Citi ThankYou® Premier Card Review
Last year, Citi made significant changes to its ThankYou® Premier Card. In some cases these credit card overhauls can present challenges for consumers. Citi’s rebranding, however, had several positive changes that will impress cardmembers. You can now earn triple ThankYou® Points on a large selection of travel-related purchases in addition to other outstanding offerings including a reduced annual fee.
Is Citi’s ThankYou® Premier Card a good fit for you? Check out these card details and decide for yourself.
Citi ThankYou® Premier Card Pricing and Information
- APR for Purchases: 14.24% to 23.24%
- APR for Balance Transfers: 14.24% to 23.24%
- APR for Cash Advances: 25.49%
- Penalty APR (as it applies): 29.99%
- Annual Fee: $95 (waived the first 12 months)
How Citi ThankYou® Premier Card wins
This credit card offers extensive perks to cardmembers, including a great rewards structure that gives added bonuses to those who travel frequently. While domestic and international travel is not the only way to earn points with your ThankYou® Premier Card, it is the most financially lucrative, as you’ll see in the rewards structure described here. Other benefits include cardmember protection, additional savings opportunities and conveniences which are explained in further detail below.
Rewards
Citi’s ThankYou® Premier Card provides great rewards on travel, entertainment, dining and all other purchases. This is how the earning structure works for your rewards:
- Earn 3 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on travel
- Earn 2 ThankYou® Points per$1 spent on entertainment and dining out
- Earn 1 ThankYou® Point per $1 on all other purchases
Details of the ThankYou® Rewards Program
Citi places no limitation on the number of points you can earn each year. Furthermore, there is no expiration to the points you earn and accumulate. This is an important element to note for cardmembers, as not all other credit reward programs provide this kind of allowance.
Cardmembers can redeem ThankYou® Points for a variety of gift cards, electronics, books, media, home goods or cash. You can get a close look at all of your choices at Citi’s reward redemption website at ThankYou.com. There are many notable retailers listed there including home stores like Lowes, Home Depot, Sears, Target, Walmart, HomeGoods, West Elm and Williams-Sonoma, and clothing retailers like Gap, Banana Republic, Macy’s, Kohl’s, Land’s End, and many more. You can also purchase select merchandise with your points, shop with Citi partners and even use transfer points for a selection of loyalty travel programs including hotels and airlines.
As an added bonus, ThankYou® Points are worth an additional 25% when you redeem them for hotels, airfare, car rentals and even cruises through the exclusive ThankYou® Travel Center when compared with the gift card redemption from the rewards collection. That means that each point you earn is worth $1.25 if you cash them in this way. If you travel extensively, this card is a great option for you!
Cardmember Protection
Citi knows that card security and travel protection are highly valued among credit card holders. There are multiple ways Citi ensures that your money and personal information are protected.
Purchase Protection
With the Citi ThankYou® Premier Card, consumers are protected against any unauthorized charges on their cards. This $0 liability is in addition to Citi’s damage and theft purchase protection which covers up to $1,000 per item, up to $50,000 per calendar year.
Travel Protection
The ThankYou® Premier Card’s chip technology gives users the assurance that use of this feature provides enhanced security. The chip feature on Citi’s card has been proven to reduce counterfeit fraud, as the cardmember information is difficult to duplicate when the card is used at a chip enabled terminal. This feature is great for those who travel internationally as well, because there is usually little difficulty finding merchants who provide chip enabled terminals.
Citi also offers car rental insurance, travel accident insurance, lost baggage protection and travel and emergency assistance to cardmembers. These features are a valuable asset to consumers who travel often.
Bonus Benefits
The Citi ThankYou® Premier Card has added perks to sweeten the deal.
Additional Savings
Citi Private Pass offers exclusive access to tickets to thousands of events each year. These include VIP packages and presale tickets to sporting events, concerts, dining experiences and movie screenings.
Citi Price Rewind offers additional savings to consumers by helping them get a lower price on items after making a purchase. Cardmembers simply register items purchased with their ThankYou® Card and Citi tracks prices at hundreds of merchants online for 60 days from the purchase date. If a lower price is found, consumers can request a refund of the price difference up to $300 for each item and up to $1,200 per calendar year.
Convenience
Citi offers extra conveniences to take into consideration.
- Additional cards for added authorized users
- 24/7 access to accounts online
- 24/7 access your own Personal Concierge Service
- Apple Pay on applicable devices (providing quick and easy payments at check out)
Missing the Mark
While there are many great advantages of the Citi ThankYou® Premier Card, there are also a couple shortcomings.
Limited Use of Transfer Points
If you prefer to travel within the United States, wanting to use your ThankYou® Premier Card transfer points will be a disappointment. Currently, Citi partners with twelve international air travel companies and only Hilton HHonors Worldwide in the hotel and accommodations category. Another credit card would suite your needs better if your primary intention is to use your earned points to travel domestically.
Complicated Reward Structure
While there are vast redemption opportunities for your ThankYou® points, it can be a difficult task to calculate the maximum value out of your earned rewards. Since the point structure is different for travel, gift cards, donations or cash payments, you’ll have to be cunning in your calculation of which option gives you the best monetary worth for your points. If variety of options is more important to you than monetary value of points, this may not concern you.
For More Information
Contact Citi to apply by phone at 1-800-479-0141. You can also visit citi.com for additional information, pricing and to see the card’s terms and agreement in its entirety. For more particulars regarding Citi’s ThankYou® rewards go to thankyou.com online.
