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The best Citi credit cards are probably already on your short list if you’re seeking a card with a generous introductory interest rate offer, cash back, or airline rewards. Citi offers a wide range of credit cards, from a secured card to a premium airline card, plus all sorts of points and cash back rewards in between.
Best Citi Credit Cards of October 2021
- Best Overall, Best With No Annual Fee: Citi Rewards+
- Best for Cash-Back Rewards: Citi Double Cash Card
- Best for Balance Transfers: Citi Simplicity
- Best for Travel, Best Sign-Up Bonus: Citi Premier
- Best for Bad Credit: Citi Secured Mastercard
Best Overall, Best With No Annual Fee : Citi Rewards+
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For a limited time, earn 20,000 bonus points after spending $1,500 within the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $200 in gift cards.
| Regular APR (%) | 13.49% - 23.49% variable |
| Annual Fee | $0 |
| Rewards Earning Rate | Earn 2X ThankYou Points at supermarkets and gas stations for the first $6,000 per year and 1X points on all other purchases. |
| INTRO PURCHASE APR | 0% for 15 Months |
| Foreign transaction fee (%) | 3% |
- Why We Chose This Card:
- Pros & Cons:
- Highlights:
This is our favorite Citi card for several reasons. We love how it rewards everyday purchases. You get 2 points per $1 spent on your first $6,000 worth of groceries and gas and the card rounds up the points you earn on each purchase, which is a one-of-a-kind deal. You also get a portion of your rewards back on the first 100,000 points you redeem each year, so you’ll almost always have points in your account. New cardholders will enjoy a competitive 0% purchase APR offer, which gives you 15 months to finance a large purchase without interest. To top that all off, there’s no annual fee.
Automatic point-earning boost on all purchases
Competitive introductory 0% APR offers
For the first 100,000 points you redeem, you’ll get 10% of them back
No annual fee
Points-earning rate is low without extra rewards features
Lots of rewards program rules to learn
- The only card that automatically rounds up to the nearest 10 points on every purchase.
- 2X at Supermarkets & Gas Stations for the first $6,000 per year and 1 point per $1 spent thereafter.
- 10% Points Back for the first 100,000 ThankYou Points you redeem per year.
- Shop with Points at Amazon.com or BestBuy.com or redeem for other great rewards.
Read the full Citi Rewards+ review
Best for Cash-Back Rewards : Citi Double Cash Card
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| Regular APR (%) | 13.99% - 23.99% variable |
| Annual Fee | $0 |
| Rewards Earning Rate | Earn 2% unlimited cash back on every purchase you make: 1% when you buy plus 1% as you pay. |
| Foreign transaction fee (%) | 3% |
- Why We Chose This Card:
- Pros & Cons:
- Highlights:
This is a simple, easy-to-use card, and the cash-back earning rate is the highest among similar cards on the market right now. You’ll earn 1% back when you make a purchase and another 1% when you pay off the purchase. There are no spending categories to track, no limits on your rewards-earning potential, and no annual fee to worry about. For those reasons, we think it’s the best cash-back card you can get from Citi.
High rewards earning rate among flat-rate cash-back cards
Generous introductory 0% APR balance transfer deal
No annual fee
Must pay off purchases to earn full 2% cash back
Few perks such as extended warranties
- Earn cash back twice. Earn an unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, with an additional 1% when you pay for those purchases.
- No spending categories, rewards caps, or annual fee.
- Enjoy a 0% introductory APR for 18 months on balance transfers. After that, the variable APR will be 13.99% - 23.99% based on your creditworthiness.
- Balance transfers must be completed within 4 months of account opening, and a balance transfer fee of $5 or 3% of each transfer (whichever is greater) will apply.
Read the full Citi Double Cash Card review
Best for Balance Transfers : Citi Simplicity
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| Regular APR (%) | 14.74% - 24.74% variable |
| Annual Fee | $0 |
| Balance Transfer Fee | Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater. |
| INTRO BALANCE TRANSFER APR | 0% for 21 Months |
- Why We Chose This Card:
- Pros & Cons:
- Highlights:
It’s tough to find a pair of 0% APR offers longer than what this card offers right now, even when you consider cards not issued by Citi. You’ll get 21 months under a 0% interest rate for both purchases and balance transfers. That’s a full year-and-a-half to pay off a large purchase or two, or save money on debt transferred from a card with a higher APR. Like the best low-interest cards, this card doesn’t have many other features (or offer rewards), but if you see it as a cost-saving tool, it’s a great pick.
No annual fee
Offers 21 months to pay off balance transfers at 0% APR
No fees or penalty APR for late payments
Ongoing APR may be quite high compared to the competition
Foreign transaction fee makes using the card abroad more costly
- No late fees.
- No penalty rate.
- No annual fee.
- Plus, get a low intro APR for 21 months on balance transfers and 0% for 12 months on new purchases.
