Best Citi Credit Cards for September 2022 – CNET

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Citi offers a number of credit cards to choose from, including balance transfer cards, airline credit cards and rewards credit cards. Citi’s catalog of credit cards is also more secure than most: Some Citi cards offer virtual credit cards right from your account – a rare feature that can prevent credit card fraud particularly when shopping online. 

In addition to its strong security features, Citi provides a number of credit cards for people to take advantage of to earn a solid return on their spending — whether it be for essential purchases or travel — or to get rid of credit card debt.

Best flat-rate cash-back card

7.25/10 CNET Rating

Intro OfferFor a limited time, earn $200 cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening.

APR16.24% – 26.24% (Variable)

Intro Purchase APRN/A

Recommended Credit Excellent, Good

Reward Rates
  • Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases.

Annual Fee$0

Intro Balance Transfer APR0% intro for 18 months on Balance Transfers

Balance Transfer APR16.24% – 26.24% (Variable)

Balance Transfer Fee There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. A balance transfer fee of 5% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies if completed after 4 months of account opening.

Late Payment Fee Up to $41

Foreign Transaction Fees 3%

Penalty APR Up to 29.99% (Variable)

  • Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases.

Our Take

The Citi Double Cash Card provides cardholders with 2% cash back for their purchases, one of the best flat rates available. You get 1% cash back when the purchase is made, and the other 1% when it’s paid off. There’s no annual fee, and you have the option to take advantage of a competitive balance transfer offer.

The 0% introductory balance transfer APR lasts for 18 months (then 16.24% to 26.24% variable). Transferring a balance from a card with a high APR to the Citi Double Cash would be a good way to pay down credit card debt faster by avoiding interest payments. Just keep in mind that there’s a balance transfer fee of 3% ($5 minimum) so long as any transfers are made within four months of account opening – but you’ll need to do that anyway in order to take advantage of the balance transfer offer.

Between its rewards and balance transfer offer, the Citi Double Cash is a powerful rewards card to add to your wallet.

Read more in our Citi Double Cash Card review.

Great for travelers

7/10 CNET Rating

Intro OfferFor a limited time, earn 80,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening

APR18.24% – 26.24% (Variable)

Intro Purchase APRN/A

Recommended Credit Excellent, Good

Reward Rates
  • Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets
  • Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Hotels
  • Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases

Annual Fee$95

Balance Transfer APR18.24% – 26.24% (Variable)

Balance Transfer Fee Balance transfer fee applies with this offer 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.

Late Payment Fee Up to $41

Foreign Transaction Fees 0%

Penalty APR Up to 29.99% (Variable)

  • Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets
  • Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Hotels
  • Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases

Our Take

Designed with travelers in mind, the Citi Premier Card offers rewards for a few travel-related expenses including restaurants, gas stations, airfare and hotel stays. However, it doesn’t come with too many travel-centric perks, despite having a $95 annual fee.

It does include an annual $100 hotel credit for a hotel stay of $500 or more, and offers strong rewards for both travel spending and everyday spending like gas stations and supermarkets. There aren’t any travel protections like travel accident insurance or lost luggage reimbursement that many travel credit cards tend to include, but the flexibility in rewards makes up for it. And while a lot of travel cards require you to book through a specific travel portal to earn rewards, but you don’t have to worry about that here.

This card also offers a sizable welcome bonus that’s competitive with travel cards with similar annual fees.

Check out our Citi Premier Card review to learn more.

A long balance transfer offer

7/10 CNET Rating

Intro OfferN/A

APR15.99% – 25.99% (Variable)

Intro Purchase APR0% for 12 months on Purchases

Recommended Credit Excellent, Good

Reward RatesN/A

Annual Fee$0

Intro Balance Transfer APR0% for 21 months on Balance Transfers

Balance Transfer APR15.99% – 25.99% (Variable)

Balance Transfer Fee Balance transfer fee applies with this offer 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.

Late Payment Fee Up to $41

Foreign Transaction Fees 3%

Penalty APR Up to 29.99% (Variable)

Our Take

The Citi Diamond Preferred exists solely to alleviate some pressure you may be feeling beneath the weight of credit card debt. Cardholders get an intro 0% APR for balance transfers for 21 months, and 12 months for purchases (then a 15.99% to 25.99% variable APR). Just be aware the card offers no rewards, and you’ll need to complete any balance transferred within the first four months of account opening.

