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Known for its low-interest and no-annual-fee credit cards, Citi offers a large selection of card options, including balance transfer, airline and rewards credit cards. We like that Citi’s credit cards offer more security than most, standing out as one of the few card issuers with virtual credit card access for select cards, available right from your account. This rare feature can prevent credit card fraud, especially when shopping online.
In addition to strong security, Citi also provides a decent selection of cards that let you earn a solid return on your spending, including one of our favorite flat-rate cash-back cards -- the Citi Double Cash® Card. Whether you’re shopping for everyday essentials, planning a trip or looking to pay down high-interest credit card debt, here are some of our favorite Citi credit cards.
Best Citi credit cards
The Citi Double Cash Card provides cardholders with 2% cash back for their purchases, one of the best flat rates available. You get 1% cash back when the purchase is made, and the other 1% when it’s paid off. Plus for a limited time, earn 5% back on hotel, car rentals and attractions when booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal (offer ends 12/31/24). There’s no annual fee, and you have the option to take advantage of a competitive balance transfer offer.
The 0% introductory balance transfer APR lasts for 18 months (then 19.24% to 29.24% variable). Transferring a balance from a card with a high APR to the Citi Double Cash would be a good way to pay down credit card debt faster by avoiding interest payments. Just keep in mind that there’s an intro balance transfer fee of 3% ($5 minimum) so long as any transfers are made within four months of account opening (after that 5% or $5, whichever is greater) – but you’ll need to do that anyway in order to take advantage of the balance transfer offer.
Between its rewards and balance transfer offer, the Citi Double Cash is a powerful rewards card to add to your wallet.
Read more in our Citi Double Cash Card review.
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- 0% intro for 18 months on Balance Transfers
- Intro Purchase APR
- N/A
- Regular APR
- 19.24% – 29.24% (Variable)
- Balance Transfer Fee
- There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. A balance transfer fee of 5% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies if completed after 4 months of account opening.
The Citi Double Cash Card provides cardholders with 2% cash back for their purchases, one of the best flat rates available. You get 1% cash back when the purchase is made, and the other 1% when it’s paid off. Plus for a limited time, earn 5% back on hotel, car rentals and attractions when booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal (offer ends 12/31/24). There’s no annual fee, and you have the option to take advantage of a competitive balance transfer offer.
The 0% introductory balance transfer APR lasts for 18 months (then 19.24% to 29.24% variable). Transferring a balance from a card with a high APR to the Citi Double Cash would be a good way to pay down credit card debt faster by avoiding interest payments. Just keep in mind that there’s an intro balance transfer fee of 3% ($5 minimum) so long as any transfers are made within four months of account opening (after that 5% or $5, whichever is greater) – but you’ll need to do that anyway in order to take advantage of the balance transfer offer.
Between its rewards and balance transfer offer, the Citi Double Cash is a powerful rewards card to add to your wallet.
Read more in our Citi Double Cash Card review.
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- 0% intro for 18 months on Balance Transfers
- Intro Purchase APR
- N/A
- Regular APR
- 19.24% – 29.24% (Variable)
- Balance Transfer Fee
- There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. A balance transfer fee of 5% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies if completed after 4 months of account opening.
Designed with travelers in mind, the Citi Premier Card offers rewards for a few travel-related expenses including restaurants, gas stations, air travel and hotel stays. However, it doesn’t come with too many travel-centric perks such as travel protections that many competitor cards include, despite having a $95 annual fee.
It does include an annual $100 hotel credit for a hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) through Thankyou.com, and offers strong rewards for both travel spending and everyday spending like gas stations and supermarkets. There aren’t any travel protections like travel accident insurance or lost luggage reimbursement that many travel credit cards tend to include, but the flexibility in rewards makes up for it. In addition to it’s everyday spending categories, now through June 30, 2024, cardholders can earn 10x points per dollar for booking rental cars, hotels and attractions (excluding air travel) through the Citi Travel℠ portal.
This card also offers a sizable welcome bonus that’s competitive with travel cards with similar annual fees.
Check out our Citi Premier Card review to learn more.
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- N/A
- Intro Purchase APR
- N/A
- Regular APR
- 21.24% – 29.24% (Variable)
- Balance Transfer Fee
- Balance transfer fee applies with this offer 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.
