Citi Premier Card Evaluation: 80K Bonus & 3x Factors

Hyperlink: Apply now for the Citi Premier^® Card

When speaking about mid-range bank cards that earn transferrable factors, the Chase Sapphire Most popular® Card might be the primary card that involves thoughts for a lot of. The cardboard affords a lot of nice advantages, bonus factors on eating and journey, and invaluable journey and buy safety.

Nevertheless, there are a few playing cards that may compete with the Sapphire Most popular, and on this submit, I needed to check out a kind of playing cards, which I feel for many individuals could be a greater choice. That is an extremely underrated card, particularly together with the Citi® Double Money Card (as I’ll clarify under). The cardboard is even providing a best-ever welcome bonus, making it a good time to use.

Citi Premier Card Fundamentals For October 2022

The Citi Premier^® Card is a card that gives a welcome bonus of 80,000 factors, has 5 totally different classes the place cardmembers can earn 3x factors, and in addition gives a lot of flexibility because of what number of switch companions there are. Is that this card best for you, although? Let’s take a look at this card in a bit extra element.

Bonus Of 80,000 Citi ThankYou Factors

The Citi Premier^® Card has a welcome bonus of 80,000 ThankYou factors after spending $4,000 inside three months. This best-ever bonus is obtainable for a restricted time, although an finish date hasn’t but been revealed. Not solely are you able to switch these factors to airline companions (and get a minimum of 80,000 airline miles), however it’s also possible to redeem them towards different purchases (and get a minimum of $800 in worth).

Primarily based on my valuation of Citi ThankYou factors, that bonus is value $1,360, making it one of many all-around greatest bank card welcome bonuses on the market.

Citi Premier Card Bonus Eligibility

There are some restrictions to concentrate on if you happen to’re seeking to earn the welcome bonus on the Citi Premier. You’re not eligible for the welcome bonus if you happen to’ve:

• Acquired a brand new cardmember bonus on the Citi Rewards+, Citi ThankYou Most popular, Citi Premier, or Citi Status, previously 24 months
• Closed the Citi Rewards+, Citi ThankYou Most popular, Citi Premier, or Citi Status, previously 24 months

In different phrases, it’s fantastic if in case you have a kind of different playing cards, however you simply can’t have opened or closed it in that point interval. So if you happen to’re a present Citi Status Card member, you will get the Citi Premier Card so long as you bought the bonus on the Citi Status over 24 months in the past.

Pay attention to Citi’s different common card approval guidelines:

• You possibly can solely apply for one Citi card each eight days
• You possibly can apply for not more than two Citi playing cards each 65 days

Product Altering

Citi will typically allow you to product change from one card to a different, assuming you’ve had it for a minimum of 12 months. For instance, one technique might be to use for the Citi Premier, after which later you possibly can product change it to the Citi Status or Citi Rewards+.

You’ll must name Citi to seek out out the choices accessible in your account.

$95 Annual Payment

The Citi Premier Card has an affordable $95 annual price. You possibly can add licensed customers to the cardboard at no further price, and any spending that licensed customers placed on their card will contribute towards the factors you earn.

Incomes Factors With The Citi Premier Card

The Citi Premier^® Card affords one of the best bonus classes of any mid-range bank card, for my part. When choosing a bank card I like to recommend getting one that gives bonus factors in classes that you just’re probably to spend so much in.

Bank cards provide bonus factors on classes like journey, eating, gasoline, supermarkets, and so forth., so simply choose a card that gives factors in classes helpful to you. For context, I worth Citi ThankYou factors at 1.7 cents every.

3x Factors On Air Journey & Lodges

The Citi Premier affords 3x factors on air journey and resort purchases, with no restrict on what number of bonus factors you may earn. This consists of purchases made instantly with airways and inns, in addition to purchases by journey businesses. To me, that’s like a 5.1% return in these classes.

3x Factors On Gasoline

The Citi Premier affords 3x factors on gasoline station purchases. Once more, I worth that at a ~5.1% return, and that makes this among the finest playing cards for gasoline station purchases.

3x Factors On Eating 

The Citi Premier additionally affords 3x factors on eating, which incorporates eating places, cafes, takeout, and supply. A 5.1% return on this class makes this among the finest playing cards for eating.

3x Factors On Groceries

Lastly (however definitely not least), the Citi Premier affords 3x factors on groceries. I might additionally contemplate this to be among the finest playing cards for grocery store purchases.

