📲 MAXREWARDS - Manage Your Cards! Use promo code “markr” markscreditcards.com/maxrewards 💳👇 VIEW CREDIT CARD OFFERS! markscreditcards.com/offers 💸 TOPCASHBACK - Spend $25, Get $10! markscreditcards.com/topcashback ⬆ (More links in Description below video!)

@SeanSinnreich

15 күн бұрын

When using for cash back on the Double if you do a statement credit you lose 1% on that amount. The DC has 1% when you use your card and 1% when you pay. You don’t “pay” when getting a statement credit. Best bet is to transfer to you account and then use that $ to pay

@MarkReese

15 күн бұрын

@@SeanSinnreich - How did you confirm this?

@SeanSinnreich

14 күн бұрын

Pretty sure it’s well confirmed. The language states one percent when you pay. You are not paying if you use points for a statement credit I’ve seen it multiple multiple times on Reddit.

I am starting to just focus on two ecosystems Chase & Amex. Got to simplify my credit card arsenal

Citi is criminally underrated. Mops the floor with the Chase trifecta in every category (except referral bonuses for creators). Far and away the best trifecta for most people (if they want more than 1 card). Plus, there’s the multiple-Custom-Cash downgrade route for more advanced users, and the Rewards+ card for 10% redemption bonus.

@flubberghosted2472

3 күн бұрын

💯💯💯

I have those three cards. I use the Custom Cash for concert tickets, the Double Cash for 2% fallback, and really keep the Premier so I can transfer to partners (mostly Choice). I would never use them where I’m likely to need protections or customer service. I use my Amex gold for dining, groceries (and gas this fall!) and USBAR when possible. That’s my domestic only setup.

I'd switch to the Citi trifecta from chase if it had a 50% travel portal redemption boost like the sapphire, Hyatt as a transfer partner, premium travel card, and I'd like the double cash to be a visa as I'm a big Costco shopper. That being said I have the double cash (my first cc but don't really use it nowadays) and custom cash (my grocery card)

@soapa4279

15 күн бұрын

Yup same for me, the CSR is just too solid. Also can't beat one of the best car rental primary CDWs, purchase protections, travel insurances in the market. Also Citi's travel portal has consistently been called out for being 10% more expensive on average (though I don't know personally.)

@Adiscretefirm

15 күн бұрын

I'm not surprised a $95 card doesn't offer as many benefits as a $550 card, and the hotel benefit is definitely harder to collect than the hotel credit offered by the Sapphire Preferred, but the 3 cards offer much better earning potential than the Chase Pref trifecta

@crazykenbei

15 күн бұрын

The premier used to have a 25 percent travel redemption on the portal as well as an entertainment category back in the day.

@soapa4279

15 күн бұрын

@@Adiscretefirm Good call out, I forget that the Sapphire Preferred is more of a direct comparison.

@michaelpham6894

15 күн бұрын

If you're following this KZread channel, then you're probably playing the points/miles award game, which means you're probably not bothering with the Chase portal. I'm other words, the CSR is nice, but it's not for people watching this video

I think Citi has the best trifecta. I don’t have any of these cards (yet), but that’s the one I would use when not bonus hunting

Nice video I’m happy citi brought back those travel insurance and now they are back in the game…I’m going for the same one you have eventually.🍾

Mark, you nailed it! CITI trifecta get more rewards. Custom Cash is Dynomite!

I’ve personally had too many issues with Citi customer service. On paper the 3 cards great but almost pointless if you’ll have issues. Plus I travel internationally quite a bit.

Thank you Mark!! Great Info!!

Who ever did that tile/grout work should be fired.

@MarkReese

13 күн бұрын

😂

I like Citi bc it does not make it a chore to get value from the card

@flubberghosted2472

3 күн бұрын

💯💯💯

I currently have a citi custom cash and just got a double cash. But I am going to wait till my double cash matures and after a year will be product changing it to a second custom cash. And use one for groceries and he other for restaurants. Should give me a lot of points. Or at least that is the plan.

