Citi Premier Card — Full Review [2022]

Name: Citi Premier Card — Full Review [2022]
Item: Citi Premier Card
Rating: 4
Author: Alex Miller

We may be compensated when you click on links from one or more of our advertising partners. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone. Terms apply to offers below. See our Advertiser Disclosure for more details.

U.P. Rating ? The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who are immersed in the credit card world. Please see our card rating methodology here. 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.

"Travel benefits you can count on."

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

Learn More (at our partner's secure site)

Alex Miller

- UPDATED: September 27, 2022 |

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!

Pros

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

Cons

$95 annual fee

Citi Premier Card — Snapshot

Welcome Bonus & Info (Partner Content)
- For a limited time, earn 80,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets
- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Hotels
- Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Annual Hotel Savings Benefit
- 80,000 Points are redeemable for $800 in gift cards when redeemed 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
Card Categories:
- Credit Card Reviews
- Travel Credit Cards
Rewards Center
Citi ThankYou Rewards
Customer Service Number
888-248-4226
Login Link
http://www.citi.com
Related Articles

Great Card If

You fly for business and pleasure
You spend a lot in the travel category

Don't Get If

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

Citi Premier Card — Fees

Foreign Transaction Fees
None
Interest Rates
- 18.99% - 26.99% Variable
Late fees
- Up to $41
- Penalty APR: Up to 29.99% variable
Balance Transfers
- 18.99% - 26.99% Variable
- Fee: 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.
Cash Advance APR
- 28.24% Variable
- Fee: 5% of each cash advance; $10 minimum

The Ideal Cardholder

Woman taking photo while traveling — Travelers will love the Citi Premier card because you can earn rewards for all types of travel purchases, along with dining and entertainment! Image Credit: Daxiao Productions via Shutterstock

Welcome Offer and Earning Categories

See the current welcome offer in the card snapshot above, but know that there is not typically an introductory APR.

However, you will earn 3x ThankYou Points per dollar spent on flights and hotels, gas stations, dining, and supermarkets, as well as 1x ThankYou Point per dollar spent on all other purchases.

Citi Premier Card Travel Benefits

First, it’s important to note the breadth that the travel category covers. Not only does it include any airline or hotel, but also tours, gas stations, public transportation, taxis, cruises, campgrounds, and even boat rentals!

International travelers will appreciate the lack of foreign transaction fees, which is an effective savings of about 3%. Plus, the card has EMV chip technology to make global transactions secure and hassle-free.

They will also love the insurances offered with the card: trip cancellation and interruption protection, worldwide travel accident insurance, worldwide car rental insurance, and lost baggage protection.

You also have access to a global concierge team 24/7. If you need help purchasing tickets, booking tables at restaurants, or making trip arrangements, the concierge team will be there for you anywhere in the world.

Finally, the ThankYou Points you earn with the Citi Premier card are transferable to a range of travel partners that cover all air alliances and many major international airlines. You won’t have trouble finding a way to use your ThankYou Points!

Other Citi Premier Card Benefits

As a cardholder, you also get to choose the due date for your monthly bill. You can pick any available due date, whether it’s at the beginning of the month, end of the month, or right in the middle.

With the card, you get access to Citi Private Pass and Apple Pay, which can be nice features if used frequently.

Additional insurances include damage and theft purchase protection and extended warranty.

Best Ways To Earn and Redeem Your Citi ThankYou Points

We developed a guide full of tips to show you 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 a $95 fee after the first year and an intro APR on purchases and transfers (see rates and fees).

This card will earn 6% cash-back at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000, then 1%), 3% cash-back at U.S. gas stations and department stores, 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 car insurance, and trip and baggage insurance.

Check out our detailed comparison of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card vs. the Citi Premier card.

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

Featured Image Credit: Citi

Frequently asked questions

Is the Citi Premier card worth it?

The card earns 3x ThankYou Points on airfare, hotels, gas stations, dining, and supermarkets. Plus 1x ThankYou Points on all other spending. The annual fee is $95.

