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Citi Premier Credit Card Review

overall rating
3.5

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With the Citi Premier credit card, you can receive 3x ThankYou® points on purchases at restaurants, gas stations, airlines, hotels, and supermarkets, as well as 1x points on all other purchases. Because ThankYou points are worth about 0.0121 each when redeemed for travel through Citi's ThankYou Rewards Portal, it’s possible to justify the $95 annual fee when you redeem just over 7,851 points.

Citi Premier®

Overall Rating
3.5
Citi Premier®
On Citi's Secured Site.
Current Offer

Earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $750 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com. Offer ends June 30, 2024.

Recommended Credit
Score Our recommended ranges are based off of the FICO® Score 8 credit-scoring model. Credit score is one of the many factors lenders review in considering your application.
350 579
580 669
670 739
740 799
800 850
Excellent
Regular APR (%) 20.99% - 28.99% variable
Annual Fee $95
Rewards Earning Rate Earn 3x points on purchases at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, airlines, and hotels. Earn an annual hotel savings benefit. Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 ThankYou(R) Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel(SM) portal through June 30, 2024.
Balance Transfer Fee Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Foreign transaction fee (%) 0%
how this card stacks up
When compared among all rewards cards in our database:
Rewards
Benefits
Low Fees
Security/Customer Experience
Low Interest
worst best

The Citi Premier Card is not one of our top-rated travel credit cards. You can review our list of the best travel credit cards for what we think are better options.

Full Review of Citi Premier Credit Card

Pros
  • Generous bonus

  • Extra points on travel, gas, restaurant, and supermarket purchases

  • No foreign transaction fee

Cons
  • $95 annual fee

  • Lacks some popular benefits

  • No introductory APR offer

Pros Explained

  • Generous bonus: For a limited time, earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $750 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com (offer ends June 30, 2024).
  • Extra points on travel, gas, restaurant, and supermarket purchases: Earn 3x points on purchases at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, airlines, and hotels. Earn an annual hotel savings benefit. Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 ThankYou(R) Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel(SM) portal through June 30, 2024.
  • No foreign transaction fee: There is no foreign transaction fee on this card, making it an acceptable option when traveling overseas.

Cons Explained

  • $95 annual fee: The Citi Premier card won't waive its $95 annual fee, unlike other credit cards that do so in the first year. To justify the annual fee cost, you need to earn at least 7,851 points and redeem for travel through the ThankYou Travel Center (at a redemption value of 1.21 cents). You can reach the threshold quickly by focusing your spending on travel (especially on regular gas purchases) and purchases at restaurants and supermarkets.
  • Lacks some popular benefits: Many side benefits, particularly in terms of travel, are not available, making the Premier card a little less valuable than other cards. Specifically, there is no lost or delayed baggage protection or roadside assistance.
  • No introductory APR offer: The Citi Premier credit card doesn't have an introductory APR offer for balance transfers and/or purchases. Other cards, such as the American Express Blue Cash Preferred and Capital One VentureOne, include a 0% intro APR offer on purchases in addition to a bonus. Additionally, the Citi Premier card charges a 5% balance transfer fee. This is in line with some other cards.

Who This Card Is Best For

The Citi Premier credit card is best suited to people who frequently spend on travel, restaurants, supermarkets, and gas stations.

Even commuters can benefit from this card since gas station purchases receive the 3x points assigned to the travel category. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average household in the U.S. spends about $2,148 annually on gas. That’s enough to earn 6,444 points in a year.

However, you can earn more points when you spend on airlines, hotels, and restaurants. If you travel frequently, it’s fairly easy to earn points quickly. You can also earn 1x points for entertainment activities such as visiting museums and going to the movies.

If you live this type of lifestyle, and if you're willing to redeem your points for air travel through Citi's portal, your points are more valuable. And because you don’t have restrictions on airlines and hotels through the ThankYou Travel Center, this card works well for people more interested in getting discounts and deals and less interested in loyalty to a particular airline or hotel program.

Citi Premier Credit Card Bonus

For a limited time, earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $750 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com (offer ends June 30, 2024).

This bonus has a value of $907 (according to Investopedia's average valuation of 1.21 cents each for ThankYou points) when you redeem your rewards for travel through the ThankYou Rewards Travel Center or $600 (based on a 1 cent valuation) for gift cards at ThankYou.com.

Rewards Earning Details

This card offers 3x points on travel purchases, which include gas stations, restaurants, and supermarket purchases in addition to airfare and hotel stays. Note that gas pumped at warehouse clubs or discount stores doesn’t qualify for the extra points. Cardholders receive 1x points on all other purchases.

