Citi Nights: What It Is and How It Works

Citi Nights is a perk offered by the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card that allows holders to earn more points at restaurants by dining on weekends. “Citi Nights” refers specifically to the period from 6 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday, and again from 6 p.m. Saturday to 6 a.m. Sunday (Eastern time), during which cardholders earn 6 points per $1 spent at restaurants when they use their Citi Strata Elite℠ Card.

Citi Nights: How it works

NerdWallet rating

Citi Nights is a perk offered only to holders of the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card. In fact, the $595-annual-fee card is the first Citi card to offer cardmembers the ability to earn elevated rewards on dining this way. With the benefit, cardholders earn 6 ThankYou points for every $1 spent at restaurants, including restaurant delivery services, for purchases authorized between 6 p.m. Friday and 6 a.m. Saturday, as well as 6 p.m. Saturday and 6 a.m. Sunday (all times ET).

Outside of these time frames, cardholders earn 3 points per $1 on dining.

You don’t need to enroll in or activate the Citi Nights benefit, but you must use your Citi Strata Elite℠ Card to earn the elevated rate. Additionally, your eligibility is based on what time your restaurant purchase is authorized, not posted. So for example, if you pay for dinner at 7 p.m. on a Friday during the Citi Nights time frame, but your transaction isn’t processed or posted to your account until Monday, your purchase will still qualify for the elevated rate. Similarly, if you make a purchase outside of the eligible time frame, even if it posts during Citi Nights, it won’t qualify for 6x back.

Note that Citi ThankYou points are worth 1 cent each when redeemed for travel through Citi. However, with the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card, they’re worth only 0.75 cent each when redeemed for cash back. Point values vary for other redemption options, including for gift cards, charitable donations and online shopping at eligible merchants. You can also transfer your points to Citi’s multiple hotel and airline partners, generally at a 1:1 ratio.

Full list of Citi transfer partners

Transfer ratios will vary depending on which card you have.

Aeromexico (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
American Airlines (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
Air France/KLM (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
Asia Miles (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
Avianca (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
Emirates (1:0.8 or 1:0.56 ratio).
Etihad (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
Eva Air (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
JetBlue (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
Qantas (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
Qatar Airways (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
Singapore Airlines (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
Thai Airways (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
Turkish Airlines (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
Virgin Atlantic (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).

Accor Live Limitless (2:1 or 2:0.7 ratio).
Choice Hotels (1:2 or 1:1.4 ratio).
The Leading Hotels of the World (5:1 or 5:0.7 ratio).
Preferred Hotels & Resorts (1:4 or 1:2.8 ratio).
Wyndham (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).

Virgin Red (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).

Is this a good deal?

It’s rare to find a card that offers as high as 6x back for dining, as the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card does during Citi Nights. But outside of that sliver of weekend time, the card gets you only 3x back. Some cards can earn up to 4 or 5x on dining at all times.

For instance, the American Express® Gold Card earns 4 Membership Rewards points per $1 spent at restaurants on up to $50,000 in purchases per year. Plus, the card comes with a $120 annual dining credit (doled out in monthly $10 credits) that can be applied toward purchases made with select partners: Grubhub, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory and more. Cardholders also get up to $100 in annual Resy credit ($50 semi-annually) after enrolling and making eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants on the Resy app or on Resy.com. Enrollment required. The card charges a $325 annual fee. Terms apply, see rates and fees.