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About Citi Credit Cards
Citi has arguably been one of the most aggressive credit card issuers in recent years, continuously improving its lineup alongside AMEX and Chase. Compared with those two, Citi is a bit weaker when it comes to transfer partners, but stronger in its ability to earn points. Unfortunately, on the premium-card side, Prestige has been closed to new applicants for a long time, and it may still be getting reworked. In addition, Citi has basically no strength in hotel co-branded cards, and the Hilton cards it used to have were all taken over by AMEX.
Below, I’ll go over the Citi credit cards that are worth applying for.
Citi Core Cards
No Annual Fee
Citi’s no-annual-fee core cards are truly outstanding, and each one has something going for it. One especially nice feature of Citi cards is that you can product change freely among different products. You can absolutely apply for an annual-fee card first and then downgrade it to one of these cards later. If your situation allows, each of these no-annual-fee cards can be worth keeping.
- This card is especially good for small purchases like coffee, and cardholders also get 10% back when redeeming ThankYou Points.
No annual fee! Best paired with other Citi TYP credit cards
- Welcome bonus: No longer available to apply for, but you can product change.
- Rewards: 2x points at supermarkets and gas stations (on the first $6000 in purchases); 1x points on all other purchases. Earn at least 10 points per transaction.
- Redemption: If you also hold a premium card, points can be transferred 1:1 to airline miles or hotel points; get 10% points back on redemptions
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
- This card is similar to a rotating-category bonus cash back card, but with a category you can choose yourself, making it more flexible than Freedom or Discover it.
Automatically earn 5% cash back in your top eligible spending category; no annual fee!
- Welcome bonus: 20,000 ThankYou Points (spend $1,500 in the 6 months before account opening)
- Rewards: Earn 5% cash back on your highest eligible spending category each billing cycle, on up to the first $500 in purchases; after that, earn 1%. Categories include: restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, travel, transit, streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs, and live entertainment
- Redemption: Can be redeemed directly for cash back, or transferred to airline miles if you also have a premium card
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
- I think this is a must-have card: an unconditional 2x on all purchases, as long as you make payments on time.
2x on all purchases, no annual fee!
- Welcome bonus: $200 (spend $1,500 in 6 months)
- Rewards: 1x+1x (earn 1x points when you make a purchase, plus another 1x when you pay it off)
- Redemption: 100 points = $1 cash back; with a premium card, you may be able to transfer points to airline and hotel partners
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
Annual Fee Cards
Right now, the only Citi core card open to new applicants is Premier. Prestige has not been reopened for new applications, though hopefully that will change at some point. Annual-fee cards have much stronger travel benefits, and they also let you transfer TYP points to airline miles or hotel points. Although Citi’s partner lineup is not as strong as AMEX or Chase, airline alliances make cross-booking possible anyway, so in practice the gap is not that large if you know how to use the program well.
- Premier is exceptionally strong for earning points on travel, and it’s also very solid for everyday spending. It’s a high-value card well worth keeping.
Citi Strata Premier Credit Card
One of the best all-around credit cards for both everyday spending and travel. Plus, get a $100 annual hotel benefit.
- Welcome bonus: 60,000 ThankYou Points (Spend $4,000 in three months)
- Rewards: 10x on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through Citi Travel; 3x at supermarkets, restaurants, gas stations, on airfare, hotels, and EV charging; 1x on all other purchases
- Redemption: Points can be transferred 1:1 to airline and hotel loyalty programs, or redeemed for cash back
- Annual fee: $95
- Apply now>>
- Prestige is still pretty good for premium benefits. If you already have Citi Gold, it can be very worthwhile to continue holding it.
Premium travel card; $250 annual travel credit; fourth hotel night free!
- Welcome bonus: 50,000 ThankYou Points (Spend $4,000 in 3 months)
- Rewards: 5x on airfare and dining; 3x on hotels and cruises; 1x on everything else
- Redemption: 100 points = $1 cash back; transfer to airline miles or hotel points; with a Premier card, 100 points = $1.25 toward select hotels and airfare
- Annual fee: $495
- Apply now>>
Airline Co-Branded Cards
Citi shares the AA co-branded card partnership with Barclays. A reminder here: although AA does have a no-annual-fee version, it is still generally better to downgrade to one of Citi’s own no-annual-fee cards, since Citi has many strong options there.
- The most worthwhile option is the mid-tier card, especially since the first year’s annual fee is waived, so it’s easy to pick one up and see how it works for you.
Citi AA Platinum American Airlines Credit Card
No annual fee for the first year!
- Welcome bonus: 80,000 AA miles (spend $3,500 in the first 4 months)
- Rewards: 2X on AA website ticket purchases; 2x at restaurants and gas stations; 1x on all other purchases
- Redemption: Best value when redeeming for flights between China and the U.S. or between the U.S. and Europe; business-class redemptions can also offer solid value.
- Annual fee: $99（No annual fee for the first year）
- Apply now>>
- The premium card is generally low on value unless you’re a die-hard AA fan who needs access to AA lounges or regularly checks a lot of bags.
Citi AAdvantage Executive Credit Card
Complimentary Admirals Club access plus up to $480 in annual statement credits; a premium AA credit card
- Welcome bonus: 70,000 AA miles (spend $7,000 in three months)
- Rewards: 4x on AA purchases; after $150k in annual spending, earn 5x; 1x on all other purchases
- Redemption: Best value for redeeming flights between the U.S. and China or between the U.S. and Europe; business-class redemptions can offer solid value.
- Annual fee: $595
- Apply now>>
Other Co-Branded Cards
- Citi Sears: The card itself is not especially interesting, but it frequently has targeted 10x-15x spending offers. It’s only recommended for people who really know how to maximize these kinds of deals.
- Citi Costco: It’s decent as a gas card, but its 2% category is directly overshadowed by Double Cash, and for travel it can’t compete with Premier, so it’s not especially compelling.
Business Credit Cards
It has to be said that Citi is genuinely weak on the business credit card side. The only somewhat interesting option is the AA co-branded business card, but its benefits are pretty similar to the personal AA cards, so at best it serves as another way to expand your AA mileage balance.
Citi AA Platinum Business American Airlines Business Credit Card
AA airline card with first-year annual fee waived
- Welcome bonus: 65,000 AA miles (spend $4,000 in 4 months)
- Rewards: 2x on AA website ticket purchases; 2x on telecommunications, car rentals, and gas; 1x on everything else
- Redemption: Best value for redeeming flights between China and the U.S. or between the U.S. and Europe; business-class redemptions can also offer solid value.
- Annual fee: $99（First-year annual fee waived）
- Apply now>>
Applications
Citi’s application rules used to be very complicated, with various restrictions involving card openings and welcome bonuses. Now, most cards have basically moved to a standardized rule of one bonus every 48 months, so the simplest strategy is to apply for each card once when it has a bonus available. Of course, for cards with relatively weak welcome bonuses, the better approach is to apply for the higher-bonus card first, then product change into the one you want to keep.