How to best earn Cebu Pacific GetGo points with a Citibank card!

You are earning points with the Cebu Pacific GetGo Rewards program and want to earn some extra points with your credit card? Cebu Pacific advertises a Cebu Pacific Citibank card and I reviewed all the Citibank cards (here) – so which one is the best one to earn GetGo points?

The different Citibank cards earn three (!) different point currencies, making it difficult to compare. So, let me take you through the list of cards available from Citibank to earn points for the Cebu Pacific GetGo program and help you figure out the best for you:

One of the older cards you didn’t see on my Citibank overview is the Cebu Pacific Citibank card. While it is still advertised on the Cebu Pacific web site, it has been discontinued and is no longer offered to new applicants. If you still have it, you continue to earn 1 CEB point per Peso spent, regardless of what category of spend. Your CEB points don’t expire and you can convert them of a rate of 50 CEB points to one GetGo point.

The Citibank Rewards card that is replacing the Cebu Pacific card (as well as the Platinum card) earn “Rewards Points” at a rate of 1 point per 30 Peso spent. Both cards have bonus categories, with the Rewards card earning 3 points/30 Pesos on shopping, dining and Cebu Pacific tickets and the Platinum card earning 3 points/30 Pesos on shopping, dining and all spend abroad. Your Rewards Points convert at a rate of 3 Rewards Points to 1 GetGo point – which is better than the conversion rate to other airlines at 5 Rewards Points to one airline mile from Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific or others.

The Premier Miles and Premier Miles Signature cards earn … you guessed it…. Premier Miles … at a rate of 1 mile per 30 Peso spent on the Signature card and 1 mile per 40 Peso spent on the regular card. These rates apply for all purchases, there are no bonus categories. The Premier Miles convert at a rate of 1 mile = 1 GetGo point, which is the same ratio as for all other airlines.

So, with all that detail collected – what is the verdict?

GetGo Citi Cards

If you are planning to use your hard earned points for Cebu Pacific flights, your best bet is the Premier Miles Signature card – it has the highest earning ratio compared to the other cards, without any category restrictions. Even if you were to use your Platinum/Rewards card only for your bonus categories, you’d still only match the Premier Signature card. If you still have the Cebu Pacific Citibank card, I’d suggest to talk to Citibank and see if you qualify for an upgrade to the Premier or Premier Signature card – either one will give you more GetGo points per Peso spent!

But there is one caveat: Your Premier miles are a valuable currency and you can convert them to different airline programs. Because the GetGo program is a revenue based redemption program, your GetGo points are worth a pretty flat 0.3 Pesos per point. Because of Cebu Pacific’s low, low prices, you can get a free ticket for few points. For other airline programs, like Singapore Airlines or Cathay Pacific, the value will depend on the tickets you redeem the points for. Typically, I value the points at at least 0.5 Pesos per point, but they can be worth much more when redeemed for Singapore Airlines Business or First Class tickets! If you have a high annual spend, it might be worth saving your Premier Miles for a dream trip in a premium cabin on one of the best airlines in the world!


Comments

How to best earn Cebu Pacific GetGo points with a Citibank card! — 13 Comments

  1. Hi, Rupert,

    I appreciate your analysis/blog entry; thank you. I wish to share some of my thoughts.

    I think one drawback with the Citi PremierMiles Card is the minimum number of PremierMiles that needs to be converted to GetGo points.

    As per GetGo, “each request must be for a minimum of 5,000 PremierMiles… in increments of 500 or 1,000 PremierMiles.”

    If I am not mistaken, this means that a cardholder must spend PhP 150,000 first before being able to get 5,000 GetGo points.

    I have a Cebu Pacific Citibank Card, and your analysis and suggestion made me think of requesting an upgrade to the Citi PremierMiles Card. Seeing GetGo’s conversion rates, however, made me think twice.

    I think the bottom line here is the cardholder’s financial capacity. The earn rate is directly proportional to financial capacity.

    For me, who is a below average to average credit card user, it would make better sense to stick to what I can afford.

    Can you offer more analysis to this?

    • Hi RJ, I agree with your analysis! It requires a lot of spend to earn a free flight via credit card spend alone. It’s most interesting for people who have a high personal or business spend! Have you considered to pay more via your credit card – for example SkyCable, Meralco or mobile phones?
      In your case, if you are already flying CebuPac a lot, these points can contribute to the ticket you want to get with points. If you are looking for the best deal, the transfer rates are better for other airlines, so you could save for an aspirational flight on a full-service airline – but that will take a while! What I like about the PremierMiles card is that you are not tied to a specific airline – you can transfer to different programs, wherever you find the right flight for you and the best deal!

      • Hi Rupert,

        I use cebu pacific credit card on most of my spending. My card statement monthly is an average of 80k. with this, is it more advisable to change my present cebu pacific card to premiere card to get more getgo points?

      • Hey Reynaldo, your current card earns you 80,000 CEB Points per month (1 per 1P spent) that convert at a ratio of 50:1 to 1,600 GetGo points. The Citi PremierMiles card will earn 2,666 PremierMiles (1 per 30Pspent) that convert at a ratio of 1:1 to 2,666 GetGo points. You’d earn 66% more points with the PremierMiles card!
        Because you spend more than P180,000 per year, you qualify for a waiver of the annual fee on the PremierMiles card – make sure to ask for / insist on it!
        Also, instead of “upgrading” your current card to the PremierMiles card, use the current Citibank promotion in cooperation with Cathay Pacific. If you apply for the card at the TravelFair at the Edsa Shangri-La April 15-17, you get a free ticket to Hong Kong. You can cancel your old card afterwards!
        Good luck, safe & free travels!

  2. Hi there,

    If I booked a 5k flight, in order for this to become free I need around 17k get go points, is that correct?

    Thanks,

    Ariane

    • Yes, that’s correct. You’ll need about 17,000 GetGo points for a P5,000 ticket. Because the value of the points is variable, it could be a little more or less. I’d check the actual points needed for your flights and dates, before transferring points from Citibank! Also, there are regular GetGo sales where you need fewer points, similar to the CebuPacific sales for cash fares!

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