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The best Citi credit cards of 2020
This bank sports a top-of-the-line balance transfer card, as well as a high-earning cashback card.
Citi — a finder.com advertising partner — is one of the largest credit card issuers in the United States, offering a variety of strong products. Take a look at this provider if you want a great cashback or balance transfer card.
Best of Citibank credit cards
Citibank offers almost 20 credit cards, most of them travel products. It also offers an attractive cashback card and two best-in-class balance transfer cards.
This is a simple card with no annual fee that offers an excellent intro APR on both purchases and balance transfers. If you want to get rid of debt you've accumulated from other credit cards, this could be the Citibank card for you.
Intro APR for purchases and balance transfers. Get a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for an impressive 18 months after account opening, then 14.74% to 24.74% variable after that. You'll also get a 0% intro APR on purchases for 18 months following your account opening. After the intro period passes, your rate reverts to an APR between 14.74% to 24.74% variable.
No annual fee. You won't pay an annual fee to use this card.
No rewards. The card is excellent for saving money on interest, but you won't earn any rewards on your purchases.
No signup bonus. There's no bonus to earn upon signup.
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)
Welcome offer
N/A
Rewards
N/A
Best secured credit card Citi® Secured Mastercard®
This is Citi's only secured credit card. It's not the best secured card you'll find, but it's a good choice if you want a product from a reputable provider.
Build your credit. Citi will report your card activity to all three major credit bureaus: TransUnion, Equifax and Experian. With responsible use, you can build your credit.
Deposit lockdown. Citi will keep your deposit for at least 18 months or unless Citi deems your account eligible and returns your deposit earlier than that.
No rewards program. You won't earn any rewards on your purchases. This isn't surprising, considering it's a secured card. But it is possible to find other secured cards that do reward you for your purchases.
The Citi® Double Cash Card is a no-annual-fee favorite. With a flat cashback rate on all purchases and a bonus amount added as you pay them off, you’ll find simple and strong rewards. Citibank occasionally offers an intro APR on balance transfers. When it does, you’ll typically find an impressive promotion.
Intro APR: 0% on balance transfers for 18 months after account opening. After that, your balance transfer APR will be 13.99% to 23.99% variable.
Rewards: Superb cash back. Earn Up to 2% cash back on purchases (1% when you buy plus 1% as you pay).
First late fee waived.
No intro APR period on purchases. You don't get to save money with a 0% intro APR period on purchases.
No signup bonus. There's no bonus to earn when you signup for the card.
Annual Fee
$0
Purchase APR
13.99% to 23.99% variable
Balance transfer APR
0% intro for the first 18 months (then 13.99% to 23.99% variable)
Welcome offer
N/A
Rewards
Up to 2% cash back on purchases (1% when you buy plus 1% as you pay)
The Citi Premier® Card costs $95 a year starting the second year. For most, it’s the option that’s just right. Points give you lots of flexibility, as you can redeem them for a variety of travel rewards. And if you redeem them through the ThankYou Travel Center, they’re worth 25% more.
Signup bonus: 60,000 bonus ThankYou Points. To earn them, spend $4,000 in purchases within the first three months of opening your account. These points are worth $750 in airfare when you redeem them through the ThankYou Travel Center.
Rewards: Wide variety of rewards. 3x points at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, flights and hotels. And earn 1x points on all other purchases.
Points transfers. Transfer your points to airline and hotel loyalty programs such as TrueBlue and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer.
Annual fee. Enjoy an intro annual fee for the first year. Starting the second year, however, you'll pay an annual fee of $95.
No intro APR period. With this card, you won't get a intro APR period on purchases or balance transfers.
Annual Fee
$95
Purchase APR
15.99% to 23.99% variable
Balance transfer APR
15.99% to 23.99% variable
Welcome offer
60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months
Rewards
3x points at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, flights and hotels and 1x points on everything else
An excellent all-around cashback product. Give it serious consideration if you spend heavily on gas, dining, travel or Costco purchases.
Annual fee: None with your paid Costco membership.
Rewards: Great cash back for several categories. Earn 4% cash back on your first $7,000 in eligible gas purchases (then 1%), 3% back on restaurant and travel purchases, 2% back on Costco and Costco.com purchases and 1% back on all other purchases.
No foreign transaction fees. Use this card freely online with foreign merchants or abroad and you won't pay any foreign transaction fees.
Limited reward redemption. You can only redeem your rewards once every year.
No intro APR period. There's no 0% intro APR period on purchases or balance transfer, or a 0% deferred interest on Costco purchases.
