Credit Cards » Credit Card Reviews » Citi Premier Card Review 2023 – Should You Consider It?
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Citi Premier Card Review 2023 – Should You Consider It?

If you spend much of your time traveling and eating out, the Citi Premier Card is an excellent card offering some of the best travel rewards in the market. The card also offers great points on gas purchases.
Author: Andrew O'Malley
Andrew O'Malley

Writer, Contributor

Experience

Andrew O’Malley has a BSc in Economics and Finance. He has worked in the finance industry as a risk analyst and is now pursuing a career in writing. In recent years, he has written for a number of leading publications. He studied Economics and Finance and has been fascinated with the financial markets since his teens.
Interest Rates Last Update: September 20, 2023
The banking product interest rates, including savings, CDs, and money market, are accurate as of this date.
Author: Andrew O'Malley
Andrew O'Malley

Writer, Contributor

Experience

Andrew O’Malley has a BSc in Economics and Finance. He has worked in the finance industry as a risk analyst and is now pursuing a career in writing. In recent years, he has written for a number of leading publications. He studied Economics and Finance and has been fascinated with the financial markets since his teens.
Interest Rates Last Update: November 1, 2023

The banking product interest rates, including savings, CDs, and money market, are accurate as of this date.

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Citi Premier® Card

citi_premier_card

Rewards Plan

1X – 3X 3X points per dollar on restaurant, supermarket, gas station, hotel and air travel and other hotels purchases, and 1X points per dollar on all other purchases

Sign up Bonus

60,000 points 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel portal through June 30, 2024

Credit Rating

Good – Excellent

0% Intro

None

Annual Fee

$95

APR

21.24% – 29.24% (Variable)
Citi Premier® Card

citi_premier_card

Rewards Plan

1X – 3X 3X points per dollar on restaurant, supermarket, gas station, hotel and air travel and other hotels purchases, and 1X points per dollar on all other purchases

Sign up Bonus

60,000 points 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel portal through June 30, 2024

0% Intro

None

PROS

CONS

APR

21.24% - 29.24% (Variable)

Annual Fee

$95

Balance Transfer Fee

$5 or 3%

Credit Requirements

Good - Excellent

Citi Premier® Card is a mid-tier travel rewards card issued by Citibank that offers great benefits for travelers as well as general consumers.

With the Citi Premier® Card, you'll earn unlimited 3X points per dollar on restaurant, supermarket, gas station, hotel and air travel and other hotels purchases, and 1X points per dollar on all other purchases. The points can be redeemed through the Citibank Thankyou Network that allows for the combining of points. They also can be used for things other than traveling, such as merchandise and gift cards. 

As a sign up bonus, you'll get 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel portal through June 30, 2024. It also has travel insurance that covers cancelled or delayed flights and baggage delay insurance and  it doesn't have a foreign transaction fee. These features help give you peace of mind while traveling at home and abroad.

However, like many other cards in the category (in spite of not all of them) - the card has an annual fee of $95 . 

  • Point Sign-Up Bonus
  • No Limits
  • Thank You Points
  • Citi Price Rewind, Protection & Free Credit Score
  • Points on Travel , Gas, Restaurants, Entertainment & All Other Purchases
  • No Foreign Transaction Fee
  • No Annual Fee for the First Year
  • Points Transfer,Citi Private Pass , Concierge Service
  • Annual Fee
  • No Rental Car Insurance
  • Points Transfer Misses Some of the Bigger Airlines
  • No Introductory 0% APR Balance Transfer Fee
  • Complicated Rewards Structure and Redemption

In This Review..

Benefits

Let’s take a look at the benefits of the Citi Premier and see if it’s the right one for your wallet or not.

You can earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel portal through June 30, 2024.

This equals about over $500 in travel rewards when booking is done through Citi. This is one of the larger sign-up bonuses in the market. 

Citi Premier Card has no limits on points earned. The points also do not expire.

With the Citi Premier Card, you earn Thankyou Points and those points can be used for more than just travel. You can use them for things such as merchandise and gift cards. 

These point can be earned with other Citi products as well, such as checking accounts, etc. The points are very flexible in their use.

Register a purchase that you made with the Citi Premier Card and if they find a price lower than what you paid within 60 days, they will refund you the difference. 

You can get refunded up to $1,200 in a year. In terms of protection, Citi Premier Card has zero liability, purchase protection, chip-enabled security and an extension on manufacturers’ warranty. 

It also has travel insurance that covers cancelled or delayed flights and baggage delay insurance. These features help give you peace of mind while traveling at home and abroad. 

Lastly, the Citi Premier Card will also update you monthly with what your credit score is. You can check this by signing into your online account. This is offered through Credit Journey and is based on your Transunion credit report.

With the Citi premier card, you'll earn 3X points per dollar on restaurant, supermarket, gas station, hotel and air travel and other hotels purchases, and 1X points per dollar on all other purchases.

