This bank offers many attractive cards, including travel, cashback and balance transfer products.
Citibank 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.
Compare Citibank® credit cards
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Best 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.
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- Citi® Double Cash Card: Best for cash back
- Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card: Best for balance transfers
- Citi ThankYou® Premier Card: Best for travel
- Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi: Best for everyday purchases
- Citi® Secured Mastercard®: Best secured credit card
Best for cash back: Citi® Double Cash Card
Citi® Double Cash Card
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.
Best for balance transfers: Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card
Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card
If you want one of the longest intro APR periods out there for balance transfers, the Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card is the product of choice. Very rarely will you find an APR promotion for over 21 months.
If you want an excellent intro APR on both purchases and balance transfers, try the Citi Simplicity® Card.
Best for travel: Citi ThankYou® Premier Card
Citi ThankYou® Premier Card
Citibank offers a few general travel cards, including the Citi® ThankYou® Preferred Card and the premium Citi Prestige® Card.
The Citi® ThankYou® Preferred 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.
If you’re a frequent American Airlines flyer, you might like one of Citibank’s co-branded airline cards, such as the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard®.
Best for everyday purchases: Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi
Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi
An excellent all-around cashback product. Give it serious consideration if you spend heavily on gas, dining, travel or Costco purchases.
Best secured credit card: Citi® Secured Mastercard®
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.
Citibank rewards program
For its non-co-branded rewards cards, Citibank offers either cash back or ThankYou® Points.
If you earn cash back, you can redeem your rewards when your cash rewards balance is $25 or more. You can redeem cash back through these methods:
- Check.
- Statement credit to your card account.
- Credit to your linked Citi savings or checking account.
- Credit to a checking account that you’ve used to pay a Citi credit card bill at least twice.
If your card gives ThankYou® Points, you can redeem them for a variety of rewards, including:
- Gift cards.
- Merchandise.
- Travel.
- Points transfers.
- Cash back.
- Statement credit.
- Donations to charity.
How can you redeem rewards?
To redeem rewards, go to the ThankYou® from Citi website and log in to your credit card account.
How much are rewards worth?
Citibank points are usually worth a maximum of 1 point = 1 cent, which is the industry average. Usually, you’ll get this rate if you redeem points for flights or gift cards. If you redeem them for other rewards, you might receive a lower rate.
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 15% 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 25% variable.
- No foreign transaction fees. Many Citibank cards are travel products and don’t charge foreign transaction fees, which makes them great companions when traveling abroad.
- Signup bonus. Many Citibank cards offer signup bonuses. Exceptions include products like the Citi® Double Cash Card and the bank’s balance transfer cards.
How to apply for a Citibank card
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’re at least 18 years old.
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 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.
Bottom line
Travel cards are Citibank’s bread and butter, but the provider offers a superb cashback product and top-notch balance transfer cards.
If you’re not sure whether a Citibank product is right for you, check out other credit card providers to compare more options.
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