The Citi Trifecta is ALMOST Perfect (Here’s Why)

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In this video we are talking about the Citi Trifecta and the 3 credit cards that make up this credit card setup. Those credit cards are the Citi Double Cash, the Citi Custom Cash, and the Citi Premier card which are all excellent on their own but even more powerful together in the Citi Trifecta setup!
The Citi Double Cash and the Citi Custom Cash both have no annual fee and are 2 of the most popular credit cards on the market. They both earn Citi Thank You Points which can either be redeemed for cash back or saved to later be redeemed with transfer partners on the Citi Premier card. The Double Cash credit card gets 2x points on everything while the Custom Cash credit card gets 5x points on your highest spend category each billing cycle. The Citi Premier credit card costs $95 per year, but is one of the best everyday spending credit cards because it gets 3x points per dollar at gas stations, supermarkets, restaurants, hotels, and airline tickets. So you’re earning Citi Thank You Points in many ways, and those points are very valuable when used the right way for travel! When redeeming Citi points, you will want to aim for at least 2 to 3 cents per point or more in value because that beats the standard 1 cent per point value of these credit card points for cash back.
However, even though you might be able to earn a lot of points and redeem them for travel by using the Citi Trifecta, there are still some areas where it falls short. Two major disadvantages are that there are no travel protections or benefits, and the Citi Double Cash also does not typically offer a sign up bonus which is sad to see.
Overall, I think the Citi Trifecta credit card setup is very solid for the average person that is looking to optimize the return they get on spending. The transfer partners and transfer bonuses that can be found on the Citi Premier can make the points you earn very valuable. But you need to be aware that you’re missing out on a lot of travel benefits and protections that most other premium travel credit card setups provide.
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5 окт 2024

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Комментарии : 110

@KevinYang Год назад

Honestly the Citi Trifecta is a really strong combo, but for my personal goals of maximizing for aspirational travel, I think Chase/Amex still have a higher spot in my list. It's definitely a simple a solid setup for cash back or low AF focused people though. Maybe they'll do a big revamp when the rumored Citi Strata finally drop! Sooo close to 100k, an early congrats Daniel! 🎉

@Daniel_Braun Год назад

Yeah I really hope they introduce a new higher tier card like that! Right now the Citi trifecta is a good earning card with good transfer partners, but still behind chase and Amex in my opinion too. Thanks so much Kevin! Yeah super close to that 100k now!

@rickycampos4770 Год назад

I also have the Citi card and it is a really good card

@MattWelterOfficial Год назад

The Citi Trifecta is definitely one of the best Setups especially if you prioritize cash-back and getting exposure to all of the major spending categories. Custom Cash- High Spend Category, Citi Premier- Well Rounded, Citi Double Cash- Catch All. Those lack of travel protections on the Citi Premier is definitely a downside, we had our checked bags delayed, and they didn't come in, until the night before the last day of our honeymoon, so having those protections is so essential! Great video as always Daniel!

@MikeC-dj4iu 4 месяца назад

Why not just be organized and get the credit cards you want across multiple banks instead of getting 3 from just 1 bank? Are we just all too disorganized and lazy or something?

@SpencerJohnsonOfficial Год назад

If you're looking for the trifecta with the most earning categories covered with one lender, this is it honestly. It's a super solid setup if you're focused on earning a ton of points, but then again, if you don't value Citi points as highly as other lenders, then those earning categories don't matter as much. It all depends on your preferences, but this is definitely a great setup to consider!!

@joshseals9972 19 дней назад

Great video, I love how you justify both sides! I'm 19, and your videos helped me get my first secured card, now I have over a 700 credit and am looking to start a trifecta!

@MPG2014 Год назад

I never really paid attention to this before, but you do your videos so smoothly without really having to pause. It doesn’t even seem like you have to edit your videos from having gaps or mistakes. That is crazy, how do you even do that?! Do you read a teleprompter or something? Great video as well!

@Daniel_Braun Год назад

Thanks so much for saying all of that! Haha honestly I try to film my videos in a way so that when it's edited together it will be seamless and smooth. There's definitely mistakes that are easily taken out when editing so that helps a lot when I have a good editor that puts it together like this to present the info well. Thanks again!

