Citi Premier® Card Review

For a $95 annual fee, the Citi Premier® Card rewards spending on popular categories with flexible points. You earn three ThankYou points per dollar spent on groceries, gas, restaurants, airlines and hotels, while you earn one point per dollar on everything else. The points can be redeemed as gift cards, travel rewards, cash back and more. You can even transfer your points to Citi's transfer partners.

Additionally, you can earn the sign-up bonus of 60,000 ThankYou points if you spend $4,000 on purchases within three months from account opening. That’s worth around $800 in gift cards. Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 ThankYou® points per dollar spent on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel portal through June 30, 2024.

All purchases made with the Citi Premier® Card earn ThankYou points. Every dollar spent on groceries, gas, restaurants, hotels and airfare earns you three points, while you get one point on everything else. There’s no limit on the points you can earn, and they don’t expire. While the value of your ThankYou points may change, they are usually around one cent per point.

Currently, the Citi Premier® Card gives a welcome bonus of 60,000 ThankYou points if you spend $4,000 within three months of the account opening. Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 ThankYou® points per dollar spent on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel portal through June 30, 2024.

ThankYou points can be redeemed in a number of ways:

• Earn 60,000 bonus points if you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months (valued at $800 when you redeem them for gift cards).
• Earn 3x points on air travel, on hotel bookings, at gas stations, at supermarkets and at restaurants.
• Earn 1x points on all other purchases.
• Get $100 off a hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding fees and taxes) when you book through thankyou.com (online or over the phone).
• Transfer your points to airline loyalty programs such as American Airlines AAdvantage, Aeromexico, Asia Miles, Avianca LifeMiles, Emirates Skywards, Etihad Guest, Flying Blue, InterMiles, JetBlue TrueBlue, Malaysia Airlines Enrich, Qantas Frequent Flyer, Qatar Privilege Club, Singapore Airlines, Thai Royal Orchid Plus, Miles & Smiles and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.
• Other ways to redeem your points include getting gift cards, shopping online, paying for travel, getting statement credits, making online bill payments and making charitable donations.
• Pay no foreign transaction fees when you use this card internationally.
• Additional cards come with no annual fees.
• Access to Citi Entertainment gives you the means to buy tickets to various events as well as presale tickets.

To accurately assess the potential value proposition of the Citi Premier Card to your wallet, it’s important to understand the fees associated with the card.

The Citi Premier® Card has a number of benefits beyond its lucrative rewards system.

• Contactless payment: Use this card to safely shop with qualified merchants by simply tapping your cards on contactless payment readers.
• Additional users: You can add an authorized user to your account for free. This allows you to earn points faster.
• Citi Entertainment: Users of this card gain exclusive access to the most anticipated concerts, sporting events, dining experiences and more.

The Citi Premier® Card stands firm when compared with similar cards. It offsets the reasonable annual fee by offering tripled rewards on various spending categories and a flexible rewards redemption option. However, its overall value depends on your needs and preferences.

In-Depth Credit Card Comparisons:

• Citi Premier® Card vs Chase Sapphire Preferred Card