Unique: Revamped Citi journey portal launching tomorrow – The Factors Man

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After months of delays, TPG can reveal that the brand new Citi travel portal will lastly launch Sunday within the afternoon. From what Citi has informed us, the brand new portal’s options sound superior. Nevertheless, whether or not the portal might be a game-changer in observe is but to be seen.

We first seen points with the present Citi ThankYou Journey Heart in July 2022. Citi launched a “coming quickly” web page for its new portal in August after TPG was the primary to report on the deliberate launch of a brand new portal. In response to delays, Citi offered band-aids to allow clients to e book journey in its portal for journey dates by June 2023 — not ideally suited for these planning future journeys.

Nevertheless, the wait is nearly over — Citi Travel with Booking.com will launch Sunday, March 19.

Here is a more in-depth have a look at the brand new Citi journey portal, which options you’ll be able to count on at launch and which further options might be coming sooner or later.

The brand new Citi Journey portal is powered by Reserving.com and can present entry to over 1.4 million inns worldwide, because of the Reserving.com platform. The brand new portal might be referred to as Citi Journey with Reserving.com, and it is possible for you to to entry it by this link.

Citi guarantees that the brand new platform might be simpler to make use of and might be accessible by Citi’s web site (beginning Sunday afternoon) and Citi’s cellular app (after app updates, that are anticipated by the tip of this month). Cardmembers can customise their funds, selecting which bank card(s) or factors to pay with — or a mixture of the 2.

One other new side is 24-hour buyer help. Cardmembers will have the ability to obtain assist with their bookings across the clock.

You’ll earn factors on all paid bookings by Citi Journey. You may additionally have the ability to redeem your ThankYou Rewards factors at a fee of 1 cent per level towards journey booked within the portal. This implies a $150 flight will price 15,000 Citi ThankYou factors.

Associated: How to redeem Citi ThankYou Rewards for maximum value

From what we have seen, the brand new portal feels similar to Reserving.com and different journey portals. You possibly can search by vacation spot (for inns, rental vehicles and actions), by property identify (for inns) or by route (for flights).

It is possible for you to to redeem factors for all or a part of your reservation. Redemption charges within the portal might be 1 cent per level. That is under TPG’s valuation of ThankYou factors at 1.8 cents apiece, but it surely supplies choices for utilizing factors in further methods — corresponding to excursions and actions (extra on that under).

As Reserving.com powers the brand new portal, all inns you see on Reserving.com ought to be accessible by the portal. This consists of not simply chain inns and resorts but in addition boutique properties, bed-and-breakfasts and Disney properties, together with the Walt Disney World Swan Resort and Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort. Nevertheless, most hostels will not be bookable.

Spotlight: Points of interest accessible within the Citi journey portal

Citi’s new journey portal affords entry to extra than simply inns, flights and rental vehicles. A whole lot of 1000’s of sights might be accessible in all 50 U.S. states and in international locations across the globe. This consists of Common theme parks (together with multiday tickets and passes) however not tickets to Six Flags or Disney parks — although some Disney inns will be booked within the new portal.

Extra choices embody river cruises, guided hikes within the Grand Canyon and entrance tickets to common vacationer sights, just like the Kennedy House Heart. To search out and e book sights, search by your vacation spot (e.g., New York Metropolis or Paris).

You’ll pay for all of those with factors.

Citi can be launching two new resort packages: Resort Assortment and Luxurious Resort Assortment. These packages are launching Sunday with the brand new journey portal, however they are going to begin with a restricted footprint of properties (the identical factor occurred with the recently-launched Capital One Premier Collection). Initially, inns might be accessible within the U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean, then the variety of inns accessible will broaden on a rolling foundation.

For these conversant in different credit card issuer hotel programs, these two new resort packages will sound acquainted.

Associated: A comparison of luxury hotel programs from credit card issuers: Amex, Chase and Capital One

Citi’s Resort Assortment will provide free breakfast for 2 individuals each day and complimentary Wi-Fi as assured perks. When accessible, you may additionally get early check-in and late checkout privileges.

Citi’s Luxurious Resort Assortment — the extra premium program of the 2 — will provide these advantages plus room upgrades (when accessible) and a $100 on-property credit score. Makes use of of this profit will range by location, and it might cowl purchases like spa companies, meals on the resort’s restaurant and in a single day parking.

There are not any minimal keep necessities for these bookings (in contrast to American Categorical’ The Hotel Collection, which has a minimal two-night keep when reserving with The Platinum Card® from American Express). Anybody with a credit card that earns ThankYou points could make reservations by the Resort Assortment. Nevertheless, solely these with the Citi Prestige® Card (not open to new candidates) or the Citi Premier® Card can entry the Luxurious Resort Assortment.

The data for the Citi Status has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or offered by the cardboard issuer.

Sadly, there isn’t a possibility for including your resort loyalty program quantity to those reservations. Nevertheless, as defined under, you’ll be able to stack a helpful Citi-provided profit on prime of those reservations.

The Citi Prestige Card and the Citi Premier Card each provide helpful resort credit. Utilizing these advantages requires reserving your room by Citi’s journey portal. The excellent news is that these advantages usually are not altering.

Citi Premier cardholders will proceed to obtain a once-per-year $100 credit score for resort bookings of $500 or extra, excluding taxes and charges, by Citi Journey.

Those that have the Citi Status will nonetheless take pleasure in their fourth-night-free perk. This profit is accessible twice yearly and affords a fourth evening free on resort bookings made in Citi’s journey portal.

Associated: 4 reasons the Citi Premier Card should be on your shortlist

Thus, you should use these advantages on resort reservations with the Resort Assortment or Luxurious Resort Assortment to stack the resort packages’ advantages together with your cardholder advantages. We’ll do a deeper dive on methods to maximize these advantages in a information coming quickly.

• 10 factors per greenback on bookings for inns, rental vehicles and eligible sights with the Citi Prestige Card (not open to new candidates) and the Citi Premier Card.
• 5 factors per greenback on these bookings with the Citi ThankYou® Most popular Card (not open to new candidates) and the Citi Rewards+® Card.

As soon as these limited-time incomes charges finish, a Citi spokesperson promised updates on the usual incomes charges for journey booked within the portal.

The data for the Citi ThankYou Most popular card has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or offered by the cardboard issuer.

Associated: The ultimate guide to Citi ThankYou Rewards

Sadly, flights usually are not included within the bonus-earning charges.

*Values are based mostly on TPG’s latest valuations.

Associated: 9 things to consider when choosing to book via a portal vs. booking directly

Citi’s new travel portal is powered by Reserving.com and is launching Sunday. It consists of a number of helpful advantages and additions, plus bonus points-earning alternatives. The launch additionally consists of two new resort packages: Resort Assortment and Luxurious Resort Assortment. We’re excited to do a deeper dive after the portal goes stay.

Hopefully, Citi Journey with Reserving.com will work as anticipated. And this concern has been the primary motive for delays, in line with a Citi spokesperson: “We’re dedicated to every thing being seamless at launch, so we have now pushed again the launch date to ensure it’s working accurately on day one.”

For many who’ve been ready, set your alarm. You’ll begin utilizing Citi Travel with Reserving.com Sunday afternoon.