Consider the Citi Premier Card if you value earning sizable rewards across a wide range of spending categories and appreciate the freedom to transfer points to travel partners for the possibility of outsized value.
For a $95 annual fee, the Citi Premier Card offers good value for people who make substantial purchases in several different categories. At restaurants, supermarkets, petrol stations, hotels, and airports, the Citi Premier Card earns 3 ThankYou points for every dollar spent, while earning 1 point for every dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. The card falls short in all other areas, providing neither travel nor purchase protections common to many cards with an annual charge.
ThankYou Points, a flexible reward currency comparable to American Express Membership Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards, are earned with the Citi Premier Card. ThankYou Points can be transferred to airline partners or redeemed for a variety of incentives. You can combine the points accumulated by all your ThankYou point-earning cards, similar to many other schemes. You can transfer points to another card member’s ThankYou Points account, which is a unique aspect of the service.
The Citi Premier Card is a mid-tier credit card offered by our partner Citi that accrues ThankYou Points. After making $4,000 in purchases over the first three months after opening your account, you’ll receive a generous welcome bonus of 60,000 points with the card. It provides substantial continuous benefits for purchases made at eateries, stores, gas stations, motels, and flights.
The card accumulates ThankYou Points, a versatile rewards program that offers numerous options to spend your benefits. However, the Citi Premier Card’s lack of travel and purchase protection advantages compared to its comparably priced competitors is a significant drawback.
Key Features
- Your Cashback: By using their Citi Clear Card to make purchases from their preferred brands, cardholders can automatically receive monthly cashback through Citi’s hassle-free rewards program called My Cashback. Check out the program’s personalized offerings on the Citi Mobile App.
- Connect: For personal account access, the Citi Premier credit card syncs with Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and the Citi Mobile App.
- Service & Support: If your card is lost or stolen, Citi’s customer service team is available around-the-clock to help. They also offer fraud protection.
- Free international travel insurance for up to six months, as well as guaranteed pricing on all qualifying purchases, mobile phone insurance, transit accident insurance, purchase cover insurance, and extended warranty insurance.
- Citi PayAll: You can use the Citi PayAll function to set up recurring payments for things like rent, tuition, child care, taxes, and other bills. The Citi PayAll cost will be decreased to 0% for all payments set up between 1 April 2021 and 31 October 2023, and there won’t be any further fees during that time. The regular Citi PayAll fee of 2% of the Citi PayAll payment amount will be applied to any recurring Citi PayAll payments set up beyond the term.
- Personal Concierge: Your assistant is available around-the-clock to assist with everything from booking travel to making reservations at restaurants.
Pros
- Earn three points for each dollar you spend at restaurants (including takeaway), motels, petrol stations, and supermarkets.
- Through the Citi ThankYou Rewards travel platform, points can be redeemed for travel at a rate of 1 cent per point with no blackout dates or restrictions on award availability.
- Additionally, points can be transferred at a 1:1 ratio to any of Citi’s 2 hotel partners and 14 airline partners.
- Perks of the World Elite Mastercard.
Cons
- On regular purchases, other credit cards might provide greater benefits.
- Limited shopping and travel insurance protections.
- If you have recently opened or closed other chosen Citi credit cards, you are not eligible for the sign-up bonus for a new card.
- $95 for each year.
Benefits
- You will receive a $100 credit once per calendar year for single-stay hotel reservations made through the Citi travel portal that total $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees).
- A manufacturer’s warranty is extended by 24 months with extended warranty protection.
- Replaces or repairs a damaged or stolen item within 90 days of purchase (up to $10,000 per occurrence and $50,000 annually).
- Although users may not be aware of it, Citi Premier offers several travel-related benefits such as a World Elite Mastercard. These include access to the Mastercard premium hotels and resorts portfolio for on-property amenities like complimentary breakfast and room upgrades upon availability, as well as a $5 monthly Lyft credit after taking three rides in a calendar month. You can also benefit from extras like smartphone protection and Global Emergency Services through the World Elite Mastercard program.
- Before the general public, cardholders have exclusive access to buy tickets to hundreds of events, including sporting events, concerts, exclusive dining opportunities, and movie screenings. This service is called Citi Entertainment.
- Absence of foreign transaction fees The Citi Premier gives you the freedom to travel without being charged for overseas purchases like any decent travel card should.
Citi Premier Card-Cashback Offer
When you spend $2,000 on eligible purchases with Apple Pay within 90 days of approval with the Citi Premier Credit Card, you’ll receive an exhilarating cashback bonus of $600. You must apply and be granted a new card by May 31, 2023, to take advantage of this offer.
Additionally, when you use your Citi Premier Card to make regular, online, and international purchases, you can earn rewards points on qualified transactions. Additionally, it includes a variety of free insurance protections, travel advantages, and fantastic Citi rewards.
Overview
With an incredible selection of bonus categories, the Citi Premier Card is an underrated hidden gem. The ability to earn 3 points for every dollar spent on airfare, hotels, petrol stations, supermarkets, and restaurants (including takeout) for just $95 a year is still a really good price, even though the card isn’t as powerful on the redemption side as comparable offerings from Chase or Amex.
One of the greatest cards for everyday purchases is this one. For a card with a $95 annual fee, it earns 3 points for every dollar spent at gas stations, supermarkets, motels, and restaurants.
Furthermore, according to TPG assessments, the points you earn with the Citi Premier are among the most flexible reward currencies and are worth 1.8 cents apiece. The reason for this is Citi has made significant improvements to the ThankYou Rewards program over time to better compete with American Express Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards.
With the Citi Premier Card, you may earn rewards points at a respectable pace while receiving cashback for your transactions. It also includes a ton of free travel benefits in addition to other fantastic special Citi advantages.
Although there is a high annual charge, you can obtain a reduction if you use your card for a certain amount of purchases each year.
Conclusion
Despite a plethora of rivals, the Citi Premier is one of the most profitable point-earning cards in its price range because of its extensive list of bonus categories and strong sign-up bonus. This card is appealing because of the wide range of ThankYou Rewards transfer partners, especially for travelers who want the freedom to spend points with different reward programs. If you favor Citi, it’s worth a look.