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So, you’re thinking about trying for the Citi Premier® Card to be your next go-to rewards credit card. It’s a good option! It comes with a nice signup bonus, an annual hotel credit, and the ability to use your points for shopping and travel. It is also one of the best miles cards. Here are several reasons why you should apply for the Citi Premier, a top travel credit card.
Learn More: CardMatch™
The information for the Citi Premier® Card has been collected independently by Johnny Jet. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Apply for the Citi Premier for the Signup Bonus
Let’s start with one of the most exciting parts of getting a credit card—the signup bonus!
New Citi Premier
® Card cardmembers can earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. This bonus is redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards when redeemed at thankyou.com.
If this sounds like a good choice for you, check out the CardMatch™ tool, which is a free resource for finding personalized offers that best serve you. It can help you determine if the Citi Premier is a card you can get. Additionally, you may be offered a higher targeted signup bonus that isn’t available to the general public.
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.
I know $600 in gift cards doesn’t sound too exciting. However, there are many brands that Citi partners with, including Airbnb, several cruise lines, plenty of stores, and more. That $600 can be used in a variety of ways, which gives you more flexibility than other travel cards. If you’re still not sold, know that you can redeem your points in other ways (more below).
Before you try, however, it’s important to verify that you qualify for this bonus if you currently have other Citi credit cards that earn ThankYou points.
You’re ineligible for this bonus if you have received a new member bonus or closed another ThankYou rewards credit card in the last 24 months. Some examples include the Citi Rewards+® Card and the Citi Prestige® Card.
If this application guideline doesn’t affect you, you’re eligible for this card’s signup bonuses.
Related: Best Credit Card Offers
$100 Annual Hotel Savings Benefit
If you typically have at least one $500+ hotel stay each year, you can get a $100 discount. This annual savings benefit applies to one qualifying stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) that you reserve through thankyou.com.
It’s possible to book a room at most mid-tier and luxury properties across the United States and the world.
In addition, this benefit offsets the $95 annual fee.
This can be one of the best hotel credit cards if you are looking for flexibility and you will also be spending at least $500.
Related: Cash Back vs Travel Rewards Credit Cards
Multiple Ways to Earn Bonus Points
Another reason to apply for the Citi Premier is for the ability to earn triple rewards on select purchases. There are several ways you can earn 3x ThankYou points on purchases with the Citi Premier® Card:
- Air travel
- Hotels
- Gas stations
- Restaurants
- Supermarkets
Travel, gas, and food-related purchases can be a significant part of your monthly budget. You will earn unlimited bonus points for these purchases, so you can book award trips more often.
Each non-bonus purchase earns 1 point per $1. You can read more about this in our Citi Premier Card review.
Can Convert Citi Double Cash Points to ThankYou Points
The information for the Citi® Double Cash Card has been collected independently by Johnny Jet. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Instead of earning 1x ThankYou points on base purchases, you might prefer a Citi Premier and Citi® Double Cash Card credit card combo.
The Double Cash earns 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. As a result, you can earn unlimited 2% cash back on each purchase.
To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time. Additionally, the Double Cash has a $0 annual fee. You’ll need fair to excellent credit for this card.
Related: Citi Double Cash Card Review
Flexible Redemption Options
Cardholders can redeem their points on gift cards, merchandise, travel, cash, and more. Your Citi Premier® Card ThankYou points are most valuable when you redeem them for gift cards. This flexibility lets you use your rewards for travel, dining, or shopping. You can also use your points at Amazon.com and BestBuy.com.
You can also redeem your points for cash back and online shopping credits. However, your points are worth 0.8 cents instead of 1 cent.
You can transfer points to airline and hotel partners (more on that in the next section).
It’s also possible to combine points from your other ThankYou-earning credit cards. If you’re traveling with another person, Citi lets you transfer up to 100,000 points per year to another ThankYou member.
Related: How Much is a Citi ThankYou Point Worth?
1:1 Point Transfers
One of the top reasons to apply for the Citi Premier is for travel. You can also transfer points at a 1:1 ratio in 1,000-point increments to several international airline partners. This may get you more mileage from each ThankYou point.
The Citi transfer partners include:
- Aeromexico
- Air France/KLM
- Avianca
- Cathay Pacific
- Emirates Skywards
- Etihad Airways
- EVA Air
- JetBlue
- JetPrivilege
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qantas
- Qatar Airways
- Singapore Airlines
- Thai Airways
- Virgin Atlantic
There are also two hotel transfer partners, Choice Privileges (2:1 transfer ratio) and Wyndham Rewards (1:1 transfer ratio).
These transfer partners are best for booking international flights as Jetblue is the only domestic transfer partner.
However, you may also be able to book partner flights on domestic carriers. For example, you can transfer your points to Avianca to book an award flight on United Airlines.
Learn More: CardMatch™
No Foreign Transaction Fee
The Citi Premier® Card is international travel-friendly as you won’t pay a foreign transaction fee on overseas purchases.
The $95 annual fee is also competitive with similar travel credit cards and is affordable.
Authorized user cards are complimentary.
Purchase Protection Benefits
You can enjoy several benefits that can reimburse your qualifying purchases if accidents happen:
- Damage and theft protection: Up to $10,000 per purchase ($50,000 per year) for accidental theft and damage within 90 days of purchase
- Extended warranty protection: Get up to 24 additional months of warranty protection
As this card is a Mastercard product, you can also get cell phone coverage from Mastercard by paying your monthly cell phone bill with your Citi Premier® Card.
Unfortunately, this card doesn’t offer complimentary travel insurance.
Learn More: CardMatch™
Mastercard World Elite Benefits
The Citi Premier is a World Elite Mastercard product. If you have a Visa Signature Card, this can be a nice card for the Mastercard benefits.
As a result, you can enjoy several Mastercard-provided perks:
- $5 monthly Lyft credits after 3 ride purchases
- 5% back on HelloFresh purchases for your next purchase (and up to 14 free meals for new members)
- DoorDash discounts
- Free ShopRunner membership (2-day shipping and complimentary return shipping)
- Exclusive golf and travel experiences
- Up to $1,000 in cell phone protection (up to $800 per claim, 2 claims per year)
- Amenity credits at Mastercard Luxury Hotels and Resorts
- 24/7 travel concierge
It’s worth looking into these travel and lifestyle benefits to enjoy some extra savings. Luxury travelers can benefit the most.
Flexible Application Guidelines
Another reason to apply for the Citi Premier is if you’re currently subject to the application guidelines of other banks. For example, the Chase Bank 5/24 rule is one of the most notorious setbacks for travel hackers and credit card enthusiasts.
The Citi Premier is an excellent alternative to the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card as it has similar benefit and redemption options. And, it can be easier to qualify for if you have opened multiple cards in the past 24 months. You can compare the Chase Sapphire Preferred vs Citi Premier in our review.
There are two Citi application rules to consider:
- Only apply for 1 Citi credit card in an 8-day period (1/8 rule)
- Only apply for 2 Citi credit cards in a 65-day period (2/65 rule)
Related: Is the Citi Premier Card Hard to Get?
Summary
The Citi Premier® Card is an attractive travel reward credit card as it has an attractive rewards program that makes it easy to earn, redeem, or transfer points. Its signup bonus and annual hotel savings benefit are also excellent if you travel regularly and want an easy way to book award travel.
Learn More: CardMatch™
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