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The Citi Premier® Card is an attractive option if you want flexible travel rewards redemption options, including point transfers. Plus, you can easily earn bonus rewards on travel and daily purchases. But is your credit score high enough for the Citi Premier Card? Here’s what you need to know about the Citi Premier Card.
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.
Minimum Credit Score for the Citi Premier Card
So, what credit score do you need to get the Citi Premier Card? Unfortunately, Citi doesn’t publish a minimum qualifying credit score to get the Citi Premier® Card. But several online data points indicate you will need a “good” or “excellent” credit score.
What’s Good Credit?
Many regard good credit to start at a 670 FICO score or a 700 VantageScore 3.0 score. An excellent credit score begins at 740 FICO or 800 VantageScore.
You can check your credit score for free to see where you stand. If possible, try to obtain a FICO score as that’s the score model the banks use to check your credit card application. There are several places to check your credit for free without impacting your score.
Related: How often should you check your credit score?
Recent Citi Premier Applications
It’s possible to get an instant approval for the Citi Premier Card with a score above 700. But some applicants report having to wait several days to receive an application decision.
Related: Best Citi Credit Cards
Instant Approval with 740 FICO
MyFICO forum member tech-d reports an instant approval with a 740 FICO credit score which is the border between good and excellent credit. The credit limit is $7,500.
Plus, they have seen a 120-point increase after paying off close to $20k in credit card debt in the past two years. If you currently have a card balance, reducing and paying it off can help your score rise quickly as your credit utilization ratio drops.
Calling the Reconsideration Line (770 FICO)
Another data point comes from MyFICO member regional_ryan with a 770 credit score in the excellent credit range. This person states having to call the Citi reconsideration line after waiting up to ten days for a secondary review.
They have a $4,500 spending limit, which is relatively low, but it’s their sixth new credit card in the last two years.
Consider Citi Premier Instead of a Chase Sapphire Card (716 FICO)
One user, Sage512MB, reports applying for the Citi Premier after Chase wouldn’t offer a credit limit increase on their existing Chase credit card.
They got instantly approved for a $2,000 limit with a 715 FICO score and a $50,000 annual income. While this is one of the lowest credit limits the Citi Premier Card offers, it’s a legit tradeline.
Related: Chase Sapphire Preferred vs Citi Premier Review
Citi Premier Application Denied (800 FICO)
There are many “success stories” online but it can be harder to find denied applications. Having a high credit score doesn’t guarantee application approval.
Addicted_to_credit reports Citi rejecting their Premier Card application for too many recent hard inquiries for bank loans and credit cards. This person also called the reconsideration line and was unsuccessful.
The Citi rejection letter lists these three denial reasons:
- Length of time accounts have been established
- Too many recently opened accounts
- Too many recent inquiries
It appears that Citi pulls the applicant’s Experian credit report. It’s important to make sure you apply for credit cards and loans sparingly before seeking the Citi Premier.
Related: Citi Premier vs Capital One Venture Rewards
Citi Premier Application Rules
There are several guidelines to follow to boost your approval odds.
Each bank has its own set of application rules (like the Chase 5/24 rule). Citi is no different.
Citi 1/8 Rule
You can only apply for one Citi credit card in a rolling 8-day period. For Citi business credit cards, only apply for one card every 90 days (Citi 1/90 rule).
Citi 2/65 Rule
Only apply for 2 Citi credit cards within a 65-day period.
Citi 6/6 Rule
Your credit application may be denied if you have at least 6 hard inquires in the most recent 6 months.
If you have opened several recent non-Citi credit cards but are below the 6 hard inquiries in 6 months threshold, you might wait at least 6 months between card applications. This waiting period can help ensure you don’t have too many new credit accounts.
Signup Bonus Rules
Another rule to pay close attention to is the signup bonus waiting period. You must wait 24 months between receiving a new ThankYou card signup bonus or closing a Citi credit card that earns ThankYou points.
The cards in the ThankYou family include:
- Citi Rewards+® Card
- The Citi ThankYou Preferred
- Citi Premier® Card
- Citi Prestige® Card
If you have closed one of these card accounts recently. You must wait at least 24 months from the closing date to apply and qualify for the Citi Premier signup bonus.
For the Citi co-brand cards, like the Citi American Airlines credit card family, the waiting period is 48 months between applications. However, the 48-month window doesn’t apply to getting the Citi Premier as a secondary Citi credit card.
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 that best serve you. It can help you determine if the Citi Premier is a card you can get. Additionally, you may be offered a higher targeted signup bonus that isn’t available to the general public.
Learn More: CardMatch™
Do You Qualify for the Citi Premier?
Here are the basic guidelines to have the best Citi Premier® Card approval odds:
- FICO credit score of 700 or higher
- Less than six hard credit inquiries in the past 6 months
- Haven’t earned a ThankYou new cardmember bonus in the last 24 months
- Haven’t closed a ThankYou credit card in the last 24 months
If you already have another Citi credit card, make sure you wait at least 8 days after the first credit card application. You might wait closer to 6 or 12 months after the first application to establish a payment history and avoid getting penalized for having too new of an account.
You can also use the CardMatch™ tool to estimate your approval odds before you apply without affecting your credit score. Citi will still make a final decision once you submit a formal application.
Summary
So what credit score for the Citi Premier Card will you need to have? The basic requirements to qualify for the Citi Premier Card are similar to the other best rewards credit cards. Consider the Citi Premier when your credit score is at least 700 and you don’t have too many recent inquiries.
Learn More: CardMatch™
FAQs
What credit score does Citi use?
Citi primarily uses the Experian credit reports for credit card applications. The bank also pulls from another bureau which can either be Equifax or TransUnion to look for reporting gaps. But, applicants won’t know for sure which two bureaus Citi will pull reports from.
Is the Citi Premier metal?
No, the Citi Premier is a plastic credit card. Applicants will need to try for the Citi Prestige® Card to get a metal credit card.
How long does Citibank credit card approval take?
Most Citi credit card applications have instant approvals. Some applicants require further review and normally take up to 10 days to reach a decision.
Several reasons why an application may need secondary review include:
- Must verify the personal identity or stated annual income
- Have too many recent hard inquiries in the past 24 months
- Opened several new credit card and loan account in the past 24 months
- Recently opened Citi credit card accounts
Applicants can consider calling the reconsideration line after waiting several days with no response or to try to reverse a denial decision. It may be possible to get approved if Citi requires additional documentation or you can agree to a smaller-than-usual credit limit for the Citi Premier® Card.
Learn More: CardMatch™
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I believe citi recently changed the rules for the premier bonus in terms of recent card cancellations / length of time since last award. It’s now a 48-month wait since your last award with no term regarding recent cancellations. At least that’s what it said when I applied.