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Citi, a Forbes Advisor partner, is running a limited-time offer on the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card just in time for the holidays. New cardholders can earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, a limited-time offer.
Most people think of that kind of bonus in terms of flights or hotel stays. But if you’re not planning to travel, there’s another smart way to use it: redeeming those points for gift cards.
Gift cards don’t usually offer the highest redemption value, but they can go a long way toward cutting down your holiday spending. They’re also one of the easiest ways to turn points into something you’ll actually use.
Citi ThankYou® Points are typically worth a minimum of 1 cent each when redeemed for gift cards. That means your 100,000-point welcome bonus equals roughly $1,000 to spend—and you can redeem them for gift cards at a wide range of popular retailers right through Citi’s rewards portal.
Here’s how that might look in practice:
- Target: Currently, $10 Target gift cards cost just 1,000 points, meaning the Strata Elite’s 100,000-point bonus could turn into a $1,000 holiday shopping spree without you ever setting foot on a plane. That’s enough to cover toys, kitchen gadgets, clothes, holiday decorations and even some groceries before family gatherings.
- Macy’s: You can also turn 2,500 points into a $25 Macy’s gift card. Put those points toward clothes, handbags or new makeup gift sets for everyone on your list.
- Nordstrom: Citi occasionally runs sales on gift card redemptions, allowing you to get more than the usual 1 cent per point value at select retailers. That’s currently the case with Nordstrom—at the time of writing, $10 cards are available for just 900 points instead of 1,000. This means your 100,000-point bonus could stretch even further, scoring you more than $1,000 in gift cards. You can splurge on higher-end gifts like designer shoes, cozy winter coats or beauty products.
- Best Buy: With $25 gift cards priced at 2,500 points, that $1,000 in value could cover a pair of noise-canceling headphones, an iPad or make a serious dent in the cost of a new TV this holiday season.
And you’re not locked into a single retailer. Citi lets you apply your points to gift cards of varying denominations across different stores. That means you could redeem for $25 at Chipotle, $50 at Barnes & Noble and $100 at CVS, so you can tailor your redemptions to fit your holiday shopping list.
Alternatives to the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card
Why Gift Cards Can Be a Smart Move
With the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card, you have plenty of options for redeeming your points beyond gift cards. These include cash back as direct deposits or statement credits, charitable contributions and booking flights, hotel stays or car rentals through Citi’s travel portal. You can also transfer points to one of Citi’s airline or hotel loyalty partners to unlock redemption values that often exceed 1 cent per point.
However, if you’re not interested in squeezing every cent out of your points for travel, or if you’re more of a homebody than a jetsetter, gift cards are an easy, low-effort way to get value. You don’t have to think about flight availability or hotel blackout dates. You just redeem, shop and save.
Gift cards are also flexible. Most don’t expire, so if you don’t use them all during the holidays, you can save them for birthdays, back-to-school shopping or even next year’s sales. And if you pair them with Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals, that $1,000 could stretch even further.
All in all, redeem your points in a way that makes sense for you and your lifestyle. If you’re more likely to use gift cards than search for an award night at a hotel abroad, it’s smarter to use your points in a way that provides real value, even if that means accepting a slightly lower cent-per-point redemption.
Bottom Line
If you’re not planning a trip anytime soon, turning the Citi Strata Elite’s 100,000-point welcome bonus into gift cards is a practical way to make the most of it.
It’s essentially $1,000 to spend at retailers like Target, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Best Buy and dozens of other stores—enough to cover a big chunk of your holiday shopping list.
Whether you use it to buy gifts for everyone else or treat yourself to a few end-of-year splurges, this welcome offer is an easy way to keep more cash in your pocket during the most expensive time of the year.