Best Citi Credit Cards in 2024

Citi offers a variety of good card options for customers with different budgets and goals. You should apply for a Citi credit card if you want to earn rewards, take advantage of intro APR offers and enjoy special perks with its brand partners.

Citi’s credit card lineup is limited compared to American Express and Chase, and it doesn’t have premium cards for its ThankYou® points or business customers. In addition, most of its cards lack travel and purchase protections that are standard with many rewards credit cards. However, Citi does offer appealing choices if you like its co-partner brands, want to earn flexible points or desire an intro APR offer.

• No foreign transaction fees

  When making purchases outside the U.S., banks may charge fees up to 3% of your purchase amount. These hidden fees automatically increase how much you spend while traveling. However, several Citi cards omit this fee, including the Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Platinum Select^® World Elite Mastercard^® Credit Card.

• Points transfer

  Transferring points to hotel and airline partners allows cardholders to book award travel for a potentially higher value. If you own the Citi Strata Premier^℠ Card, you can transfer Citi ThankYou® points to 18 travel partners, including Etihad, Qantas and Virgin Atlantic. Other Citi ThankYou® cards, like the Citi Rewards+, allow you to transfer points to a smaller set of partners.

• Intro APR offers

  An intro APR offer provides interest-free financing on purchases, balance transfers or both. As long as you pay off the balance before the promotional period expires, you won’t owe any interest. The Citi Simplicity^® Card is one of the best options for an intro APR on balance transfers.

• Citi Entertainment®

  Citi offers exclusive access to presale tickets and unique experiences for its cardholders. The Citi Double Cash^® Card includes this feature in its array of benefits.

• Travel credits

  Some Citi cards offer credits for travel that can help cover your annual fee each year. For example, the Citi Strata Premier^℠ Card gives you a $100 credit for hotels booked on CitiTravel.com each year. Meanwhile, the Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Executive World Elite Mastercard^® includes a $100 credit for Global Entry/TSA PreCheck, among a notable list of benefits.

• Lounge access

  Travelers visit airport lounges for complimentary snacks, drinks and Wi-Fi while enjoying comfortable seating and other amenities. The Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Executive World Elite Mastercard^® Credit Card gives you complimentary access to Admirals Club® lounges when flying on American Airlines or its partners.

Citi ThankYou® is a flexible rewards program where cardholders can earn and redeem points in a variety of ways. Citi ThankYou® points are valuable because you can redeem your points a variety of ways for at least 1 cent per point. In addition, when you transfer points to airline and hotel partners, you may be able to get an even higher value.

You can redeem points for cash back, statement credits, travel and more by logging into your account at Citi.com or ThankYou.com. The value of your Citi ThankYou® points varies depending on how you redeem them — this chart highlights the value you’ll receive through multiple options.

Value of 10,000 Citi ThankYou® points

• Travel through Citi: $100
• Transfer to Citi travel partners: Possibly more than $100
• Charitable contributions: $100
• Cash back or statement credit: $50-$100
• Gift cards: $100
• Pay with points on Amazon: $80

Citi ThankYou® cards

Not all Citi credit cards earn ThankYou® points. These four cards earn ThankYou® points as a welcome bonus and on purchases. Since you can combine points from multiple cards, you should consider signing up for multiple Citi cards to maximize your earnings on different categories.

• Citi Strata Premier^℠ Card
• Citi Rewards+^® Card
• Citi Double Cash^® Card
• Citi Custom Cash^® Card

Citi travel partners

You can transfer Citi ThankYou® points to airline and hotel partners by linking your loyalty accounts to your Citi account. Generally, points transfer on a 1:1 basis, though this ratio may vary by program or which card you have. Most cards, like the Citi Double Cash^® Card and the Citi Rewards+^® Card, only let you transfer points to a few partners. However, the Citi Strata Premier^℠ Card includes all of Citi’s travel partners.

Citi’s travel partners are mostly international brands. Even though Citi issues co-branded airline credit cards for American Airlines, it doesn’t have a major U.S. airline as a transfer partner. Instead, the U.S. brands that you may be familiar with are JetBlue, Choice Privileges and Wyndham Rewards.

This list highlights Citi’s transfer partners and the ratio when converting points.

If you’re interested in a Citi credit card, here’s how to apply and increase your odds of approval.

1. Get your credit score. Some credit cards require higher credit scores in order to approve an application. Many banks, apps and websites offer free credit scores that give you an indication of your credit health.
2. Improve your credit. If your credit score is too low, take steps to improve your credit. Pay down your debt, make on-time payments and avoid unnecessary inquiries.
3. Boost your income. Having a higher income generally increases your ability to repay debt and provides extra money to pay down your balances. Many people have side hustles to earn extra income in their spare time.
4. Review credit card options. Go to Citi.com and compare credit card options based on rewards, welcome bonus, benefits, annual fees, interest rates and other features. Seek out cards that match your credit profile to minimize the odds that Citi will decline you.
5. Apply for a credit card. Once you’ve selected a Citi credit card, apply for the card by providing your personal information. If you already have a Citi online profile, logging in saves time by prepopulating your information into the Citi credit card application.
6. Earn your welcome bonus. If your chosen card offers a welcome bonus, make sure that you spend enough on the card within the allotted time to earn the bonus. A welcome bonus offers a quick way to earn valuable rewards.

To select the best Citi credit card, our credit card experts compared the leading credit cards offered on Citi’s site and LendingTree.com, including cash back cards, 0% intro APR cards, balance transfer cards, travel cards and more. Although we primarily focused on Citi-branded cards, we also considered Citi co-branded credit cards.

We then chose our top picks based on a variety of factors, including rewards programs, annual fees and intro APR offers. We also looked at the benefits offered by each card, like purchase protection, travel insurance and complimentary lounge access.