Best Citi credit cards of March 2023

Citi Custom Cash Card: Best for automatic bonus category

• What we love about the Citi Custom Cash Card: Earning a high level of cash back is relatively easy with this card since it automatically adjusts to your highest eligible spend category per billing cycle and awards you 5 percent back on up to $500 (then 1 percent). For example, if you spend the most on groceries, you can earn at least $25 back.
• Who this card is good for: If you’re seeking a lucrative cash back card with a simple rewards structure, this is the card for you.
• Alternatives: The Chase Freedom Flex℠ offers a solid alternative for consumers who love almost everything about the Citi Custom Cash, but want a more straightforward welcome bonus in the form of a statement credit, unlike the Custom Cash, with which you’d have to redeem ThankYou points. The Freedom Flex is also a bit easier to obtain because the spending requirement is much lower.

Read our full Citi Custom Cash Card review or jump back to offer details.

Citi Premier Card: Best for travel rewards on everyday purchases

• What we love about the Citi Premier Card: The bonus categories reward major spending categories — supermarkets, gas stations, air travel and dining at restaurants — at the same rate of 3X points, a rare feature in a rewards credit card.
• Who this card is good for: Travelers who want to earn on everyday spending at the same rate they earn on air travel and hotel purchases
• Alternatives: If the bulk of your spending falls outside traditional categories and you still want to earn, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is a solid alternative. Capital One Venture Rewards cardholders will earn 5X miles on rental cars and hotels booked through Capital One Travel and 2X miles on everything else.

Read our full Citi Premier Card review or jump back to offer details.

Citi Double Cash Card: Best for overall Citi cash back card

• What we love about the Citi Double Cash Card: This card provides cardholders with a solid cash back rate and impressive security perks. The Citi lost wallet service ensures that a lost or stolen card will be replaced within 24 hours. Citi will also provide you with emergency cash should you need it in the meantime.
• Who this card is good for: The Citi Double Cash is best for simple cash back seekers who always pay off their balances. This card doesn’t have many perks, but it will give cardholders the chance to earn pretty solid rewards.
• Alternatives: The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card is a strong second choice thanks to its flat rewards rate, sign-up bonus and cellphone protection.

Read our full Citi Double Cash Card review or jump back to offer details.

Citi Diamond Preferred Card: Best balance transfer card

• What we love about the Citi Diamond Preferred Card: This card touts a decent intro APR period for purchases and balance transfers. It can be valuable for anyone planning a large purchase or paying down debt.
• Who this card is good for: Anyone who wants to save on interest payments for either purchases or balance transfers with its intro period.
• Alternatives: If you were considering the Citi Diamond Preferred card to complete a balance transfer, the Wells Fargo Reflect® Card might be a good alternative. The Reflect also skips the annual fee and provides cardholders with a long balance transfer period.

Read our full Citi Diamond Preferred Card review or jump back to offer details.

Citi Simplicity Card: Best for intro APR offers and no late fee

• What we love about the Citi Simplicity Card: Cardholders will get one of the longest introductory APR periods on balance transfers available on the market. They’ll also skip late fees and penalty APRs with late payments (late payments still negatively impact your credit score).
• Who this card is good for: People who want to build better credit habits and pay off credit card debt. If you’re having trouble learning to manage your credit effectively, this card has consumer-friendly terms that can help.
• Alternatives: If you want to stick with Citi, but are hoping to earn more rewards, the Citi Double Cash is a potential alternative. Citi Double Cash cardholders will earn a generous flat cash back rate on all purchases.

Read our full Citi Simplicity Card review or jump back to offer details.

Citi® Secured Mastercard®: Best for building credit

• What we love about the Citi Secured Mastercard: You’ll get the standard credit-building tools, plus a potentially higher-than-average credit limit compared to other secured credit cards.
• Who this card is good for: Credit builders who don’t carry a balance. This card is easily accessible and meant to help people with lower scores build their credit. But if you carry a balance or make a late payment, the card’s high variable APR and penalty charges make it a deal breaker.
• Alternatives: The Discover it® Secured Credit Card is one of the only secured cards that earns substantial rewards, making it a terrific option for credit builders looking for a starter cash back card. Discover it Secured cardholders will earn bonus rewards at gas stations and restaurants each quarter.

Read our full Citi Secured Mastercard review.

Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®: Best for American Airlines flyers

• What we love about the Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard: For occasional travelers, this middle-of-the-road card offers solid perks and a respectable welcome bonus. Plus, you can continue earning with 2X miles on gas station and restaurant purchases.
• Who this card is good for: Occasional travelers who prefer to fly American Airlines. Though this card has less substantial rewards than other similar cards, its low annual fee and hefty welcome bonus make it a great pick for people who fly occasionally and want to earn rewards for their travel, gas and restaurant purchases.
• Alternatives: For more serious travelers who want to get more from their American Airlines credit card — like lounge access around the world and an up to $100 application fee for Global TSA Precheck — the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® is an excellent choice.

