Charles H. Miller
Fans of Expedia can get something in return for all of their purchases at the popular online travel site with Expedia®+ and Expedia®+ Voyager Credit Cards from Citi, both of which allow users to earn points even when paying for other things, and at other (than Expedia) places. The former card has no annual fee, while the latter costs $95 per year, and obviously, offers more rewards to cardmembers. Also, both cards come with rather generous sign-up bonus points. Here are the details…
Highlights
- 15,000 / 25,000 sign-up bonus points
- Complimentary Expedia+ Silver / Gold status
- Anniversary bonus and air travel fee credit with the Expedia®+ Voyager
- Travel and shopping benefits
- $0 / $95 annual fee
How It Works?
Earn points: With the Expedia®+ Credit Card, users earn three points for each dollar spent on Expedia purchases, including flights, hotels, activities, and travel packages, and one point per dollar spent on all other purchases. The Expedia®+ Voyager, on the other hand, offers 4x points on Expedia purchases, 2x points on dining and entertainment, and 1x point on everything else. You can earn an unlimited number of points which do not expire as long as you earn or redeem them every 18 months.
Sign-up offer: The Expedia®+ Credit Card offers 15,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 in purchases within 3 months. These points can be redeemed for $200 towards your stay at a +VIP Access hotel. On the other hand, the Expedia®+ Voyager Credit Card comes with 25,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 within the first 3 months. This bonus (worth $350) too can be redeemed towards your stay at a +VIP Access hotel, which is available in more than 200 locations around the world.
Redeem points: Once earned, points can be redeemed for hotel stays, flights, and charitable donations. Additionally, you can redeem for dining and entertainment, but then your points are worth less (than if you would using them for stays at +VIP hotels).
Expedia+ status: The Expedia®+ Credit Card includes the Silver status that gives cardmembers an extra 10% bonus points along with exclusive offers and access. Moreover, the card enables users to reach Gold status faster, by earning one Elite Qualifying Hotel Night toward Expedia+ Gold status for every $2,500 spent with the card in a calendar year. In comparison, the “regular path” requires $10,000 spent on eligible bookings or 15 qualifying hotel room nights. The Gold status comes included with the Expedia®+ Voyager Credit Card, providing perks such as extra 30% bonus points, room upgrades, and flexible check-in and check-out at +VIP Access hotels.
Extra Expedia®+ Voyager Credit Card perks:
- Anniversary bonus of 5,000 points is awarded to cardmembers who spend at least $10,000 per year with their Expedia card.
- $100 annual air travel fee credit that can be used for airline incidentals or for either the TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee.
Shopping and travel benefits: These would include a number of perks Citi cards are known for, such as Citi Private Pass, Citi Price Rewind, concierge service, and more — all of which will make your shopping and travel that much better.
APR: The Expedia®+ Credit Card comes with a variable APR that ranges from 15.24% to 23.24%, whereas the Voyager has an APR ranging from 14.24% to 22.24%.
Fees: The Expedia®+ Credit Card has no annual fee, while the more premium Voyager costs $95 per year. The “regular” Expedia®+ Credit Card has a foreign transaction fee of 3%, whereas using the Expedia®+ Voyager Credit Card in foreign countries doesn’t include any fee.
Head to Head Comparison
Pros
- These cards are ideal for “Expedia junkies.” They will be getting something in return for all those flight and hotel bookings they would be doing anyway. Also, they will be earning points even while using the card for buying other stuff.
- Sign-up bonus which is offered with both cards. Obviously, the premium Voyager includes more points, but even the free Expedia®+ Credit Card has bonus that is worth $200 when redeemed for a stay at some +VIP Access hotel.
- Complimentary Expedia+ status with all of the perks it includes. That’s Silver status for the “regular” Expedia®+ card and Gold for the Voyager “variant.”
Cons
- Foreign transaction fee in case of the Expedia®+ Credit Card. Even though it has no annual fee, we would expect any travel-focused card to exclude foreign transaction fees.
- Limited redemption options – if you’re not going to use your points for booking a +VIP Access hotel, you shouldn’t get this card. Redeeming for other things doesn’t make much sense.
Which Expedia+ Credit Card Should You Get?
It depends just how often you use Expedia to book travel services. If you’re using it every week or every month, we think you should considering getting the more premium Expedia®+ Voyager Credit Card. It includes an annual fee, but you’ll easily recoup it after just a few months of using the card. On the other hand, if buy from Expedia every second month (or less often), the free (as in – no annual fee) Expedia®+ Credit Card may be better suited for you.
Whichever of the two cards you choose, you’ll benefit from a generous sign-up bonus that can be used toward booking +VIP Access hotels. Or for other things, but you get the best deal when you redeem points for stays at the mention hotels, which BTW are available at more than 200 locations all around the world. So which Expedia+ card are you getting? You can find a few additional details, and perhaps sign-up, from the two links below.
