Best Citi Credit Cards Of May 2024

With excellent select, in-category cash-back rewards and unique earning categories, the Citi Custom Cash® Card offers solid, but limited, cash back for those who want to leverage specific spending. The categories offered include unique options like home improvement, fitness clubs, live entertainment and a handful of others, which makes this card great for those who want an additional card to earn some cash back in places most won’t see it otherwise.

Rewards: Earn 5% cash back on purchases in a top eligible spend category up to the first $500 spent each billing cycle, 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2025 and 1% cash back on all other purchases.

Welcome offer: Earn $200 in cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. The bonus points come in the form of 20,000 ThankYou® Points that can be redeemed for $200 cash back.

Annual fee: $0

Other benefits and drawbacks: Like most of Citi’s other cards, the Custom Cash offers the extra perks a big bank usually provides like digital wallet convenience, $0 fraud liability, FICO Score access, 24/7 support and other conveniences.

The card offers 0% introductory APR for 15 months from date of account opening on purchases and from date of first transfer for balance transfers completed within 4 months of account opening. After that, the variable APR will be 19.24% - 29.24%, based on creditworthiness. There is also a balance transfer fee of 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum. The best use of this card, we believe, whether a balance transfer card first or not, is as a companion card to supplement a card offering rewards with fewer limits.

A true balance transfer card, the Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card* offers a lengthy introductory APR period on purchases and balance transfers. The card has the standard suite of convenience perks Citi offers with many cards like $0 fraud liability, but it doesn’t offer anything extra.

Rewards: This card does not earn rewards.

Welcome offer: This card does not offer a welcome bonus.

Annual fee: $0

Other benefits and drawbacks: Though certainly light on the extras, the card ultimately does one thing right: low introductory APR for balance transfers or financing large purchases. New cardholders get a 0% intro APR for 21 months on eligible balance transfers from date of first transfer and 0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases from date of account opening. After that, the variable APR will be 18.24% - 28.99%. Balance transfers must be completed within 4 months of account opening. A balance transfer fee of either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, applies.

There’s no annual fee, making it a great resource to pay off your debt. However, the card doesn’t earn rewards, so it might not find a preferred place in your wallet over the long term.

The Citi Simplicity® Card* is essentially the Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card* with a few key differences: no penalty APR, a lower intro balance transfer fee and a slightly higher standard APR.

Rewards: This card does not earn rewards.

Welcome offer: This card does not offer a welcome bonus.

Annual fee: $0

Other benefits and drawbacks: With the Citi Simplicity® Card*, you’ll get 0% intro APR for 21 months on balance transfers from date of first transfer and 0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases from date of account opening. After that, the variable APR will be 19.24% - 29.99%. There is an intro balance transfer fee of $5 or 3% of the amount of the transfer, whichever is greater, for transfers made within 4 months of opening the account. After that, a balance transfer fee of either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, applies.

Not much else is different—it charges the same 3% of the amount of each purchase foreign transaction fee and doesn’t charge an annual fee.

The Citi Premier® Card does charge a modest annual fee, but it earns rewards you’d expect on a card with a higher carrying cost. Its consumer and travel protections are lacking, though, so the primary attraction of this card beyond its high reward potential is its lack of foreign transaction fees.

Rewards: Earn 3 ThankYou points per dollar at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel and hotels, 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases and a total of 10 points per dollar on hotels, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through June 30, 2024.

Welcome offer: Earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.

Annual fee: $95

Other benefits and drawbacks: Citi ThankYou points are a lesser-known but extremely valuable rewards currency. Each year, cardholders can get $100 off a hotel stay booked via Citi, but the stay must cost $500 or more excluding taxes.

Citi ThankYou Points can be transferred to partners including JetBlue TrueBlue, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles, Choice Privileges Rewards and others. While these programs aren’t as well known as some of the programs you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards® or American Express Membership Rewards® into, they can offer amazing value to those willing to put in the work.

