Citi Credit Card Benefits for Active-Duty U.S. Military Members [2024]

You’ll find value in today’s article on Citi military benefits if you’re an active-duty military member holding a Citi credit card or a service member not on active duty who is considering one.

Decades ago, laws were enacted to help alleviate some of the financial burdens our active-duty military members face. The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) in 2003 and the Military Lending Act (MLA) in 2006 set the foundation for how financial transactions involving military members should be handled.

We’ll discuss the acts briefly in a moment, but today’s article will focus specifically on how Citi applies the benefits of the laws to its range of credit cards. Plus, we’ll look at how these benefits can create bottom-line value for active-duty military.

How Do the SCRA and MLA Work?

The SCRA and MLA, when initially passed, applied to financial transactions such as mortgages, auto loans, other installment loans, rental agreements, and banking in general. In 2017, the laws were amended to include credit cards.

After this addition, credit card issuers instituted policies to ensure credit granted to military members met the laws’ requirements.

Here’s how the laws apply to credit cards:

• Credit cards acquired prior to active-duty military service would have a maximum interest rate of 6% (SCRA).
• Credit cards acquired during active-duty military service would have a maximum interest rate of 36%. This was called the Military Annual Percentage Rate (MAPR) and included all associated credit card fees as well as interest charges.

How Citi Applies Military Benefits

Citi applies military benefits to those who are on active duty, for credit cards acquired prior to active-duty service and after September 2017. Citi will waive associated credit card fees, including annual fees, along with interest charges, for active-duty service members.

Let’s look at some of the best credit cards issued by Citi and how each one might provide value for the active-duty military member.

The 6 Best Citi Credit Cards With Benefits for Active-Duty Military

If you are not on active duty but considering a Citi credit card, you’ll find significant value in the welcome offers that come with some of the best Citi credit cards. These offers allow you to earn a large number of rewards when meeting minimum spending requirements in a specified period after card approval.

We’ve included the current welcome offers in the following summary for comparison purposes.

Before we look at each key benefit individually, and its potential value for active-duty members, let’s look at a high-level overview of the best Citi credit cards, welcome offers, annual fees, and general benefits.

Card Summary

Now let’s look closer at our featured Citi credit cards and the key benefits you can expect on each card.

Citi Strata Premier Card — Best for Travel

Why We Like the Card for Active-Duty Military Members

• Waiver of annual fee for cards acquired prior to active duty
• Bonus category earnings on everyday purchases
• Earns flexible ThankYou Points that can be transferred to hotel and airline partners
• Annual hotel savings benefit
• No foreign transaction fees

Read our guide to find more information on the Citi Strata Premier card benefits for Military Members.

AAdvantage Executive World Elite Card — Best Premium Card for American Airlines Flyers

Why We Like the Card for Active-Duty Military Members

• Waiver of higher annual fee for active-duty military members who acquired the card prior to active duty
• Generous welcome bonus offer
• 4x miles per dollar spent on American Airlines
• Complimentary Admirals Club lounge access for cardholders, immediate family, or 2 guests; authorized users also have lounge access
• First free checked bag for cardholder and traveling companions (up to 8), priority boarding
• Global Entry/TSA PreCheck fee reimbursement, up to a $100 statement credit

AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Card — Best Mid-Tier Card for American Airlines Flyers

Why We Like the Card for Active-Duty Military Members

• Waiver of the annual fee for active-duty military members who acquired the card prior to active duty
• 2x miles on American Airlines purchases
• Free checked bag for cardholders and up to 4 travel companions, preferred boarding
• Earn a $125 flight credit after spending $20,000 on the card in a card membership year
• 25% statement credit for inflight purchases

Citi Custom Cash Card — Best for Cash-back on Your Highest Spend Category

Why We Like the Card for Active-Duty Military Members

• 0% Intro APR on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months. After that, the variable APR will be 19.24% - 29.24%
• Balance transfer fees waived for active-duty military
• Earn 5% cash-back each billing cycle in your highest spending category, up to $500 in purchases each period, then 1%; categories include restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, select travel, transit, select streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs, and live entertainment