No International Transaction Charges

The Citi Premier has no overseas transaction charges, so this is a wonderful card to make use of for purchases globally since you may earn invaluable rewards whereas not being caught with these charges, that are typically as excessive as 3%.

Redeeming Citi ThankYou Factors

The Citi Premier^® Card earns ThankYou factors. This is likely one of the 4 main transferable factors currencies, and it’s additionally a factors forex that I’ve discovered has elevated in worth considerably over the previous few years because of all of the switch companions which were added. Let’s take a better take a look at how redemptions work.

Switch Factors To Airline & Lodge Packages

Citi ThankYou factors may be transferred to airline and resort companions. This system has the under 16 companions, together with 14 airways and two resort teams.

Transferring factors to companions could be a nice worth if you happen to’re seeking to redeem for first and enterprise class journey. That’s as a result of first and enterprise class tickets are sometimes tremendous costly if paying money, whereas they’re typically moderately priced if paying in factors.

My favourite Citi ThankYou companions are Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Avianca LifeMiles, Emirates Skywards, Etihad Visitor, Singapore KrisFlyer, Turkish Miles&Smiles, and Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership.

Look Out For Switch Bonuses

One solution to get much more worth out of your ThankYou factors is to look out for switch bonuses. Sometimes Citi affords further bonuses while you switch factors, and these can typically be within the vary of 20-30%.

We’ve seen these to Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Avianca LifeMiles, JetBlue TrueBlue, Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership, and extra. These could be a nice deal.

Redeem Factors For One Cent Every Towards Airfare

Citi ThankYou factors may be redeemed on the charge of 1 cent every towards airfare, so I wouldn’t suggest redeeming that method. You will get a lot better worth by transferring to journey companions.

What About Redeeming For Reward Playing cards?

When you can redeem Citi ThankYou factors for present playing cards, merchandise, and extra, I’d usually suggest in opposition to this. That’s since you’ll get at most one cent of worth per level, which isn’t a very whole lot. It might be deal within the context of the welcome bonus since 80,000 factors might get you $800 in worth, however in any other case, I’d advise in opposition to it.

How Ought to You Redeem Citi ThankYou Factors?

All of it is dependent upon what your journey targets are. Typically talking:

• In case you’re simply seeking to redeem for financial system journey, redeeming factors for one cent every towards the price of airfare might be okay for you, and may be a greater worth than transferring to companions
• If you wish to redeem for journey in first and enterprise class (which is what I like to recommend), there’s big worth in studying airline award charts, as a result of you will get outsized worth that method

You Can Mix Citi ThankYou Factors

Observe that if in case you have the Citi Premier, Citi Status, Citi Rewards+, Citi Double Money, and/or Citi Customized Money, then you may pool the factors earned throughout all of the playing cards. You too can switch ThankYou factors to different ThankYou members, although do observe that these factors then expire after 60 days (so I’d suggest transferring them to a accomplice program inside that timeframe).

Citi Premier Card Advantages

I might plan on getting the Citi Premier^® Card for the bonus and return on spending that it affords, fairly than the perks. That being mentioned, the cardboard does have some advantages that folks could discover helpful.

$100 Annual Lodge Financial savings Profit

With the Citi Premier, you will get $100 off a single resort keep of $500 or extra, excluding taxes and charges, when reserving by Citi ThankYou. This profit is obtainable as soon as per calendar yr.

For some individuals, this can kind of be value face worth, whereas for others it is going to be value little or no. If you will get worth out of this, it might greater than make up for the annual price on the cardboard.

World Elite Mastercard Advantages

The Citi Premier is a World Elite Mastercard, that means that it comes with fairly just a few advantages, together with financial savings with Lyft, Boxed, ShopRunner, and extra.

Is The Citi Premier Card Value It?

The Citi Premier^® Card affords essentially the most rewarding bonus classes of any mid-range bank card, for my part, as the cardboard affords 3x factors in 5 totally different classes. I additionally love Citi ThankYou factors, and get big worth by transferring them to airline companions, particularly together with a switch bonus. That is additionally a good time to select up the cardboard, given the massive bonus.

So, how does this evaluate to a number of the different playing cards on the market, and the way do you actually maximize worth?

Tip: Complement With Citi Double Money

One main motive to think about getting the Citi Premier is due to the worth of complementing it with the Citi® Double Money Card (assessment). The Citi Double Money:

The Citi Double Money is certainly one of my go-to playing cards for on a regular basis spending, and I contemplate this to be an unbeatable mixture. You possibly can earn 3x factors on eating, gasoline, groceries, and extra, and 2x factors on all your different purchases.

