Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card review

With a lengthy introductory APR period this card is routinely recognized among our top annual credit card picks for having one of the longest introductory APRs on the market.

Written by
Jennifer Doss
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Balance Transfer Card

Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card

  • Balance Transfer Intro
  • APR: 0%
    Period: 21 months on Balance Transfers
  • Balance Transfer Fee
  • Balance transfer fee applies with this offer; 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.
  • Regular APR
  • 17.49% - 28.24% (Variable)
card_name
Sponsored card
5.0
Credit Score: Excellent, Good
on Citi's secure website
Terms and Limitations Apply

Key Features

Editor Analysis:

Pros
  • Excellent card for those who are looking to consolidate high interest credit card debt, with no annual fee.
  • Enjoy 0% intro APR for 12 months on new purchases and on balance transfers for 21 months, which is among the longest 0% intro balance transfer APRs we know of (then, RegAPR APR).
  • If you have a large purchase that will take a while to pay off, this is a clear winner for the task.
Cons
  • This card isn't a rewards card. If you want a lengthy 0% intro offer AND rewards, you might consider the CardNamediscontinued.
ALTERNATE CARD TO CONSIDER

card_name

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Credit Score: credit_score_needed
description
card_name

card_name benefits

With intro 0% APR on balance transfers for 21 months from the date of first transfer (and when made within the first four months) as well as on any new purchases made in the first 12 months from account opening, the CardName is a market leader for innovative intro offers with one of the longest 0% intro APR offers that we know of. After the intro period, RegAPR APR will apply. Citi is a CardRatings advertiser.

Top card_name benefits include:

  • 0% introductory APR on balance transfers for 21 months (from date of first transfer, must be completed within four months) and new purchases for 12 months (then RegAPR)
  • No annual fee
  • Pre-sale tickets and VIP packages to concerts, entertainment and sporting events through Citi Entertainment®

Another great benefit is access to Citi Entertainment®, which takes the "once" out of "once in a lifetime." Get special access to purchase tickets to thousands of events annually, including presale tickets and exclusive experiences for the year’s most anticipated concerts, sporting events, dining experiences and more.

card_name balance transfer details

Though VIP treatment is nice, especially when it comes to the level of customer service you receive with your financial services, the biggest incentive of the CardName is its lengthy balance transfer period.

This card gives you a long time to pay off your balances interest free. Depending on the size of the balance you’re working with, the card offers sufficient time to pay off a large debt, or at least greatly pay it down, without worrying about paying interest fees.

Just remember, to take advantage of this offer, all balance transfers must be made within the first four months of opening an account. If you transfer a balance with this offer, after your 0% intro APR expires (21 months), unpaid balances will automatically accrue interest until your balance is paid in full. With a regular APR of RegAPR, you’ll want to be sure to pay things down as much as possible before this happens.

BalanceTransferFees This is pretty standard for balance transfer credit cards, though.

Citi® Diamond Preferred® annual fee

Good news – there isn’t one! That means all the great CardName benefits we mentioned above come to you at no additional cost. The 21-month intro 0% APR offer on balance transfers with this card is one of the best on the market. To have that type of offer with no annual fee is a huge perk. If you’re looking for some extra time to pay off a large balance, what are you waiting for?

Citi® Diamond Preferred® foreign transaction fee

If you’re looking for a good credit card to take overseas with you, the CardName probably isn’t it. This card charges a foreign_fee fee on all foreign transactions, so if you’re a international jetsetter, you might be better off packing a different card.

A foreign_fee fee might not seem like much, but in the grand scheme of things, this fee can really make things add up. Say you travel abroad three times a year, for example, spending on average $3,000 each time. You’d be looking at spending $270 extra in fees in that case.

Potential downsides of the card_name

It’s all about priorities when determining if the CardName is for you. If you’re looking for a low interest card for balance transfers and purchases, this is a great choice. If you’re looking for high-ongoing perks like cash back or airline miles, this isn’t the card for you as it doesn’t earn points on purchases.

And though the 0% intro APR period is one of the longest on the market, don’t get blindsided by the APR after the intro offer. Depending on your creditworthiness the APR can shoot up significantly. See terms for the most current APR terms.

How do cardholders rate the card_name?

CardRatings conducts a survey annually to learn what actual cardholders think of their cards. Here are the results for the card_name:

  Current Scores Past Scores
Overall Score 74.3 76.6
Features Satisfaction 7.3 7.4
Customer Service 7.4 7.8
Website/App Usability 7.7 7.9
Likelihood of Continuing to Use 8.2 8.2
Recommend to a Friend/Colleague 7.2 7.6
Scores above reflect the results of surveys with actual cardholders. Full methodology below.

How does the card_name compare to other cards?

card_name vs. card_name

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If you like having a no-annual-fee card but would prefer a card that earns rewards on purchases, the CardName is worth your consideration. Unlike the card_name that does not earn rewards on purchases, the card_name earns up to 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum balance amount due on time.

The card_name has a generous 18-month 0% intro APR offer on balance transfers; however, this offer doesn’t extend to new purchases. After the intro period, RegAPR APR will apply.

card_name vs. card_name

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The main selling point for both of these cards is their long intro 0% APR offers – as a matter of fact, they’re the same! CardName offers 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from account opening and on balance transfers for 21 months from date of first transfers (BalanceTransferFees). All transfers must be completed in the first four months. After that, the variable APR will be RegAPR based on your creditworthiness.

So, what really differentiates these two cards?

With Citi Entertainment®, the Diamond Preferred® card is dedicated to helping users gain special access to purchase tickets to thousands of events, including concerts, sporting events, dining experiences and more; whereas, Citi Simplicity® has unique perks regarding payments: no late fees or penalty APR ever – a fairly unheard of concept. The choice between these two cards will boil down to this: which perks match your lifestyle better.

Is the card_name a good card?

CardName is good for someone with excellent or good credit who needs a card for everyday purchases without worrying about accumulating interest right away. The intro 0% APR offer of 21 months on balance transfers is one of the best on the market, and with no annual fee and VIP entertainment access, this card might offer enough to be a good trade-off for its lack of ongoing rewards.

Frequently asked questions

Citi doesn't explicitly state the credit score needed to qualify for the Diamond Preferred® Citi® card, however, this card is reserved for those with good to excellent scores. A "very good" FICO® score is typically anything above 740, according to the credit scoring agency Experian, and an "exceptional" score is anything above 800. Please note, though, that these numbers can vary between different bureaus.
No, the card_name does not earn rewards on purchases made with the card.
No, the card_name does not earn cash back on purchases.
Yes, the card_name charges a foreign_transaction_fee fee on all foreign transactions.

Our Methodology

Survey methodology: CardRatings commissioned Op4G in September 2023 to conduct surveys among 1,869 cardholders nationwide. CardRatings website analytics from Jan. 1, 2023-Aug. 31, 2023 were used to determine a selection of the most popular cards and additional cards were included to add survey breadth. Responses to each of nine questions were given on a scale of 1-10 and respondents’ scores were then averaged under broad topics. To determine the overall score, responses from questions 1-8 were summed and the answer to "How likely are you to recommend this card to a friend, coworker or family member?" was double weighted. Current Scores reflect scores from the most recent survey (2023); “Past Scores” reflect scores from the 2022 survey.

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.


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