I thought I was weird in that I concentrated on my Citi trifecta, now all the credit card youtubers are doing it.

@ricardomorales9675

14 күн бұрын

I feel the same way lol

Take a look at the Citi Rewards+ card. Gives 10% back in redemptions Also the Strata is not primary CDW. So not sure worth to book cars with that card

@MarkReese

15 күн бұрын

See 9:00 in the video.

Citi transfer partners are underrated. It's not just about the list of partners, it's also about transfer ratios. Citi's transfer ratios to JetBlue, EVA, and Choice beat Amex and Capital One.

great video! can the 5% top eligible spend category be the same every bill cycle for the Custom Cash Card?

@MarkReese

14 күн бұрын

Yes. The way it works is you automatically earn 5% in whichever eligible category you spent the most. So if you want to make sure to trigger the same category, either (a) Use the Citi Custom Cash exclusively for that spend category or (b) Make sure that spend category represents the largest spend amount in dollars each billing cycle compared to any other purchases.

Thank you Mark for a great review! Thank you thank you!!🎉🎉🎉🎉

You did it! I run my Citi quadfecta, which includes Prestige, AT&T AM, Sears and 10 CCCs.

@crazykenbei

15 күн бұрын

10 CCC!!!

@MarkReese

15 күн бұрын

10 CCCs = LEGEND 🏆

@JacksonianT

14 күн бұрын

Nice... Didn't realize you could have that many CCCs... Looks like I'll continue to harvest welcome bonuses from other citi cards for awhile! 😁

Can you do a video on using 5% cash back credit cards to purchase miles, or points when they go on sale for 50-70% off? This would more than double the CPP value

@MarkReese

5 күн бұрын

No. Point / miles purchase transactions are powered by points.com on the backend for many airline & hotel programs. This means that the transactions will not code as travel and will only earn 1X on most cards (2X on something like the Capital One Venture).

Fantastic information, as usual! A great strategy with awesome potential! Thank you for sharing! 🥳

Would you still use your other cards for credits that you are already getting like the amex gold Uber and grubhub credit

@MarkReese

14 күн бұрын

Yes, I still use the credits.

Excited to see if the Citi Strata ELITE becomes a real thing! Til then, the current Citi Trifecta is still really strong 💪

@edboc

15 күн бұрын

What's the latest on when this would come out?

@MarkReese

15 күн бұрын

@@edboc - No news at the moment.

@MarkReese

15 күн бұрын

I'd like to see a Strata Elite, too 👍

Been using the Citi QuadFecta for a couple of months as my main setup and love it! 👑 Great overview of the cards!🫵

I have the Citi Trifecta and I’ve accrued points faster than I ever could have imagined

💯. One of Citis last updates made tge app much easier to navigate.

Great vid! I have the Strata and I am thinking about doing the quadfecta. 💳💳💳💳

Cool tips. I been w/ Amex family since Uni & Chase 1st business so idk if I can switch completely but open to down some to no fee to keep points in family plan I crossed the 20 age of account this yr.

@MarkReese

15 күн бұрын

20 years of credit history is impressive, well done!

@khanscombe619

14 күн бұрын

@MarkReese remember, I had thos card since school as a kid under my family card plan. Amex was good for helping minor students gain credit status so when u got your own card.

I’m curious, how has everyone’s mileage been with citi? Heard lots of negative reviews about them but I haven’t been approved for one of their cards yet.

@MarkReese

14 күн бұрын

My experience has been positive over the years (minus dealing with their portals / tech...that's been a headache for years...however, it's been getting a lot better and more consistent recently).

So you're telling me that the Citi Strata Premier is the ONLY Citi card with travel/retail and insurance protections? As the Chase counterpart of the CCC and CDC which would be the CFF and CFU would have travel/retail and insurance protections for the no annual fee?