@itsagreatday9765 Год назад

Also the Citi Premier card is my go to card for International trips since Amex isn't widely accepted in Europe. It's nice having good earning spending categories even overseas

@the.creditgenius Год назад

Next level video editing & value, Dan! 🙏🏼 I‘m so happy that I secured the Citi Prestige which is my main & favorite card ever. Hope they bring out a new one soon! Main reason why I no longer recommend a Citi setup in my credit card consulting are the low limits especially on a major spend card like the Citi Premier. Hard to get more than 5k right now even for people who have 20k+ cards

@Daniel_Braun Год назад

Thanks Chris appreciate it man! Yeah that Citi Prestige card makes this setup much better and it would be great to see a similar new card released again. The low limits you're seeing are definitely something to consider as well!

@itsagreatday9765 Год назад

The Citi Trifecta is a great setup for a P2 who doesn't want a lot of cards or have to track spend categories. I have the Amex Delta Reserve card and got my wife the free Amex Delta Platinum AU version. Also got her as a free AU on my Citi Premier. So she keeps both in her wallet and starts the year out by using only the Amex. Once we hit 30k spend for the year (to get MQD waiver + MQM boost) I tell her to switch to the Citi Premier for the remainder of the year. Given the majority of her spending is gas, grocery, and dining, this is perfect. Agree the Citi Trifecta is underrated indeed

@a.r.5731 Год назад

If you book a flight with Citi and use a different card to pay for the taxes and fees, you will still get the travel protections that the other card has

@Daniel_Braun Год назад

Yeah you're usually covered by the card you pay with, so I like to find the best price and then book with the card that has the best travel protections

@kyleedelbrock5286 Год назад

I think a 2 player set up that doesn’t want to churn should have one person get into Chase trifecta (100,000 points from subs for Hyatt and southwest) and the other into Citi (80,000 points and great spend categories for Flying Blue and Choice)

@Daniel_Braun Год назад

That's a pretty good strategy! I think it's good to have some diversity in a 2 player setup, so going with Citi and Chase could work for some people

@RampageMaximum Год назад

This video was really useful Daniel! After watching, I think I’ll skip on Citi Trifecta due to lack of protection and focus on my Chase. Chase Trifecta is my travel, Custom Cash and Double Cash are my cash back cards and eventually in the future when I travel more, I’ll look into getting the Amex Trifecta. I also have the Discover It and BCE cards since I’m team Cashback right now but eventually I’ll look into Bilt when I move out and Amex when I travel more. Thank you for your continuous advise and info! Can’t wait for the next one, appreciate all you do!

@Daniel_Braun Год назад

This is such an awesome strategy! I love that you're doing some cash back right now but have the idea to move into travel later on. Thanks so much for watching and glad you liked this video!

@Qiuziarui Год назад

The Citi double cash does have a signup bonus indirectly via AA advantage card with a 50k welcome bonus (free for first year). Then you can product change to the double cash and use the 50k points in other ways

@cuprentisferguson1105 Год назад

Love the video. I have the Citi Double Cash and have accumulated a lot of points prior to learning about the Trifecta game. Like you, I'll wait until Premier is at a better sign up bonus before I jump in. Already involved with Amex and working on Chase currently.

@paulcaskey Год назад

The Amex Trifecta does address gas as the Platinum gives you a 10 cents a gallon discount through your included Walmart Plus membership.

@Silvercp28 Год назад

You hit the bullseye 🎯! Great job w explanation and selling it!

@karthizzle7340 Год назад

The premier credit is actually super nice - and MORE than offsets the AF

@daynester Год назад

My understanding is that savvy users can hold multiple custom cash cards, effectively mitigating the single category limit.😅

@412foto Год назад

Premier vs Preferred...forgot that the Preferred has a $50 annual hotel credit too lower effective annual fee. But do wish it was regular vs online grocery. Trying to find a replacement for the Amex Gold now since I can't get the welcome offer and considering a Citi setup.

@jazzey2788 Год назад

So i completed my chase trifecta and even added inks. I am in Amex pop up jail now. I just got the custom cash card to start my set up with Citi. Great video just in time

@AP_808 Год назад

I churn the Premier, downgraded to Custom Cash, so now I rock 2 custom cash cards, double cash and I’ll probably apply for the premier when I see the next 80K offer. Stacking custom cash is kind of a cheat code and idk when Citi is gonna nerf that

@EragonxVxRevan 2 месяца назад

So each custom cash you have gives you 5% in whatever category is the highest? So one becomes a grocery card, the other a gas, etc?

