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Citi Premier Card — Full Review [2024]

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Jarrod West
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Jarrod West

Senior Content Contributor

437 Published Articles, 1 Edited Article

Countries Visited: 21U.S. States Visited: 24

Boasting a portfolio of over 20 cards, Jarrod has been an expert in the points and miles space for over 6 years. He earns and redeems over 1 million points per year and his work has been featured in o...
Edited by: Keri Stooksbury
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Keri Stooksbury

Editor-in-Chief

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With years of experience in corporate marketing and as the Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Qatar, Keri is now Editor-in-Chief at UP, overseeing daily content operations and r...
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Kellie Jez

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Kellie’s professional experience has led her to a deep passion for compliance, data reporting, and process improvement. Kellie’s learned the ins and outs of the points and miles world and leads UP’s c...

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Citi Premier® Card

Citi 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.
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  • 60,000 points

  • $95

  • 21.24% - 29.24% Variable

  • Good to Excellent (670-850)

Citi Premier® Card

Frequent flyers will enjoy 3x ThankYou Points at restaurants, gas stations, supermarkets, air travel, and hotels.

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.
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Learn More(at our partner's secure site)

The Citi Premier® Card is an excellent option for anyone looking for an all-around travel rewards credit card. The card helps you earn points fast with great 3x bonus categories such as restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, airfare, and hotels. Plus, it offers access to airline and hotel transfer partners, doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, and has a reasonable annual fee!

Card Snapshot

Welcome Bonus & Info

  • Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. 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.
  • Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Other Hotels
  • Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets
  • Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
  • Annual Hotel Savings Benefit
  • 60,000 ThankYou® Points are redeemable for $600 in gift cards redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com
  • No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases

Rewards Center

Citi ThankYou Rewards

Customer Service Number

888-248-4226

Pros

  • 3x points at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, airfare, and hotel purchases
  • Access to Citi transfer partners
  • Annual hotel credit
  • No foreign transaction fees

Cons

  • $95 annual fee

Great Card If

  • You fly for business and pleasure
  • You spend a lot on travel

Don’t Get If

  • You rarely travel
  • You want access to a wide variety of airline loyalty programs

Citi Premier® Card — Is It Worth It?

The Citi Premier card is a stellar option for award travelers in large part due to how well-rounded its bonus categories are. With the Citi Premier card, you’ll earn 3x points per $1 at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, airfare, and hotels.

Plus, the Citi ThankYou Rewards Points you earn are transferable, so they can be transferred to some of the top Citi ThankYou Rewards transfer partners, including Avianca Lifemiles, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles, and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.

If you’re looking for a great workhorse travel rewards credit card that can really help you rack up points quickly for a reasonable annual fee, then the Citi Premier card would likely be very worth it for you.

While the Citi Premier card is often overlooked, Upgraded Points team members, including Chris Hassan, Social Media and Brand Manager, know the value it can provide:

“I love an underrated card, and for me, that is the Citi Premier card. For only a $95 annual fee, I earn 3x points on airfare, hotels, dining, gas, and supermarkets — and those bonus categories aren’t restricted to the U.S. like many other cards, which means I’m earning no matter where I am. Plus, Citi ThankYou Points are more valuable than most people think, thanks to a healthy transfer partner list that often offers transfer bonuses. This card is a keeper.”

Chris Hassan, Social Media and Brand Manager

Citi Premier Card Top Benefits

Annual Hotel Savings Benefit

To help offset the Citi Premier card’s $95 annual fee, the card offers $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more, excluding taxes and fees, when you book through thankyou.com and pay with your card each year. If you know you’ll have at least 1 hotel stay per year that costs $500 or more, then holding the Citi Premier card can be a no-brainer.

Citi Entertainment

Through Citi Entertainment, you can receive special access to tickets, including presale tickets and exclusive experiences for concerts, sporting events, dining, and more. This can be a massive benefit anytime you want to go to an event that is likely to sell out quickly.

Best Ways To Earn and Redeem Your Citi ThankYou Points

Read our guide full of tips to see how to get the most out of the Citi Premier card by earning as many Citi ThankYou Points as possible.

Once you’ve built up a balance, you have quite a few options for redeeming your ThankYou Points. For travel, you can redeem your ThankYou Points for flights through the Citi travel portal or (our preferred method) make direct transfers to Citi’s airline and hotel partners.

Alternative Cards to the Citi Premier Card

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

If you want a card that rewards you more for everyday spending, you could explore the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card. It has an annual fee of $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 and an introductory APR on purchases and transfers (see rates & fees).

This card earns 6% cash-back at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000, then 1%) and select U.S. streaming subscriptions, 3% cash-back at U.S. gas stations and transit, and 1% everywhere else.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

If you travel frequently, you may want to consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred card‘s higher bonus category of 5x points on travel purchased via the Chase travel portal.

The card also has a superior collection of travel benefits and protections, such as a $50 hotel credit, primary rental car insurance, and trip and baggage insurance.

Read more about these 2 cards here: Citi Premier card vs Chase Sapphire Preferred card


See our comparisons of the Citi Premier card to these popular cards:


UP’s Card Review Methodology

Every card we review is assigned a “U.P. Rating” – our star-based system that encompasses all the key details to showcase a card’s standout features, where it falls short, and how it stacks up for travelers to maximize rewards.

These ratings range from 0 to 5 stars and are determined by carefully weighing crucial factors like:

  • Bonus categories
  • Benefits and perks
  • Quality of associated loyalty programs
  • Annual fees and other costs
  • Size of the welcome bonus (and relative to the annual fee)
  • And several more

You can learn more about how Upgraded Points reviews and rates credit cards.

The information regarding the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Citi Premier card worth it?

Overall, it’s a good card for everyday spending. The card earns 3x ThankYou Points on airfare, hotels, gas stations, dining, and supermarkets. Plus, you get 1x ThankYou Points on all other spending. The annual fee is $95.

ThankYou Points can be redeemed for travel, merchandise, and gift cards.

How do I redeem Citi Premier card points?

Redeem Citi ThankYou Points through the Citi ThankYou Rewards program for travel, merchandise, gift cards, and more.

When do Citi Premier card points expire?

There is no expiration date for Citi ThankYou Points as long as you have an active account.

Is there a limit to how many ThankYou Points I can earn?

No. There is no limit to the number of ThankYou Points you can earn with the card.

How do I use the Citi Premier card for travel rewards?

Transfer ThankYou Points in increments of 1,000 to participating airline loyalty programs. Additionally, you can book flights, rental cars, hotels, and more through the ThankYou Reward Center.

What is the annual fee for the Citi Premier card?

The annual fee is $95.

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About Jarrod West

Boasting a portfolio of over 20 cards, Jarrod has been an expert in the points and miles space for over 6 years. He earns and redeems over 1 million points per year and his work has been featured in outlets like The New York Times.

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