Citi Prestige Card — Full Review [2024]

Great Card If

• You fly often and want airport lounge access
• You want a card that earns transferable rewards
• You don’t mind paying a higher annual fee for more benefits

Don’t Get If

• You won’t use the perks
• You don’t travel much

Earning Categories

Earn 5x points at airlines, travel agencies, and dining, plus 3x at cruise lines and hotels. You’ll earn 1x points on all other purchases.

Your points are good for the ThankYou Rewards program and never expire. Earn as many points as you want to because there’s no cap!

Citi Prestige Card Travel Benefits

Travel abroad without the headache. There’s no foreign transaction fee when you use the card (a 3% savings by itself), and global transactions are seamless because it has an EMV chip.

The $495 annual fee is the biggest consideration, but it’s largely offset by a yearly airline travel credit of $250. This can apply to the cost of a ticket or any flight-related expenses charged to the card, including award taxes and fees, baggage fees, and more.

Update: Through December 31, 2022, the $250 travel credit can also be applied to supermarket and restaurant purchases. 

Still, the annual fee is steep, separating the serious spenders from the crowd.

Travel is made a luxury since the card provides complimentary access to hundreds of VIP lounges through Priority Pass Select (complimentary Be Relax Spa treatment, anyone?).

You also get a $120 credit for the Global Entry application fee (as of October 1, 2024). Once the U.S. government approves your application, you can bypass long lines and enjoy expedited entry into the country.

Bottom Line: A $250 airline travel credit helps offset the steep $495 annual fee of the Citi Prestige card. Also enjoy zero foreign transaction fees, a Global Entry fee credit, and complimentary Priority Pass access!

Other Benefits of the Citi Prestige Card

Book a stay of 4 consecutive nights at any hotel (you choose!) and get the fourth night for free! The free night appears as a credit on your statement.

Enjoy 24/7 access to a global concierge team for help making trip arrangements, purchasing tickets, and booking exclusive events and dining experiences anywhere in the world.

Plus get access to exclusive events through Citi ThankYou Events and Citi Private Pass Beyond. You’ll have the opportunity to attend private concerts, sporting events, and red carpet experiences!

Bottom Line: A free fourth-night stay and other perks make the Citi Prestige card an attractive option.

Best Way To Redeem Citi ThankYou Points

With so many great ways to redeem Citi Prestige card points, it can be a little overwhelming.

We created a list of tips to ensure you get the most value out of your points when you redeem them. You can also check out this post for even more advice about maximizing Citi travel rewards.

Tips for Redeeming Citi ThankYou Points

Tip #1: Sometimes you will find a better deal transferring points directly through airline or hotel transfer partners. For this reason, it’s important to compare prices between the Citi ThankYou Travel Center and the airline partners.

Points must be transferred in 1,000 point increments, and there is a maximum of 500,000 ThankYou Points per transfer.

Also, watch for promotional periods that give you the best redemption for your Citi ThankYou Points. For example, Citi ThankYou has offered a 25% bonus for transferring points to Flying Blue.

Tip #2: Redeem ThankYou Points for gift cards and merchandise from a variety of online retailers.

Shop with Points allows you to link your Citi ThankYou loyalty account to sites like Live Nation, Amazon.com, and Expedia so you can pay with the points you’ve earned.

Pay with Points makes it easy to spend your points on purchases with Best Buy and Wonder online or directly through their apps.

You make the payment with your card and then receive statement credit within 24 to 48 hours.

Tip #3: Technically, it’s not about points redemption, but wait until you hear about this card feature that reduces your balance for free!

Select and Credit allows you to get statement credit for purchases you’ve already made!

With eligible categories including groceries, gas, utility bills, clothing, department stores, dining, and entertainment, your chances of qualifying are high.

Tip #4: Pay your bills online using points (or a combination of points and cash) in just a few clicks. All you need is an enrolled Citibank checking account.

Tip #5: Show your charitable side with PointWorthy. Once you enroll, you can browse non-profits approved by the IRS and make a donation with your ThankYou Points.

You can also make donations with your card and earn points for every dollar you donate.

Best Way To Maximize Citi ThankYou Points

As we mentioned above, you can earn points for things outside of what you may normally consider with some American Express Membership Rewards cards or Chase Ultimate Rewards cards.

If you want to get the most out of your Citi Prestige card, read on. We’ve created a list that spells out the best ways to use your card and earn lots of Citi ThankYou Points.

Tip #1: Clearly, the top strategy for banking points with this credit card is to use it for all of your purchases.

Tip #2: Book all your air travel and hotels with the card so you get 3x points. The rules state your tickets must be purchased from a merchant that provides air travel, so that includes sites like Kayak and Orbitz.

That means you can use your Google Flights results and get points for them, along with your ITA Matrix bookings if you’re using BookWithMatrix.com.

Tip #3: Make sure to also use the card for entertainment and restaurant purchases to get your 2x points.

Entertainment is a huge category that includes places like movie theaters, amusement parks, tourist attractions, sports promoters, theatrical promoters, and even record stores.

As far as restaurant spending, you can get a ton of points when you are dining with friends or colleagues. Just put all of the charges on your card, and the rest of the party can reimburse you with cash.

Tip #4: Even though other spending only gets 1x points, it can still add up. After all, the people who use the card are most likely higher spenders.

Putting all of your monthly expenses on the card will help you accumulate points steadily.

Tip #5: Add authorized users to the card. It will cost you $50 a pop, but the extra points from their purchases are likely to far outweigh the cost.

Tip #6: Enroll your Citibank banking account in ThankYou Rewards and earn extra points. If you don’t have a checking account with Citi, open one to participate.

After setting up the account, you need to make 2 consecutive monthly bill payments and keep the account open for 5 months to ensure you receive the points. Find out how many points you earn per account package here.

Tip #7: Another reason to consider being a Citigold banking member?

Citi Prestige cardholders who are also Citigold or Global Client Banking members receive an additional 15% bonus on ThankYou Points earned during the year. Private Bank clients get 25%!

Alternative Cards to the Citi Prestige Card

Besides the high annual fee, the card has a few other drawbacks.

For instance, there are a limited number of Citi ThankYou airline and hotel transfer partners when redeeming your points. Additionally, you don’t get additional bonus points for adding authorized users.

If you want an alternative, we recommend the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card. For a considerably lower $95 annual fee, you’ll get 10x points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com. And 3x points on all air travel and hotels, plus supermarkets, gas stations, dining, and EV charging stations.

Citi Strata Premier℠ Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

Citi Strata Premier℠ Card

Welcome Offer

For a limited time: Earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $750 in gift cards or travel rewards on thankyou.com.

75,000 points

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$1,200

Annual Fee

$95

APR

20.49% to 28.49% Variable APR

Why We Like This Card

The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card is a great all-around travel rewards card that allows you to earn big rewards on a variety of purchases like air travel, at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, and more, along with flexible redemption options, all for a modest annual fee.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 10x points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com
• 3x points on air travel, other hotel purchases, restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, and EV charging stations
• $100 annual hotel benefit

Cons

• $95 annual fee

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• For a limited time: Earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $750 in gift cards or travel rewards on thankyou.com.
• Earn 10X points per $1 spent on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com.
• Earn 3X points per $1 on air travel and other hotel purchases, at restaurants, supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations.
• Earn 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
• $100 Annual Hotel Benefit: Once per calendar year, enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when booked through CitiTravel.com. Benefit applied instantly at time of booking.
• No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card.
• No foreign transaction fees on purchases.

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 20.49% to 28.49% Variable APR
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None