Annual Fee
$0
Purchase APR
15.24% variable
Balance transfer APR
15.24% variable
Welcome offer
N/A
Rewards
4% at gas stations on up to $7,000 annually (then 1%), 3% at restaurants and on travel, 2% at Costco and 1% on all other purchases
Best for premium travel Citi Prestige® Credit Card
If you want to travel in style, the $495-a-year Citi Prestige® Credit Card is a fine pick. You’ll earn top-notch rewards on air travel and restaurants, and you’ll find premium benefits such as airport lounge access and an annual travel credit. The card’s biggest differentiator, however, is its fourth-night-free benefit.
Signup bonus: 50,000 bonus points. You will earn these points after you spend $4,000 within the first 3 months of account opening.
Rewards: Best for air travel and restaurants. Earn 5x points on air travel and restaurants. Earn 3x points on hotels and cruise lines. And earn 1x points on all other purchases.
Premium travel benefits. Get complimentary Priority Pass Select, a $250 annual travel credit and a credit for your Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee. Also, get your fourth night free when you book a stay of four consecutive nights through ThankYou.com. This benefit is capped at twice each calendar year.
Annual fee. The card costs $495 each year.
No intro APR period. There's no 0% intro APR period on purchases or balance transfers with this card.
Annual Fee
$495
Purchase APR
16.99% to 23.99% variable
Balance transfer APR
16.99% to 23.99% variable
Welcome offer
50,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months
Rewards
5x points on flights and dining, 3x points on hotels and cruises and 1x points on all other purchases
This card can be a top-notch choice if you frequently make small purchases. That’s because your rewards will be rounded up to the nearest 10 points on every purchase.
Rewards: Best for gas and groceries. Earn 2x points at gas stations and supermarkets. This applies to the first $6,000 in qualifying purchases per calendar year, after which you will earn 1x points.
Rounding gets you more points. Your points will be rounded up to the nearest 10 points on every purchase.
A good intro APR. Get a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months after account opening, then 13.49% to 23.49% variable.
Foreign transaction fees. Because of the 3% foreign transaction fee, this may not be a good card to us with foreign merchants abroad or online.
Penalty APR. If you miss a payment, Citi may impose a penalty APR of up to 29.99% variable.
Annual Fee
$0
Purchase APR
0% intro for the first 15 months (then 13.49% to 23.49% variable)
Balance transfer APR
0% intro for the first 15 months (then 13.49% to 23.49% variable)
Welcome offer
Earn 15,000 points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months
Rewards
Earn 2x points at supermarkets and gas stations on up to $6,000 annually, then 1x points after that and on all other purchases
Best value for American Airlines flyers Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard®
This is one of the best American Airlines credit cards because it allows you to earn a generous signup bonus and miles on your purchases without putting a strain on your wallet.
AAdvantage miles. Earn 2x miles on your American Airlines purchases, at restaurants and at gas stations, and 1x miles on all other purchases.
Signup bonus. Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,500 within your first 3 months of card membership.
Flight discount. Earn an annual $125 American Airlines flight discount after you spend $$20,000 or more with your card every year.
Annual fee. During the first year you won't pay an annual fee, but starting from the second, you'll pay a $99 each year.
Annual Fee
$0 intro annual fee for the first year ($99 thereafter)
Purchase APR
15.99% to 24.99% variable
Balance transfer APR
15.99% to 24.99% variable
Welcome offer
50,000 miles after spending $2,500 in the first 3 months
Rewards
2x miles on eligible American Airlines purchases, at gas stations and restaurants and 1x miles on all other purchases
The information about Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard® has been collected independently by Finder and and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer.
How we selected the best Citibank credit cards
We evaluated every Citibank credit card on dimensions such as annual fee, rewards and benefits. We also took into account the primary function of each product. Ultimately, the cards we included in this list offered the most value for their costs, as well as standout features compared to other products from Citi and competing providers.
What’s changed in 2020
Winners from last year remained on this list. We did make room for Citi’s flagship travel card, which offers a unique complimentary-night benefit among a competitive luxury-card landscape.
We also added the Citi Rewards+â„ Card and Citi Rewards+â„ Student Card, both of which offer solid everyday rewards and a great reward-rounding mechanic.
Summary of best credit cards for rewards
Citi® Double Cash Card
Why it’s best for cash back. Most flat cashback cards offer 1.5% back, while the Citi Double Cash Card offers 2% back — 1% when you make the purchase and 1% when you pay off your balance. Even without a signup bonus, the Citi Double Cash Card is hard to beat rewards-wise in the long run.
Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card
Why it’s best for balance transfers. The Citi Diamond Preferred Card has one of the longest 0% intro APR period on purchases and balance transfers. And this is not just among Citi cards but among competitor cards from other providers as well. What’s more, you’ll pay a 3% balance transfer fee, which is lower than the 5% fee most other cards charge you with.
Citi® Secured Mastercard®
Why it’s the best secured credit card. Even though the Citi® Secured Mastercard® is the only Citi secured card, it’s among the best of its kind. That’s because it comes with a $0 annual fee and you can deposit between $250 and $2,500 to act as your credit limit. The standard deposit other cards take is either $200 or $300 and you can rarely deposit more than that.
Citi Premier℠ Card
Why it’s the best Citi card for general travel. With a $0 annual fee for the first year and $95 after that, the Citi Premier℠ Card lets you maximize your rewards as soon as you get your card. Aside from its generous signup bonus and high rewards rate on select categories, you also get a 25% higher redemption value on flights booked via the ThankYou Travel Center.
Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi
Why it’s the best for gas. The Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi is one of the best gas cards currently on the market because of its high rewards rate and a high annual cap. Other gas cards either have a lower rewards rate of 3% back or a lower cap of $1,500 per quarter.
Citi Prestige® Credit Card
Why it’s the best for premium travel. The Citi Prestige® Credit Card is Citi’s flagship travel card. Because of that, you get benefits like annual $250 travel credit, Priority Pass lounge access, complimentary fourth-night hotel stay on eligible bookings and more. These perks are similar to what other premium cards offer.
Citi Rewards+℠ Card
Why it’s the best for small purchases. The Citi Rewards+℠ Card has a unique feature — it rounds up your reward points to the nearest 10. This makes a $2 purchase earn 10 points or 5% back in redemption value. There’s no limit to the number of points you earn, which makes this card ideal for small purchases.
We update our data regularly, but information can change between updates. Confirm details with the provider you're interested in before making a decision.
Go to the Citibank website and click Apply now. Before you apply, check that you meet the eligibility requirements and have the required information on hand.
Eligibility criteria
You must be at least 18 years old.
Application restrictions
Citi has an unwritten rule, known as 8/65/95. Here’s what it means:
After you apply for a Citi credit card on day one, you can apply for a second card eight days later on day nine.
If you want to apply for a third Citi credit card, wait 65 days from the day of your first credit card application.
You can now safely apply for the fourth card eight days later on day 74.
The 95 in the 8/65/95 rule is only for business credit cards. It means you have to wait 95 days between business credit card applications.
Information you’ll need
To complete the application, you’ll need to provide information that includes:
Your name and residential address.
Your Social Security number.
Your email address, phone number and date of birth.
Financial information like your annual income and income source.
How many Citi cards can I have?
You can have as many Citi credit cards as you can get an approval for. But there is a 8/65/95 rule to keep in mind.
In essence, this rule says you can apply for your second Citi card eight days after you applied for your first card. After that, you have to wait 65 days to apply for your third card. The number 95 means you have to wait at least 95 days between Citi business credit card applications.
Can I prequalify for a Citi credit card?
Yes, Citi gives you the option to prequalify for a card without a hard pull on your credit. All you have to do is visit Citi’s prequalification page, fill out the form and wait to receive your offer.
Once you choose your card and apply for it, Citi will do a hard pull on your credit.
Citi has plenty of great card options, so you might find choosing one a little tough. Here are some questions to ask yourself when mulling over your decision:
Do you need to perform a balance transfer? Citi boasts three cards with long intro APRs of 18 months on transfers.
What do you spend on most? You have a few solid reward options available to you, so pick a card that caters to your spending habits. If your spending is more spread out over various categories, the Citi® Double Cash Card is a great flat cash back pick.
Do you travel much? You have several American Airlines cobranded cards to choose from, each catering to a different kind of traveler. You can also consider the Expedia cards for a more general travel card option.
Types of Citi cards
Citi cashback credit cards
Despite offering more than 20 credit cards, only three Citi credit cards let you earn cash back. But don’t let this number fool you — these three cards are among the best cashback cards you’ll find.
Typical benefits
Cash back. One of these cards let you earn unlimited flat cash back on all purchases, while the other two are Costco cobranded credit cards with accelerated cash back on gas purchases.
No annual fee. You’ll pay no annual fee for this type of Citi card. However, the two Costco cards do require a Costco membership before you apply.
Intro APR period on balance transfers. Only one of these cards comes with a 0% intro APR period on balance transfers. Compared to similar cashback cards, this is probably the longest interest-free period you’ll find.
