The Citi Premier® Card typically requires applicants to have an excellent/good credit score to qualify, but Citi (like most issuers) will consider additional factors including your income, credit history and if you have other Citi cards open.
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For consumers who want to dabble with travel rewards but don’t do tons of traveling, the Citi Premier® Card offers a variety of everyday spending opportunities to earn bonus points. The card gives you generous rewards on restaurant, supermarket and gas station purchases.
You’ll earn valuable, flexible points that you can transfer 1:1 to 16 travel partners. For a reasonable annual fee, it’s a solid choice for people who want to save on the occasional trips they take, and don’t mind foregoing the VIP-level travel perks that some other travel cards provide.
Intro Purchase APR
N/A
Regular Purchase APR
21.24% - 29.24% (Variable)
Intro BT APR
N/A
Regular BT APR
21.24% - 29.24% (Variable)
Annual Fee
$95
Cash Advance Fee
5% of each cash advance; $10 minimum
Foreign Transaction Fee
0%
Balance Transfer Fee
Balance transfer fee applies with this offer 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.
Valuable sign-up bonus
A good reason to apply for the Citi Premier® Card is that you can earn enough points for a plane ticket or two in the first few months. You’ll Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. That’s the equivalent of $600 in travel through the Citi ThankYou.com portal, or possibly even more if you go to the right travel partner.
Points are easy to earn
While some travel cards only reward you for travel purchases, the Citi Premier® Card is more focused on everyday spending. You’ll 10X total ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through June 30, 2024. 3X -- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Other Hotels 3X -- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets 1X -- Earn 1 Point on All Other Purchases.
A 3X bonus on everyday purchases like groceries, can really add up, especially with grocery prices so high. With Americans spending an average of $5,259 on food at home, $3,030 on dining out and $2,148 on gas annually (for 2021), that’s $865 per month on just these key spending areas. At 3 points per dollar, the rewards for that spend can be worth $313 per year.
You can transfer points to Citi Premier® card transfer partners
Squeezing even more value out of travel rewards points is something that savvy cardholders try to do, and transferring to travel partners could be one way to do it. Citi has 16 travel partners to which you can move your ThankYou® Points over 1:1.
You may be able to bump up the value of your points on certain flight or hotel bookings, making them worth potentially more than 1 cent each. Take a look at this list of travel partners to help you decide if a ThankYou® points card like Citi Premier® Card is a good choice for you:
$100 annual hotel credit
You’ll get a $100 hotel credit with ThankYou.com each year you hold the card. This benefit can easily outweigh the $95 annual fee. All you have to do is book a single hotel stay of $500 or more through the ThankYou.com portal, and you’ll get a $100 discount applied to the booking. You can pay with your card, use your ThankYou® points, or a combination. Just note that you have to prepay for the complete stay to earn the credit.
No foreign transaction fee
If you plan to travel abroad, the Citi Premier® Card is a good choice for your wallet since you can avoid foreign transaction fees. Some cards charge an average of 3% when you use them outside of the U.S. so this benefit can add up to significant savings if you like to go overseas or island hopping.
No lounge access or elite status
To get VIP-level travel perks, you typically have to choose premium level cards that have much higher annual fees. That said, if you’re looking for status perks for airline or hotel loyalty programs or airport lounge access, you won’t get them on this card. You also won’t get travel insurance, which is available on comparable cards.
Annual fee is not waived in the first year
Some cards that charge an annual fee give you the first year free, but Citi Premier® Card is not one of them. You’ll be charged the $95 fee when you get your first bill. If you earn the sign-up bonus, however, that alone covers the first six years of fees.
No purchase protection or extended warranty
Another popular perk that the Citi Premier® Card is lacking that you may find on some rewards credit cards are those related to consumer protections. This includes getting reimbursed for damaged or stolen merchandise you purchase with the card and getting extra time on warranties for items purchased with the card.
For the same $95 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers a stronger set of travel partners, including United, Southwest and JetBlue, as well as Marriott, Hyatt, and IHG hotels.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card does not offer bonus points on gas purchases or in-person supermarket shopping, but does for streaming and online grocery delivery — making it a better choice for those who shop for food online. Lastly, the $95 provides valuable travel protections, including travel insurance, trip protection and primary auto rental insurance.
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is another $95 annual fee travel card that’s a good choice for those who prefer the same rewards on most purchases.
Cardholders earn 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day; 5 Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. Also, just like the Citi Premier® Card, you can transfer these rewards to a variety of hotel and airline programs. However, cardholders get a credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.
For a higher annual fee ($250), the American Express® Gold Card offers even better rewards on restaurant and U.S. supermarket purchases than the Citi Premier® Card. You’ll earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X), and 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com. Terms apply.
You might find the higher annual fee worth it if you’re a foodie who will also take advantage of the card’s dining credit worth up to $120 each year ($10 monthly for qualifying restaurants). But for an entry-level travel card, the Citi Premier® Card is probably the way to go.
| Credit Cards | Our Ratings | Welcome Offer | Rewards Rate | Annual Fee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Citi Premier® Card
 Apply Now
on Citibank's secure site Rates & Fees |
Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening | 10X total ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through June 30, 2024. 3X -- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Other Hotels 3X -- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets 1X -- Earn 1 Point on All Other Purchases | $95 |
Apply Now
on Citibank's secure site Rates & Fees |
|
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site |
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠. | Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more. | $95 |
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site |
|
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Apply Now
on Capital One's secure site Rates & Fees |
Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel | 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day; 5 Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel | $95 |
Apply Now
on Capital One's secure site Rates & Fees |
|
American Express® Gold Card
|
Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership. | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X), and 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com. Terms apply. | $250 |
If you want to start earning travel rewards and you happen to spend a good amount on groceries, gas and dining out, the Citi Premier® Card could be a great fit for your wallet. You’ll start off with a generous sign-up bonus, enjoy 0% foreign transaction fees and can transfer points to several travel partners.
If you are interested in accessing travel benefits, though, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card may be the better choice for the same annual fee, since it comes with travel protections and primary rental car insurance.
Apply Now
The Citi Premier® Card typically requires applicants to have an excellent/good credit score to qualify, but Citi (like most issuers) will consider additional factors including your income, credit history and if you have other Citi cards open.
Determining if any credit card with a fee is worth it really comes down to if you are able to earn more in rewards and benefits than you pay for the card. For the Citi Premier® Card, that means you want to redeem at least $95 in rewards, or you can take advantage of the $100 hotel credit. Paying your card in full each month will also help ensure that you’re not paying interest charges.
The Citi Premier® Card is a Mastercard.
The Citi Premier® Card is not made out of metal.