Citi recently added a new Welcome Bonus Eligibility popup for the Strata lineup. Now, when applying for cards such as the Citi Strata Premier, Citi may tell you before you formally submit the application that while you are pre-qualified for the card itself, you may or may not be eligible for the welcome bonus.
If the system determines that you are not eligible for the bonus, you can simply cancel the application without continuing to complete it; checking this result itself will not affect your credit score. This feature is especially useful after Citi recently changed the Strata lineup from the previous 48-month rule to a stricter policy where having previously held the product may make you ineligible for a new-cardmember bonus. For now, this popup appears to be mainly showing up for the Citi Strata lineup; other Citi cards such as Double Cash have not adopted it broadly yet. Going forward, if you apply for a Citi Strata card, it is a good idea to check whether this eligibility notice appears first, and only continue the application after confirming you can get the bonus.