Designed with travelers in mind, the Citi Premier Card offers rewards for a few travel-related expenses including restaurants, gas stations, air travel and hotel stays. However, it doesn’t come with too many travel-centric perks such as travel protections that many competitor cards include, despite having a $95 annual fee.
It does include an annual $100 hotel credit for a hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) through Thankyou.com, and offers strong rewards for both travel spending and everyday spending like gas stations and supermarkets. There aren’t any travel protections like travel accident insurance or lost luggage reimbursement that many travel credit cards tend to include, but the flexibility in rewards makes up for it. In addition to it’s everyday spending categories, now through June 30, 2024, cardholders can earn 10x points per dollar for booking rental cars, hotels and attractions (excluding air travel) through the Citi Travel℠ portal.
This card also offers a sizable welcome bonus that’s competitive with travel cards with similar annual fees.
Check out our Citi Premier Card review to learn more.
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- N/A
- Intro Purchase APR
- N/A
- Regular APR
- 21.24% – 29.24% (Variable)
- Balance Transfer Fee
- Balance transfer fee applies with this offer 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.
The Citi Diamond Preferred Card* exists solely to alleviate some pressure you may be feeling beneath the weight of credit card debt. Cardholders get an intro 0% APR for balance transfers for 21 months, and 12 months for purchases (then a 18.24% to 28.99% variable APR). Just be aware the card offers no rewards, and you’ll need to complete any balance transfers within the first four months of account opening.
Its balance transfer offer is one of the longest available, giving cardholders a large chunk of time to pay down a transferred balance at no interest. It does unfortunately have a high balance transfer fee of 5% ($5 minimum), which keeps it from greatness. There are other balance transfer credit cards that provide the same length of time but with a lower balance transfer fee.
Read our Citi Diamond Preferred review for more information.
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- 0% for 21 months on Balance Transfers
- Intro Purchase APR
- 0% for 12 months on Purchases
- Regular APR
- 18.24% – 28.99% (Variable)
- Balance Transfer Fee
- Balance transfer fee applies with this offer 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.
The Citi Diamond Preferred Card* exists solely to alleviate some pressure you may be feeling beneath the weight of credit card debt. Cardholders get an intro 0% APR for balance transfers for 21 months, and 12 months for purchases (then a 18.24% to 28.99% variable APR). Just be aware the card offers no rewards, and you’ll need to complete any balance transfers within the first four months of account opening.
Its balance transfer offer is one of the longest available, giving cardholders a large chunk of time to pay down a transferred balance at no interest. It does unfortunately have a high balance transfer fee of 5% ($5 minimum), which keeps it from greatness. There are other balance transfer credit cards that provide the same length of time but with a lower balance transfer fee.
Read our Citi Diamond Preferred review for more information.
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- 0% for 21 months on Balance Transfers
- Intro Purchase APR
- 0% for 12 months on Purchases
- Regular APR
- 18.24% – 28.99% (Variable)
- Balance Transfer Fee
- Balance transfer fee applies with this offer 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.
If you’re looking for a bit more flexibility in your rewards program, consider the Citi Custom Cash Card*. For no annual fee, cardholders earn 5% cash back (on the first $500 spent, then 1%) on the eligible category you spend the most on each billing cycle. Eligible purchases include restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, select travel, select transit, select streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs and live entertainment.
5% is a strong rate for a no annual fee credit card, however, because of the $500 limit, cardholders can only earn a maximum of $25 each billing cycle at that rate before rewards fall to 1%. That means a flat-rate cash back card, like the Citi Double Cash, will likely overtake the Custom Cash’s rewards once that limit is reached.
However, very few credit cards offer rewards for home improvement stores, fitness clubs and live entertainment, so it could be worth it up to the $500 limit each billing cycle for those categories and then swapping to another rewards card with a higher rate.
It also features an introductory APR for purchases and balance transfers.
Read our Citi Custom Cash Card review to learn more.
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- 0% for 15 months on balance transfers
- Intro Purchase APR
- 0% for 15 months on purchases
- Regular APR
- 19.24% – 29.24% (Variable)
- Balance Transfer Fee
- Balance transfer fee applies with this offer 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.
If you’re looking for a bit more flexibility in your rewards program, consider the Citi Custom Cash Card*. For no annual fee, cardholders earn 5% cash back (on the first $500 spent, then 1%) on the eligible category you spend the most on each billing cycle. Eligible purchases include restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, select travel, select transit, select streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs and live entertainment.
