The Citi Premier® Card is a versatile card that earns triple points on airfare, hotel stays, groceries, and gas stations – making it an outstanding earner on everyday purchases.
Travel benefits like a $100 annual hotel credit and purchase protection plans also help you recoup the $95 annual fee.
Let’s explore the earning capability of the Citi Premier card and what else it can offer to make it a keeper.
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- 3x Points at Restaurants, Supermarkets, Gas Stations, Air Travel, and Other Hotels.
- $100 Off a Single $500 Hotel Stay Per Year
- Extended Warranty and Purchase Protections
- $95 Annual Fee
Welcome Bonus
The Citi Premier currently offers the following welcome bonus:
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However, you are not eligible for the welcome bonus if you’ve received a new cardmember bonus for any of the following cards — or if you closed any of these cards — in the past 24 months:
- Citi Rewards+® Card.
- Citi ThankYou Preferred (not available to new applicants).
- Citi Premier® Card.
- Citi Prestige Card (not available to new applicants).
Earning Points
One of the best benefits of the Citi Premier is the ability to earn a lot of points on your spending.
Cardholders earn 3 points per dollar on purchases in the following categories, with no caps or annual limits:
- Gas stations
- Supermarkets
- Restaurants (including fast food and takeout).
- Flights
- Hotels
The card earns 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.
Annual Fee
The Citi Premier has a $95 annual fee, which can be offset by the extra points on spending, $100 hotel savings benefit, and purchase protections.
Citi Premier Benefits
$100 Annual Hotel Savings Benefit
Cardholders get a $100 discount once per calendar year when booking a single hotel stay worth at least $500 (excluding taxes and fees) through the ThankYou Rewards site.
No Foreign Transaction Fees
This card has no foreign transaction fees on purchases outside the U.S., which is helpful if you travel internationally to help you avoid paying a 3% fee on those international purchases.
Purchase Protection
Purchase protection can save you a lot of money if you bought an eligible item that is damaged or stolen within 90-days.
For example, if accidentally dropped your new phone or laptop and broke the screen, you could file a claim to get it replaced if it was purchased within the last 90 days.
Extended Warranty Protection
Credit card extended warranty protection adds up to an additional 24 months of coverage for eligible purchases on manufacturer’s warranties of five years or less.
Coverage matches the protection provided by the original warranty so that damage or defect would have to be covered by the original warranty for extended warranty coverage.
The maximum coverage is $10,000 per item and $50,000 per cardholder.
For example, if you bought a TV with a manufacturer’s warranty of three years, then this card would extend the warranty for free to the fifth year.
World Elite Mastercard Benefits
The Citi Premier offers nice World Elite Mastercard travel perks, including complimentary breakfast and room upgrades at Mastercard luxury hotels and resorts.
You’ll also get free ShopRunner membership, which provides free two-day shipping and free return shipping at over 100 stores.
Pros and Cons of Citi Premier
Here’s a quick overview of this card’s advantages and disadvantages:
Pros
- 3x points in several major categories (gas stations, restaurants, supermarkets)
- Purchase protections like extended warranty and 90-day purchase protection.
Cons
- Lack of travel protections minimizes the benefit of 3x points on flights.
- $100 travel credit requires a $500 hotel stay
Alternatives to the Citi Premier
Now that you know about the pros and cons of this card and its benefits, it’s time to review the alternatives.
Or, if you are like me, who loves to maximize my rewards, here are other cards you should add to your wallet in addition to this card:
Chase Sapphire Preferred®
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- 5x Points on Travel Booked Via Chase
- 3x Points on Dining and Eligible Delivery Services
- 2x Points on All Other Travel Purchases
- 10% Anniversary Points Boost
- Trip Delay and Trip Cancellation Insurance
- Primary Rental Car Insurance
- $95 Annual Fee
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (review) is one of the best rewards cards for travelers who want solid earning rates for travel and dining expenses.
For only $95 per year, this card earns 5x Chase Ultimate Rewards points on travel booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, 3x points on dining, online groceries, and streaming services, and 2x on all other travel purchases.
Cardholders will also get a 10% anniversary points bonus, a 12-month DoorDash DashPass subscription when activated by December 31, 2024, and a $50 anniversary hotel statement credit.
Plus, it provides extensive travel protections, including trip delay, primary rental car, baggage, and purchase protection plans.
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (review) is a premium travel rewards card that’s perfect for travelers who want outstanding travel perks like annual travel credits, worldwide airport lounge access, and travel and purchase protections.
The Venture X earns 2x miles on all purchases helping you maximize every dollar of your spending. Plus, you can earn 10x miles on hotels and rental cars, and 5x miles on flights booked through Capital One.
The card has a $395 annual fee, completely offset by a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, and 10,000 points (worth at least $100) for each account anniversary.
Plus, you get airport lounge access via Priority Pass, Capital One, and Plaza Premium Lounges, Hertz President’s Circle elite status, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit, rental car insurance, trip and luggage insurance, cell phone insurance, and purchase protection.
American Express® Gold Card
The American Express® Gold Card (review) is one of my favorite cards because it earns:
- 4x Membership Rewards® points at restaurants, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.,
- 4x Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1x).
- 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
Plus, card members get nice credits when you enroll your Gold Card to offset the annual fee:
- $120 Uber Cash: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account, and each month automatically get up to $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings and earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations.
Is the Citi Premier Worth It?
I keep the Citi Premier in my wallet to take advantage of 3x points on restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, and hotels, which allow me to rack up a lot of points that I can transfer to airlines.
But I never use the Citi Premier card to pay for flights because I value protections like trip delay insurance.
The Citi Premier is also a great combo with the Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer, which offers 2% cash back in the form of ThankYou points (1% cash back when you make a purchase and 1% cash back when you pay for that purchase).
With this combination, you can earn 3x points at restaurants, gas stations, and hotels with the Citi Premier and 2x points on all of your other purchases with the Double Cash.
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- 3x Points at Restaurants, Supermarkets, Gas Stations, Air Travel, and Other Hotels.
- $100 Off a Single $500 Hotel Stay Per Year
- Extended Warranty and Purchase Protections
- $95 Annual Fee
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, please click here.