We often refer to the Citi Double Cash® Card as the gold standard when it comes to flat-rate cash back. Its 2% cash back on all purchases—1% when purchases are made and another 1% when they’re paid off used to be really difficult to beat. Now, we compare it to nearly everything we expect those with fair to excellent credit to qualify for. But the Double Cash pulls triple duty with its balance transfer qualities and ability to earn transferable points, too.

Rewards: Earn 2% cash back on all purchases—1% when purchases are made and another 1% when they’re paid off.

Welcome offer: Earn $200 cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening, fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points.

Annual fee: $0

Other benefits and drawbacks: Though there are now several unlimited 2% flat-rate cash-back cards, few offer a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months. After that, the standard variable APR will be 19.24% - 29.24%, based on creditworthiness. An intro balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3%, whichever is greater, applies to transfers completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, the fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5). The Citi Double Cash® Card doesn’t offer much in the way of extra benefits though beyond the typical Citi convenience benefits like $0 fraud liability and digital wallet technology.

Without much to show for additional benefits, the Citi Rewards+® Card earns okay rewards, but its unique earning features are what make the card interesting. With both a round up to the nearest 10 points option and a Points Back feature, the card may make point earning a bit more rewarding, but it may not be enough to make up for the additional complexity of keeping track of another credit card and rewards system.

Rewards: Earn 2 ThankYou Points per dollar at supermarkets and gas stations for the first $6,000 in spending per year and 1 ThankYou Point per dollar on other eligible purchases, plus 5 ThankYou® Points per dollar on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com through December 31, 2025.

Welcome offer: Earn 20,000 bonus points after spending $1,500 in purchases within 3 months of account opening; redeemable for $200 in gift cards at thankyou.com.

Annual fee: $0

Other benefits and drawbacks: Round Up to the nearest 10 points, a $2 coffee purchase earns 10 ThankYou Points where it would otherwise earn 2 and a $12 meal purchase earns 20 ThankYou Points where it would otherwise earn 12. With a Points Back feature, the card returns 10% of ThankYou Points redeemed, such that 1,500 ThankYou Points are returned as points when 15,000 ThankYou Points are redeemed.

Additionally, the introductory APR offer may appeal to some: a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 15 months from date of first transfer and on purchases from date of account opening. After that, the variable APR will be 18.74% - 28.74%, based on your creditworthiness. An intro balance transfer fee of either 3% of each transfer or a minimum amount of $5 within the first 4 months of account opening applies. After that, the amount of each balance transfer will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5) applies. Note that the card does charge a 3% foreign transaction fee.

The opportunity to earn up to $240 in statement credits each year without an annual fee makes the AT&T Points Plus® Card from Citi worth looking into if you’re an AT&T customer, though there are some tradeoffs to be aware of.

Rewards: Earn 3 points per dollar at gas stations, 2 points per dollar at grocery stores and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.

Welcome offer: Earn $100 statement credit after spending $1,000 in eligible purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.

Annual fee: $0

Other benefits and drawbacks: You have to jump through some hoops to maximize this card, but the payoff could be substantial. Cardholders who charge $1,000 or more on purchases in a billing cycle can earn a $20 statement credit that month (alternatively, earn $10 in statement credits when charging $500–$999.99). However, you must also enroll your AT&T postpaid wireless account in paperless billing and autopay with this card in order to be eligible.

The earning rates on gas and groceries are fair but not unique and it’s a bit underwhelming to earn a single ThankYou Point per dollar on most purchases. Because of this, the card is best only for AT&T customers who expect to regularly earn their monthly statement credit. Otherwise, there are better rewards cards out there.

A minimum $200 security deposit is required to open the Citi® Secured Mastercard®*, Citi’s offering for those looking to build new or rebuild damaged credit. The card’s lack of rewards and $0 annual fee make it a simple secured card. But since several secured cards out there now offer rewards, the Citi® Secured Mastercard®* may not be the best option for those shopping for a secured card.

Rewards: This card does not offer rewards.

Welcome offer: This card does not offer a welcome bonus.

