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One card that can be a good travel companion is the Citi Premier® Card. It comes with flexible rewards categories, 1:1 point transfers, and an annual $100 hotel savings discount. Plus, it has a nice signup bonus.
New Citi Premier® Card cardmembers can earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. This bonus is redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards when redeemed at thankyou.com. 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.
If this sounds like a good choice for you, check out the CardMatch™ tool, which is a free resource for finding personalized offers. Additionally, you may be targeted for a higher signup bonus that isn’t available to the general public.
Learn More: CardMatch™
If you’re interested in getting the Citi Premier® Card, it’s important to determine your approval odds before applying. Knowing what to expect beforehand can help you determine if this is the right time to try for this card. Here’s a closer look at the Citi Premier application guidelines.
The information for the Citi Premier® Card has been collected independently by Johnny Jet. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
How Hard Is It To Get The Citi Premier?
When asking if the Citi Premier Card is hard to get, you’ll want to start by checking your credit score. Your credit score can be one of the best indicators. Like most travel rewards cards, it’s best to apply with a minimum credit score of 700 or higher. Having a credit score of at least 740 places you firmly in the “excellent” credit camp, meaning you’ll have the highest approval odds.
This minimum credit score is similar to other travel credit cards with an annual fee in the $95 range.
Of course, there are several other factors that determine your creditworthiness. For example, applying for this card too soon after your last credit card approval can jeopardize your approval decision even if you have never missed a payment in your life.
Related: What Credit Score Do You Need for Citi Premier?
Citi Credit Card Application Rules
Most banks have guidelines in place to discourage card churning. If you have recently added a tradeline to your credit history, you may need to observe a seasoning period.
It’s vital to know these guidelines as every formal credit card application requires a hard credit check. Even if Citi declines your application, the credit inquiry can stay on your record for the next 24 months.
As a result, it can temporarily hurt your credit score and affect your approval odds for other banks, such as the Chase Bank 5/24 rules.
Note that you won’t necessarily find the following guidelines in the terms and conditions when you apply.
Some of the data points from previous Citi credit card applicants give us an idea of how soon and how frequently you can apply for multiple cards.
Only 1 Application Every 8 Days
You should wait at least 8 days between back-to-back applications for two Citi credit cards. Your second application is likely to be declined if you apply immediately because of this Citi 1/8 rule.
No More Than 2 Applications Per 65 Days
You may also wait to apply if this is going to be your third new credit card in a short period. The Citi 2/65 rule lets you make 2 applications within a 65-day period.
As most cards offer a signup bonus within the initial 90-day spending window, you may decide to wait until you earn the bonus points for the other cards and make several on-time payments.
By following this practice, waiting at least 90 days between applications gives you some extra cushion between applications. If Citi flags your application for manual review, the officer can verify you have made several on-time payments and are not looking for another quick way to run up a balance.
Up to 6 Hard Inquiries in 6 Months
Another guideline to consider is if you have applied for other forms of credit (i.e., personal loan, home mortgage, signing a new cell phone contract, etc.) and have a hard credit inquiry.
Your application may not be approved if you have 6 or more hard inquiries within the past 6 months.
Citi Premier Credit Limit
Is the Citi Premier Card hard to get? Data points indicate the minimum initial credit limit is $2,000 for the Citi Premier® Card. Your spending limit can be higher if you have excellent creditworthiness, a high annual income, and other factors that may also apply.
The number of current Citi credit cards you have can also affect your credit limit.
While there isn’t a publicly-known formula, Citi compares your current Citi credit limits to your total available credit to assign you a credit limit for this new card.
If you already have a few Citi-issued credit cards, it’s possible that your youngest cards have a lower limit than your oldest ones.
You might consider closing a card or decreasing a credit limit before applying.
However, you may wish to wait several months to apply for the Premier. Some experts say to wait six months to mimic other banks. The waiting period gives your credit score time to rebound from the adjustment and Citi can get a feel for how you manage your credit going forward.
Citi Signup Bonus Requirements
The following guideline is very important if you have another Citi credit card that earns ThankYou points. In fact, it can be more important than your credit score.
You may need to wait 24 months before applying so you can earn the Citi Premier signup bonus.