@MarkReese

5 күн бұрын

No. The Citi/AAdvantage Executive now features Trip Cancellation & Interruption Protection, Trip Delay Protection, Lost Baggage Protection and Worldwide Car Rental Insurance Coverage.

I just switched also

Are Walmart, Target, & Costco excluded for Grocery stores?

@MarkReese

14 күн бұрын

Yes, excluded.

Do you know where to go to make sure you're opted in for spending offers?

@MarkReese

15 күн бұрын

There's no opt in required. They're simply targeted via email per Citi's discretion.

@davewwjd

15 күн бұрын

@@MarkReese LoL, I just wanted to be sure I hadn't opted out somehow since I don't receive them

What did you do with your chase sapphire card do you just cancel it?? Can you help me out with that? Cuz I don’t want to keep paying yearly fee.

@MarkReese

14 күн бұрын

I called Chase and had them downgrade the Sapphire Preferred to the Freedom Unlimited.

@soldierscraft9213

13 күн бұрын

@@MarkReese thank you

Nice video sir! Any thoughts on a WF trifecta ? Autograph Attude Active Cash

@MarkReese

14 күн бұрын

A good setup for sure 👍

These are genuinely the best thought out videos on credit on youtube

You sure this is better than the wells fargo trifecta of both autograph cards and the active cash?

@MarkReese

2 күн бұрын

For me, yes. For others, the answer will vary.

Only thing that held me back from going with them was their customer service history. Hopefully they are better now

@Slaize

15 күн бұрын

the customer service is still pretty mediocre. Their fraud department is awful. But their award categories are probably the best overall.

@rrcthomas

15 күн бұрын

Citi is still very much horrible

@La.aviator

14 күн бұрын

@@rrcthomas had any experiences with them recently?

@doubleds8147

14 күн бұрын

I just had spoken to their fraud department 6/29/24 and man, they don't care. Even after less than a month ago, I had to cancel my custom cash card because of the same reason which was unusual transaction on my card and they are just sending me a replacement card again. Thankfully, the transaction was denied immediately. I think I think my card is getting skimmed. I'm going to do some digging on the matter because i only used the card once, granted i have third party reward programs connected with it but I have other card issuers connected to them as well and nothing on their end... Rant over sorry. Anyway, yeah, definitely gives IDC vibes.

I been doing this. Its the easiest one to use 😊

Citi trifecta plus bilt for rental car.

Similar trifecta for me except I have the Citi prestige over custom cash for $175/yr (former employee, grandfathered in)

@MarkReese

15 күн бұрын

Awesome!

@DEM78976

15 күн бұрын

@@MarkReese Reward + might be next one, didn't know that about the 10%. Does it apply if you're redeeming points on another card (or: Strata) with consolidated TY Point Accounts?

@MarkReese

14 күн бұрын

@@DEM78976 - It's my understanding that it does apply in the combined point balance scenario. I haven't confirmed it myself yet though.

@DEM78976

14 күн бұрын

@@MarkReese I'll have to check that out, thanks!

Great overview Mark!! Comparable to others (I know mileage will vary) I am largely (not entirely) locked into Chase due to Hyatt. I mostly travel as a family of 4 and transferring points for 4 award flights requires a massive amount of points and the only hotel program in my experience where it is very easy to get outsized value is Hyatt. I own a home so I don’t have much interest in Bilt (that will change if they add mortgage payments) which leaves Chase.

Where's the multiple Custom Cash and the rewards+ card?

@MarkReese

14 күн бұрын

- Rewards+ is at 9:00 in the video. - Multiple Custom Cash will likely be mentioned in another video.

@xDRZLx

14 күн бұрын

@@MarkReese Can't wait for 2026 when your video showing your have 6 custom cashs :)

Well done Mark! 👏

I heard that Citi’s customer service is no good. Has anybody experienced great service from them?or otherwise?