Rewards Redemption Details

You can redeem your points by browsing the options at ThankYou.com or by calling 800-842-6596. When you log in, you can see your options and their costs in points. In general, redeeming through the ThankYou Rewards portal for items like gift cards yields a value of 1 cent per point. So if you want a $50 gift card, it will cost you 5,000 points.

You also can use the Pay with Points program to redeem your rewards. Citi lets you identify eligible purchases on your account and then use Pay with Points to receive a statement credit to offset the cost. To use this method, you need to log into your account and select the Pay with Points option to see all of your eligible purchases. It’s also possible to receive alerts when you make an eligible purchase.

Finally, you can connect your Citi account to Amazon and use the Shop with Points option when you check out. This allows you to apply ThankYou points to Amazon.com purchases directly.

Transferring Points

It’s also possible to transfer your points on a 1:1 basis to certain airline loyalty programs. You must transfer a minimum of 1,000 points. So, if you belong to JetBlue's TrueBlue program, for example, and are a couple of thousand points short of the points needed for airfare, you could transfer some of your ThankYou points to your JetBlue account and then redeem them for a ticket.

Unfortunately, major programs such as Delta SkyMiles and United Plus don't accept these points. However, several international programs welcome point transfers. These include Flying Blue, Virgin Atlantic, Turkish Airlines, and Etihad Guest, among others.

How to Maximize Your Rewards

The best way to maximize your rewards is to redeem them for travel through the ThankYou Travel Center. Focus on using this card for travel purchases, including gas, restaurant, and supermarket spending, and then redeem your rewards on travel or gift cards.

Average Case

Let's say you spend the BLS average of $2,148 on gas each year, plus you spend $3,526 at restaurants and $4,643 on supermarket purchases. With just these numbers, you’ll end up with 30,951 points (3x) for your gas, restaurants, and supermarkets.

As long as you redeem your total 30,951 points for travel through the ThankYou Travel Center or for gift cards at ThankYou.com, you'll end up with around $374 worth of airfare or hotel stays, or roughly $309 in gift cards.

Above-Average Case

The preceeding example doesn't include additional spending for 1 point per dollar, nor does it include spending on travel besides gas, restaurants, and supermarkets. A family could earn more by using the Citi Premier credit card for other travel purchases, such as paying for hotels and airfare on their vacations. After getting 3x points on those purchases (including 3x points for gas, restaurants, and supermarkets), they could see a much bigger benefit.

For example, the average household spends a little more than $61,000 per year. If a family put most of its purchases—$43,000, assuming mortgage or rent of $1,500 per month is not included—on the Citi Premier card, even without the bonuses on travel, gas, restaurants, and supermarkets (if that's possible), redeeming points for travel could yield $520. Redeeming points for gift cards could potentially yield $430.

Citi Premier Credit Card's Outstanding Benefits

  • One-time offer of 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 within the first 3 months of account opening. Redeemable for $750 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.
  • FICO® score access each month

Standard Benefits

  • EMV chip technology
  • Zero fraud liability
  • Account alerts
  • 24/7 customer service

Cardholder Experience

Citi ranks below average among credit card issuers in the J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study. It's sixth among 11 major issuers with a score of 808. The average for the segment was 814.

There are some useful tools available with the Citi card, including the ability to see your FICO score once a month and access Citi's Concierge service, which can help you with travel, shopping, and other needs.

Reaching customer service is as easy as logging into your account online and using the live chat or calling 800-950-5114 for 24/7 phone support.

Security Features

Citi cardholders benefit from several security features that can help them better manage their accounts. You can receive automatic account alerts and early fraud warnings. In addition, you can instantly lock your card if it's been lost.

Using the Citi Quick Lock, you can prevent new purchases from being made on your card, while automatic recurring transactions will continue to go through. This is a useful feature if you misplace your card. If you find it later, you can unlock the card, and there’s no need to get a replacement card.

Citi also offers virtual credit card numbers designed to protect your account when you shop online.

Fees to Watch Out For

This card doesn't come with a lot of fees. There is no foreign transaction fee, which can provide some nice savings. However, there is an annual fee, and it's important to run the numbers to ensure that you're getting enough value from the card to justify the cost.

Also, without a 0% APR introductory offer, a 5% balance transfer fee might not be worth the cost. Other cards offer 0% APR and even waive the balance transfer fee if you make the transfer within a certain period of time.

Final Verdict

For people who travel frequently and expect to redeem most of their rewards on travel or gift cards, the Citi Premier credit card can make a lot of sense. It offers attractive rewards on gas, restaurant, and supermarket purchases.

