All of the major credit card issuers have different rules when it comes to being approved for their cards and earning welcome bonuses on cards. While Amex has a “once in a lifetime” rule on earning welcome bonuses, Citi has a 48-month rule, and I want to go over the details of that in this post.
Basic Citi credit card application rules
Citi doesn’t have a strict limit on how many credit cards you can have with the bank. The major restriction with Citi is regarding how many cards you can be approved for in a given timeframe:
- You can get approved for one Citi card every eight days
- You can get approved for no more than two Citi cards every 65 days
There’s not a firm limit on how many cards you can have, though at some point you may find that you’re maxed out in terms of the credit that Citi will extend you. That number varies from person to person, presumably based on your income, credit score, etc.
Details of the Citi 48-month bonus rule
When it comes to Citi’s policy regarding eligibility for the welcome bonus on a card (rather than just being eligible for approval of a card), most Citi cards have what’s known as the 48-month rule.
With this, you’re not eligible for the bonus if you’ve received a bonus on that specific card in the past 48 months. That 48-month timeline isn’t based on when you applied for or opened a card, but instead, it’s based on when you received the bonus. This also applies to the primary cardmember, so being an authorized user on someone else’s Citi card never precludes you from earning the bonus.
The good news is that eligibility for each card is considered independently. Furthermore, unlike in the past, when you close a particular card doesn’t factor into whether you’re eligible for a bonus or not. Rather, it’s just about whether you received a welcome bonus on a particular card in that timeframe.
You’ll find this policy on most of Citi’s popular travel credit cards, including co-branded AAdvantage cards, as well as cards earning Citi ThankYou points. This includes products like the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (review), Citi Strata Premier® Card (review), Citi Strata℠ Card (review), Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (review), Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard® (review), etc.
Let me specifically emphasize that eligibility for each of the Citi Strata cards is considered independently — so if you have or have had the Citi Strata Premier, you’re eligible for the Citi Strata Elite, etc.
Beyond that, the 48-month rule means that you can earn the welcome bonus on a Citi card more than once, you just have to wait at least four years between qualifying for these offers.
Back in the day, Citi also had the 24-month rule, whereby you weren’t eligible for the bonus on a card if you had opened or closed a card in that “family” of cards in the past 24 months. However, that policy no longer applies to major Citi cards.
How do you determine when you earned a Citi bonus?
The 48-month rule is based on when you last earned the welcome bonus on a card, rather than when you opened a card. So, what’s the easiest way to figure out when you last earned the bonus on a card? It’s not necessarily that straightforward.
Personally, I keep a spreadsheet where I track the cards I sign up for, with all the basics. This includes things like when I opened cards, when I earned the bonus, when I closed them, etc., as that always comes in handy.
If you don’t want to do that, you can typically estimate when you would’ve conservatively earned the bonus. If you phone up Citi, they can typically tell you when you opened a particular card, and then you can add three, four, or six months, to factor in the period you had to reach the spending requirement (I don’t believe Citi reps can tell you exactly when you earned a bonus from several years ago).
Bottom line
Citi has pretty straightforward rules regarding getting approved for its cards and earning bonuses. The most common restriction is the 48-month rule, which means that you can only earn the bonus on a particular card if you haven’t earned a bonus on that exact card in the past 48 months.
This is a pretty straightforward policy and, fortunately, has no “family” language, meaning you’re eligible for the bonus on each type of card. This is especially valuable to know in the context of Citi’s expanded card portfolio, so if you have a card like the Citi Strata Premier® Card (review), you’re still eligible to pick up the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (review), etc.
What has your experience been with Citi’s 48-month rule?
