11 Benefits of the Citi Premier Card
Many or all of the products on this page are from partners who compensate us when you click to or take an action on their website, but this does not influence our evaluations or ratings. Our opinions are our own.
The Citi Premier® Card is a mid-range credit card with a sizable welcome bonus, lucrative rewards earning rates and a list of transfer partners, which make it a great option for travelers looking to add another card to their portfolio.
In addition, Citi ThankYou Points are a versatile currency, so here’s what you need to know about the Citi Premier® Card and Citi Premier benefits.
» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now
1. New cardmember bonus
Citi Premier® Card holders can earn the following sign-up bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 ThankYou® Points per $1 spend on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through June 30, 2024.
This comes with a $95 annual fee.
Keep in mind that the offer isn’t available to people who have received another welcome bonus for a Citi Premier account in the past 48 months.
2. Generous rewards on spending
The Citi Premier® Card offers card members many opportunities to earn extra rewards. The card earns a points multiplier in the following spending categories:
3 points per $1 spent at restaurants.
3 points per $1 spent at supermarkets.
3 points per $1 spent at gas stations.
3 points per $1 spent on airfare.
3 points per $1 spent at hotels.
1 point per $1 spent in all other categories.
Additionally, through June 30, 2024, booking hotels, car rentals or attractions through the Citi Travel portal earns 10 points per $1.
Earning bonus points on these many categories can elevate your earning power and help you get to the next reward flight or hotel room faster.
» Learn more: Citi ThankYou Points — how to earn and use them
3. Access to transfer partners
One of the main Citi Premier® Card benefits is the opportunity to transfer points to airline and hotel loyalty programs.
In most cases, points transfer at a 1:1 ratio, except for the programs listed below:
ALL - Accor Live Limitless – 1:0.5
Choice Privileges – 1:2
Leaders Club – 1:0.2.
Shop Your Way – 1:10.
You must complete point transfer requests in increments of 1,000 points, with a maximum of 500,000 ThankYou Points per transfer.
» Learn more: The Best Citi ThankYou partners — and ones to avoid
4. Rewards flexibility
If you prefer not to transfer points to other programs, you can also:
Redeem them for statement credits.
Use them for purchases on Amazon.com and BestBuy.com.
Use them to buy gift cards.
Redeem them for flights, hotels and other travel-related purchases in the Citi Travel portal.
The value of your rewards won’t be high, 0.8 cent to 1 cent per point with these redemption methods, but at least you have the flexibility to redeem them however you want.
Use our Citi ThankYou points calculator below to determine the value of your points stash, based on the baseline and NerdWallet estimated values.
5. Points sharing
Besides transferring rewards to loyalty programs, it’s possible to transfer rewards to another Citi card member. This option comes in handy when you’re short on points for a specific redemption, and your friend or family member has some points they can send you so you can complete a redemption.
Points are active for 90 days after a transfer, after which they expire, so it’s best to find an immediate use.
6. $100 annual hotel savings benefits
Another Citi Premier® Card travel benefit is the opportunity to save $100 on a hotel stay once per year. For the credit to apply, you must book a single stay through Citi Travel totaling at least $500. You must prepay for your stay with the Citi Premier® Card, and the savings will apply at the time of booking.
Remember that the Citi Premier® Card annual fee is $95, which means you can offset the fee with one hotel booking.
7. No foreign transaction fees
The Citi Premier® Card doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, which can be an additional 3% charge on other cards.
8. World Elite Mastercard benefits
The Citi Premier® Card is a World Elite Mastercard, which means you get those benefits, too, including:
$3 off Peacock Premium or $5 Peacock Premium Plus every month when you use the card to subscribe.
Two free months of Instacart+ membership and $10 off the second order each month.
$5 Lyft credit every month you take three rides with Lyft.
Complimentary ShopRunner membership.
Access to Priceless Experiences.
Access to exclusive PGA Tour experiences.
24/7 concierge.
9. Access to Citi Entertainment
Looking for concert tickets to see your favorite performer or a sporting event to watch your team play? The Citi Premier® Card offers exclusive access to presale events, preferred price tickets and tickets in a preferred section of the venue. You can find the next event near you on Citi Entertainment.
10. Damage and theft purchase protection
Citi cardholders are protected if a new item is damaged or stolen within 90 days of purchase or delivery, whichever is first. You’re covered up to $10,000 per incident and up to $50,000 per year per card.
To be eligible for coverage, you must have used your Citi card to pay for the stolen or damaged item (in full or partially). Note the coverage is secondary, meaning should you have home or renters’ insurance, you’ll have to file a claim against one of those policies first.
11. Extended warranty
Another Citi Premier® Card benefit is extended warranties. Citi will extend the manufacturer’s warranty by an additional 24 months on new items purchased with your Citi card.
If you purchase an additional extended warranty from the supplier, coverage will begin after the expiration of those terms (up to seven years). Coverage includes repair or replacement for a maximum of $10,000 per item.
The Citi Premier® Card benefits recapped
The Citi Premier® Card lets you earn ThankYou Points at elevated rates in popular categories and offers various redemption opportunities, including transferring to airline and hotel partners, getting cash back or redeeming for travel purchases in the Citi Travel portal.
In addition, cardholders get access to Citi Entertainment events and World Elite Mastercard benefits. Throw in the $100 hotel savings benefit, and you can offset the card’s annual fee every year you use the perk.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2024:
Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card
Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express
Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