Citi Double Cash Card — Best for Everyday Cash-back

Why We Like the Card for Active-Duty Military Members

• 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months. After that, the variable APR will be 19.24% - 29.24%
• Balance transfer fees waived for active-duty military
• 2% total cash-back earnings on every purchase (1% when made, 1% when paid)
• Cash-back can be redeemed via the ThankYou Points portal for travel

Costco Anywhere Card — Best for Costco Loyalists

Why We Like the Card for Active-Duty Military Members

• One of the best credit cards for gas station purchases, earning 4% cash-back, including EV charging stations, up to $7,000 in purchases each year, then 1%
• 3% cash-back on dining and travel and 2% cash-back at Costco and Costco.com
• Available with a $0 annual fee to all military members who have a Costco membership

Hot Tip:

Active-duty military members, including veterans, retired military, spouses, and dependents, may receive a digital Costco gift card when signing up for a Costco membership.

Annual Fee Waiver

One of the most valuable Citi military benefits for active-duty military members is the waiver of the card’s annual fee. Although not all Citi credit cards charge an annual fee, the best Citi cards, with the most earning potential and benefits, typically do.

Here are examples of the potential savings for Citi credit cards (that charge an annual fee) when the annual fee is waived for active-duty military members:

0% APR for Active-Duty Military Members

Another significant military benefit provided by Citi for active-duty service members is the waiver of interest charges on card balances.

There are 2 ways to take advantage of the lack of interest charges and fees.

Citi Credit Card Debt Acquired Prior to Active-Duty

If you have Citi credit cards with balances accrued prior to active duty, you’ll want to take advantage of Citi’s 0% APR during your active-duty status to pay down those balances during your service.

Balance Transfers

If you have credit cards from other financial institutions with high-interest balances, Citi will waive the balance transfer fees during active-duty service. Since balance transfer fees can be 3% to 5% of the total transfer amount, this option can provide significant savings. You can leverage this benefit even further by utilizing Citi credit cards with an introductory 0% APR period for balance transfers.

If your primary goal is to pay off card balances, these Citi credit cards offering an introductory 0% APR rate for balance transfers could be appropriate choices:

• Citi Custom Cash Card — 0% Intro APR on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months. After that, the variable APR will be 19.24% - 29.24%
• Citi Double Cash Card — 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months. After that, the variable APR will be 19.24% - 29.24%
• Citi^® Diamond Preferred^® Card — 0% Intro APR for 21 months on balance transfers from date of first transfer and 0% Intro APR for 12 months on purchases from date of account opening. After that the variable APR will be 18.24% - 28.99%
• Citi Simplicity^® Card — 0% Intro APR for 21 months on balance transfers and 0% Intro APR for 12 months on purchases from date of account opening. After that the variable APR will be 19.24% - 29.99%
• Citi Rewards+^® Card — 0% Intro APR on balance transfers for 15 months from date of first transfer and on purchases from date of account opening. After that, the variable APR will be 18.74% - 28.74%, based on your creditworthiness.

Bottom Line:

Military members can take advantage of 0% APR periods while on active duty to pay off eligible Citi credit card balances accrued prior to active duty. In addition, Citi will waive balance transfer fees (during active duty) for balances transferred from other credit cards. Utilizing a Citi credit card with a 0% APR period can result in significant savings on transfer fees and interest charges.

Additional Citi Card Benefits and Protections

Earning and Redemption Options

Citi credit cards will earn flexible rewards such as ThankYou Points, cash-back, or frequent flyer miles.

While both ThankYou Points and cash-back may be redeemed for gift cards, travel, merchandise, statement credits, or charitable donations, the best value is to transfer ThankYou Points to airline or hotel partners.

ThankYou Points earned on the Citi Strata Premier card allow the most flexible redemption options, including transferring to airline and hotel partners to redeem for award flights or free hotel nights.

Hot Tip:

Take a look at our full guide covering some of the best ways to redeem Citi ThankYou Points.

Co-branded Citi credit cards will earn the affiliated rewards currency. For example, American Airlines’ cards earn AAdvantage miles that can be redeemed with the airline, and Costco-branded cards will earn cash-back that can be redeemed via Costco stores.