5% is a strong rate for a no annual fee credit card, however, because of the $500 limit, cardholders can only earn a maximum of $25 each billing cycle at that rate before rewards fall to 1%. That means a flat-rate cash back card, like the Citi Double Cash, will likely overtake the Custom Cash’s rewards once that limit is reached.
However, very few credit cards offer rewards for home improvement stores, fitness clubs and live entertainment, so it could be worth it up to the $500 limit each billing cycle for those categories and then swapping to another rewards card with a higher rate.
It also features an introductory APR for purchases and balance transfers.
Read our Citi Custom Cash Card review to learn more.
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- 0% for 15 months on balance transfers
- Intro Purchase APR
- 0% for 15 months on purchases
- Regular APR
- 19.24% – 29.24% (Variable)
- Balance Transfer Fee
- Balance transfer fee applies with this offer 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.
It’s all in the name with the Citi Simplicity Card*. Aside from its introductory 0% APR for balance transfers for 21 months, and 12 months for new purchases (then 19.24% to 29.99% variable), there isn’t much else to say.
It exists only to be used to avoid interest charges on another card or on a large, planned purchase. The balance transfer offer is one of the longest on the market, and the introductory balance transfer fee for transfers completed within four months of account opening is the standard 3% ($5 minimum) -- though it does jump up to 5% ($5 minimum) after that. But you’ll need to complete any balance transfers within the first four months of account opening anyway to qualify for the intro offer.
Take a look at our Citi Simplicity review to learn more.
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- 0% for 21 months on Balance Transfers
- Intro Purchase APR
- 0% for 12 months on Purchases
- Regular APR
- 19.24% – 29.99% (Variable)
- Balance Transfer Fee
- There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. A balance transfer fee of 5% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies if completed after 4 months of account opening.
It’s all in the name with the Citi Simplicity Card*. Aside from its introductory 0% APR for balance transfers for 21 months, and 12 months for new purchases (then 19.24% to 29.99% variable), there isn’t much else to say.
It exists only to be used to avoid interest charges on another card or on a large, planned purchase. The balance transfer offer is one of the longest on the market, and the introductory balance transfer fee for transfers completed within four months of account opening is the standard 3% ($5 minimum) -- though it does jump up to 5% ($5 minimum) after that. But you’ll need to complete any balance transfers within the first four months of account opening anyway to qualify for the intro offer.
Take a look at our Citi Simplicity review to learn more.
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- 0% for 21 months on Balance Transfers
- Intro Purchase APR
- 0% for 12 months on Purchases
- Regular APR
- 19.24% – 29.99% (Variable)
- Balance Transfer Fee
- There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. A balance transfer fee of 5% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies if completed after 4 months of account opening.
The Citi Rewards+ Card* has a few unique features that are worth paying attention to. Rewards will be rounded up to the nearest 10 points for every purchase and you’ll have 10% of the first 100,000 points you redeem each year returned to you.
Otherwise, its rewards are lackluster compared to similar credit cards with no annual fee, but you can take advantage of the introductory APR. If you need to get rid of some credit card debt, it could be a worthwhile choice, despite having a limited value when compared to other rewards credit cards.
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- 0% intro for 15 months on Balance Transfers
- Intro Purchase APR
- 0% intro for 15 months on Purchases
- Regular APR
- 18.74% – 28.74% (Variable)
- Balance Transfer Fee
- There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. A balance transfer fee of 5% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies if completed after 4 months of account opening.
The Citi Rewards+ Card* has a few unique features that are worth paying attention to. Rewards will be rounded up to the nearest 10 points for every purchase and you’ll have 10% of the first 100,000 points you redeem each year returned to you.
Otherwise, its rewards are lackluster compared to similar credit cards with no annual fee, but you can take advantage of the introductory APR. If you need to get rid of some credit card debt, it could be a worthwhile choice, despite having a limited value when compared to other rewards credit cards.
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- 0% intro for 15 months on Balance Transfers
- Intro Purchase APR
- 0% intro for 15 months on Purchases
- Regular APR
- 18.74% – 28.74% (Variable)
- Balance Transfer Fee
- There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. A balance transfer fee of 5% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies if completed after 4 months of account opening.
The Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard* provides rewards and perks focused on making American Airlines flights more rewarding and comfortable. It has a $595 annual fee, so it should only be considered by people who travel many times a year.