Citi cashback credit cards
Citi® Double Cash Card
Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi
Costco Anywhere Visa® Business Card
Citi ThankYou rewards credit cards
Similar to Amex’s Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards programs, Citi offers its own program known as ThankYou rewards. Currently, there are five cards starting from no-annual-fee cards all the way up to a premium card with a $495 annual fee.
Typical benefits
Variety of redemption options. You can use your ThankYou points to redeem for travel, payments toward school or mortgage loans, gift cards or you can transfer to airline partners. Some of them are Virgin Atlantic, JetBlue, Qantas and Turkish Airlines.
Combine points. You can use multiple ThankYou cards and then pool your points into one account.
Variety of card. Depending on your needs, you can get a student credit card, AT&T credit card, a mid-tier credit card or a high-end credit card with premium perks.
Signup bonus. Each card in this rewards program lets you earn a signup bonus. Of course, the higher the annual fee, the more generous the bonus.
Citi ThankYou rewards credit cards
Citi Rewards+â„ Card
Citi Premier® Card
Citi Prestige® Credit Card
Citi Rewards+â„ Student Card
AT&T Access Card from Citi
Citi ravel credit cards
Citi offers three groups of travel cards — American Airlines cobranded cards, ThankYou rewards cards and Expedia rewards cards. Each group has its own perks and features, which makes them ideal for certain categories of spenders.
Typical benefits
Variety of credit cards. As mentioned before, you can choose from three credit card groups. Also, each group has no-annual-fee cards and cards with an annual fee.
Rewards. No matter which card you choose, you get to earn points on your purchases. ThankYou cards offer higher points redemption flexibility, while the other two offer the highest points redemption value when redeemed for flights on American Airlines or bookings at Expedia.
Signup bonus. All cards in this category come with a signup bonus. If you want to earn the highest bonus, expect to pay an annual fee for the card.
Citi travel credit cards
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard®
American Airlines AAdvantage MileUpâ„ Card
Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard®
The information about the Expedia Rewards Voyager Card and Expedia® Rewards CARD from Citi has been collected independently by Finder and and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer.
Citi 0% APR credit cards
Citi may not offer a 0% intro APR period on most of its cards, but on those few that it does — it does it spectacularly.
Typical benefits
Long 0% intro APR period. The Citi Simplicity® Card and the Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card have long intro APRs on both purchases and balance transfers. The Citi® Double Cash Card has the longest intro APR period on balance transfers for a cashback card.
No annual fee. None of the cards offering intro APR period have an annual fee. This is ideal because you get to save even more money while you pay off your balance interest-free.
Rewards. If you’re willing to settle for a shorter intro APR period, you get to earn rewards on your purchases.
Citi 0% APR credit cards
Citi Simplicity® Card
Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card
Citi® Double Cash Card
Citi small business credit cards
Unlike other large providers where you get a variety of small business credit cards to choose from, Citibank offers only two.
Typical benefits
Rewards. Both cards let you earn rewards on your purchases. But one card is better for frequent American Airlines flyers, the other for Costco members who want to earn accelerated rewards on their gas purchases.
Additional perks. If you get the American Airlines card, you also get free first checked bag with American Airlines, priority boarding and 25% savings on in-flight Wi-Fi.
Consider Citi if you’re an American Airlines customer
Citi is the go-to-issuer for American Airlines cards, so take a look at these cobranded products if you’re a frequent flyer with the carrier. Here are the cards you’ll find:
American Airlines AAdvantage MileUpâ„ Card ($0 annual fee). The entry-level American Airlines card, offering 2x miles on American Airlines purchases and at grocery stores. You’ll also find 25% savings on inflight food and beverage purchases.
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Eliteâ„¢ Mastercard® ($99 annual fee, waived for the first 12 months). The mid-tier American Airlines card, offering 2x miles on American Airlines purchases, as well as at restaurants and gas stations. You’ll find perks such as a free first checked bag, preferred boarding and 25% savings on inflight food and beverage purchases.
Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Eliteâ„¢ Mastercard® ($450 annual fee). This premium card offers a complimentary Admirals Club membership and a statement credit for your Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application. You’ll also get enhanced airport perks such as priority check-in, priority airport screening and boarding privileges.
If you want an American Airlines business card, look into the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®. It’s similar to the personal mid-tier card, but with a different mix of bonus rewards.
Typical features and benefits of a Citibank card
Rewards. Most Citibank products offer rewards. Exceptions include balance transfer cards and the bank’s secured credit card.