Travel and Shopping Benefits and Protections

While benefits and protections differ by card, here are some you may find on Citi credit cards:

• Citi Merchant Offers — Log in to your online card account and select from retail and service provider offers that provide statement credits for making eligible purchases.
• Purchase Protection — Eligible items purchased can receive coverage for damage and theft for up to 90 days from the purchase date.
• Extended Warranty Protection — The manufacturer’s warranty is extended on eligible purchased items.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees — Citi cards with no foreign transaction fees travel well. These fees are normally 3% of the total transaction.

Bottom Line:

Earning and redeeming rewards earned on Citi credit cards adds tremendous value to card membership. Plus, if you can use any of the cards’ travel/shopping benefits, you will realize even more value.

Qualification and Applying for Citi Military Benefits

Citi military benefits for active-duty servicemembers can result in serious savings. Let’s look at the qualifications and how to apply for benefits.

Who Is Eligible for Citi Military Benefits

You’ll want to check the Citi SCRA website for complete information, but here’s an outline of who qualifies for Citi military benefits:

• Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Space Force, and National Guard full-time active-duty members
• Federal active-duty reservists
• Active-duty National Guard members called to service by the President, Secretary of Defense, or by State orders for a period of 30 or more consecutive days
• Active-duty servicemembers who are absent due to covered illness
• U.S. citizens who are members of an allied nation’s military service
• Commissioned officers of NOAA of the Public Health Service
• Spouses or dependents of the eligible servicemembers listed above

You’ll want to verify that your status is current on the Department of Defense website as this is the source financial institutions will use to verify your status. Visit the MLA website to access your records.

If you acquired your Citi credit card(s) prior to active duty, you’ll want to skip the next step and jump right to applying for benefits.

If you are not on active duty and considering a Citi credit card, here are some tips for applying for a card.

How To Apply for a Citi Credit Card

While applying for a Citi card during active duty will not qualify you for military benefits, you can still do so. Plus, if you’re not on active duty, but will be in the future, here are some tips for making the process go smoothly:

• Review Citi’s Card Rules — Each financial institution has specific rules for how often and how many cards for which you can be approved as well as how much credit they’ll extend to you. You’ll want to review Citi’s rules before you apply.
• Review Card Requirements and Know Your Credit Score — The majority of Citi’s credit cards will require a good to excellent credit score to be approved. A good score is generally considered 670 and above but we recommend at least a 700 credit score to apply for the best cards. If your score is below 670, you will still find several Citi cards that you may qualify for.

How To Apply for Citi Military Benefits

If you acquired a Citi credit card prior to active-duty service, you’ll want to apply for Citi military benefits. The waiver of credit card fees and interest charges could save you money and help you pay off any debt.

The easiest way to ask questions and apply for benefits is to contact Citi’s Military Response Unit at 877-804-1082.

Additionally, you can fax your request with a cover page that includes your name, Social Security number, branch of service, your active-duty date, plus supporting documentation to 866-533-0503.

Finally, you could mail your request, including the above information, to this address: City Military Response Correspondence Unit, Attention: SCRA Request, P.O. Box 790398, St. Louis, MO, 63179.

Once your request is approved, it can take up to 3 statement periods for the benefits to be applied.

According to Military Money Matters, a popular military finance blog, data points suggest that in the statement period when your annual fee hits, you should have a balance on your card to trigger the fee reimbursement. Evidently, this is due to the balance causing the maximum 36% interest rate (MLA requirement) to kick in.

Final Thoughts

For active-duty military members who acquired Citi credit cards prior to active duty, you should definitely apply for Citi military benefits. In addition to having your annual fee waived, you could also benefit from a 0% interest rate on previously incurred card debt. The waiver of transfer fees, should you use the balance transfer option on a card with an introductory 0% APR balance transfer offer, could also be a money-saver.

For those military members not on active duty but anticipating it, you may find value in card welcome offers, everyday earning potential, flexible redemption options, and a few shopping benefits.

If travel protections and benefits are a priority to you, as an active-duty military member, you may do better with Chase or American Express-issued travel rewards cards. Our companion articles on the best Chase credit cards for military members, military credit cards and the best American Express credit cards for military members would be worth reading.