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I’ve been using the Citi Premier® Card for years now, and I’ve been really happy with it. I love the fact that it comes with multiple ways to earn points, including 3 points per dollar spent on air travel, hotels, gas stations, restaurants, and supermarkets. This makes it a great card for people who travel often or who like to eat out.
I also appreciate the fact that the card comes with a $100 annual hotel travel credit. This has saved me money on my hotel stays, which is always a welcome bonus.
Finally, I like that I can redeem my points for shopping, travel, or gift cards. This gives me a lot of flexibility in how I use my rewards.
Overall, I think the Citi Premier® Card is a great option for people who are looking for a travel rewards card with multiple ways to earn points and a variety of redemption options.
Here are some of the benefits of the Citi Premier® Card that I have personally experienced:
- Earn 3 points per dollar spent on air travel, hotels, gas stations, restaurants, and supermarkets.
- Receive a $100 annual hotel travel credit.
- Redeem points for travel, shopping, or gift cards.
I would definitely recommend the Citi Premier® Card to anyone who is looking for a travel rewards card with a variety of benefits. Here’s my Citi Premier card review.
LEARN MORE: CardMatch™
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.
In-Depth Citi Premier Card Review
The Citi Premier can be a good fit if you want a travel credit card that lets you redeem your points for award travel with different airlines. It is also good if you can use the $100 annual hotel benefit. Cardholders can enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) booked through thankyou.com once annually.
Related: Is the Citi Premier Worth It?
Earn Signup Bonus ThankYou Points
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.
This is one of the best credit card offers.
Unfortunately, this bonus isn’t available to all new card members. You won’t qualify for this bonus if you have received a signup bonus for another ThankYou credit card or closed a ThankYou credit card in the past 24 months. These cards include the Citi Prestige® Card and the Citi Rewards+® Card.
Related: The Citi Premier Card Bonus
Earn Up to 3x ThankYou Points on Purchases
Each card purchase earns ThankYou points per $1 spent. You’ll earn 3x points on:
Earn 1x points for everything else.
Your points won’t expire as long as your ThankYou account remains in good standing. There is also no limit as to how many points you can earn.
As this card doesn’t have a foreign transaction fee, you will earn bonus points on foreign purchases too.
This is one of the best Citi credit cards.
Redeem Points for Award Flights
Your points are worth 1 cent or less when redeemed for gift cards, non-airfare travel rewards, cash rewards, and merchandise credit.
The points are only worth 1 cent each when booking on the ThankYou Center. Your points are also worth 1 cent each when redeeming points for gift cards.
Related: Cash Back vs Travel Rewards Credit Cards
Citi ThankYou Transfer Partners
The current list of airline partners includes:
- Aeromexico
- Asia Miles
- Avianca LifeMiles
- EVA Air
- Emirates
- Etihad Guest
- Air France KLM FlyingBlue
- JetBlue
- Jet Airways
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qantas
- Qatar Airways
- Singapore Airlines
- Thai Airways
- Turkish Airlines
- Virgin Atlantic
You can also transfer your ThankYou points at a 1:1 ratio to most of these airlines in 1,000-point increments.
If you prefer more domestic airline transfer partners, American Express Membership Rewards® and Chase Ultimate Rewards® might be better. Amex partners with Delta Air Lines and JetBlue. Chase travel partners include JetBlue, United Airlines, and Southwest Airlines.
Visit our best American Express Cards review and our best Chase credit cards review if you want to learn more about those specific options.
Additional Card Benefits
Citi has recently rolled back the various additional card benefits with the recent Citi ThankYou Premier rebranding. Not too long ago, you may have had Citi Price Rewind, which monitored eligible purchases for price drops.
Citi Entertainment
Another nice additional benefit can be Citi Entertainment (previously known as Citi Private Pass). You can get early access to ticket presales for concerts, movies, sports, and dining events.
If you’re looking for more cards that earn on entertainment, check out the best credit cards for theme parks.
You may also be interested in the best credit cards for streaming services.
World Elite Mastercard Benefits
Benefits that are easy to overlook are those that Mastercard offers. The Citi Premier® Card is a Mastercard World Elite product. Some of the complimentary perks include:
- 5% cash rewards on Boxed purchases redeemable for future purchases
- $5 off every $25 purchase at Postmates
- Up to $1,000 in annual cell phone protection
- Complimentary ShopRunner membership
Fees
The annual fee for the Citi Premier Card is $95. There is no foreign transaction fee; therefore a viable option as one of the best credit cards for international travel.
Credit Score Needed for the Citi Premier
You will need good to excellent credit for the Citi Premier Card. Consider the Citi Premier once you have a 740 credit score or higher.
Several recent applicants have waited to apply with a score near 770. They report having an initial credit limit between $6,000 and $7,000.
You might be able to qualify with a score in the low 700s, but it can be worth trying to pre-qualify. Seeking pre-approval is free and only requires a soft credit pull. If Citi doesn’t extend a pre-approval offer, it’s best to wait and improve your credit score.
Related: Is the Citi Premier Card Hard to Get? Here’s A Closer Look
Citi Premier Positives and Negatives
Here’s a quick summary of the Citi Premier® Card’s strengths and weaknesses.
Pros
- Earn 3x points on air travel, hotels, gas stations, restaurants, and supermarkets
- $100 annual hotel benefit
- 1:1 airline transfer partners
- No foreign transaction fee
Cons
- Travel redemption bonus only applies to award flights
- JetBlue is the only current domestic airline transfer partner
- The signup bonus may be difficult to qualify for if you own another Citi ThankYou credit card
The Citi Premier may also be a good alternative to other popular travel cards, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (compare the Chase Sapphire Preferred vs Capital One Venture if you want a clearer understanding of either card).
Related: Why You Should Think About Trying For The Citi Premier Card
Summary Citi Premier Review
The Citi Premier® Card has attractive 3x purchase rewards categories and a nice $100 annual hotel benefit. There are also valuable airfare redemption bonuses, and the signup bonus makes this an attractive option. However, if you prefer transferring airline miles, the American Express Membership Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards programs may have more attractive transfer partners.
LEARN MORE: CardMatch™
FAQs
Is the Citi Premier Card worth it?
The Citi Premier® Card is worth it if you spend a lot in the 3x categories and don’t mind redeeming for gift cards. It can also be worth it if you’ll transfer points, but there is no transfer bonus, which can be a bummer. Other cards have transfer bonuses that add more value to the card.
It can be a good option and one of the best gas credit cards and one of the best credit cards for restaurants and dining.
Is Citi Premier a World Elite Mastercard?
Yes. The Citi Premier Card is a World Elite Mastercard product. This is the Mastercard equivalent of a Visa Signature card. Some of the most valuable Mastercard World Elite benefits include a $10 monthly Lyft credit after your first 5 rides, up to $1,000 in annual cell phone protection, and $5 off every $25 Postmates purchase.
Does Citi ThankYou Premier have foreign transaction fees?
No, the Citi Premier Card (previously the Citi ThankYou Premier) never charges a foreign transaction fee. You will earn up to 3x points on travel purchases. As long as you pay your monthly statement balance on time, the only fee you pay is the $95 annual fee.
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Hi,
Just wondering if you earn 3x on purchases made worldwide in travel, dining, supermarket and gas categories, or if 3x is only for the U.S.
Cheers:)
Good Post
Hey Josh, I hope you’re well. Thank you so much for sharing these with us. Thanks for the effort and the cash you save us. Cheers!