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One of the most rewarding credit cards is the Citi Premier. Many people are familiar with the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, but the Citi Premier is often overlooked. If you don't have it yet, I want to give you seven reasons to get it. In no particular order.

60,000 Citi ThankYou bonus points

A welcome bonus of 60,000 ThankYou points is available on the Citi premier card. I value ThankYou points at 1.7 cents each, so to me that bonus is worth a massive $1,020, making it one of the best credit bonuses out there. Since a lot of people don't have this card, these are some easy rewards points to accumulate.

You can earn at least $600 in rewards if you accumulate 60,000 points.

There are restrictions on applying for a Citi card, and be aware of the 24 month rule.

Redeem Citi ThankYou points for travel in Virgin Atlantic Upper Class

Reasonable $95 annual fee

Credit cards have continued to become more rewarding, as we have seen a bit of inflation when it comes to credit card annual fees. There is no cost to add additional authorized users to the Citi Premier Card, which has an annual fee of just $95.

Paying a fee of under $100 per year for a premium credit card is very reasonable when you consider how much value you can get with the card.

Pay an annual fee of just $95 with the Citi Premier

The best 3x points bonus categories

The best bonus categories are offered by the Citi Premier Card, which has an annual fee of under $100. 3x ThankYou points are offered by the Citi premier.

  • Airfare
  • Dining
  • Gas
  • Groceries
  • Hotels

For some people, earning 3x points on dining, gas, and groceries is enough to cover a majority of their everyday expenses.

Earn 3x ThankYou points on hotel spending

The Citi premier card offers a $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more per year. When booking through the ThankYou portal, this is valid. There is an opportunity cost to booking this way, but many people will find this to be valuable, and this alone can justify the annual fee.

Receive a $100 annual hotel credit

Great Citi ThankYou transfer partners

If you want to earn points that can be transferred to airline partners, the Citi premier card is a great choice. These points can give you some amazing travel experiences in the future, and hold their value quite well.

For example, Citi ThankYou points can be transferred to many airlines. There are many ways to redeem points for premium travel.

You can transfer points to the same partners from multiple programs if you have Amex Membership rewards, Capital One rewards, or Chase Ultimate rewards points.

Emirates Skywards is a Citi ThankYou transfer partner

Maximize the Citi Double Cash

This is the most compelling reason to get the card. One of the best cards for everyday, non-bonused spending is the Citi Double Cash Card. You can earn up to 2x ThankYou points when you pay for a purchase with the card.

You can combine rewards with those earned on the Citi Premier Card and transfer them to ThankYou transfer partners. If you have the Citi Double Cash, you pay a single $95 annual fee, and you will earn:

  • 3x points on airfare
  • 3x points on dining
  • 3x points on gas
  • 3x points on groceries
  • 3x points on hotels
  • 2x points on all other purchases

This is one of the best credit card duos out there.

The Citi Double Cash is a great complement to the Citi Premier

Get even more value with the Citi Rewards+ & Citi Custom Cash

There are two other no annual fee alternatives to the Citi Premier Card. It's most significant.

  • The Citi Rewards+ offers 10% of your points back for the first 100,000 ThankYou points you redeem every calendar year; this includes ThankYou points earned on other cards, meaning that 2-3x points can potentially earn you the equivalent of 2.2-3.3x points back, when all is said and done
  • The Citi Custom Cash offers 5x points on your top eligible spending category every billing cycle (on up to $500 of spending), with categories including drugstores, fitness clubs, gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores, live entertainment, restaurants, select streaming services, select transit, and select travel

If you wanted to maximize rewards, you could pick up all three no annual fee complement to the Citi premier, though even one or two could get you a long way.

Get 10% of your points back when you redeem Citi ThankYou points

The Citi Premier Card is an excellent credit card that is often overlooked by people. The Citi Double Cash Card is one of the best cards for everyday spending because it has a big welcome bonus, offers some of the best 3x points categories of any card, and it has no annual fee. The Citi Double Cash is one of the best cards out there.

What has your experience been with the card?

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