The Citi Expedia+ Voyager and Expedia+ cards are offering increased bonuses for Black Friday of 70,000 points after spending $2,000 in the first 3 months. While these cards initially appeared to be a snoozer, Andy at Lazy Traveler’s Handbook recently uncovered that the bonus could have some value excellent value after all — and at 70K, some readers may find it to be worth a look.
The Offer & Key Card Details
Click on the card name below to go to the dedicated Frequent Miler page with more information about this card and to find a link to apply.
Card Offer and Details |
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25K points 25K after $2K spend in 3 months$95 Annual Fee Earning rate: 4X Expedia purchases ✦ 2x restaurants & entertainment Card Info: Mastercard World issued by Citi. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Big spend bonus: 5K anniversary bonus with $10K annual spend Noteworthy perks: ✦ $100 annual air travel fee credit ✦ Expedia+ Gold status |
Quick Thoughts
Based on the limited data available about this card, I’d have assumed that the ordinary 50K offer wasn’t really worthwhile since the points are worth 0.7c each towards most hotels and flights, making the bonus on the Expedia+ Voyager worth $350. Once you subtract the $95 annual fee, it’s not a terribly exciting bonus offer (indeed, I recently opened a checking account with a similar-sized bonus).
However, in a recent week in review around the web post, we linked to an excellent post written by Andy at Lazy Traveler’s Handbook where he shows that there are actually a fair number of opportunities to get 1.4c per point in value for “VIP” hotels that are reasonably-priced. While I think most of us assumed that VIP hotels meant that the 1.4c valuation would only apply to expensive hotels where you may only get a night or two at best, it seems that there are at least a fair number of mid-range $100-$200 per night properties in the VIP classification.
In fact, Andy included this link to search for VIP properties and see what is available. I pulled up next Wednesday in Orlando, FL (an admittedly cheap market) and found plenty of inexpensive VIP hotels.
The above weren’t even sorted by price: I saw a $47 Red Lion marked as a VIP hotel (be sure to look for the black VIP image next to the hotel stars to see VIP hotels). If you’re able to take advantage of VIP hotels, the increased 70K bonus on the Voyager card could buy you $980 in hotel stays. That changes the math quite significantly and makes this offer worth a look, especially if you’re not brand-loyal and/or are traveling somewhere without chain properties. Keep in mind that Expedia bookings will not qualify for elite credit or benefits or earn hotel points.
The timing certainly makes sense with Expedia likely looking to build some hype for Black Friday. On that note, this offer is only available until 12/2/19.