Best Citi credit cards of December 2024

Jennifer Doss
Written by
Jennifer Doss
Why you should trust CardRatings

Citi credit cards offer lengthy 0% introductory APR periods, valuable ongoing rewards, and many other valuable cardholder perks. See our top picks for the best credit cards Citi has to offer. (Citi is a CardRatings advertiser.)

Terms apply; see the online credit card application for full terms and conditions of offers and rewards.

Best credit cards of current year

Top Citi credit card offers

  • CardName – Best for balance transfers
  • CardName – Best for flat-rate cash back
  • CardName – Best for earning bonus rewards in your top spend categories
  • CardName – Best for travel rewards
  • CardName – Best for frequent American Airline travelers
  • CardName – Best for pairing with other Citi credit cards
  • CardName – Best for Costco shoppers
  • CardName – Best for no late fees

Citi offers a number of credit cards designed for various types of consumers. Whether you’re searching for a lengthy introductory 0% APR offer, travel rewards, or cash back earned on everyday purchases, Citi provides an expansive portfolio of options. However, one of the best benefits of Citi credit cards is that through Citi’s rewards portal, Citi ThankYou® Points, cardholders have the ability to combine rewards earned with various Citi cards into a single account. This allows you to pool your points earned across the different Citi ThankYou® Points cards into one account and, therefore, rack up your rewards more quickly. That said, if one individual Citi card doesn’t meet all of your needs, it might be wise to consider a second (or third) option to apply for later down the line.

Best for balance transfers

card_name

discontinued_disclaimer
Balance Transfer
Balance Transfer Intro APR
balance_transfer_intro_aprbalance_transfer_intro_duration
Regular APR
reg_apr,reg_apr_type
Balance Transfer Fee
balance_transfer_fees
Annual Fee
annual_fees

Best for flat-rate cash back

card_name

discontinued_disclaimer
Cash Back
Welcome Offer
bonus_miles_full
Rewards
points_per_dollar
Annual Fee
annual_fees
Credit Needed
credit_score_needed

Best for earning bonus rewards in your top spend categories

card_name

discontinued_disclaimer
Cash Back
Welcome Offer
bonus_miles_full
Rewards
points_per_dollar
Annual Fee
annual_fees
Credit Needed
credit_score_needed

Best for travel rewards

card_name

discontinued_disclaimer
Travel Rewards
Welcome Offer
bonus_miles_full
Rewards
points_per_dollar
Annual Fee
annual_fees
Credit Needed
credit_score_needed

Best for frequent American Airline travelers

card_name

discontinued_disclaimer
Travel Rewards
Welcome Offer
bonus_miles_full
Rewards
points_per_dollar
Annual Fee
annual_fees
Credit Needed
credit_score_needed

Best for pairing with other Citi credit cards

card_name

discontinued_disclaimer
ThankYou® Points
Welcome Offer
bonus_miles_full
Rewards
points_per_dollar
Annual Fee
annual_fees
Credit Needed
credit_score_needed

Best for Costco shoppers

card_name

discontinued_disclaimer
Cash Back
Welcome Offer
bonus_miles_full
Rewards
points_per_dollar
Annual Fee
annual_fees
Credit Needed
credit_score_needed

Best for no late fees

card_name

discontinued_disclaimer
No Fees
Rewards
points_per_dollar
Annual Fee
annual_fees
Regular APR
reg_apr,reg_apr_type
Credit Needed
credit_score_needed

What credit score do you need to get a Citi credit card?

Ideally, you will want good to excellent credit, generally considered as 670 or higher, to qualify for most Citi credit cards. That said, Citi also offers a couple of options for people with fair credit, and so theoretically, you could have a credit score as low as 580 to be eligible for some Citi credit cards.

What is the easiest Citi credit card to get?

The CardName is likely the easiest Citi card to get. It's offered to people who have a short credit history or no credit history (however, it's not really designed for people with bad credit, and if you have a bankruptcy within the last two years, you aren't likely to be approved).

What are the benefits of Citibank credit cards?

Some of the benefits that come with Citibank credit cards include:

  • Credit card rewards. The rewards vary from card to card but depending which one you get, you might earn cash back, airline miles or points that you can redeem for travel, groceries, gas or everyday purchases.
  • Perks. Some Citi-branded credit cards have benefits such as purchase protection and extended warranty. If something goes wrong with something expensive (or cheap) that you pay for with your Citi card, these types of perks can really help out.
  • Balance transfer and intro APR offers. Some Citi credit cards offer 0% intro APR periods on balance transfers or new purchases made with eligible cards, for a select period of time, before the regular APR applies. This could be great if you’re looking for extra time to pay off a revolving balance from an existing account or if you have a large purchase on the horizon that you need extra time to pay off.
  • Welcome bonuses. Select Citi cards offer generous welcome bonuses to new cardholders to help start card membership off on the right foot.

How do Citi ThankYou® Points work?

ThankYou® Points are Citi’s rewards currency which can be earned using eligible Citi credit cards. Points can be redeemed towards travel or for gift cards or cash back.

Generally, points are worth a penny each, but sometimes not that much, and sometimes more. It depends on how you redeem them and what you redeem them for. Learn more in our Guide to Citi ThankYou® Points.

How many Citi credit cards can you have?

You can have as many Citi credit cards as you want. That said, Citi does have rules on how often you can apply for cards. If you're applying for personal credit cards, you can't apply for more than one Citi card every eight days - and you can get no more than two every 65 days.

With business credit cards, you can apply for one business credit card every 95 days.

There's also an overall credit limit that Citi has for each consumer. How much each person's overall credit card limit is will depend on the customer's credit history and credit score.

What is Citi's 48-month rule?

Citi has a 48-month rule for most of its credit cards that prevents somebody from collecting more than one welcome bonus every four years. In other words, you can apply to several Citi credit cards over the next 48 months, but you'd only get one welcome bonus (the first one you applied to). If you apply for another Citi credit card 48 months or longer after getting the welcome bonus, you’d then be eligible to earn another bonus.

How can you get a credit limit increase with a Citi credit card?

To get a credit limit increase with Citi, go to Citibank's website or app and navigate to "view account summary." Select "Credit Cards" and choose your own. And then you'll have instructions where you can request a credit increase (or a credit decrease, if you prefer).

Something to keep in mind, though: If you're making a credit increase request out of the blue, you'll have to provide some financial information to Citi. There are more details on its website, but essentially, you'll be offering up either your latest individual income tax return, your latest two months' pay slip, or a Form 16 (a certificate that is given to salaried individuals that contains tax information).

On the other hand, if Citi tells you you're eligible for a credit increase, all you have to do is agree to have it increased - and there's no documentation to furnish.

author
Jennifer Doss
CardRatings Executive Editor

Jennifer Doss is a credit card analyst and the executive editor of CardRatings.com. She has worked as both a print and online journalist and has over a decade of experience in the media industry. Her published work has covered a broad range of topics, from...Read more

Featured Partner Cards:

Disclaimer:

The information in this article is believed to be accurate as of the date it was written. Please keep in mind that credit card offers change frequently. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this article. Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accurate information. See the online credit card application for full terms and conditions on offers and rewards. Please verify all terms and conditions of any credit card prior to applying.

This content is not provided by any company mentioned in this article. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed here are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any such company. CardRatings.com does not review every company or every offer available on the market.