@vectorhacker-r2 Год назад

This is the only full trifecta that I've kept. In Chase and Amex I just keep a dufecta

@RyanHutton1 Год назад

Great video! Super underrated setup for sure. If you're looking for a straight up cash back setup then this is it!

@Bangpaulxu Год назад

Literally was looking for a video like this and you just dropped one! Thanks!!!🙏🙏🙏

@Daniel_Braun Год назад

Perfect timing then! Thanks so much for watching as always!!

@anthonygardner400 Год назад

I agree wholeheartedly, Daniel. I had the Premier a few years ago and downgraded to Double Cash when travel protections went away. I have the Custom Cash for gas. I’d also add that in my experience, Citi customer service is horrible. I’ve had the best service with Discover, followed closely by Amex, then a distant third with Chase and a really distant fourth with Citi. Very helpful video. Thanks!

@Daniel_Braun Год назад

Thanks Anthony! The fact that you can downgrade the Premier card like that is another good thing about this setup - I would probably do the same thing by getting the Premier for the bonus and the transfer partners for a year or two and then downgrade to the Double Cash since there's no sign up bonus anyway. Customer service is definitely another big thing, so thanks for mentioning your experience with Citi being bad! I'll have to make a video about customer service with credit cards

@anthonygardner400 Год назад

@@Daniel_Braun I think that would be a good idea. While it may not be the most important factor in card selection, it matters.

@TheStallion234 9 месяцев назад

I have the Citi Trifecta + Amex Platinum. That 4 card setup covers off on everything I need, great point multiples from the Citi cards and the premium access and Rakuten point multiples with the Platinum Card.

@JairoCarbajal999 Год назад

you’re so close to 100k 😁 keep going man 💪🏽 congrats on a 100k i know it’s early but still congrats Daniel 🤝🏽

@Daniel_Braun Год назад

Thanks so much! Yeah only about 20 subscribers away as I’m writing this! Thank you so much for the early congrats, it really means a lot to me 👍

@crazykenbei Год назад

I see the premier as a cash back first then a travel card. Because think about it, how do you have purchase protection but want people to buy their travel stuff like tickets etc(3x rate) but offer zero travel purchase and protections. So essentially you want to use a card that has those protections especially for a high price ticket (like say a chase card). So this trifecta is really more a killer Cashback setup as the points will really roll in. Even more so with the rewards+. Maybe they will bring back their prestige line to sort out this mess out.

@Daniel_Braun Год назад

I agree, I think the strength could be a cash back setup with maybe the option to redeem for travel when you find good transfer partner deals. If Citi bring snack the Prestige or a version of that then they could really compete with the other setups!

@Milkinporsche 6 месяцев назад

It always feels wrong to pay 95 dollars and not have any sort of travel and rental car protection. I mean even Bilt has primary rental CDW.

@Zee06 Год назад

Amex Gold, Platinum and Citi Premier are my 3 card setup that I use. I don't have a catch all card yet, but, if I had to use a catch all card, it would be my Hilton Honors Amex, since Hilton is my hotel brand of choice. May add the BBP or Double Cash(or both) later on, but this setup right now covers my needs right now.

@Android-qj2yu Год назад

The citi costco card is one of the best citi cards in my opinion.

@scremingwhisper1720 Год назад

Especially if you have the elite card

@WhatsThePoints1 Год назад

Probably worth calling out the lack of broad travel earning. As a frequent airbnb stayer it’s important for me to have a 3x travel earner (ink preferred is my go to currently)

@SuntaX10 Год назад

Would love to use citi but I cant stand their customer support..

@avres13 Год назад

Since it doesn’t have travel protection I wouldn’t use it for travel. I only use the Costco Citi card and get 6% on gas with my membership

@RoundAreWay Год назад

Daniel, how about a video on best credit cards to use abroad? Things to consider are of course no foreign transaction fee, and whether a card earns points abroad, especially on dining and other/general categories. Eg AmEx Gold is great on 4% dining worldwide but the truth is it, this card is not widely accepted in Europe-and where else to go dining but Europe. Also, some places in Europe don’t take “foreign,” that is non-EU credit cards, at all. I think it may be due to EU cap how much in fees can merchants be charged. Do you have any insights on that? I believe that EU law limits merchant fees to 0.4%, whereas US-issued cards usually are 3-6%.