Its balance transfer offer is one of the longest available, giving cardholders a large chunk of time to pay down a transferred balance at no interest. It does unfortunately have a high balance transfer fee of 5% ($5 minimum), which keeps it from greatness. There are other balance transfer credit cards that provide the same length of time but with a lower balance transfer fee.

Read our Citi Diamond Preferred review for more information.

Adaptable cash-back card

7.5/10 CNET Rating

Intro OfferEarn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.

APR16.24% – 26.24% (Variable)

Intro Purchase APR0% for 15 months on purchases

Recommended Credit Excellent, Good

Reward Rates
  • Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, 1% cash back thereafter.
  • Earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.

Annual Fee$0

Intro Balance Transfer APR0% for 15 months on balance transfers

Balance Transfer APR16.24% – 26.24% (Variable)

Balance Transfer Fee Balance transfer fee applies with this offer 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.

Late Payment Fee Up to $41

Foreign Transaction Fees 3%

Penalty APR Up to 29.99% (Variable)

  • Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, 1% cash back thereafter.
  • Earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.

Our Take

If you’re looking for a bit more flexibility in your rewards program, consider the Citi Custom Cash card. For no annual fee, cardholders earn 5% cash back (on the first $500 spent, then 1%) on the eligible category you spend the most on each billing cycle. Eligible purchases include restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, select travel, select transit, select streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs and live entertainment.

5% is a strong rate for a no annual fee credit card, however, because of the $500 limit, cardholders can only earn a maximum of $25 each billing cycle at that rate before rewards fall to 1%. That means a flat-rate cash back card, like the Citi Double Cash, will likely overtake the Custom Cash’s rewards once that limit is reached. 

However, very few credit cards offer rewards for home improvement stores, fitness clubs and live entertainment, so it could be worth it up to the $500 limit for those categories and then swapping to another rewards card with a higher rate.

It also features an introductory APR for purchases and balance transfers.

Read our Citi Custom Cash Card review to learn more.

A good Intro APR offer

7/10 CNET Rating

Intro OfferN/A

APR16.99% – 26.99% (Variable)

Intro Purchase APR0% for 12 months on Purchases

Recommended Credit Excellent, Good

Reward RatesN/A

Annual Fee$0

Intro Balance Transfer APR0% for 21 months on Balance Transfers

Balance Transfer APR16.99% – 26.99% (Variable)

Balance Transfer Fee Balance transfer fee applies with this offer 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum

Late Payment Fee No Late Fees

Foreign Transaction Fees 3%

Our Take

It’s all in the name with the Citi Simplicity. Aside from its introductory 0% APR for balance transfers for 21 months, and 12 months for new purchases (then 16.99% to 26.99% variable), there isn’t much else to say.

It exists only to be used to avoid interest charges on another card or on a large, planned purchase. The balance transfer offer is one of the longest on the market, but it does carry a high balance transfer fee of 5% ($5 minimum). An average balance transfer fee is 3%. And you’ll need to complete any balance transfers within the first four months of account opening to qualify for the intro offer.

Take a look at our Citi Simplicity review to learn more.

American Airlines card

5/10 CNET Rating

Intro OfferEarn 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.

APR18.24% – 27.24% (Variable)

Intro Purchase APRN/A

Recommended Credit Excellent, Good

Reward Rates
  • 2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases
  • 1 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on other purchases

Annual Fee$450

Balance Transfer APR18.24% – 27.24% (Variable)

Balance Transfer Fee 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.

Late Payment Fee Up to $41

Foreign Transaction Fees 0%

Penalty APR Up to 29.99% (Variable)

  • 2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases
  • 1 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on other purchases

Our Take

The Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard provides rewards and perks focused on making American Airlines flights more rewarding and comfortable. It has a $450 annual fee, so it should only be considered by people who travel many times a year.

Cardholders can enjoy annual Admirals Club airport lounge membership – which usually costs $650 – priority boarding, priority check-in, priority airport screening, a 25% discount on in-flight purchases, an application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, among other benefits. In addition, it earns 2x miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases. That’s not very high, but it’s the card perks that you’re paying for.

If you exclusively fly American Airlines and travel frequently enough to take full advantage of everything the card has to offer, there’s no doubt you’d benefit from this card. However, if that doesn’t sound like you, consider a general travel credit card with a lower annual fee instead.

Read more in our full Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard review.

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Best Citi Credit Cards for September 2022 – CNET
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