[Targeted] Citi Checking Bonus Up To 60,000 Citi ThankYou Points

Update 1/9/21: Deal is back and valid until 3/31/21. You also earn an extra 25% back on your Citi card, similar to this previous bundle deal. Hat tip to William H

Update 1/13/20: Deal is back and valid until 3/31/20.

Update 11/16/19: Deal is back and valid until 12/31/19. Hat tip to reader djdon

9/1/19: More people targeted, sometimes for a maximum of 50,00 Citi TYP

Update 7/31/19: Deal is back and valid until September 30th, 2019.

Update 5/12/19: Deal is back and valid until June 30th, 2019. Hat tip to Jx

Update 2/28/19: Deal is back and valid until March 31st, 2019. Hat tip to DDG

Offer is back and valid until September 30th, 2018. Hat tip to DDG

Offer at a glance

• Maximum bonus amount: $700
• Availability: Nationwide but targeted
• Direct deposit required: No
• Additional requirements: See below
• Hard/soft pull: Soft pull
• ChexSystems: Yes
• Credit card funding: None
• Monthly fees: $30, avoidable
• Early account termination fee: None
• Household limit: None
• Expiration date: June 30th, 2018 September 30th, 2018 March 31st, 2019 June 30th, 2019

The Offer

No direct link, offer sent out via snail mail

• Citi has sent out an offer for up to 60,000 Citi ThankYou points when you open a new new regular checking account. The bonus you receive depends on what account package you open:
  • 60,000 Citi ThankYou points. Open a Citigold Account Package and make $1,000 in debit card purchases and pay one or more bills for two consecutive months
  • 50,000 Citi ThankYou points. Open a Citi Priority Account Package and make $750 in debit card purchases and pay one or more bills for two consecutive months
  • 30,000 Citi ThankYou points. Open a Citibank Account Package and make $400 in debit card purchases and pay one or more bills for two consecutive months
  • 10,000 Citi ThankYou points. Open a Citi Priority Account Package and make $125 in debit card purchases and pay one or more bills for two consecutive months

The Fine Print

• Valid until June 30th, 2018
• All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them

Avoiding Fees

Citigold Account Package (60,000 Point bonus)

This account has no monthly fee but you need an average monthly balance of $200,000 to be eligible.

Citi Priority Account Package $30 Monthly Fee (50,000 point bonus)

• The Citi Account Package has a monthly fee of $30, this is waived if you maintain a combined average monthly balance of $50,000 or more in eligible linked deposits, retirement and investment balances. There is no early account termination fee for this account.

Citi Account Package $25 Monthly Fee (30,000 point bonus)

• The Citibank Account Package needs $10,000 in combined average monthly balances to remain fee free. Otherwise, there is a $25 monthly fee.

Early Termination Fee

In the past, Citi has not charged any ETF, and none is mentioned for this offer.

Our Verdict

So there are several variations of this offer, the public bonus is offering $400/$600 and that matches the 30,000/50,000 point offers advertised here. There is also the same offer but for American Airline miles.  The 60,000 point bonus isn’t worth considering due to the fact you need to have $200,000 deposited to keep it fee free. This offer is better than the public bonus if you value Citi ThankYou points (1.33¢ per point for the 30,000/$300 mile deal or 1.2¢ per point for the 50,000/$600 deal). Keep in mind these accounts both reduce the annual fee on the Citi Prestige by $100 as well (citigold and citipriority). We won’t be adding this to the list of the best checking bonuses because it’s targeted.

Hat tip to obiwanginobili

Useful posts regarding bank bonuses:

• A Beginners Guide To Bank Account Bonuses
• Bank Account Quick Reference Table (Spreadsheet) (very useful for sorting bonuses by different parameters)
• PSA: Don’t Call The Bank
• Introduction To ChexSystems
• Banks & Credit Unions That Are ChexSystems Inquiry Sensitive
• What Banks & Credit Unions Do/Don’t Pull ChexSystems?
• How To Use Our Direct Deposit Page For Bank Bonuses Page
• Common Bank Bonus Misconceptions + Why You Should Give Them A Go
• How Many Bank Accounts Can I Safely Open Within A Year For Bank Bonus Purposes?
• Affiliate Links & Bank Bonuses – We Won’t Be Using Them
• Complete List Of Ways To Close Bank Accounts At Each Bank
• Banks That Allow/Don’t Allow Out Of State Checking Applications
• Bank Bonus Posting Times