@Jonathan_Youngs 7 месяцев назад

The Citi trifecta is POWERFUL! I plan on getting soon part 2 of the trifecta which is the Custom Cash, but instead of getting the Premier? I plan to get the Rewards+ for a Citi trifecta with a 0AF. I have 2 Citi cards with them atm; Double Cash & Costco with 1,600 & 6k limits. I plan to get the other 2 slowly for a POWERFUL trifecta with all a 0AF!

@Adiscretefirm 2 месяца назад

So 11 months later, Strata Premier has travel protections, Double Cash has a sub and is a better none of the above than the Freedom, the Preferred doesn't get lounge access either and the Strata is still a much better earner than the Preferred. Given the changing landscape has your opinion changed?

@deejaydres 9 месяцев назад

Love the content and video editing! I use the Citi double cash to get the 2% on my kids daycare. It’s a huge expense and I think getting 2x points is great but is there any other cards that would get you more than 2x on daycare costs?

@Daniel_Braun 9 месяцев назад

Thank you so much! So I'm not really aware of any other cards that would be good for that - the other options is to get new cards for sign up bonuses every now and then. Those bonuses work out to be as much as 30-40% return on spend depending on how the points are used, so that beats 2%

@happy_healthy20 Год назад

This is very informative!

@getsugatenshoFTW Год назад

I have a Citi trifecta that utilizes 2 custom cashes instead of a double cash and custom cash

@Daniel_Braun Год назад

Nice! Did you downgrade another Citi card to get a second Custom Cash?

@dcooke4515 21 день назад

@@Daniel_Braun Not sure how others have gotten two CC cards, but in my case, I already had a Custom Cash card (and a Double Cash card) with my husband as an AU on both. Then Citi offered my husband a Custom Cash card, so we accepted it! We use his for groceries and mine for live entertainment. The only drawback is the $500/mo spending limit. Thanks for the very informative video!

@mlodyme3675 5 месяцев назад

What is the point of travel protection when the goal is to move the points to one of the transfer partners? Wouldn't any of the travel benefits not apply when a hotel or airfare is done via the transfer points? My biggest CON of this setup is being MasterCard setup only. I shop fill up gas at local Costco and that effectively means, I would not be able to use it, otherwise, this would be a solid option.

@Anthonyjones-pq4ff 5 месяцев назад

Citi is my replacement instead of the 5/24 jail I’m in Right now.Hopefully I’ll be release soon when time severed Chase here I come personal & Business

@marksmith9421 7 месяцев назад

why have you not covered the best quadfecta. i have a chase ,freedom flex, Freedon unlimited, ink cash, saphire reserve. I would be curious to see what other credit card companies offer a quadfecta.

@theeverydaybowhunter Год назад

Citi travel is horrible. I don’t use most of their travel partners so they are almost worthless to me. Especially when you look at their requirements after the travel bonus.

@tarrius1210 7 месяцев назад

Citi+Chase trifecta pairs well>

@Sakurasan2023 Год назад

Love the video 📹 ❤️

@Daniel_Braun Год назад

Thanks for watching!

@Sakurasan2023 Год назад

@@Daniel_Braun you're welcome

@thelockerroom4786 Год назад

Have you made the video of the best transfer partners for this?

@Tony_Stark272 3 месяца назад

With the new Citi Strata Premier do you think this set up is more valuable then the Chase trifecta?

@nickfaraci94 3 месяца назад

Hey Daniel, how does the strata premier change your opinion now that it has those travel insurances?

@coreyw5981 Год назад

It's because of you i got the sapphire and learned how to do the preferred>Hyatt transferring. So i would love an in depth on how to transfer to citi partners and get better cpp. I don't yet know how to get the most with airline partners. Like how many accounts do i have to create for example Btw me and you just missed the 75,000 point sign up bonus

@MikeC-dj4iu 4 месяца назад

Why can't you just get the cards you want across multiple banks? Me personally, I like 1) Citi Custom Cash 2) Chase Amazon Visa 3) Amex Blue Everyday 4) Sofi Unlimited 2% That's my quadfecta

@nick-graham 4 месяца назад

You end up with points and cash back spread across multiple banks and currencies. The cash back earned on the Chase, Amex and Sofi cards can't be pooled with the Citi card and transferred to travel partners.