Read our full Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard review.

The information about the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®  been collected independently by Bankrate.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer. 

Citi Rewards+® Card: Best for pairing with other Citi credit cards

• What we love about the Citi Rewards+ Card: Cardholders will get standard rewards card features with a plus: rewards are rounded up to the nearest 10 points on purchases.
• Who this card is good for: Someone with another Citi card who wants to make the most of their rewards. Travelers may want to pair this card with the Citi Premier Card to maximize its rewards.
• Alternatives: The Citi Premier Card also works as an alternative to the Citi Rewards+ Card. You’ll get more rewards category variety, and it’s particularly lucrative for frequent travelers and foodies.

Read our full Citi Rewards+ Card review.

Since launching its first credit card in 1967, when it was called First National City Bank, Citi has become a global bank specializing in investments, mortgages and credit cards. It’s also the largest credit card issuer in the world, with more than 138 million accounts.

Citi carries different credit cards that can satisfy a variety of needs. In addition to popular rewards cards for consumers, Citi issues business credit cards, balance transfer cards and even a secured credit card. Depending on your credit score and the features that matter most to you, Citi may have just what you’re looking for. Here’s a look at the main types of cards offered by Citi.

Cash back Citi credit cards

Citi cash back credit cards charge no annual fee and are aimed toward people looking for less hassle in how they earn cash rewards on their purchases.

We recommend: The Citi Double Cash Card and the Citi Custom Cash Card.

Travel Citi credit cards

Citi offers one flagship travel rewards credit card, and its primary draw is that the card casts a wide net when it comes to where you can earn rewards, including bonus categories and everyday expenses. You’ll earn points toward travel on daily expenses like gas, supermarket purchases and restaurant meals, keeping in line with Citi’s tendency to offer hassle-free earning potential.

We recommend: The Citi Premier Card.

No-annual-fee Citi credit cards

If you’re looking to take advantage of a low-cost credit card that offers rewards and perks, Citi offers several no-annual-fee credit cards. Whether you’re looking to earn rewards or transfer and pay off existing debt, Citi has plenty of options that won’t come with the burden of a yearly fee.

We recommend: The Citi Rewards+ Card.

Zero-percent intro APR Citi credit cards

Most Citi credit cards with 0 percent intro APR offers let you make payments on purchases and balance transfers for a limited time without worrying about interest charges. Some of these cards provide longer intro offers for balance transfers than they do for new purchases.

We recommend: The Citi Diamond Preferred card.

Co-branded Citi credit cards

Co-branded credit cards are a partnership between a credit card issuer and a merchant. Citi partners on rewards cards with big-name brands like American Airlines and its AAdvantage rewards program as well as the warehouse giant Costco.

We recommend: Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard.

Citibank offers a robust lineup of credit cards. Here are some types of consumers who can benefit the most from owning a Citibank credit card.

Still trying to decide if a Citi credit card is right for you? Check out our Credit Card Spender Type Tool where you can get personalized credit card recommendations based on your credit score, spending habits and daily needs.

Citi’s ThankYou rewards program is similar to most credit card loyalty programs, allowing cardholders to earn ThankYou Points by making eligible purchases. Cardholders can redeem points for travel, gift cards, statement credits and more.

One of the standout features of the Citi rewards program is on the Citi Rewards+ Card. Every purchase made with this card is rounded up to the nearest 10 points, making a $6 coffee worth 10 points rather than six.

How to redeem Citi rewards points

You can redeem Citi ThankYou points for various things, including gift cards, merchandise and other non-travel-related purchases, but the bulk of the value is housed in transferring points to a Citi ThankYou rewards transfer partner.

There are two types of points earned with Citi credit cards:

• Basic Citi ThankYou points: These are your base earnings, with the primary defining factor as “basic” meaning that they cannot be transferred to travel partners for redemption. You can, however, still redeem basic points for travel through Citi.
• “Full-fledged” Citi ThankYou points: These points have a bit more reach and versatility, given that you can transfer and redeem your full-fledged ThankYou points with Citi’s travel partners. Overall, the ability to transfer these points makes this version more valuable.

For more information, see our Citi ThankYou Points guide.

Citi credit cards are worth it, but it depends on your primary use for the card. For example, a Citi credit card may not be worth it if you’re trying to rebuild credit since there aren’t many card options available for this type of consumer. If you want some of the best credit cards to use for a balance transfer, Citi has options that will work well for you. The Citi ThankYou points program might not be the most flexible, but Citi credit cards still have a host of cardholder benefits that could be worthwhile for some, like Citi concierge, virtual account numbers and Citi entertainment access. Citi is a great issuer to consider, but just make you know what you’re using your Citi card for to maximize its potential.

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