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The Citi Premier® Card has a sign-up bonus offer for 80,000 bonus ThankYou Points after making $4,000 in purchases with your card within the first 3 months of account opening. These points are worth $800 in gift cards through Citi. Get even more value with 80k ThankYou Points by using Citi’s transfer partners – up to about $1,360 in value (1.7 cents per point).
This can be a good travel card if its limitations aren’t an issue for you. It can earn rewards at a high rate. But, you’ll have to redeem points through the ThankYou Travel Center for the best value. This results in less flexibility when compared to general travel rewards cards.
*Citi also has great bonuses for their Checking/Savings accounts.
| Bonus available | Earn 80,000 bonus points after you make at least $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. |
| Bonus value* | $1,360 |
| Travel credit | N/A |
| Ongoing rewards/benefits | 3 points for every $1 spent on travel, gas stations, restaurants, and supermarkets. Earn 2 points for every $1 spent at restaurants and on entertainment and 1 mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases. Points are transferable to participating airline loyalty programs. Points are worth 25% more on airfare booked through Citi. |
| Foreign transaction fees? | No |
| Airport lounge access | N/A |
| Annual Fee | $95, waived for the first 12 months. |
*Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by MoneysMyLife and not the card issuer. Read our card review for more details.
View our latest valuations here.
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PROS
- Bonus points
- No foreign transaction fees
CONS
- Has an annual fee
- Excellent credit needed
- Complicated rewards structure
- Weak transfer partners
CHASE SAPPHIRE PREFERRED® CARD
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card currently has an offer for 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Redeeming the 60,000 bonus points through the Chase Ultimate Rewards program, which is praised by users, will get you $750 in value towards travel. The 60K bonus points are worth $750 because you get 25% more value whenever you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Even better, strategize with Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer partners to potentially get even more value. Each point can be worth up to 2 cents apiece (60k points = ~$1,200). Read more on this here.
Citi Premier Card 80,000 Bonus Points
Take advantage of the 80,000 sign-up bonus points offer. You’ll need to make $4,000 or more in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening to earn the bonus.
Here are some ideas on meeting the spending requirement:
What Are ThankYou Points Worth?
As with many point-based credit cards, the value of your rewards can vary greatly. It all depends on how you use them. On average, I value each ThankYou point at around $0.017. This average is based on all the different ways you can transfer points to ThankYou partners. Value of transferred points also depend on the booking details – travel time, destination, etc. Get around $1,020 of value for 60k ThankYou Points with this strategy.
The value of each ThankYou point when redeemed for airfare through Citi is $0.125. This includes the 25% more value booked through Citi.
You can redeem your points towards travel booked via the Travel Center, statement credits, gift cards or online purchases at Amazon or Best Buy. You can also transfer your points to participating airline loyalty programs (more on that below).
Because there are so many redemption options, finding the most value for your points can be a time-consuming process. If you want easier rewards, I suggest a general travel rewards card (see my suggestions below).
- Aeromexico Club Premier
- Asia MilesTM
- Avianca LifeMiles
- Emirates Skywards
- Etihad Guest
- EVA Air Infinity MileageLands
- Flying Blue Air France KLM
- InterMiles
- Jetblue TrueBlue
- Malaysia Airlines Enrich
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
- Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Bottom Line
The Citi Premier Card is an average travel rewards card. The welcome bonus is a nice touch, but the perks fall a bit short. Limitations include:
- Annual fee. With the card’s lack of strong perks, the $95 annual fee is more difficult to justify.
- Complicated rewards structure. To get the maximum value for your points, you’ll need to transfer your points or do some serious strategizing.
- Weak transfer partners. JetBlue is the only domestic carrier you can transfer points to. You’re also looking at a 1,000 ThankYou points to 800 TrueBlue points transfer ratio, which is less than ideal.
Do you spend a lot on travel, gas, dining and entertainment? Looking for points you can redeem for travel? Then the Citi Premier Card is worth consideration.
Otherwise, have a look at a few other rewards cards below. One might be a better fit for you.
What’s The Competition?
Below are some of the top competitors to the Citi Premier Card you should consider.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card both have great sign-up bonuses and offer flat ongoing rewards rates.
The American Express® Gold Card has a higher annual fee, but the overall rewards program is very good.
CHASE SAPPHIRE PREFERRED® CARD
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card currently has an offer for 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Redeeming the 60,000 bonus points through the Chase Ultimate Rewards program, which is praised by users, will get you $750 in value towards travel. The 60K bonus points are worth $750 because you get 25% more value whenever you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Even better, strategize with Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer partners to potentially get even more value. Each point can be worth up to 2 cents apiece (60k points = ~$1,200). Read more on this here.
CAPITAL ONE® VENTURE® REWARDS CREDIT CARD
The Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card currently earns 100,000 bonus miles when you spend $20,000 on purchases in the first 12 months from account opening. Or if are unable to meet the $20k spending requirement, you can still earn 50,000 bonus miles for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months. These bonus miles are equal to $1000 or $500, respectively, in travel and are easy to redeem as a statement credit towards the cost of your travel purchases. Take advantage of Capital One’s travel partners and these up to 100k miles can be worth around $1400 in value.
This card will earn an ongoing 2 miles for every dollar you spend on all purchases. 100 miles is equal to $1 in travel rewards. If you don’t redeem towards travel purchases, your miles will have less value.
The annual fee is $95.
AMERICAN EXPRESS® GOLD CARD
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
The American Express® Gold Card has a welcome bonus for 60,000 Membership Rewards Points when you spend $4,000 within 6 months.
Membership Rewards Points have great flexibility. We value each point to be worth up to an average 2 cents per point. At this value, 60k Membership Rewards Points can be worth up to $1,200.
The Amex Gold Card has plentiful perks. You’ll get:
- Choice between Gold or Rose Gold.
- 4X points at restaurants, including takeouts and deliveries.
- 4X points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per year in purchases (1X thereafter)
- 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
- Up to $120 in annual dining credits (get up to $10 monthly statement credits)
- No foreign transaction fees
The annual fee is $250. See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply.
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Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
Disclaimer: These responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, credit card issuer, hotel, airline or other entity. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post. It is not the bank advertiser's or any other entity's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.