Citi Premier card can offer generous sign-up bonuses and features like no foreign transaction fees for travelers who spend on airfare, hotels and gas stations as well as those looking for dining benefits.
ThankYou Points can also be earned quickly with its bonus categories; however, some popular travel perks such as status with airline and hotel loyalty programs or primary rental car insurance may be missing from this card.
Travelers
Citi Premier Card is an ideal option for travelers who wish to maximize their travel rewards and experience free hotel stays, earning lots of points quickly in relevant categories and taking advantage of travel perks like free hotel stays. In addition, it comes equipped with a $100 annual airline credit and no foreign transaction fees making it suitable for international trips.
Citi ThankYou Points are earned when using this card and can be redeemed for rewards of various kinds or transferred directly to airlines and hotels at 1:1 rate. Citi may offer transfer bonuses of 10% or more when exchanging points to certain loyalty programs, so it is advisable to check if any such bonuses exist before booking airfare or hotel accommodations with it.
However, this card lacks many popular travel protections that other cards provide such as free general travel insurance, trip cancellation and lost luggage coverage. Although a $100 annual airline credit exists for air travel and hotels reservations made using this card, its flexibility cannot cover other types of expenses such as meals or ground transportation expenses.
Furthermore, this card lacks some other luxury travel perks that are typically reserved for higher-tier credit cards such as lounge access and travel statement credits. These can make justifying its $95 annual fee difficult.
People looking for an ideal rewards card for travel-related purchases should consider the Citi Premier Card, as its rewards rates are robust and qualifying is easy. Unfortunately, however, the card lacks certain travel and purchase protection features commonly found elsewhere such as free rental car damage insurance or purchase protection plans compared with some of its counterparts.
Citi is known to be very stringent about who it approves for new credit cards, so the Citi Premier Card may only be appropriate for individuals with outstanding credit who can meet its strict guidelines when it comes to approval for new cards and who have managed their accounts responsibly, such as paying bills on time while remaining under 30% of their limit. If you have recently applied for several loans or cards recently, Citi may pull your Experian report and your application could be denied due to too many hard inquiries (known as Chase 5/24 rule) so it is wise to apply cautiously for this card.
Everyday Spenders
Citi Premier Card can be an attractive option for people who regularly spend at restaurants, supermarkets and gas stations. With its bonus rewards categories and high earning rates, people can quickly rack up ThankYou Points that they can then transfer over to Citi’s travel partners for airline tickets or hotel stays. Furthermore, its generous sign-up bonus and annual hotel credit may appeal to frequent travellers.
The Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard stands out by charging no foreign transaction fees, an important consideration for travelers or online shoppers who often travel internationally or shop from overseas. Unfortunately, however, it does not provide airport lounge access – for frequent travelers this may be preferable over an option like this card that does not provide airport lounge membership such as this Citi card does.
To determine whether this card is right for you, it’s essential that you understand how much of your annual spending falls under each bonus spending category of this card. On average, households spend $17,4885 annually in airfare, hotels, and restaurants – this could net them up to 52,455 ThankYou Points each year; an impressive haul when compared with cash back cards but less lucrative overall.
Consider how flexible you want the redemption of your credit card points to be. Citi ThankYou Points are great for travel expenses, but can also be used towards gift cards and merchandise purchases – this makes the Citi Premier Card an ideal option if you value this versatility despite paying an annual premium fee for its benefits.
Citi Premier Card requires exceptional credit to qualify, typically defined as having an FICO score above 700. Individuals with lower FICO scores who wish to obtain travel cards should consider other alternatives; flexible travel redemption cards such as Chase Sapphire Preferred or Amex Gold could potentially provide more generous bonuses and rewards.
People With Good Credit
If you have an established credit history and desire to maximize rewards on everyday spending, the Citi Premier Card may be an ideal solution. Offering competitive earning rates across non-bonus categories with an acceptable annual fee and the flexibility of transferring ThankYou points between travel partners for increased returns on spend, this card does not lack free travel protections that many competing cards do, requiring strategic redemption of points for maximum value.
Citi Premier Card approval criteria isn’t strictly defined, although credit card companies do take various factors into consideration before making their decision. Still, most people report instant approval with FICO scores above 700; if denied however, it is essential that you identify why so that any issues which contributed to denial can be rectified immediately.
Checking your credit score without negatively affecting it is now possible in most places, including MyFICO website and credit card companies’ customer service numbers. If your application for the Citi Premier Card was turned down, contact them using either their customer service number listed on your statement or online – their credit analysts may take another look and approve it!
Make the most of your ThankYou Points by redeeming them for airfare or hotels; these often offer the highest redemption values. However, if travel is not on your agenda much then an everyday spending card such as Capital One VentureOne could provide greater cash back rewards.
Keep in mind that applying for the Citi Premier Card won’t earn you a sign-up bonus if you already hold one with another name or closed one within the past 24 months, as well as applying too frequently can have adverse impacts on your credit scores.
People With Bad Credit
Citi Premier Card stands out among rewards cards as one of the best rewards cards for everyday spending, offering lucrative earning rates across categories like restaurants, supermarkets and gas stations. Plus it features an annual hotel benefit and waived foreign transaction fees! Plus it allows users to quickly build up ThankYou points because they can transfer them at one cent per point with many of Citi’s travel and hotel partners!
Citi Premier Card may not be suitable for everyone; its $95 annual fee may be higher than other top travel cards and it can be hard to justify paying it when your largest expenses don’t fall into one of its bonus reward categories. Furthermore, Citi ThankYou points may be worth less when redeemed outside of Citi’s travel portal than other loyalty currencies.
For optimal credit card value, combine it with a flat-rate card to maximize its potential. Citi Double Cash Card is one of our go-to cards for general spending as its introductory offer can easily be met and provides excellent everyday value.
As a general guideline, it’s wise to apply for a credit card only when you’re prepared to use it responsibly and make regular payments on it. Checking your credit score and history prior to applying can also be useful; use CardMatch before submitting formal applications in order to estimate approval odds before doing so.
With data from government agencies and Forbes Advisor, we’ve estimated how much households in the 70th percentile of income spend annually across key categories like air travel, hotels, restaurant meals, grocery stores and gas stations. From these estimates we determined how many ThankYou points a typical household could earn with the Citi Premier Card each category: this annual bonus equals approximately $3,500 earned compared to an annual fee of just $95. Additionally if an authorized user spends they too can accumulate ThankYou points; but keep in mind that ThankYou points can only be shared amongst accountholders of Citi accountholders!