No annual fee or waived first-year fee. Several Citibank cards offer no annual fee. If you want a powerful travel card but aren’t sure you want to pay an annual fee, try a card that waives the fee for the first year.
Ongoing APR between 13% and 25% variable. With strong credit, you may qualify for an ongoing APR near the bottom of this range. With weaker credit, you may get a relatively high APR around 26% variable.
Signup bonus. Many Citibank cards offer signup bonuses. Exceptions include products like the Citi® Double Cash Card and the bank’s balance transfer cards.
Citi isn’t the only provider to look at if you want high-level cards. For example, American Express, Discover, or Chase are a few other examples of providers that offer the same breadth of quality and variety as Citi.
How does Citibank keep my credit card information secure?
Citibank uses advanced technology to keep your information safe online and on mobile. It deploys 128-bit SSL encryption to secure the information you transmit, as well as an SSL certificate that helps you confirm you’re on the correct website. Additionally, the bank uses two-step verification if it needs to confirm your identity.
Through the Quick Lock feature, you can lock your card if you misplace it. Just use the Citi Mobile App or log in to your account on the Citibank website.
The bank also offers $0 liability protection on unauthorized transactions. It attempts to stop fraud before it happens through 24/7 monitoring and suspicious-activity alerts through phone, text, email or mail.
First, lock your card with Citi Quick Lock. Then call 1-800-950-5114 to report your lost card. Citibank will cancel your current account, then issue you a new account number and credit card.
The Citi 48-month rule is a policy that restricts you from gaining the signup bonus from a card more than once within a 48-month period. Not all cards are affected, so check out the full 48-month rules for more information.
For balance transfer promotions, very few cards match Citibank’s Citi Simplicity® Card.
Increase your credit score by keeping your credit utilization low and paying your debt on time. With a high credit score, you’re more likely to receive a favorable interest rate.
Megan Horner is the credit cards publisher at Finder. She's passionate about helping you find the best credit cards to meet your financial needs — whether that's earning great rewards or improving your credit score. Megan's expertise has been spotlighted on Lifehacker, CreditCards.com, American Banker and featured on news broadcasts across the country.
If you can’t get enough of Best Buy, applying for the My Best Buy Credit Card is easy. The only catch is you can’t choose which card you qualify for.
I would like to cancel my credit card account, but it is not yet activated. Can you cancel an account without activating it first? I got the card in hopes to transfer a balance off another card but decided against it and I no longer need it.
You can surely cancel your credit card anytime. However, just because you didn’t activate the card doesn’t change the fact that you applied and was approved for a line a credit. You can do that with a phone call to the credit issuer. But just be aware that if it has helped your score go up because it broadened your credit utilization ratio, your scores will likely drop once you lose that credit line. But don’t worry too much about that as you can hike it back up by deleting any debt you’re carrying elsewhere and make sure to always pay your creditors on time.
Please send me a message if you need anything else. :)
Legally, no one can get a credit card on their own unless they’re at least 18 years old. Anyone under 18 can only be an authorized user on someone else’s — for example, their parents’ — account. You can go ahead and read further on this guide and check on options for your teen.
If you are referring to offers from Citi, they have the Citi ThankYou Preferred Card for College Students, in which the minimum age requirement is for the applicant to be at least 18 years of age and is currently an enrolled college student.
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I would like to cancel my credit card account, but it is not yet activated. Can you cancel an account without activating it first? I got the card in hopes to transfer a balance off another card but decided against it and I no longer need it.
Hi Nicole,
Thanks for leaving a question on finder.
You can surely cancel your credit card anytime. However, just because you didn’t activate the card doesn’t change the fact that you applied and was approved for a line a credit. You can do that with a phone call to the credit issuer. But just be aware that if it has helped your score go up because it broadened your credit utilization ratio, your scores will likely drop once you lose that credit line. But don’t worry too much about that as you can hike it back up by deleting any debt you’re carrying elsewhere and make sure to always pay your creditors on time.
Please send me a message if you need anything else. :)
Cheers,
Joel
Is my 16 year old eligible to apply for a credit card with or without me as a consignor?
Hi Cherylee,
Thanks for reaching out.
Legally, no one can get a credit card on their own unless they’re at least 18 years old. Anyone under 18 can only be an authorized user on someone else’s — for example, their parents’ — account. You can go ahead and read further on this guide and check on options for your teen.
If you are referring to offers from Citi, they have the Citi ThankYou Preferred Card for College Students, in which the minimum age requirement is for the applicant to be at least 18 years of age and is currently an enrolled college student.
Best Regards,
Joanne