Read the full Citi Simplicity review
Best for Travel, Best Sign-Up Bonus : Citi Premier
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Earn 80,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
| Regular APR (%) | 15.99% - 23.99% variable |
| Annual Fee | $95 |
| Rewards Earning Rate | Earn 3x points on purchases at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, airlines, and hotels. Earn an annual hotel savings benefit. |
| Foreign transaction fee (%) | 0% |
- Why We Chose This Card:
- Pros & Cons:
- Highlights:
Frequent travelers will quickly rack up rewards, thanks to a broad triple-points travel purchase category. On top of that, if you spend $4,000 on this card within the first three months, you'll get a hefty sign-up bonus of 80,000 ThankYou points (which are worth up to $976, according to The Balance's calculations of their average value). On an ongoing basis, you’ll earn 3 points per $1 spent on travel (including gas, restaurant, and supermarket purchases), and 1 point per $1 spent on everything else. You can use the points for a variety of rewards, though travel is your best bet. And, like all good travel cards, this one doesn’t charge a foreign transaction fee.
Generous rewards rate on airfare, hotel stays, and gas
Many ways to redeem rewards, plus the option to transfer points to participating frequent flyer programs
No interest-free promotions for new cardholders
Very few airline transfer partners are based in the U.S.
- See where 80,000 points can take you after you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening. Redeemable for $800 in gift cards at thankyou.com.
- Enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more, excluding taxes and fees, when booked through thankyou.com. Benefit will be available to you once per calendar year.
- Easy points transfer to certain airline loyalty programs, including TrueBlue, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer.
Read the full Citi Premier review
Best for Bad Credit : Citi Secured Mastercard
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| Regular APR (%) | 22.49% variable |
| Annual Fee | $0 |
| Minimum Deposit to Activate | $200 |
| Allows upgrade to unsecured card | Yes |
| Pay deposit in installments | No |
- Why We Chose This Card:
- Pros & Cons:
- Highlights:
The best part about this card? No annual fee. It requires a standard minimum deposit and will report account information to the credit bureaus, so you can build a positive credit history with smart use. Unlike a few other credit cards, you’ll need a bank account to apply for this one. You can’t earn rewards with it either, but if you use it as part of a strategy to improve your credit score, you can apply for a better rewards card later.
No annual fee, which is uncommon among secured cards
Relaxed credit score requirements (as with all secured cards)
Account and repayment history is reported to all three credit bureaus
Requires a bank account to apply online
No rewards, unlike a few other secured cards
- Build a credit history for your financial future with no annual fee.
- Secure your credit line with a security deposit between $200 - $2,500.
- Citi Secured Mastercard is an option for customers with little or no credit history and can help you build your credit when used responsibly.
- Unlike a debit card, Citi Secured Mastercard is a real credit card that helps build your credit history with monthly reporting to all 3 major credit bureaus.
Read the full Citi Secured Mastercard review
Compare The Best Citi Credit Cards
| Credit Card | Annual Fee |
|---|---|
| Citi Rewards+
Best Overall, Best With No Annual Fee |
$0 |
| Citi Double Cash Card
Best for Cash-Back Rewards |
$0 |
| Citi Simplicity
Best for Balance Transfers |
$0 |
| Citi Premier
Best for Travel, Best Sign-Up Bonus |
$95 |
| Citi Secured Mastercard
Best for Bad Credit |
$0 |
FAQs
What Is Citi?
Citi (or technically, Citibank) is the fourth largest commercial bank in the U.S. It also issues more than a dozen credit cards, some under the Citi brand and others through co-branded partnerships with merchants like Costco and American Airlines.
Citi is known for its cash back and long promotional APR card offers, but the bank also issues several travel rewards and business cards. You’ll need at least good credit to qualify for most Citi credit cards. However, if you’re new to credit, or rebuilding it, Citi does have secured and student credit card options.
Note
A good FICO credit score is defined as 670 or above.
How Do Citi ThankYou Rewards Work?
Citi ThankYou Rewards is the bank-branded program for several Citi credit cards: Citi Rewards+ Card, Citi Premier Card, and the Citi Prestige Card.
When you use one of those cards, you’ll earn a set number of points per dollar spent. The earning rate will depend on the card, but you’ll earn at least 1 point per dollar spent, and more on spending in categories that may include groceries, gas, or travel purchases.
Citi ThankYou points are typically worth about 1.21 cents each, based on average valuations from The Balance, and can be redeemed for:
- Travel purchases like flights, rental car, and hotel reservations
- Gift cards
- Cash back
- Shop or pay with points at participating online retailers, like Amazon and Best Buy
- Online bill payments
- Charity donations
ThankYou points can be transferred to partner loyalty programs, such as Jet Blue’s TrueBlue program, and the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.
How Good Is Citi Customer Service?
Citibank customer service is just OK, according to J.D. Power’s 2020 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study. The bank ranked sixth among 11 major card issuers, scoring 801 on a 1,000-point scale, below the industry average score of 810.
However, as a Citi cardholder, you will have some useful service benefits, such as free access to your FICO score online and via the Citi mobile app, a 24/7 customer service phone line, and a secure, online portal where you can chat with a customer service representative.
Methodology
We collect data on hundreds of cards and score more than 55 features that affect your finances. We do this because it's our mission to give you unbiased, comprehensive credit card reviews.
Our reviews are always impartial: No one can influence which cards we review, the way we present them to you, or the ratings they receive.
About This List
The Balance team created this best card list using the same evaluation process used to score our best overall card rankings, but focused solely on cards issued by Citi (though we excluded co-branded airline cards from this round-up). We re-evaluate this list on a monthly basis, or when there are major changes to Citi's credit card offerings.
What We Score
We consider low APRs, big sign-up offers, valuable rewards, and minimal fees some of the best card qualities, and our scoring model reflects this. Our full methodology includes further detail about how we evaluate credit card attributes.