Expedia Rewards Credit Card Review

Full Review of Expedia Rewards Credit Card

Introduction

The Expedia Rewards card is designed for people who use Expedia to book their travel. It earns three points per dollar for every purchase on Expedia and one point per dollar for all other purchases. However, this card was discontinued and is no longer available.

Company Overview

Citibank was founded in New York, NY in 1812. The company is still headquartered there. It has been a major player in international banking for more than 200 years.

Pros Explained

• Extra Points on Expedia Purchases: For cardholders who use Expedia to book travel, it can be easy to earn points. Each Expedia purchase earns three points per dollar, no matter what type of travel it is. All other spending on the card, though, earns only one point per dollar.
• No Annual Fee: Benefits like rewards and access to Citi Entertainment come with no annual fee.
• Automatic Expedia Silver Status: Normally, to achieve Silver status, a rewards member must stay seven hotel nights or spend $5,000 a year on Expedia. However, with the Expedia Rewards card, Silver status is automatic. Among the perks of Silver status are 10% more points when booking and spa credits at VIP Access hotels.
• Access to Citi Entertainment: Because this card is issued by Citi, it comes with access to Citi Entertainment, which offers access to presale tickets and exclusive experiences, such as concerts and sporting events.

Cons Explained

• Expedia Rewards can Be Redeemed Only on Expedia: You have to redeem your rewards on the Expedia website. Rewards can be used for booking travel, but they can’t be redeemed for cash or for other items.
• Mediocre Bonus: The one-time offer offered by this card is nothing special. After making $1,000 in purchases in the first three months, you'll receive 15,000 bonus points. These bonus points are worth up to $105 when redeemed toward a VIP Access hotel. Other cards have bonuses that are more generous.

Who This Card Is Best For

The Expedia Rewards card is for people who book a lot of travel using Expedia. Because the accelerated rewards can be earned only on Expedia and points redeemed only on Expedia, this card is less suited to consumers who use other booking options when planning travel. 

While it's possible to include frequent flyer numbers and receive miles when booking through Expedia, many hotel chains, such as Hilton, won’t credit loyalty points to accounts that use third-party booking sites. As a result, travelers trying to stack points with hotels might not benefit from using this card.

Citi began offering Expedia credit cards in 2007. These cards were discontinued on Oct. 23, 2022. Existing cardholders are now being transferred to Citi Rewards+ or Citi Premiere cards, with a $100 hotel stay bonus. These cards offer three points per $1 spent on travel, hotel, restaurant, supermarket, and gas station purchases. All other purchases receive one point per $1.

Expedia Rewards Credit Card Bonus

This card offers a bonus of 15,000 points after a cardholder spends $1,000 in the first three months. The value of these points depends on how they are redeemed. As noted above, they’re worth up to $105 if redeemed toward a VIP Access hotel.

Rewards Earning Details

Earning rewards with the Expedia Rewards card is fairly straightforward. For purchases made on Expedia, cardholders earn 3 points per dollar. Other purchases in other locations earn 1 point per dollar.

Expedia Silver status, which comes with this card, can add to your points total. With Silver status, cardholders earn 10% extra points on bookings. By using the card to book on Expedia, it’s possible to stack Silver status with the 3 points.

This card also provides a faster path to Expedia Gold status. To attain Gold status, a member must stay 15 nights or spend $10,000 per year on Expedia. With the Expedia Rewards card, each increment of $2,500 in purchases earns a qualifying night. As a result, regular purchases outside of Expedia can help cardholders reach Gold status faster—at which point their bookings earn a 30% point bonus.

Rewards Redemption Details

Points can be redeemed only on Expedia. An option to use points to pay appears on the checkout page if there are enough points in the account to use for booking. 

The rules for redeeming points differ according to the type of booking. For example, you must have enough points to cover the entire cost of a flight, including taxes and fees. However, with hotel bookings, it’s possible to redeem points for the partial cost of an Expedia Rate hotel.

Transferring Points

Expedia Rewards points don’t transfer to other programs. However, you can use points earned from other partner programs to book travel on Expedia. For example, you can link American Express Membership Rewards and Citi ThankYou Rewards to Expedia and use those points to pay for bookings on Expedia.

How to Maximize Your Rewards

To maximize your rewards with this card, you’ll want to book most of your travel on Expedia and earn those 3 points per dollar. You might also want to use the card for non-Expedia purchases so you can earn qualifying nights for Gold status. Once you've reached Gold status, your bonus points for bookings increase to 30%, as opposed to 10% with Silver status.

However, if you tend to be loyal to a particular hotel chain, it might be best to use the Expedia Rewards card in tandem with a hotel rewards card. Because third-party bookings often don't earn hotel rewards, you could use a co-branded hotel card for those bookings and make other bookings, like flights and rental cars, on Expedia using the Expedia Rewards card.

For example, the Hilton Honors card has no annual fee and earns 7 points for each dollar you spend at Hilton properties, plus 5 points at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations. All other purchases earn 3 points. For travelers who are loyal to Hilton but who like to use Expedia to book flights, the two cards could be a good combo.

Expedia Rewards Card's Outstanding Benefits

• Complimentary Silver status
• Citi Quick Lock

Standard Benefits

• Mobile app

Cardholder Experience

The issuer of the Expedia Rewards card, Citi, ranked sixth out of 11 national card issuers in the J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study. Citi received a below-average score in the study.

Security Features

This card's security features are in line with other credit cards. Citi's digital wallets and mobile app allow access to bank and credit card information without the need to sign in each time. 

Another feature, Citi Quick Lock, makes it possible to disable a credit card that has been lost or stolen. If the card is found, the lock can be removed. 

As with many other cards, Citi has a $0 liability policy for fraudulent purchases.

Final Verdict

For travelers who frequently book their trips using Expedia, this card can be a good way to earn points and redeem them for travel. It might also be attractive to anyone who’d enjoy access to early ticket sales and exclusive experiences through Citi Entertainment.

However, the bonus is somewhat lackluster and points can be redeemed only on Expedia. People looking for more flexibility in redeeming their points might consider another travel card with no annual fee, such as the Bank of America Travel Rewards card or the Capital One VentureOne card.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Expedia still have a credit card?

Citi bank no longer offers the Expedia credit card. All existing cardholders are being transferred to the Citi Rewards+ or Citi Premiere cards.

How much are 1000 Expedia points worth?

If you make it to 1,000 points in the first three months, you would receive 15,000 bonus points. When used for a VIP Access hotel, this equals up to $150.

How do I get an Expedia credit card?

Expedia credit cards through Citi have been discontinued so they are no longer available to consumers.

Does Expedia credit card have foreign transaction fees?

The Expedia credit card has no annual or foreign transaction fees.