Right here at TPG, we’re all about serving to you get the most effective return to your spending. There are a number of playing cards that earn bonus factors, miles or money again in numerous classes, so in case your pockets means that you can earn not less than 2 factors (or 2% money again) per greenback each time you swipe, you are doing effectively.
Many issuers let you maintain a number of rewards bank cards to maximise your earnings of their loyalty forex. Citi ThankYou Rewards might be an important choice for you, particularly in case you’re seeking to keep away from excessive annual charges.
That is as a result of the Citi Trifecta, a complementary setup of three Citi credit cards that means that you can maximize your incomes potential within the Citi ThankYou Rewards ecosystem, may be attained for less than $100 annually.
To amass the trifecta, you will want so as to add the no-annual-fee Citi Double Cash® Card (see rates and fees), the no-annual-fee Citi Custom Cash® Card and the $95-annual-fee Citi Strata Premier® Card (see rates and fees).
The knowledge for the Citi Customized Money Card has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or supplied by the cardboard issuer.
Here is what to know in regards to the Citi Trifecta and why it might be a strong alternative to your pockets.
What’s the Citi Trifecta?
The Citi Trifecta is a card setup containing three playing cards that earn Citi ThankYou Rewards. Whenever you pair the Citi Double Cash, the Citi Customized Money and the Citi Strata Premier, you will have a pockets that earns not less than 2% again on all purchases and as much as 10 factors per greenback spent on sure classes booked by Citi Travel.
Although the Citi Double Money and Citi Customized Money playing cards technically earn money again, these rewards are literally earned within the type of Citi ThankYou Rewards factors, and they are often made into totally transferable factors when paired with the Citi Strata Premier Card.
Citi ThankYou Rewards factors redeemed this fashion may be transferred to one in every of 20 loyalty program partners and are value 1.85 cents per level, per TPG’s July 2025 valuations.
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What playing cards are within the Citi Trifecta?
Three playing cards are required to type the Citi Trifecta:
Plus, you will have one other choice to create your Citi Trifecta when the Citi Rewards+ Card is rebranded as the Citi Strata℠ Card beginning July 20.
Let’s get into the main points of the three playing cards at present obtainable for brand spanking new candidates to see how they match collectively.
The knowledge for the Citi Rewards+ and Citi Strata Card has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or supplied by the cardboard issuer. The Citi Rewards+ is not obtainable for brand spanking new functions.
Citi Double Money Card
Annual charge: $0.
Welcome provide: Earn $200 money again after spending $1,500 on purchases within the first six months of account opening.
Incomes charges:
- Earn 5% again on resort, automotive leases and sights booked with Citi Journey.
- Earn 2% again on each buy, with a vast 1% money again as you purchase, plus an extra 1% as you pay for these purchases.
The Citi Double Cash is a wonderful catchall choice that ensures you will at all times obtain not less than 2% again on all of your spending. When paired with the Strata Premier, its rewards turn out to be totally transferable, making certain you earn not less than 2 ThankYou Rewards factors per greenback spent on all purchases.
To study extra, take a look at our full review of the Citi Double Cash.
Apply right here: Citi Double Cash Card
Citi Customized Money Card
Annual charge: $0.
Welcome provide: Earn $200 money again after spending $1,500 on purchases within the first six months of account opening.
Incomes charges: Earn 5% money again on the primary $500 of purchases in your prime spending class for that billing cycle. The classes included are:
- Drugstores
- Health golf equipment
- Fuel stations
- Grocery shops
- Dwelling enchancment shops
- Stay leisure
- Eating places
- Choose transit*
- Choose journey**
- Choose streaming providers***
*Choose transit is outlined as automotive leases, ferries, commuter railways, subways, taxis/limousines/automotive providers, passenger railways, bridge and highway tolls, parking tons/garages, bus traces, and motor residence and leisure automobile leases. It additionally contains retailers that promote electrical energy for charging an electrical automobile. It excludes bike/scooter leases, auto golf equipment and insurance coverage corporations.
**Choose journey is outlined as airways, lodges, cruise traces and journey companies.
***Choose streaming providers are outlined as cable, satellite tv for pc and streaming suppliers, reminiscent of Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Music, Apple Music, Disney+, DirecTV Stream, ESPN+, FuboTV, Max, NBA League Cross, Netflix, Pandora, Paramount+, Showtime, Sling TV, Spotify, Starz, SiriusXM, Vudu, YouTube Purple, YouTube TV and Tidal.
Plus, you will earn 4% money again on lodges, automotive leases and sights booked with Citi Journey and 1% again on all different purchases.
The Customized Money is a good addition since you’ll be able to earn 5% money again (or 5 ThankYou Rewards factors with the Strata Premier) on as much as $500 in spending every billing cycle in your prime spending class. The choices listed here are broad and embody classes not coated by the Strata Premier, reminiscent of drugstores, health golf equipment, residence enchancment shops and reside leisure.
Plus, you’ll be able to max out a distinct class every billing cycle, which provides flexibility to your trifecta.
To study extra, take a look at our full review of the Citi Custom Cash.
Citi Strata Premier Card
Annual charge: $95.
Welcome provide: Earn 60,000 bonus factors after spending $4,000 within the first three months of account opening.
Incomes charges:
- Earn 10 factors per greenback spent on lodges, automotive leases and sights booked by Citi Journey.
- Earn 3 factors per greenback spent on air journey and different resort purchases, and at eating places, supermarkets, and gasoline and electrical automobile charging stations.
- Earn 1 level per greenback spent on all different purchases.