Cardholders can enjoy annual Admirals Club airport lounge membership – which usually costs $850 – priority boarding, priority check-in, priority airport screening, a 25% discount (in the form of a statement credit) on in-flight food and beverage purchases, an application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, among other benefits. In addition, it earns 4x AAdvantage miles on eligible American Airlines purchases. After spending $150,000 in a calendar year, cardmembers can earn a total of 5x AAdvantage miles on eligible American Airlines purchases for the remainder of the calendar year.
If you exclusively fly American Airlines and travel frequently enough to take full advantage of everything the card has to offer, there’s no doubt you’d benefit from this card. However, if that doesn’t sound like you, consider a general travel credit card with a lower annual fee instead.
Read more in our full Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard review.
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- N/A
- Intro Purchase APR
- N/A
- Regular APR
- 21.24% – 29.99% (Variable)
- Balance Transfer Fee
- 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.
The Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard* provides rewards and perks focused on making American Airlines flights more rewarding and comfortable. It has a $595 annual fee, so it should only be considered by people who travel many times a year.
Cardholders can enjoy annual Admirals Club airport lounge membership – which usually costs $850 – priority boarding, priority check-in, priority airport screening, a 25% discount (in the form of a statement credit) on in-flight food and beverage purchases, an application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, among other benefits. In addition, it earns 4x AAdvantage miles on eligible American Airlines purchases. After spending $150,000 in a calendar year, cardmembers can earn a total of 5x AAdvantage miles on eligible American Airlines purchases for the remainder of the calendar year.
If you exclusively fly American Airlines and travel frequently enough to take full advantage of everything the card has to offer, there’s no doubt you’d benefit from this card. However, if that doesn’t sound like you, consider a general travel credit card with a lower annual fee instead.
Read more in our full Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard review.
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- N/A
- Intro Purchase APR
- N/A
- Regular APR
- 21.24% – 29.99% (Variable)
- Balance Transfer Fee
- 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.
If you need to establish or rebuild your credit, the Citi® Secured Mastercard®* can set you on the right path. In exchange for a one-time, refundable deposit that forms your starting credit line, you can begin to create a positive credit history of on-time payments.
The card doesn’t earn any rewards, but not many secured credit cards do. Instead, it’s meant to instill responsible credit card habits while improving your credit score. Once your score is looking better, you can move on to better credit cards that feature rewards and other card perks.
You can learn more about it in our Citi Secured Mastercard review.
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- N/A
- Intro Purchase APR
- N/A
- Regular APR
- 27.74% (Variable)
- Balance Transfer Fee
- 3% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.
If you need to establish or rebuild your credit, the Citi® Secured Mastercard®* can set you on the right path. In exchange for a one-time, refundable deposit that forms your starting credit line, you can begin to create a positive credit history of on-time payments.
The card doesn’t earn any rewards, but not many secured credit cards do. Instead, it’s meant to instill responsible credit card habits while improving your credit score. Once your score is looking better, you can move on to better credit cards that feature rewards and other card perks.
You can learn more about it in our Citi Secured Mastercard review.
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- N/A
- Intro Purchase APR
- N/A
- Regular APR
- 27.74% (Variable)
- Balance Transfer Fee
- 3% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.
Credit score requirements for Citi credit cards
Citi typically requires good to excellent credit for most of its credit cards. That means your credit scores would need to be at least 670 for FICO and 661 for VantageScore.
Citi does offer a secured credit card, however -- the Citi Secured Mastercard. Secured credit cards are designed to help establish or repair credit. You’ll have to pay a one-time, refundable security deposit upon approval. The security deposit forms your initial credit limit, and may be refunded after showing responsible use or if you choose to close your card.
How to get preselected for a Citi credit card
Preselection can help you find out how likely you are to be accepted for a credit card without damaging your credit. Preselection -- or preapproval -- offers utilize a soft credit check, matching some preliminary financial information with the card to see if you may qualify. However, it’s important to note that even if you are preselected for a Citi card, it doesn’t guarantee approval.
Keep in mind that when you do officially apply for a credit card, your credit score will typically be lowered temporarily by a few points due to a hard credit check.
You can usually head to Citi’s site to check if you’re preselected, but Citi isn’t currently offering the service. When it is up, you’ll need to enter your name, email, address, the last four digits of your Social Security number and which type of credit card you’re interested in.
How does Citi stack up to other issuers?