For that matter, personally I’d additionally throw the no annual price Citi Rewards+® Card (assessment) into the combo. The cardboard affords two distinctive advantages:

• Every buy on the cardboard is rounded as much as the ten nearest ThankYou factors, so this can be a nice card for small purchases
• Having the Citi Rewards+ will get you 10% again for the primary 100,000 ThankYou factors redeemed per calendar yr, so having this card will make your factors go additional

The no annual price Citi Customized Money℠ Card (assessment) could be a nice complement as nicely:

• The cardboard affords 5x ThankYou factors in your high eligible spending class, on as much as $500 spent every billing cycle
• Eligible spending classes embody drugstores, health golf equipment, gasoline stations, grocery shops, house enchancment shops, dwell leisure, eating places, choose streaming companies, choose transit, and choose journey

Comparability: Citi Premier Vs. Citi Status

The Citi Status is the premium model of the Citi Premier, so how do the playing cards evaluate?

• Welcome bonus: Citi Premier affords 80,000 factors, the Citi Status just isn’t presently accessible for brand spanking new candidates
• Annual price: Citi Premier has a $95 annual price, Citi Status has a $495 annual price
• Factors incomes:
  • Citi Premier affords 3x factors on eating, gasoline, groceries, air journey, inns, and gasoline
  • Citi Status affords 5x factors on eating air journey, and 3x factors on inns and cruise traces
• Different perks: The Status has the good thing about providing a $250 journey credit score yearly and a Precedence Move membership

Typically, my suggestion is to begin with the Citi Premier, see the way you prefer it, after which after a yr you may all the time product change to the Citi Status (assuming it continues to be accessible, because it’s not presently open to new cardmembers). That method you may benefit from the a lot better bonus and decrease annual price on the Citi Premier as you get used to the Citi ThankYou program.

Personally, I feel the Citi Premier is a extra well-rounded bank card these days. However there’s not even a choice to be made right here, for the reason that Citi Status isn’t open to new candidates.

Options To The Citi Premier

If you wish to contemplate one other mid-range card rather than the Citi Premier, there are two playing cards I’d take a look at.

Chase Sapphire Most popular Vs. Citi Premier

The Chase Sapphire Most popular® Card (assessment) might be the most important competitor to the Citi Premier, and the cardboard lately underwent some adjustments.

The cardboard additionally has a $95 annual price, so the most important variations are the next:

• The Sapphire Most popular has a welcome bonus of 60,000 Final Rewards factors
• The Citi Premier has higher bonus classes, as the cardboard affords triple factors on eating, gasoline, groceries, air journey, and inns, whereas the Sapphire Most popular affords triple factors on eating, on-line groceries, and choose streaming companies, and double factors on journey
• The Sapphire Most popular affords considerably higher journey, automotive rental, and buy safety, and in addition affords a $50 annual resort credit score; everybody has to resolve how a lot they worth that

Amex Gold Card Vs. Citi Premier

The American Categorical® Gold Card (assessment) affords a welcome bonus of 60,000 Membership Rewards factors. So far as the return on spending goes, the cardboard affords:

• 4x Membership Rewards factors for eating at eating places
• 4x factors for purchases at U.S. supermarkets (on as much as $25,000 of spend per yr)
• 3x factors on airfare bought instantly from airways.

The cardboard has a $250 annual price (Charges & Charges), although affords an as much as a $120 annual eating credit score and Uber Money & Uber Eats advantages. These credit assist offset the annual price considerably.

As you may see, the Amex Gold is healthier for eating and U.S. supermarkets, although it doesn’t provide bonus factors on gasoline or inns.

Backside Line

The Citi Premier^® Card is an underrated card that earns invaluable transferrable factors. The cardboard has an affordable annual price, an enormous best-ever welcome bonus, and wonderful 3x factors classes. I don’t assume there’s one other card available in the market with bonus classes as well-rounded as this card.

Whenever you complement it with the power to earn 2x ThankYou factors per greenback spent with the Citi® Double Money Card, that’s an incredible duo.

Typically, for mid-range playing cards, I actually assume it’s between the Citi Premier and the Chase Sapphire Most popular, as each are wonderful playing cards. You possibly can all the time choose up each playing cards after which long run resolve which makes essentially the most sense for you.

Apply Now for the Citi Premier Card Card with 80,000 bonus factors!

The next hyperlinks will direct you to the charges and charges for talked about American Categorical Playing cards. These embody: American Categorical® Gold Card (Charges & Charges).