Summary
Not only can new cardholders earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first three months of account opening, but they can also maximize everyday rewards with the card’s bonus categories.
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If you’re looking for a travel rewards card that offers a lot of value in the first year and beyond, the Citi Premier® Card is a great way to go.
In addition to its bonus categories that earn you 3 points per dollar on a variety of everyday expenses like supermarket purchases in addition to select travel expenses, the Premier Card is currently offering an impressive sign-up bonus: 60,000 ThankYou points for spending $4,000 in the first three months of card ownership.
Here we take a look at how much this card’s bonus is worth and what you stand to earn in the first year when you combine it with rewards earned via card spending.
Citi Premier Card sign-up bonus at a glance
Along with its 60,000-point bonus, the Citi Premier Card allows cardholders to earn rewards on a wide array of purchases, ranging from airfare and hotels to gas, dining and supermarket spending.
These benefits come with a price tag, though: cardholders will be charged an annual fee of $95. However, the card’s yearly value should more than make up for its annual fee each year.
Citi Premier Card | |
Rewards rate |
|
Sign-up bonus | 60,000 points when you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months |
Annual fee | $95 |
Card perks |
|
Estimated yearly earnings in first year ($15,900 annual spend) | $670 |
Recent changes to the Citi Premier Card
As you can see from the table below, the card has a history of toggling between a 30,000-point and 60,000-point sign-up bonus. The card has even offered no sign-up bonus in the past.
At the moment, the card is offering one of the higher sign-up bonuses in its history.
Citi Premier Card recent changes
Change date | Sign-up bonus |
---|---|
Jan. 10, 2023 | 60,000 ThankYou points if you spend $4,000 in first 3 months |
July 8, 2021 | 80,000 ThankYou points if you spend $4,000 in first 3 months |
Jun. 13, 2019 | 60,000 ThankYou points if you spend $4,000 in first 3 months |
Oct. 23, 2018 | 50,000 ThankYou points if you spend $4,000 in first 3 months |
Aug. 1, 2018 | 60,000 ThankYou points if you spend $4,000 in first 3 months |
Feb. 28, 2018 | 50,000 ThankYou points if you spend $4,000 in first 3 months |
Jan. 25, 2018 | 30,000 ThankYou points if you spend $3,000 in first 3 months |
Sept. 27, 2017 | No sign-up bonus |
Keep in mind that the increased sign-up bonuses often come with higher spend requirements. To receive the 60,000-point bonus, cardholders must spend $4,000 in the first three months, compared to $3,000 for the 30,000-point bonus.
Who is eligible for the sign-up bonus?
The Citi Premier sign-up bonus is only available to new cardholders who have not had a Citi Rewards+® Card, Citi ThankYou® Preferred Card*, Citi ThankYou Premier/Citi Premier Card or Citi Prestige® Card* opened or closed in the past 24 months.
Of course, you must meet certain credit requirements to be approved for the Premier card. To determine your creditworthiness, Citi will consider several factors, including but not limited to, your annual salary and wages and any debt you may have.
Best ways to spend 60,000 ThankYou points
In general, travel redemptions are the best use of Citi ThankYou points, and — if you want to squeeze the most value out of your points — redeeming them for gift cards or airfare through the Citi ThankYou portal is your best bet.
Citi gives you plenty of other choices for redeeming ThankYou points — including merchandise and cash back — but many of these are a poor value, worth less than 1 cent per point.
Citi Premier Card redemption options
Redemption option | Point value | Value of 60,000-point sign-up bonus |
---|---|---|
Citi ThankYou portal travel rewards (airfare, hotels, rental cars, cruises, vacations, activities) | 1 cent | $600 |
Gift cards | 1 cent | $600 |
Merchandise | 0.8 cent | $480 |
Shopping partners (1-800Flowers, Amazon, Best Buy, CVS, PayPal, Walmart, etc.) | 0.8 cent | $480 |
Pay with Points | 0.75 cent | $450 |
Cash back (statement credit or check) | 0.5 cent | $300 |
Student loan or mortgage payment | 1 cent | $600 |
Charity donation | 1 cent | $600 |
Citi also has several hotel and airline partners that you can transfer points to at a 1:1 ratio, except for a few. It’s possible to stretch your points further with a point transfer since you can look for value within each hotel and airline partner’s redemption chart. Unfortunately, the options are slightly limited, consisting mostly of smaller overseas airlines and hotel chains:
Citi Premier Card transfer options
Airline or hotel | Transfer ratio | Point value (including transfer ratio)** | Value of 60,000-point sign-up bonus |
---|---|---|---|
Aeromexico Club Premier | 1:1 | 0.6 cents | $360 |
Avianca LifeMiles | 1:1 | 0.8 cents | $480 |
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 1:1 | 3 cents | $1,800 |
Choice Privileges | 1:2 | 0.6 cents | $360 |
Emirates Skyward | 1:1 | 1.8 cents | $1,080 |
Etihad Guest | 1:1 | 1.8 cents | $1,080 |
EVA Air | 1:1 | 1 cent | $600 |
Flying Blue (Air France, KLM) | 1:1 | 1.3 cents | $780 |
JetBlue TrueBlue | 1:1 | 1.4 cents | $840 |
Qantas Frequent Flyer | 1:1 | 0.4 cents | $240 |
Qatar Privilege Club | 1:1 | 1.8 cents | $1,080 |
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 1:1 | 2.2 cents | $1,320 |
Thai Royal Orchid Plus | 1:1 | 0.6 cents | $360 |
Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles | 1:1 | 0.6 cents | $360 |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 1:3 (Limited Time Offer until March 18, 2023) | 2.6 cents | $1,560 |
Wyndham Rewards | 1:1 | 0.9 cents | $540 |
**Point and mile values are according to the point valuation systems of Bankrate and The Points Guy.
Should you apply for the Citi Premier Card now?
Even though the card’s bonus isn’t the highest it’s ever been, the Citi Premier Card will still provide you great value — especially since Citi points are worth a competitive 1.9 cents on average. The decent introductory bonus makes it a great time to apply for the card, especially if you want to secure a lot of ThankYou points. For a manageable annual fee, you can gain access to the growing Citi ThankYou Rewards program, earn points on everyday categories and receive $100 off in hotel savings per year, when you spend $500 or more on a prepaid hotel stay.
*Information about the Citi Prestige Card and Citi ThankYou Preferred Card has been collected independently by CreditCards.com. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy.
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