Citi Premier Card has no transaction fees while traveling in another country. 

Many other rewards cards and regular credit cards have fees when you make purchases outside of the United States.

Citi Premier Card will waive the annual fee for the first year of having the card. Then the fee is $95 a year.

You can transfer points with participating airline customer loyalty programs to earn even more points and reduce the cost of air travel. Citibank allow cardholders to get exclusive access to concert tickets and sporting events before they are released to the general public. 

You may even be able to get VIP passes. Also, Concierge Service is offered to Citi Premier cardholders. It can help book hotels and airline services. They are available 24/7 to help cardholders.

Drawbacks

Here are the most important cons you should consider before apply:

Citi Premier Card does not require new cardholders to pay their annual fee for the first year, but beginning the second year there is a $95 annual fee. Many other credit cards do not have annual fees.

Unlike other cards offering rental car insurance, Citi is no longer offer a rental car insurance so if it's important for you –  you may want to skip this card.

Citi Premier Card point transfer partners where you can earn more points, is limited. They miss some of the bigger and popular airlines in the US market, including Delta, Southwest, and United Airlines.

This card does not offer any introductory rate like many other credit cards do. 

This means if you are looking to transfer balances to a lower rate you will have to consider other cards.

Many travel rewards cards have more complicated reward structures, but the Citi Premier Card is even more than the average. 

There are so many spending categories and so many different ways to use your points, it is hard to determine what the best value is when using the points.

How To Apply For Citi Premier Credit Card?

Visit the Citi Premier Card home page and then click “Apply Now”. 

citi premier application

Next, fill in your personal details i.e. Title, Names, Phone number, email, and click continue. 

Now, add more personal details like your home address and residential status. On the next page is your identification; fill in the correct details. 

Next, give some info about your employment, expenses and income.Lastly, double check then confirm.

Is the Citi Premier® Card Right for You?

Citi Premier Card is one of the best travel rewards cards. If you spend much of your time traveling and eating out, this is an excellent card offering some of the best travel rewards in the market. 

If you are looking for introductory APR, cash back, no annual fee, or points for merchandise, you should consider a different card. 

One of the biggest benefits to any Citibank card is the Citi Price Rewind that should be used to the maximum benefit. It is almost like a cashback card too, with the Citi Price Rewind. Citi Premier Card is primarily for consumers who want to maximize their travel rewards on everyday purchases.

Compare The Alternatives

There are other credit cards that do offer comparable cash back rewards – we’ve summarized the most popular cards which can use as an alternative to the Citi Premier card:

Bank of America® travel rewards

capital-one-venture

chase_sapphire_preffered

Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Annual Fee
$0
$95
$95
Rewards
1.5X 1.5 points for every $1 you spend on all purchases everywhere, every time and no expiration on points
2X 2X miles per dollar on every purchase, plus 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
2X – 5X 5x total points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3x points on dining and online grocery purchases and 2x on other travel purchases. Plus, earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases
Welcome bonus
25,000 points 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening – which can be redeemed for a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases
75,000 miles
60,000 points 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
Foreign Transaction Fee
$0
$0
$0
Purchase APR
18.24% – 28.24% Variable APR will apply. A 3% fee (min $0) applies to all balance transfers
19.99% – 29.99% (Variable)
21.24%–28.24% variable APR

Review Travel Credit Cards

Review Citi Credit Cards

Andrew O'Malley

Andrew O'Malley

Andrew O’Malley has a BSc in Economics and Finance. He has worked in the finance industry as a risk analyst and is now pursuing a career in writing. In recent years, he has written for a number of leading publications. He studied Economics and Finance and has been fascinated with the financial markets since his teens.
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Amex gold

Rewards Plan:
1X – 4X 4X points at restaurants (including Uber Eats purchases in the U.S.) and U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X points), 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com, 2X points on rental cars through amextravel.com and 1X points on all other purchases
Welcome Bonus: 60,000 points 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership

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Rewards Plan:
1.5% 1.5% cash back on payments
Welcome Bonus: $200

chase_sapphire_preffered

Rewards Plan:
2X – 5X 5x total points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3x points on dining and online grocery purchases and 2x on other travel purchases. Plus, earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases
Welcome Bonus: 60,000 points 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening

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The product offers that appear on this site are from companies from which this website receives compensation. 

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Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.

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In order to determine the best possible credit cards, we look at things like fees, interest rates and rewards. We do this with companies that are associated with us as partners as well as other offerings. From there, we make a decision about what the best card is related to different categories and needs. We focus on interest rate cost & fees, especially the cost of carrying a balance, rewards – cards accumulate rewards in different currencies—points, miles, cash back—and their values vary widely usability – cards that accept a wide range of credit profiles and offer simple solutions for things like checking your credit score or contacting. We also consider customer reviews.

We look at cards related to good or excellent credit ratings that will then provide a range of different benefits and improvements for someone who has these scores. We also look at low fees when it comes to those who have lower credit scores.