Annual fee: $0

Other benefits and drawbacks: The maximum deposit allowed with the Citi® Secured Mastercard®* is $2,500 but we never recommend spending that much without other lines of credit open—try to never exceed a 30% credit utilization rate to avoid negative credit score impact. The card charges no annual fee, has a relatively high standard APR and offers no rewards and only the standard convenience benefits Citi included with Citi-branded cards.

With Admirals Club lounge access, priority boarding and the first checked bag free for up to eight additional travel companions, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®* provides everything a premium airline rewards card should offer. The card is arguably the card for the most frequent American Airlines travelers as it provides the most benefits of Citi’s American Airlines-branded cards.

Rewards: Earn 10 AAdvantage miles per dollar spent on eligible hotels and car rentals booked through aa.com, 4 miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases and 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases.

Welcome offer: Earn 70,000 bonus miles after spending $7,000 in purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.

Annual fee: $595

Other benefits and drawbacks: In addition to the first checked bag free and lounge access, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®* charges no foreign transaction fees and its cardholders receive a $100 statement credit toward TSA PreCheck or Global Entry every four years, a 25% discount on in-flight purchases and, where available, receive an enhanced airport experience which includes priority boarding.

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®* earns decent AAdvantage miles on spending, offers a handful of benefits for flying on American Airlines and charges no foreign transaction fees. Citi doesn’t generally offer the travel insurance-style perks other issuers are known to offer with their travel cards, but those who use the benefits will likely find the annual fee worthwhile.

Rewards: Earn 2 AAdvantage miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases, restaurants and gas stations and 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases.

Welcome offer: Earn 50,000 AAdvantage bonus miles after spending $2,500 in purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.

Annual fee: $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $99

Other benefits and drawbacks: The several American Airlines-related benefits offered by the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card are where most of the additional value in this card lies. The first checked bag is complimentary for the cardholder and up to four companions when traveling on domestic flights and cardholders receive preferred boarding and a 25% discount on in-flight purchases with American Airlines.

Cardholders who spend at least $20,000 on the card annually and renew their card, earn a $125 American Airlines flight discount—which is more than the annual fee. The card charges no foreign transaction fees but offers few other major benefits beyond its reward earning and welcome bonus.

Also one of Citi’s best cash-back rewards cards, the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi* offers excellent gas, restaurant and travel rewards, but also rewards purchases made at Costco.

Rewards: Earn 4% cash back on eligible gas and EV charging purchases for the first $7,000 spent annually, 1% thereafter, 3% cash back on restaurants and eligible travel purchases, 2% cash back on purchases from Costco and Costco.com and 1% cash back on all other purchases. A Costco membership is required to apply.

Welcome offer: This card does not offer a welcome bonus.

Annual fee: $0

Other benefits and drawbacks: The Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi* offers excellent cash-back rewards with some limits, but its lack of foreign transaction fees or an annual fee makes it great for both domestic shopping and international travel. The card does require Costco membership, so we don’t necessarily recommend it for those who aren’t already regular Costco customers, as otherwise it creates what would effectively be an annual fee with other benefits that might go unused.

The card’s purchase protection from theft and damage offers an excellent extra benefit, but otherwise it doesn’t offer any travel protections or roadside assistance-related features as you might expect with a card offering such a high reward on gas.

The American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Mastercard®* charges no annual fee and earns AAdvantage miles but doesn’t do much else. The card does give a 25% discount on inflight food and beverage purchases, but otherwise offers no major additional benefits.

Rewards: Earn 2 AAdvantage miles per dollar spent at grocery stores and on American Airline purchases, 1 mile on all other purchases.

Welcome offer: Earn 15,000 AAdvantage bonus miles after making $500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.

Annual fee: $0

Other benefits and drawbacks: AAdvantage rewards earned with the no-annual-fee version of the American Airlines-branded card can be redeemed for flights and upgrades, but the card has almost none of the additional benefits of the AAdvantage Platinum Select. The MileUp Card charges a foreign transaction fee so it’s not a good choice for international travel.