Citi Credit Cards: Worth It This Year?

(February 2025)

Citi Credit Cards- Worth It This Year?

In This Article

Our Verdict

To find your perfect match, scan through Citi credit cards. You require a stellar credit card and pay zero annual fee. Plus, you get a 2% discount on every purchase you make with any Citi credit card.

Check below other information about Citibank:

Citibank

Corporate Headquarters

Address: 388 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10013, United States

Phone Number: +1-800-950-5114

www.citi.com

Pros

  • Zero annual fee.
  • Attractive rewards.
  • Wide product options

Cons

  • Zero bonus offer.
  • Stella credit score.
  • No bonus categories

Who This Product Is Best For

Give Citi credit card a trial if you:

  • Have a good to excellent credit card.
  • Requires a credit card that rewards you for spending.
  • Need a variety of credit card options to choose from.
  • Want additional benefits—air accident insurance, for instance—on your credit card.
  • Love a credit card with hassle-free process in redeeming your rewards.

Who This Product Isn't Right For

You may consider other credit card issuer if you:

  • Have bad credit.
  • Are out of your job or seeking employment.
  • Have exceeded your credit limit with Citibank.

What This Product Offers

  • Citi® Double Cash Card. Get up to 1% cashback when your repay the amount you spend on the Citi® Double Cash Card.
  • Citi Custom Cash℠ Card. If you love a welcome offer, shop for this product. You get $200 reward which you redeem by spending $1,500 or more within six months of opening your account.
  • Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card. If want to consolidate your debts, consider the Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card.
  • Citi Simplicity® Card. You access no welcome bonus or any reward but you get a specific offer on APR each time you make a purchase with the Citi Simplicity® Card.
  • Citi Premier® Card. If you need a better way of paying your restaurant bills, consider Citi Premier® Card. You receive 3 reward points on every dollar you spend.

Product Details

Citi® Double Cash Card

With this card, you get a 1% cash back each time you make a payment with the card. Then you receive an additional 1% cash back as your repay your credit, making a total of 2% cash back. The card comes with no welcoming offer and you incur $0 annual card maintenance fee.

You pay anything from 18.74% to 28.74% in interest. If your FICO score falls between 700 and 749, you can apply for this credit card. Don’t forget, you still pay introductory balance transfer fee of 3%, ($5 being the minimum transfer) and foreign transaction fee.

Citi Custom Cash℠ Card

You get 5% cash back on every purchase you make up to $500. Then you earn an extra 1% cash back as you repay your credit. This product offers a welcoming gift of $200 which you redeem by spending a minimum of $1,500 on your Citi Custom Cash℠ Card within six months of opening your account. The interest rates vary from 18.74% to 28.74%. You require a stellar credit score in order to qualify for this product.

You pay high foreign transaction and balance transfer fee, but $0 annual fee.

Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card

If you want to pay off your high interest debts and make a single lower interest payment every month, consider getting a Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card. You pay high balance transfer fee (whichever is greater between$5 or 5%), 3% foreign transaction fee, and access no rewards program with this product, though.

Citi Simplicity® Card

Citi Simplicity® Card offers enticing perks and benefits, including no late payment fees, $0 annual fee, and no penalty APR. But you pay a higher interest rate that be up to 29.49% and you access no rewards program. Then you need to have an excellent credit score before you consider this product at all.

Citi Premier® Card

Get up to 60,000 bonus point on your first $4,000 total spendings within the first six months of opening the account on Citi Premier® Card. If you’re looking for a better alternative of covering your restaurant bills, this product is a good alternative.

Much more, you earn 3 points on every single dollar your spend at gas stations, restaurants, air travel supermarket, or hotels. Plus, you get a point on any other. Don’t forget that you pay a $95 annual fee on Citi Premier® Card.

 

Where This Product Stands Out

  • No annual fees. Most of Citi credit cards do not require any annual fee.
  • Numerous credit card options. Depending on what you require for a credit card, Citi offers you a wide range of options for credit cards that meet your needs. For example, if you travel often, you can get a product that’s perfect for your traveling needs.
  • Rewards program. Some Citi credit cards offer mind-blowing rewards program, including welcome bonuses and cash backs.

Where This Product Falls Short

  • Excellent credit score. Citi credit cards is best for you if you have an excellent FICO score.
  • No welcome bonus. You don’t earn any welcome bonus on most Citi credit cards.
  • Not easy to get. Apart from Citi’s strict credit score requirement, the credit card issuer also expect that you have an income that is good enough to pay your existing debts alongside the new one you add with little to no friction.

How to Qualify for This Product

To apply for any Citi credit card, understand the eligibility requirements. Citibank credit cards qualify criteria include:

  • Be creditworthy. If you have bad credit, you don’t meet Citi credit card eligibility standard. So it’s either you build it to anything between 700 and 749 or consider another credit card issuer.
  • Show proof of income. You need to have a stable income for Citi to consider you for its products. Not only that, you need to upload either of your bank statement, pay slip, or income tax return while applying.
  • Age requirement. Be 18+ years at the time of applying for the product.

How to Apply for This Product

You can apply for Citi credit cards online, via phone call (+1-800-347-4934), or in person by visiting any Citibank location closest to you. To apply for this product,

  • Know your credit score. The success of your application is dependent on your FICO score. Be sure you have a credit score of 700+ before you proceed with your application.
  • Check your options. Citibank offers numerous credit card options. Check the one your need and qualify for. If you have bad credit, you can consider a Citi secured credit card. Don’t forget that you need collateral that’s worth the credit limit you require to get a secured credit card.
  • Review the documents and information Citi requires. Upload your proof of income, social security number, and a proof of your age.
  • Review the product terms and conditions. Read the credit terms and conditions document before you submit your application for a Citi credit card.
  • Submit your application. Fill the application form and submit.

Alternatives to This Product

Chase Slate Edge℠

If you’re looking for a credit card that welcomes applicants with a good credit score, consider Chase Slate Edge℠. You pay APR of anything from 19.49% to 28.24% and enjoy perk low introductory APR offer. Also, you enjoy purchase protection with a Chase Slate Edge℠.

Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card

With Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card, you get up to 2% cash back on all your purchases with 0% introductory APR for the first 15 months. The interest rate starts at 19.74% and cap at 29.74%. One cool thing is that you incur no annual fee on Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card.

Customer Reviews

Citibank has a rating of 2.7/5-star based on 5 customer reviews on Trust Pilot. Aggrieved customers talked about the bank’s lack of honesty and bad customer service. Don’t forget that the rating is not limited to the bank’s credit cards services only but on its entire banking activities.

Methodology

We reviewed Citi credit cards based on 20 data points in the categories of loan details, loan costs, eligibility and accessibility, customer experience and the application process. We rated Citi credit cards based on the weighting assigned to each category:

  • Loan cost: 35%
  • Loan details: 25%
  • Customer experience: 20%
  • Eligibility and accessibility: 10%
  • Application process: 10%

Within each major category, we also considered several characteristics, including available loan amounts, repayment terms and applicable fees. We also looked at minimum credit score and time in business requirements and the geographic availability of the lender.

Finally, we evaluated Citi customer support tools, borrower perks and features that simplify the borrowing process—like online applications, prequalification options and mobile apps.

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