Expedia®+ Card from Citi

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Oct 23, 2017 / 3 min

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Snapshot

3.8

Bankrate rating

3.8

Bankrate score

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Excellent (740 – 850)

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Recommended Credit

1X - 3X

Rewards rate

3 Expedia+ bonus points per $1 spent on eligible Expedia purchases including flights, hotels, activities and travel packages* 1 Expedia+ bonus point per $1 spent on other purchases*

Annual fee

Intro offer

Earn 15,000 Expedia+ bonus points after spending $1,000 in purchases within 3 months of account opening.

Regular APR

Citi is an advertising partner

Editor’s note: some of the offers on this page are no longer available.

The Expedia+ Card from Citi is the junior version of the Expedia+ Voyager Card. It offers the same complex redemption options, but at a lower earnings rate.

Review

Let’s start with the good: This card has no annual fee and can accelerate your Expedia+ points earnings.

You’ll earn 3 Expedia+ bonus points on every Expedia booking made using the card and 1 Expedia+ bonus point on all other spending. Since the card grants you automatic Expedia+ silver status, you’ll also get a 10% bonus on base Expedia+ points.

But — and here’s the tricky part — the value of Expedia+ points depends on how you use them. The best value comes from using the points towards a VIP Access hotel stay, where 3,500 Expedia+ points are worth a $50 credit toward the hotel. Expedia says your points are worth twice as much when booking a +VIP Access Hotel, and you’ll get 250 bonus points for booking a hotel with this designation.

If you prefer a hotel that’s not labeled +VIP Access, those 3,500 points are worth a $25 credit toward that hotel.

The lowest value use of Expedia+ points would be to book a flight, where it takes 8,000 Expedia+ points to receive up to $50 worth of credit toward a flight. You also have to have enough points to redeem for the entire cost of the flight; you can’t use a combination of points and cash.

If you’re using your earnings toward hotels or flight and hotel packages, you’ll have to redeem your points for a coupon first and then book your travel and apply the coupon to your trip. So, if you have a $500 coupon, and the cost of your hotel stay is $491, you lose the remaining $9 of value. And, the coupons can only be used on one room per booking. This means if you’re a family who needs two rooms, you can only pay for one room with your earnings.

Still, this card is a sub-par choice compared to the Expedia+ Voyager Card. In addition to a lower rewards rate, the Expedia+ Card also dings you 3% on every foreign transaction. This is a charge no decent travel rewards card should carry. For those who are up for the challenge of maximizing Expedia+ rewards, our advice is to pay the $95 annual fee for the Voyager version and get a bigger sign-up, better rewards and no foreign exchange fees.

This card comes with a 15,000 point sign-up bonus after you spend $1,000 within the first three months of opening the account. This could be worth as much $200 towards a +VIP Access hotel or as little as $75 on airfare booked through Expedia.

Who should get this card

Anyone who uses Expedia to book their travel and typically travels domestically can benefit from the Expedia+ bonus rewards of using this card.

Pros

If you book most of your travel through Expedia, this card offers some of the best rewards

Cons

To get the maximum value out of your Expedia+ points can be cumbersome and requires thorough understanding of a complex redemption program.
You can only redeem rewards for flights or hotels booked through the Expedia site.
If you don’t use or earn points within 18 months, they’ll expire.
You can only redeem your points for a vacation package up to $300.
There’s a foreign transaction fee of 3% for purchases made overseas.

Fees and APR

Pay no annual fee.
This card has a variable APR of 14.99% – 22.99% on purchases and balance transfers.
You’ll be charged a 3% foreign transaction fee for purchases made outside the U.S.

Extras, perks and using points

To redeem your points, log into your Expedia account and select which type of redemption you’d like.

Compare the best excellent credit cards

* See the online application for details about terms and conditions for these offers. Every reasonable effort has been made to maintain accurate information. However all credit card information is presented without warranty. After you click on the offer you desire you will be directed to the credit card issuer's web site where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer.

Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including card rates and fees, is accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information.

Expedia®+ Card from Citi

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