earning rates: Earn 3x points on eligible Expedia purchases, and 1x point on everything else. Eligible purchases include hotels booked at Expedia Rate, vacation packages, and activities. In short, the charge has to be processed by Expedia to qualify. Airfare, hotels at standard rates, or pay-at-hotel bookings do not count.
- Using points: Redeem toward purchases on Expedia
- No annual fee
Benefits
- As long as you hold the card, you are automatically upgraded to Expedia+ Silver status, which earns 10% extra Expedia+ Rewards points.
Drawbacks
- Even when booking hotels through Expedia, you only earn 3x points, so it is not as rewarding as just applying for the Citi Expedia+ Voyager directly.
- It has a foreign transaction fee, so it is not suitable for use abroad.
Expedia+ Points and Elite Status Overview
The highest-value recommended use of the points is to redeem them for vouchers at VIP Access+ hotels. Every 3,500 points can be redeemed for a $50 voucher, which is equivalent to 1.43 cent/point in value. A quick search shows that VIP Access+ hotel coverage is quite good: there are currently 595 VIP Access+ partner hotels in the U.S. Of course, many are smaller independent hotels, but some major hotel group properties are also included. I casually looked at California and New York and found: Fairmont San Francisco, DoubleTree Los Angeles, and Wyndham New Yorker. Not all of them are upscale hotel brands either. Many lower-end Wyndham hotels are included as well.
If you redeem for other hotels, the value drops to 3,500 points for a $25 voucher, which is quite poor. Redeeming for airfare is also pretty terrible.
For Expedia+ Silver and Expedia+ Gold members, there is one especially nice perk: up until midnight the day before check-in, you can request the Best Price Guarantee. In other words, if the hotel rate drops, you can come out ahead with a $50 Expedia voucher.
My Take
Because the sign-up bonus is much smaller than the annual-fee version, I suggest applying for the annual-fee version first; at worst, you can downgrade in the second year.
Application
- If you have opened or closed an Expedia-related credit card within the past 24 months, you will not be eligible for the sign-up bonus 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