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If you're looking for the next Jack-of-all-trades credit card to add to your portfolio, either the Citi Rewards+® card or the Citi Premier® card is worth considering. Both are Citi products that allow you to collect ThankYou points at ThankYou.com that can be redeemed for gift cards, travel and more.
This is important because each rewards credit card has its own strengths and weaknesses. Do your research and decide which card is right for you and your lifestyle.Here's a detailed comparison to help guide your decision.
Contents
Main details
| Card | Citi Premiere | |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome Bonus | 20,000 Bonus Points when you spend $1,500 within the first 3 months of account opening | Bonus points for spending $4,000 within the first 3 months of opening an 80,000 account |
| Reward rate |
|
|
| First year APR | 0% first-year APR for 15 months of purchase and balance transfer (from account opening date) (17.24% to 27.24% fluctuating APR thereafter) | None; 19.74% to 27.74% fluctuating APR |
| Annual fee | $0 | $95 |
Citi Rewards+ and Citi Premier highlights
Welcome Bonus Winner: Citi Premier
Citi Premier requires you to spend $4,000 within 3 months to claim your welcome bonus, whereas Citi Rewards + within 3 months must pay $1,500 to Get more value with Citi Rewards+.
If you can spend your money, you can earn more points for every dollar you spend by choosing to sign up for Citi Premier. However, you will have to spend about $1,334 a month to meet this bonus. If that is not possible, we recommend choosing Citi Rewards+.
Reward Rate Winner: Citi Premier
Citi Premier wins this round as well due to the diversity of his 3X reward categories on offer. Cardholders can earn triple her points on an unlimited number of restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, hotels and air travel.
In contrast, Citi Rewards+ allows him to earn double points at supermarkets and gas stations, but caps annual purchases at $6,000 (after which he earns 1X point).
Citi Rewards+ offers convenient roundup features, making it the perfect card for everyday purchases. Each purchase you make will be rounded up to the nearest 10 points, making $3 coffee purchases from 1x points earned to 10x points earned. Plus, as a Citi Rewards+ cardholder, you'll earn 10% of points for your first 100,000 points you redeem each year. (The maximum number of points you can earn with the Points Back feature is 10,000). Citi Premier is, and Premier is clearly the winner.
Annual fee winner: Citi Rewards+
His Citi Rewards+ with no annual fee won in this category. Conversely, Citi Premier has an annual fee of $95 and is not waived for the first year. But before you make any quick judgments about this card, remember that there are so many ways to earn points that you are likely to make money. All you have to do is spend $267 per month.
Foreign Transaction Fee Winner: Citi Premier
Citi Premier does not charge foreign transaction fees for purchases made outside the United States. This is pretty standard for most travel credit cards. Citi Rewards+, on the other hand, charges a 3% commission on all international transactions. If you travel outside the US frequently, Citi Premier may be a better choice.
Alternatively, you can swipe another card that you carry while traveling abroad.
Which card pays the most?
With a wider range of categories to earn more rewards, Citi Premier earns more money than Citi Rewards+ for most people. Even if you don't travel.
Citi Premier vs. Citi Rewards+ spending comparison
Let's say your spending for the month is broken down as follows:
- $500 for groceries
- $200 for restaurants
- $350 on flights
- $150 on gas
- $100 on other purchases
With Citi Rewards+, 1,000 points on groceries, restaurants Earn 200 points on purchases on , 350 points on flights, 300 points on petrol and 100 points on everything else for a total of 1,950 points for the month.
On the other hand, City Premier earns 1,500 points on groceries, 600 points on restaurant purchases, 1,050 points on flights, 450 points on gas, and 100 points on all other purchases. 3,700 points per month or $37 in gift cards.
While the Citi Rewards+ Roundup feature and 10% points back reward will certainly increase your earnings throughout the year, the real value lies in being able to transfer your points to Citi's higher value Citi Transfer Partners Note that it is obtained from premier.
Points earned with Citi Premier are worth up to 1.9 cents towards travel on transfer partners, as rated by Bankrate. This means that 3,700 points are worth up to $70.30. Unfortunately, Citi Rewards+ earns basic ThankYou points. This means that the card cannot be used to redeem transfer partner travel rewards.
Why Get Citi Premier
City Premier is a travel card that balances the included tiers. With a wide range of categories that allow you to earn triple points, it's fairly easy to earn enough rewards to offset your annual fee.
Additional Benefits
A solid compensation structure plus $100 annual hotel discount perks. This offer is valid for a single hotel stay of $500 or more, excluding taxes and fees, when booked through ThankYou.com or 1-800-THANKYO using your Citi Premier Card.
In addition, this card gives you access to World Elite Mastercard benefits such as:
- World Elite discount and access program for hotel stays and other travel packages
- $5 Lyft credit for 3 rides (once a month)
- 5% cash reward on HelloFresh orders, redeemable for future purchases
- Free ShopRunner Membership with Free 2 Day Shipping and Free Returns
- World Elite Concierge for 24/7 Personal Assistance
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For more information on everything the card offers, see Bankrate's City Premier benefits guide.
Exchange Options
Each ThankYou point can be redeemed at a value of 1 cent per point. If you're not planning to travel, you can redeem your points for a variety of things, including:
- Cash Back and Statement Credit
- Payment Credit Mortgage, Student Loan, or Online Bill Payment
- Gift Card
- Use points to shop on popular retailer websites such as Amazon and PayPal
- Transfer points to another account or charity
- Travel as previously mentioned ( and partner travel transitions)
Recommended credit score
To get the most out of this card and to maintain a lower APR must have a good or excellent credit score. A range of 670 to 850 is ideal for this card.
Get Citi Rewards+ Why get it
Citi Rewards+ offers a lower welcome bonus and rewards rate than Citi Premier, but for people who spend moderate amounts at supermarkets and gas stations (and don't want to pay annual fees) is worth it.
Other Benefits
The Citi Rewards+ card's round-up feature and 10% points back reward are nothing to sneeze at and help maximize the value of your card. Plus, like most Citi cardholders, holding Citi Rewards+ gives you access to Citi Entertainment experiences and access to Mastercard benefits like zero deductibles, identity theft protection, and more. A balance transfer card that provides value long after the debt is paid off. For both purchases and balance transfers, the card's 15-month introductory annual interest rate of 0% makes it a solid option (with a variable annual interest rate thereafter of 17.24% to 27.24%).
For more information on card benefits, please read Bankrate's Citi Rewards+ Card Benefits Guide.
Redemption Options
Although points earned with Citi Rewards+ are not transferable to Citi's airline or hotel partners, you can redeem your travels for every cent value through the Citi portal. You can make a reservation.
The list of card redemption options includes:
- Gift cards
- For the aforementioned trips (excluding transfer partners)
- Charity Donations
- Cash Back
- Shop with Points at Amazon.com or BestBuy.com
- Pay Citi Bills Online
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Please note that when you redeem cashback with Citi Rewards+, you get 0.5 cents worth compared to 1 cent per gift card point.
Overall, consider a combination to get the most out of Citi Rewards+. Use a different rewards credit card that allows you to earn higher rewards with transferred points. (Hint: Citi Premier may be a good option).
Recommended Credit Score
Similar to Citi Premier, a good or excellent credit score (670-850) is required.
Conclusion
Citi Premier is a better card than Citi Rewards+. It has more reward categories, earns standard ThankYou points, and offers a larger first-year welcome bonus. However, if you're ultimately interested in keeping and pairing both cards, doing so will allow you to earn higher rewards on your transfer partner travels.
Neither is a bad card, regardless of which option you choose — you can get the benefits of both if you use them wisely.