@medsocsci Год назад

Why is a business card being included with personal cards? Amex Blue Cash Everyday and Blue Cash Preferred cover gas. Why aren't one those included in the Amex trifecta? Also, Amex Green might be better than Amex Gold for some people.

@nick-graham 4 месяца назад

Those cards don't earn membership rewards, so you've got two points earning cards and a cash back card. That dilutes your rewards.

@jamesyu613 Год назад

I like the ccc it's a no brainer card.

@Daniel_Braun Год назад

Agreed! I think it's the perfect card to fit into any setup with the way it can earn points in many ways that change whenever you want

@jamesyu613 Год назад

@@Daniel_Braun yup

@trailofb33rs Год назад

Should I apply for all three at once? Or should I spread it out?

@juanarboleda3698 Год назад

New to this. What if you have Citi custom card with other bank cards can you transfer points to partners and be able to combine points from different banks?

@Quangcurry13524 4 месяца назад

What set up do you have?

@petaluma0 Год назад

Thanks

@Daniel_Braun Год назад

Thanks for watching!

@minjaresisaac 5 месяцев назад

I was just on the phone with a Citi representative combining my Citi Thank You Points accounts when I was asked which card/account I wanted to make the primary. I ended up choosing the Rewards+ seeing as how I should be getting 10% back after redeeming points (up to 100,000 points) but my question is, does it really matter what account I choose as my primary? I’ve never heard anyone state that they needed to pick one as a primary account.

@crazykenbei 3 месяца назад

It doesnt matter. Once you combine them they are one lol

@Tru182 Год назад

I know this is about the Citi cards, but i have a question i need help with ......Ive had the freedom unlimited for 7 years. So I'm waaay overdue for a 2nd card. I travel 2-3 times a year. 4 on a good year. I have a credit score of 757 and pay off my card in full every month. I know I can go for the sapphire preferred but.............I have my eye on the Venture X. I'll prob come back later for the sapphire. Do you think that's to bold/good idea? and is it worth the hard pull if I get denied? What do you think my chances may be?

@taylorkong6778 Год назад

this might be completely unfeasible, but what if you were to apply for the citi rewards+ for the welcome bonus before downgrading to the double cash? assuming that downgrade path exists, i'm still learning a lot of this stuff and wondered if that might be a way to ensure SUB value from the double cash

@ASan512 Год назад

I see all these videos of the various trifectas and how people have cards across multiple banks. I'm not sure I understand where the value is in spreading your point gain across multiple rewards programs rather than sticking to one trifecta. Will I get benefit from 2x points at Citi on Gas vs gaining 1x points in Chase UR if all my other categories are in Chase?

@Daniel_Braun Год назад

It could be best to start out by focusing on 1 issuer, but over time if you're willing to get more cards then there are some really great sign up bonuses and features provided across issuers. Having multiple points currencies also gives options for different transfer partners. Also there are times when a specific issuer will have a transfer bonus going on as well. There's a number of reasons, but the most important thing is to find what works for you! Everyone will have a different strategy for travel or cash back

@danielalexandermh Год назад

Hello Daniel, thanks to your videos I have been taking the best decisions regarding credit cards. Now I have 5 credit cards: Discover, Citi custom cash, Amex gold, Amex blue everyday, and chase sapphire preferred, but I have a huge question, having 5 credit cards in my wallet obviously makes that I spend less money on each of them, so, my question is, if I use only, for example, 37 dlls of 3,500 dlls of one of my credit cards, will they cancel that credit card because I barely use it?

@sandrews8109 Год назад

Are there any premium cards that cover you if you have to cancel a trip due to hospitalization with a preexisting condition?

@KingOfNy9 6 месяцев назад

I think sapphire has something like that. I have the $95 annual fee one.

@ItsMeCJ Год назад

FIRST!!!!….just let me have the medal 🥇. I still don’t know why the CDC (no…not that CDC…get it? 😂) doesn’t typically come with a welcome offer. Come on Citi!! Funny story, I literally just saw a CCC ad while working out and it showed a lady using her CCC for everything. I cringed so much and was like “don’t do this!!! Don’t use your card that way” 😂😂. I still don’t really value Citi that much though. Maybe I’ll add them to my wallet in a few years 😬.