ThankYou Points can be redeemed for travel, merchandise, and gift cards. Overall, it is a good card for everyday spending.

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.

About Alex Miller

Alex has been traveling for over 25 years and from a young age was lucky enough to set out on numerous family trips all over the world, which gave him the travel bug. Alex has since earned millions of travel points and miles, mainly through maximizing credit card sign-up bonuses and taking every opportunity to earn the most points possible on each dollar spent.

Disclaimer: Any comments listed below are not from the bank advertiser, nor have they been reviewed or approved by them. No responsibility will be taken by the bank advertiser for these comments.

8 comments

tamra l dann September 19, 2019
Please correct your false information on this site. They do not waive the first year annual fee of $95. I was charged the fee and they also got rid of all travel insurance. I called Citi Bank and told them of our false advertising and the direct link to their web site. If you do not take this false info down you will deal with Citibank and my attorney. Either you or both you and Citibank are conducting false advertising and are a scam.
Reply
- Jarrod West September 20, 2019
  Hi Tamara,
  We have updated the post to reflect the correct offer, and I am sorry for the frustration this may have caused you. I can assure you that our website is in no way a scam. As you know, credit card offers can change sporadically. Our team here at Upgraded Points works incredibly hard to deliver great content and keep that great content as up to date as possible. We have close to 1,000 pieces of content available to readers so, unfortunately, things can fall through the cracks at times. We highly encourage all of our readers to look closely at the offer terms stated on a banks application page before submitting an application for a credit card. But we are very grateful to have loyal readers like yourself who point out when updates need to be made.
  So thanks again for pointing out that an update needed to be made and thanks for reading!
  Reply
Gaius Gracchus July 1, 2021
The offer itself for the Citi Premier card is pretty good if you can get the $60k bonus, but it is dealing with Citibank that has been a horror.
First, they declined my application. Which is insane. Why? My FICO scores range from 835-850. Yearly earnings vary from $230,000 – $260,000 per year. We have NO DEBT. I have a number of credit cards but they are paid off every month. No loans, just paid off our million dollar home. Assets in the range of millions.
Then, after I complained, they opened the credit card with a limit of $2000. LOL! Really?! The same day I applied to Chase Sapphire and got a very large limit and a few months later with Fidelity Signature Visa and got an even larger limit. (Just sayin’.)
But it gets better! Even though I have had a Citi Double Cash card for over a decade and have a flawless record with that, they refused to apply my payments to the Premier card for weeks. That’s right – they take the money from my bank and refuse to allow me to use the credit line even though they have the money for weeks. It is the same payment account being used to pay the Citi Double Cash card, by the way.
This is a form of theft, is it not? Think about it. They take the money from my bank account and, in effect, create a forced loan from me to them because they don’t make the money available to me to use, but they have it. Somewhere, right? Free interest for them using my funds in a forced loan every time I make a payment and wait for weeks for it to be applied to my credit line.
They are treating me like a brand new customer they have never met before – after over 10 years with them as a customer they act like this 5 month old account is suspect and I am engaging in criminal activity that needs close monitoring. And the credit limit of $2000 makes the card virtually UNUSABLE.
Working with their customer service has been an exercise in frustration. I despise Citibank and me and my family members are closing all accounts with them ASAP.
Reply
John July 28, 2021
How can you have had the Double Cash card for over a decade? It launched in 2014.
Reply
EB August 14, 2022
Tolls are no longer considered travel for the 3x points allotment. It’s just 1x.
Reply
- Jarrod West August 24, 2022
  Hi EB,
  Thanks for pointing that out, I’ve corrected the post.
  Reply
James August 23, 2022
Hi Alex! Hasn’t Citi cancelled all Citi Price Rewind benefits a few years years ago?
Reply
- Jarrod West September 6, 2022
  Hi James,
  Thanks for pointing that out. I’ve just corrected the post.
  Reply

Earn Points

Use Points

Business Credit Card Reviews

Business Guides

Air Travel Guides

Airline Points

Earn & Use Hotel Points