The Citi Strata Premier is the heavyweight of the Citi Trifecta, because it permits the cash-back rewards earned on the Double Money and the Customized Money to be reworked into transferable Citi ThankYou Rewards factors that elevate their worth.
The cardboard additionally comes with a swath of bonus-earning classes for its $95 annual charge. You’ll be able to earn 3 factors per greenback spent on all the pieces from air journey and direct resort bookings to purchases made at supermarkets and gasoline stations, making this a strong card to maximise earnings throughout frequent purchases.
To study extra, take a look at our full review of the Citi Strata Premier.
Apply right here: Citi Strata Premier Card
How does the Citi Trifecta work?
Whenever you maintain all three playing cards within the Citi Trifecta and spend deliberately with the cardboard that earns essentially the most in any particular class, you will find yourself supercharging your Citi ThankYou Rewards factors incomes, which will get you to aspirational redemptions sooner.
Here is a desk explaining how you will earn bonus factors throughout a number of classes once you maximize the Citi Trifecta:
| Card | Bonus classes | Bonus incomes |
|---|---|---|
| Citi Double Cash | All nonbonus purchases | Earn a vast 2% again on each buy, with 1% money again once you purchase, plus 1% as you pay for these purchases. To earn money again, you could pay not less than the minimal due on time. |
| Citi Customized Money | Your prime spending class from the next listing, every billing cycle:
|
Earn 5% money again on the primary $500 of purchases in your prime spending class for that billing cycle. |
| Citi Strata Premier |
|
|
With ThankYou Rewards factors, you’ll be able to redeem for assertion credit, money again or reward playing cards, however one of the simplest ways to get closest to TPG’s 1.85 cents per level worth is to switch your factors to companions.
There are a number of high-value companions in Citi’s ecosystem, reminiscent of Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Singapore KrisFlyer and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.
Associated: Best ways to redeem Citi ThankYou points
Different trifecta card choices
You too can create card trifectas with different issuers, reminiscent of American Express, Chase and Wells Fargo. When evaluating the Citi Trifecta to the commonest American Specific and Chase trifectas, Citi has a way more cost-effective choice in terms of annual charges. Wells Fargo presents an identical annual charge threshold to Citi.
American Specific
You’ll be able to ramp up your American Express Membership Rewards earnings with the Amex Trifecta. An vital word right here is that it is one of many dearer trifectas to gather.
This contains The Platinum Card® from American Express at a $695 annual charge (see rates and fees), the American Express® Gold Card at $325 in annual charges (see rates and fees) and the no-annual-fee Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (see rates and fees).
Like with the Citi Trifecta, you are assured to earn not less than 2 factors per greenback spent on all purchases. That is capped at as much as $50,000 per calendar yr, then 1 level per greenback, on The Blue Enterprise Plus.
To study extra, see our full guide to the Amex Trifecta.
Chase
Should you’re a fan of the Chase Ultimate Rewards program, you could find a number of methods to create a Chase Trifecta.
The preferred setup you’ll be able to choose usually contains the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees), the Chase Freedom Unlimited® (see rates and fees) and the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (see rates and fees).
Nevertheless, this setup incurs complete annual charges of $890, so it’s possible you’ll be enthusiastic about one other mixture.
Fortunately, your Chase Trifecta is not restricted to those three playing cards. You could possibly additionally substitute the Reserve for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) to decrease your mixed annual charges or commerce out the Freedom Limitless with the Chase Freedom Flex® to reap the benefits of rotating 5% classes every quarter you activate.
The knowledge for the Chase Freedom Flex has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or supplied by the cardboard issuer.
A very powerful half is ensuring you’ve gotten a Sapphire card in your setup, since that is the way you unlock the power to transform the cash-back rewards you earn on playing cards just like the Freedom Limitless or the Freedom Flex to totally transferable Chase factors.
TPG’s July 2025 valuations deem Chase factors as value 2.05 cents per level, and you may switch them to 14 loyalty partners.
To study extra, see our complete guide to the Chase Trifecta.
Wells Fargo
Should you want accumulating Wells Fargo Rewards, you’ll be able to create a Wells Fargo Trifecta by combining the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card (see rates and fees) for a $95 annual charge, the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card (see rates and fees) for no annual charge and the no-annual-fee Wells Fargo Attune℠ Card.
The knowledge for the Wells Fargo Attune has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or supplied by the cardboard issuer.
This setup is available in on the similar annual charge threshold because the Citi Trifecta and earns not less than 2% money rewards (which may be transformed into factors that may be transferred to companions) on all purchases, due to the Energetic Money.
The Autograph Journey unlocks 5 factors per greenback spent on lodges, 4 factors per greenback spent on airways and three factors per greenback spent on eating places and different eligible journey. The Attune presents 4% money rewards on self-care, choose sports activities, recreation and leisure purchases, EV charging, public transit and choose thrift shops.
TPG’s July 2025 valuations place Wells Fargo Rewards factors at 1.6 cents per level, and they are often transferred to seven loyalty partners.
Associated: 8 different types of credit cards
Backside line
Probably the greatest methods to shortly acquire rewards factors is to stack your pockets with playing cards in the identical program. Should you’re into Citi ThankYou Rewards, the Citi Trifecta is a robust choice to maximise each greenback you spend.
Plus, you’d spend $95 in annual charges for all three playing cards, which makes this a strong choice if you wish to maximize your earnings with out budgeting for extra annual charges.
Associated: The best business and personal credit card combinations
For charges and costs of the Amex Platinum, click on here.
For charges and costs of the Amex Gold, click on here.
For charges and costs of the Blue Enterprise Plus, click on here.
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