@MarkReese

5 күн бұрын

Nothing spectacular.

@robert8311

3 күн бұрын

Personally no My only issue with people bashing Citi customer service are that they are the same people who say Amex has the best customer service and in my experience this is not the case So rather not listen to the experience of others as this may not be your experience

Why are people so hot about portals. If I have to use a portal to earn points I’m not interested

@MarkReese

14 күн бұрын

I rarely use portals, but I mention the rewards because this is an educational video. Just because I don't personally use them doesn't mean I leave them out of the video.

pretty cool video, I am a fan of citi cards

Unless the portal is less than booking direct… 10X isn't that great because they inflate the prices to account for the 10X

@MarkReese

15 күн бұрын

Could be. I rarely use any portal from any bank / brand anyway, so those multipliers aren't relevant to me.

@JacksonianT

14 күн бұрын

For budget hotel stays, I've found that it's very easy to find same price or sometimes cheaper prices booking thru the citi portal, which makes the 10x actually super compelling. And the annual $100 off booking benefit makes it so that using the hotel portal is the only way to have a -$5 annual fee. Perfect and highest value setup for booking with hotel chains you aren't a loyalist with and don't care about status.

I love Citi banks app and online experience but I hate Citi bank over the phone customer service and the automated system when you call in it takes forever to get a live representative!!

Citi + Chase combo 🏆

Points transfer technically is a redemption option, so then transferring to partners should also give you 10% back if you have the rewards+ card right?

@MarkReese

14 күн бұрын

That's my understanding. I haven't tested it myself yet.

@daegoe

10 күн бұрын

@@MarkReese that would be crazy good if it worked that way. Hopefully someone can confirm one day lol

Would college tuition work as one of the 5% categories for the Custom Cash card? I have $5k tuition payments every quarter and it would be great to get something back from that.

@MarkReese

13 күн бұрын

No, only the ones shown in the video at 2:33.

@turbo1pt888

13 күн бұрын

Ugh, all banks are just ignoring a potentially huge category. Best option I have found is to get 1.5% in CSP and then transfer to a travel partner at a somewhat boosted rate. Just breaking even with cc fees this way.

@_iErik

8 күн бұрын

The banks are “ignoring” the category of tuition payments intentionally. Your best options are a flat 2x card like Citi Double Cash, or a flat 1.5x CFU if you really value chase points. Could do SoFi card for 2.2%, or BoA if you have status with them (I think that can be ~3% everywhere). But the banks are only getting a maximum of about 3% in transaction fees, and they do actually have costs involved in payment processing. So there has to be some path to profitability to make a higher multiplier make sense. Unlike dining or travel, offering rewards on tuition doesn’t encourage people to spend more on tuition, so there’s no profit scaling potential there. If they want to make money on interest, they already have loans specialized for that. And as a category, tuition represents relatively large dollar amounts, so there’s greater liability to the bank, and thus risk, if you end up defaulting on the debt. I also would bet that they don’t want to invite regulatory scrutiny over effectively encouraging people take out 30% APR student loans via credit card to pay tuition.

@turbo1pt888

5 күн бұрын

@@_iErik Thanks for the reply, it makes a ton of sense now. I mostly put the tuition on my CFU (xfer to hotels or airlines for more points) or venture X. My daughter's college does charge 2.5% for using credit but I get 5% on my cash instead and kick the payment down the road while earning points. One of my cards also had a 0% intro for 16 months. Just wish i could get more than 2%.

Id switch over to citi cause they got a.a. butt they also wont approve me any cards 🙄🙄😒😒

@MarkReese

14 күн бұрын

They issue AA credit cards, but don't have AA as a transfer partner right now.

@ovx23

14 күн бұрын

@@MarkReese wait what for reals? 😱😱 That does not make any sense

How often do you actually book travel through any portal to get that elevated return? I'm never booking that way because I'm using the points I've earned, so I don't really care about portal earning rates.

