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Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card review
Last updated:
You'll find excellent intro APRs for purchases and balance transfers at 18 months.
finder.com’s rating: 4.2 / 5.0
★★★★★
- Get this card if you want long intro APR periods on balance transfers and purchases.
- Pick something else if you want rewards.
- Apply with an excellent credit score of 740 or higher.
$0
Annual fee
0%
Intro purchase APR
for the first 18 months (then 14.74% to 24.74% variable)
0%
Intro balance transfer
for the first 18 months (then 14.74% to 24.74% variable)
14.74% to 24.74%
Balance transfer APR (variable)
Details
| Product Name | Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card |
|---|---|
| Card type | Mastercard |
| Annual fee | $0 |
| Purchase APR | 0% intro for the first 18 months (then 14.74% to 24.74% variable) |
| Balance transfer APR | 0% intro for the first 18 months (then 14.74% to 24.74% variable) |
| Balance transfer fee | $5 or 3% of the transaction, whichever is greater |
| Cash advance rate | 25.24% variable |
| Cash advance fee | $10 or 5% of the cash advance amount, whichever is greater |
| Penalty APR | Up to 29.99% variable |
| Foreign transaction fee | 3% of the transaction value |
| Interest free period | Up to 23 days |
| Late payment fee | Up to $40 |
| Returned payment fee | Up to $40 |
| Additional cardholder fee | $0 |
Expert review
Review by
Kevin Joey Chen
kevin.chen@findercrew.comKevin Joey Chen is a credit cards writer whose work and analysis have appeared on CNN, U.S. News & World Report, The Dallas Morning News, Lifehacker and CreditCards.com. He's passionate about helping you get your finances in order and expertly navigate the cutting-edge financial tools available -- including credit cards, apps and budgeting software.
Expert review
Major card benefits
The Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card doesn’t offer many benefits, but it’s an excellent card for intro APRs. Here are the main perks to look into.
- No annual fee
Having a $0 annual fee makes it easy to keep your Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card open even after your intro APR expires. Even if you won’t earn rewards, keeping your card open keeps your average age of credit accounts high and protect your FICO score. - Excellent balance transfer APR
Get a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months from the date of your first transfer, then 14.74% to 24.74% variable. You’ll get this rate on all transfers within the first 4 months of card membership.Its intro APR is what makes the Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card stand out among competitors. You’ll often find intro APRs that last around 15 months — 18 months is considered very high.
- Long purchase intro APR
Get a 0% intro APR on purchases for 18 months after account opening, then 14.74% to 24.74% variable. This is a longer intro APR on purchases than you’ll typically find with competing products — most 1.5% cashback credit cards have purchase intro APRs of 15 months.You can leverage the Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card’s interest-rate promotion to make purchases you’d like to pay off over a long period of time. But be sure to clear your purchase balance before the intro APR expires, or you’ll start accruing interest.
What to watch out for
Before applying for this card, determine if the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Here are a few factors to keep your eyes peeled for.
- You’ll still pay balance transfer fees
Even though you get a top-notch balance transfer intro APR, you’ll still pay fees on your transfers: the greater of $5 or 3% for each transaction. - Four-month limit to transfer your balance
After you open your account, you’ll have four months to make transfers to qualify for the promotional interest rate.Four months is still a good deal, as many providers require you to transfer balances within 30 to 60 days after account opening. But it’s still worth looking out for so you don’t squander the Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card’s biggest benefit.
- There’s a steep penalty APR
If you make a late or returned payment, Citi may increase the APRs on all of your balances to up to 29.99% variable. Consumers despise this, and rightfully so. It creates a lot of pressure to be perfect every single billing cycle. Citi also says you can lose your intro APR if you make one late payment, which makes it extra important to stay vigilant about paying your card bill.
How to apply for the Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card
- Click Apply now.
- Complete the application with details like your name, address, annual income and Social Security number.
- Review and submit your application.
What credit score do I need?
You typically have better odds of getting a balance transfer credit card with an excellent credit score of 740 or higher. This is a good rule of thumb if you’re thinking about applying for the Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card. However, remember that approval is never guaranteed no matter what your credit score is.
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Case study: Jon’s experience
Jon Brodsky
CEO, Finder US
I got my Citi Diamond Preferred card solely as a balance transfer card to help me consolidate and pay down debt I’d accumulated renovating my home. As with other cards, it took me about 15 minutes to fill out the form, approval was close to instant, and my balances were transferred within a few days.
The thing that has kept this card as a go-to in my wallet is that Citi regularly sends me low or 0% APR offers generally reserved for new cardholders. Though I’m trying really hard to stop spending money I don’t have, it’s nice to know these offers are available should I need them. It saves me the trouble of applying for a new card.
Bottom line
The Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card is a great choice if you want an excellent balance transfer intro APR. If your main concern is transferring debt, you won’t mind that the card lacks other benefits, such as rewards.
Of course, the Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card isn’t the only card in town. There are plenty of other balance transfer cards that are worth a look, too.
Frequently asked questions
Images: Citi.com
Balance transfer card ratings
★★★★★ — Excellent
★★★★★ — Good
★★★★★ — Average
★★★★★ — Subpar
★★★★★ — Poor
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