Review: Citi Premier

The Citi Premier is a great travel card for those who want to earn Citi Thank You (TY) points. It serves as Citi’s top travel credit card above the Citi Rewards +, Citi Double Cash, and Citi Custom Cash. International travelers will love this card because of Citi’s transfer partners. As Citi’s premier travel credit card, the Citi Premier is the most powerful earner among Citi’s core credit cards. Its earning structure is excellent for travelers with high everyday expenses. But the Premier also has a $95 annual fee (NOT waived the first year).

Earning

The Citi Premier’s value truly lies in its earning potential. It earns 3x TY points on five categories: airfare, dining, gas, groceries, and hotels. This five-category earning structure is one of the best among mid-tier travel cards. And this is especially true given the power of the Citi Premier’s competitors.

Sign-Up Bonus

Citi is currently offering a sign-up bonus on the Premier Card worth 60,000 TY points. This bonus can be earned after spending $4,000 within the first three months. This is Citi’s highest public sign-up bonus, making the Premier even more valuable for those who want to collect TY points.

Burning

Earning points is fantastic, but points earned are useless if you cannot redeem them for anything of value. Citi has multiple options for redemption:

Transfer Partners

Transfer partners are by far Citi’s most valuable option. They are the reason why so many points and miles enthusiasts love Thank You points so much. Citi’s strength lies in international airlines and travel, making the Premier a great card if you want to travel outside of the United States.

Unfortunately, Citi does not have any hotel partners. Therefore, Citi Thank You earning cards might not be for you if you want to transfer points to hotels.

All TY points transfer to Citi’s airline partners at a 1:1 ratio:

• Aeromexico
• Asia Miles / Cathay Pacific
• Avianca LifeMiles
• Emirates
• Etihad Guest
• Eva Air
• KLM Flying Blue / Air France
• Jet Airways
• JetBlue (5 TY = 4 True Blue Points if you do not have a premium Citi card, otherwise 1:1)
• Malaysia Airlines
• Qantas
• Qatar
• Singapore Airlines
• Thai Airways
• Turkish Airlines
• Virgin Atlantic

Your mileage may vary for each partner. But for most partners, you should be able to easily redeem your points for at least 1.5 cents per point (CPP).

Other Options

Points can be redeemed via Citi’s Travel Center at a rate of 1 CPP. This is the best option if you cannot transfer your points for good value. The Travel Center can also be great for booking hotels, a glaring weakness in Citi’s lineup of transfer partners.

You can also use TY points to help pay down a mortgage or student loan. This is a unique option for a credit card redemption. This method lets you redeem points for 1 CPP, but it can help your finances in certain situations.

Gift Card values range from 2,500 to 10,000 points per card. Like airfare, each point redeemed is worth 1 cent.

Points are worth around 0.8 CPP when redeemed for merchandise and 0.5 CPP for cash back. If either option is more attractive than points, the Citi Double Cash is a better option.

Benefits

The Citi Premier is not known for being a great benefits card, especially since the issuer discontinued several benefits from their card lineup. However, the following benefits are still being offered:

Citi Private Pass

This perk gives you access to a multitude of pre-sale tickets and VIP experiences. If you’re a concert or sports lover, Citi Private Pass will help you get to events faster.

Cell Phone Insurance

You will be protected from theft or damage of your phone(s) if you pay your cell phone bill with your Citi Premier card. The Premier is a World Elite MasterCard, meaning that its common to all top cards within that network.

No Foreign Exchange Fees

This increasingly common benefit saves you 3% on all purchases made outside of the United States.

$100 Hotel Credit

You will also receive a $100 hotel credit towards hotel stays costing at least $500. This credit will be a nice way to justify the Premier’s $95 annual fee.

Rules & Regulations

Citi has several rules to consider before applying for one of their cards. While these rules are annoying, they serve as a reminder to be certain before applying. However, their main purpose is to dissuade “churners” from getting sign-up bonuses.

The 1/24 Rule states that you cannot receive a sign-up bonus if you opened or closed a card within the same family in 24 months. For the Citi Premier, you can’t receive a bonus if you opened a Citi Prestige, Thank You Preferred, or Rewards + within the last two years.

Also, the 6 Inquiries Rule states that those with more than 5 hard inquiries in 6 months will be automatically denied.

The 1/8 Rule states that only one card can be approved within a rolling 8-day period. Its corollary, the 2/65 Rule, states that only two cards can be approved within a rolling 65-day period.

Similar Cards

Chase Sapphire Preferred

The Chase Sapphire Preferred is a solid alternative to the Citi Premier, especially for those who prefer Chase’s transfer partners. Chase has a more well-rounded set of travel partners than Citi does. Domestic travelers and hotel lovers will benefit more given Chase’s partners. But international travelers might like the Citi card more.

Furthermore, the Sapphire Preferred earns 5x UR points on travel purchased through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal. It earns 3x UR points per dollar on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery expenses. It also earns 2x UR points on general travel expenses and just one point for all other purchases. The Sapphire Preferred also has a $95 annual fee (NOT waived the first year).

Plus, Chase is offering a sign-up bonus worth 80,000 UR points. It can be earned after spending $4,000 within the first three months. Chase has the more valuable bonus for the same minimum spend. But which card is better depends on what type of points you want to earn.

American Express Green Card

Alternatively, the American Express Green Card might be a better option for international travelers. Amex has many of the same partners as Citi does and then some. The Green Card has a $150 annual fee (NOT waived the first year). Amex is also offering a sign-up bonus worth 30,000 MR points on the Green Card. This bonus can be earned after spending $2,000 within the first three months.

Plus, the Green Card earns Membership Rewards (MR) points. You will earn 3x MR points on general travel and dining and one point per dollar on non-bonus spend. Fortunately, American Express’ definition of “travel” is broad for the Green Card. You can earn 3x points on hotels, airfare, ride sharing, taxis, subways, tolls, and more.

The Green Card also comes with a $100 credit for Lounge Buddy and a $100 credit for CLEAR every year. The former credit might be useful for those who do not have a premium card or membership to Priority Pass.

The Green Card has a higher annual fee and a different set of transfer partners. But the Citi Prestige has the higher sign-up bonus and access to Citi’s transfer partners. Both cards are great earners. But the Citi Premier is better because of its 2x categories and the inclusion of gas in its “Travel” category.

Final Draw

The Citi Premier is a fantastic credit card for international travel and those who want to collect Thank You points. It’s five bonus categories are amazing for travelers who have lots of everyday expenses. Plus, the Premier’s sign-up bonus is Citi’s largest.

This card is also great for those who don’t want to spend over $500 in annual fees or want to earn TY points. The Citi Premier would be the first Thank You point-earning card I would consider because of its large sign-up bonus and amazing earning structure.

Apply Today: Citi Premier