@MarkReese

14 күн бұрын

Currently, 0% of the time.

I will not ditch my CSR because I get 3x points on Uber/Grab, which would only be 1x on Citi (2x max). I take ride shares a lot.

@_iErik

8 күн бұрын

Could be 5x if you use your Custom Cash for rideshares or 3x on Strata. Uber and Lyft code as Travel category. Not familiar with Grab.

Did you canceled all Amex Cards?

@MarkReese

14 күн бұрын

No.

Have people had issues with false fraud alerts and declined transactions when traveling abroad even when adding a travel notice?

@MarkReese

15 күн бұрын

I had a domestic transaction blocked that was really frustrating. Fortunately, I also received a text & email to Approve vs. Deny, and then reattempt.

😊

Every year I get 80-90% of my points on SUBs, so the points multipliers don't really matter that much. But I do like my Barclays Earner + Business for 8x on gas!

@MarkReese

15 күн бұрын

New welcome offers = fastest way to huge point balances 🏆

@ycleped

14 күн бұрын

@MarkReese but if you truly believe that, then this feels like nothing but an advertisement, when you say you've abandoned all your other cards for the trifecta. It just doesn't sit right with me that you'd agree welcome bonuses are the best, yet shill for basic point multipliers. I guess it's still valuable information for people who don't want to go through the effort to apply for new welcome offers... Obviously it's your right to post whatever content makes you happy, but it feels disingenuous to me. I am unsubbing if this is the type of content you'll be releasing.

@MarkReese

14 күн бұрын

​@@ycleped (1) Consistently getting welcome offers will always beat using the multipliers by themselves. (2) The majority of people out there do not consistently get new cards. Currently, I'm one of them. 0 new cards in 12 months and counting. (3) That means my goal is NOT to earn as many points as possible in the shortest timeframe possible. Rather, it's to earn enough points, in a convenient way, using what I already have. (4) I don't advocate that everyone should consistently be applying for new cards. The purpose of having a core setup is to earn a strong return when not going after new cards. (5) The purpose of this channel is NOT to encourage going crazy with welcome offers ("churning"). It's to provide education. I review, compare, and explain many different strategies and products so people can be informed and make better decisions for themselves.

@ycleped

14 күн бұрын

@@MarkReese thanks for taking the time to write out a thoughtful response, I truly appreciate it. I guess now that I've fully immersed churning cards for welcome bonuses, it's tough to see how any other way could be worth it. I simply personally find that any welcome bonus out there, even those which are super easy to meet, gives far more return than using a core setup. I guess it's all a matter of perspective!

Respect 🫡

So I just got off the phone with Citi and I was told that, if I combine my credit card accounts to have the Thank You points together which is the Custom Cash and Premiere that I wouldn't be able to use my points from the Custom Cash card towards airlines. I don't know if this is something new or if I just got a bad rep that didn't know what he was doing, so not sure. Thoughts?

@MarkReese

12 күн бұрын

I was told the same thing. However, travel bloggers have experience the opposite (that is, it should work). I haven't done the experiment myself yet. That's on my list though.

You should do a video comparing the portals domestic and foreign.

😮🧐😊

I love the Citi Trifecta on paper, but its really hard to argue against transferring points to UA, SW, and Hyatt from Chase for my situation. These are my most commonly used companies due to cost effectiveness and whats common in my region. I wish Citi’s transfer partners were just a bit stronger overall to be most competitive for me.

Not valid at Costco warehouses

@MarkReese

15 күн бұрын

Correct.

I am still on Team SUB

Really hoping Citi adds American Airlines as a transfer partner that would be enough for me to add the strata

The Citi trifecta is good for cashback, but in terms of travel, it's lacking some important transfer partners, notably Hyatt and AC.

@LK_EBM

15 күн бұрын

Don't forget that he's probably making a lot of Chase and Amex points through referrals, so it makes sense to earn points for spend with Citi

@MarkReese

15 күн бұрын

Plenty of value to be had beyond those 2 transfer partners.