New Citi Premier® Card cardmembers can earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. This bonus is redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards when redeemed at thankyou.com. 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.
You won’t qualify for the Citi Premier signup bonus if you have recently earned a signup bonus for or closed one of these Citi ThankYou credit cards in the last 24 months:
- Citi Rewards+® Card
- (Discontinued) Citi ThankYou® Preferred
- Citi Prestige® Credit Card
- (If you’re a returning user) Citi ThankYou® Preferred or Citi Premier® Card
This restriction is a little different from most credit card bonuses that offer terms and conditions. Here are two examples of why you might need to wait to apply:
- Example #1: You earned the signup bonus for the Citi Rewards+ last month. You can apply at least 24 months after receiving the new bonus.
- Example #2: You closed your Citi Prestige account 12 months ago. As a result, you will need to wait another 12 months before applying for this card.
It’s not unusual to have a two-year waiting period. What is unique is how many cards this policy affects if you earn a bonus or close an account.
If you don’t want to wait up to 24 months to get the Citi Premier® Card, you can contact Citi and request an account upgrade or downgrade. While you won’t earn the signup bonus, you can immediately start enjoying the ongoing benefits of this card.
Again, check out the CardMatch™ tool to learn if the Premier is for you and/or if you are targeted for a higher signup bonus that isn’t available to the general public.
Learn More: CardMatch™
Existing Citi Customers May Have an Advantage
Bank loyalty can have its benefits when you want a travel card that is in high demand. You might have an easier time qualifying if you have an active Citi bank account or credit card.
It’s also possible to receive offers saying you pre-qualify.
Do You Qualify for the Citi Premier?
As there are several guidelines that can impact your approval odds, here are the three main application rules to follow:
- Apply with a minimum 700 credit score
- Wait 24 months from the last time you earned a Citi ThankYou signup bonus or closed a credit card that earns Citi ThankYou points (this applies to current/previous Citi customers)
- Do not apply if you have had six hard inquiries in the last 6 months
Related: Citi Premier Card Review
Summary of How Hard Is It To Get the Citi Premier
So, how hard is it to get the Citi Premier Card? The Citi Premier® Card can be as easy to qualify for as most travel credit cards. Your approval odds can be high if you have good credit and haven’t opened multiple cards in the past few months. If you already have a Citi credit card that earns ThankYou points, make sure you’re eligible for the signup bonus too.
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Just another data point for you. I am baffled at my failure to get approved for the Citi Premier.
Excellent credit score (always 760-820) for two decades, been doing the cards and miles thing for the last 12 years, mostly Chase but also BofA here and there. Never been denied for a card. Usually carry around 6-8 cards. Average age of accounts is 6-7 years. Fully employed with light mortgage and good salary.
With the 80K bonus, I decided to apply for Premier in late mid-June and try out the Citi credit ecosystem. Denied! What??
Called and tried to figure out why, mostly useless CSR, though they encouraged me to try again and opined that maybe my ratio of credit use to credit limit was too low. I had just opened Alaska card in Feb. and British Airways in early June, so had around 80K credit with only 8K revolving debt.
I think this was bad advice, but I went ahead and canceled Alaska and lowered limits on a few cards to drop to 50K hoping that would impress the Citi algorithms.
Applied again in mid-July. Denied
Okay, maybe I need to give more time for everything to season.
Applied again in early Sep. Denied.
Okay, wait a little longer.
Applied again in late October. Denied again. Wtf??
Anyway, I don’t know what else to do. There is just something about my particular profile that must be triggering rejections with Citi. My credit score is still between 750-790 (depending on which bureau one checks).
I would really like to get this card with the 80K bonus and then add the DoubleCash back.
I thought about going for DoubleCash back first and maybe Citi would like that But afraid to get another denial and yet another hard credit check. I’ve already collected several worthless credit pulls, so what a waste this has all been.
Thoughts?
Citi says has a 8/65 rule stating applicants are ineligible to apply for more than one Citi credit card in eight days, and not more than two credit cards in 65 days. It would be easier to get the DoubleCash too. Lowering your credit limit probably wasn’t the answer. What was the reason for denial in the letters they have sent afterwards?