However, if you tend to spend more on everyday purchases, a card like the Blue Cash Preferred by American Express might make more sense since it offers its highest earning potential on groceries and streaming services.

Additionally, if you want to earn consistent travel rewards without paying an annual fee, the Capital One VentureOne card can be a good choice. Plus, it has a 0% APR offer on purchases.

In the end, if you know that you'll spend a lot using this card and redeem your points for travel—especially if you’re not beholden to particular travel loyalty programs—the Citi Premier credit card can be a good choice.

Next Steps
For Citi Premier®
on Citi's Secured Site.
Compare This Card
See how this card compares to similar cards
CURRENT CARD
Citi Premier®
overall rating
3.5
Recommended Credit
Score Our recommended ranges are based off of the FICO® Score 8 credit-scoring model. Credit score is one of the many factors lenders review in considering your application.
350 579
580 669
670 739
740 799
800 850
Excellent
Regular APR (%) 20.99% - 28.99% variable
Annual Fee $95
Rewards Earning Rate Earn 3x points on purchases at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, airlines, and hotels. Earn an annual hotel savings benefit. Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 ThankYou(R) Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel(SM) portal through June 30, 2024.
Investopedia Credit Card Rating Methodology
Investopedia is committed to delivering the best credit card recommendations in the industry. We’ll tell you when a card is good, we’ll tell you when a card is bad, and we’ll only call a card the best if we would recommend it to our friends or family members.
Overall Star Rating Explained
To rate credit cards we objectively assess, score and weight nearly 100 individual card features which roll up into five major feature sets: fees, interest, rewards, benefits and security/customer service. Here’s how we weighted those feature sets for the overall star rating of a card:
We have applied our proprietary rating methodology to every generally-accepted credit card in the U.S. domestic market to allow consumers to make fully informed choices. It’s important to note that for our overall score that we make a number of assumptions about how you would be using your credit card:
  1. While we make no assumption as to whether balances are carried on a given card we do assign varying weights to all credit cards’ introductory APR (if present) in addition to the regular, long term purchase and balance transfer interest rates.
  2. We utilize BLS (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) income and average category spending data to calculate annual earnings rates for rewards cards that offer cash back, points or miles rewards at a set rate on all spending or in consideration of bonus rewards for certain spending categories, like gasoline, groceries, restaurants or travel.
  3. We determine the maximum points value of rewards cards by dividing the points, cash back or miles required to exchange for the retail price of the most valuable redemption option (for example, in the case of a card that offers a domestic roundtrip airline ticket as a redemption option vs. another redemption option of lesser value that requires the same amount of points or miles to acquire, we would base the rewards value on the airline ticket).
  • Cards that are selected best overall in their respective categories generally feature most if not all of the following attributes:
  • Low or Reasonable Fees Credit card fees come in many forms but the primary ones involve those for annual card membership and balance transfer. There are a myriad of reward and non-reward card options that charge no annual fee but for the many that do assess an annual fee the cost is often justified by their lucrative ongoing rewards and initial signup bonuses. Balance transfer fees are occasionally waived during introductory periods with certain cards, a factor which is heavily and positively weighted in our scoring model for cards offering this benefit. When charged, balance transfer fees range between 3% - 5%, which we grade accordingly. Other standard fees can generally be avoided, such as those for paying late or taking cash advances but we rate those relative to other cards in the market for reference, though with less weight assigned
  • Competitive Interest Many cards offer 0% introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers for varying lengths and then revert to a permanent or regular APR (based on a variable rate tied to the prime rate) that applies to any balances not paid in full. We rate both introductory APR percentage and length (in months) along with the midpoint of the variable regular APR interest rate range.
  • Valuable Rewards Credit card reward programs can be based on cash back, points or travel rewards (which can be generic or travel partner-specific, as with airline and hotel co-brand card programs). For cards that offer rewards we determine the value per dollar spent along with average redemption values and assign more favorable ratings to cards that offer superior consumer value. We also assign value to sign-up bonus offers and their initial spending requirements, when present.
  • Excellent Benefits Credit card benefits cover a range of offerings like concierge service, TSA Pre-check, auto rental coverage, travel accident insurance, lost luggage assistance and free credit scores. We rate cards on the number and level of over a dozen standard and upscale benefits and provide extra weighting emphasis for those travel-related perks that apply to premium travel cards when present.
  • Solid Security/Customer Service Security and customer service features like lost or stolen card replacement, being able to lock one’s card from an issuer app and 24 hour customer support are becoming more standard across the card market and we provide a significant amount of weighting to features in this area.
  • You can also read the full version of our methodology for a more in-depth look at how we assess cards and award them the best in various categories.