@tarrius1210

15 күн бұрын

@@MarkReese Yes, Citi is an absolute beast. Unfortunately, you can't please everyone(smh).

Wish could get Citi 😡 I have too many injuries so I have to wait two years Amex like guess

@MarkReese

15 күн бұрын

Let 'em fall off, then go for it!

@justmcclend25

14 күн бұрын

@@MarkReesehey Mark do you know how many inquiries is to many to apply for the Citi Strata premier and/or Custom Cash?

@MarkReese

14 күн бұрын

@@justmcclend25 - I don't.

Citi trifecta is appealing until you realize that all cards are MasterCard, meaning bye bye Costco shopping (at least in person and in the USA). for us that is 2nd highest spend category outside uncategorized, so I am forced to have decent VISA for Costco shopping. Also, I am confused the Strata Premier has 3x on Supermarkets yet you showed us that both Walmart and Target only earned 1x? what is going on with that?

@MarkReese

14 күн бұрын

Neither Walmart nor Target are supermarkets. They're superstores / discount retailers. The act of "buying groceries" does not trigger a Grocery multiplier. Rather, the merchant category code (MCC) of the business does.

@mlodyme3675

14 күн бұрын

@@MarkReese “I appreciate the clarification. I hadn’t realized that there is actually a difference between a supermarket and a superstore. I thought they were the same thing and could be used interchangeably. You live, you learn. Thank you!”

How do you figure 1.7 cents? If you fly coach class, does that average drop?

@MarkReese

15 күн бұрын

That average figure is based on many data points of maximum, minimum, and in-between redemption values across a variety of classes. It's the generally agreed upon figure by well-known travel bloggers, some of which travel full time. Generally speaking, long-haul international flights in a premium cabin are the ones that get far more value. Also generally speaking, values tend to be lower for domestic flights (even well under 1.7¢). Here's one source I go by: onemileatatime.com/guides/value-miles-points/

I don’t understand “trifectas” or “set ups”. I’m always working on a SUB. Maybe I just haven’t hit a card plateau yet

@MarkReese

14 күн бұрын

That's the fastest way to earn points quickly. But there are plenty of people like me out there...0 cards in 12 months...and still counting.

@Joel_Pinedah

14 күн бұрын

@@MarkReese I guess I’m not there yet. Just got two more this week haha.

To the reward options Citi provides compared to Amex, I say NoThankYou points.

Here’s my Citi trifecta: Custom Cash, Custom Cash, Custom Cash

@MarkReese

15 күн бұрын

Awesome 💳💳💳

If the Citi transfer partners fit my needs I would switch over. For now I am sticking with Chase and AmEx.

Citi is awkward! I don’t have any of their cards or Capital One.

Citi is misunderstood

Yo

The downside? You have to deal with Citi

@MarkReese

14 күн бұрын

😂

@soapa4279

9 күн бұрын

I can’t speak from experience since I have zero products from Citi. It’s just there’s a reason why companies like Credit One and Citi have a bad reputation. Credit One probably being the worst.

Have to respect the abilities to earn x3 to X5 for gas and groceries. I've been getting back to back freedom sign up promotions with chase. Player #2 will be helping for years 3 &4. Then I will have to redue it in 2 years if they still have them. It would be easier if chase watches this post and adds them as a full time catogory.

Too complicated. I'll keep using my USBAR

Citi is good. Their downfall is the custom service.

No purchase or return protection, no extended warranty and Citi’s crappy customer service. No thanks.

@yurig2530

15 күн бұрын

Purchase and return protection is available on Premier and Rewards+, as well as the best extended warranty (+2 years) on the same cards.

@MarkReese

15 күн бұрын

Looks like you didn't watch the video. See 11:02.

paid promotion is probably why

@MarkReese

13 күн бұрын

No. When a paid promotion is in place, I always say so.