Citi offers a mix of credit cards, including one of the best flat-rate cash back cards -- the Citi Double Cash card -- and a strong travel card, the Citi Premier. It also offers a secured credit card for people who need to improve their credit score with responsible card use. However, Citi doesn’t offer much in the way of additional programs, such as Bank of America’s Preferred Rewards or Capital One’s CreditWise tool.
Citi vs. Bank of America
Bank of America’s Preferred Rewards program can boost both your credit card rewards and the annual percentage yield on your Bank of America savings account. To qualify, you’ll need to have a certain balance in your Bank of America bank account and/or Merrill Investing account. The higher your balance, the greater rewards you’ll receive. However, if you don’t pair your banking with your credit card choice, Citi may offer better rewards.
Bank of America offers more business credit cards than Citi as well.
Citi vs. Capital One
Capital One offers great cards for travelers thanks to its Venture card offerings, plus good rewards cards for students and general spenders. It also provides cards for people who need to build their credit, but few options for business owners. Capital One cards span a wider range of credit requirements too, making it more accessible.
Capital One also offers the CreditWise tool. It helps monitor your credit score and can help in the event of identity theft. CreditWise is available to use by anyone, not just Capital One cardholders.
How many Citi cards can you have?
There’s no stated limit to the number of Citi cards you’re able to have at one time. Having more credit cards will give you a larger pool of credit to access, which directly translates to your credit utilization. Credit utilization is one of the factors that contributes to your credit score.
Credit utilization is how much of your total available credit you’re using. The lower your utilization, the higher your credit scores. If you have more credit to work with, it’s easier to keep your utilization on the lower side.
The age of your credit accounts also impacts your score. If you hang on to your credit cards longer while accumulating more, your credit score will likely be healthier for it.
However, having a high number of credit cards increases the likelihood of missing a payment or overspending, unless you’re adept at managing debt and payments. How many credit cards you should have will come down to how responsible you are as a borrower.
Is Citi the right credit card issuer for you?
If one of Citi’s credit cards matches your spending habits and lifestyle, consider applying. Citi offers good options if you’re in the market for a cash-back, travel or balance transfer card. However, if you’re looking to build up your credit scores, there are other issuers that offer better secured cards (looking at you, Discover it® Secured Credit Card*).
How to choose the right Citi credit card
It comes down to finding a credit card that supports how you spend. Don’t choose a card that earns rewards for purchases you don’t typically make. Avoid choosing a credit card with an annual fee if you’re unable to take full advantage of its additional card perks or if you can’t generate enough rewards through your normal spending to cover the fee.
Consider what you need the credit card for. If you want a travel card that doubles well as an everyday credit card, you might opt for the Citi Premier.
The Double Cash is a great cash-back card that offers rewards for everything you buy. If you make a variety of purchases, its rewards could help cut down on your monthly expenses. Unlike rewards cards that lock you into spending a certain way, the Double Cash provides rewards no matter how you spend. The lack of an annual fee makes it easy to use with other credit cards as well.
Citi also provides credit cards with 0% introductory APR offers which can help get rid of existing credit card debt through a balance transfer, or help you finance a large, planned purchase. Just be sure you can pay down the balance within the given timeframe.
How to apply for a Citi credit card
Follow these steps to apply for a Citi credit card:
- Find the credit card that matches your budget and lifestyle.
- Follow one of the links above to be taken to a secure application.
- Fill out the application with all of the required financial and personal information.
- Use your card responsibly and always pay your bill on time.
FAQs
Some Citi cards carry an annual fee, such as the Citi Premier, while others like the Citi Double Cash don’t.
Generally, the easiest Citi card to get is the Citi Secured Mastercard. It’s a secured credit card which means it typically has less-strict credit requirements to qualify for compared to unsecured credit cards. Instead, you’ll need to supply a one-time, refundable deposit as collateral.
You’ll need to contact Citi to cancel your card, either online or over the phone. Just keep in mind canceling a credit card can lower your credit score, especially if you’ve had it for a number of years. The age of your credit accounts and the size of your total available credit affect your credit score.
*All information about the Citi Rewards+ Card, Citi Custom Cash Card, Citi Diamond Preferred Card, Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard, Citi Secured Mastercard, Citi Simplicity Card, and Discover it Secured Credit Card has been collected independently by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
The editorial content on this page is based solely on objective, independent assessments by our writers and is not influenced by advertising or partnerships. It has not been provided or commissioned by any third party. However, we may receive compensation when you click on links to products or services offered by our partners.
