Is The Citi Prestige Credit Card Worth It?

by Daniel | Last Updated May 7th, 2021

Citi Prestige Credit Card

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So today I am going to be reviewing the Citi Prestige credit card and going over some of the benefits that it has and then deciding if it is worth the price. 

The Citi Prestige Card is a premium travel credit card and comes with a relatively high annual fee of $495, and if you want an extra card for it will cost $75 for each additional user.
Although the annual fee of $495 is quite expensive it is still slightly cheaper than both the Platinum Amex card and the Chase Saphire Reserve card which both cost $550 per year.

But to really make the Citi Prestige card worth having you really do need to utilize all of the benefits that come with this card.
And most of the benefits are travel-related, so just keep that in mind.

So first of all when you sign up for the first time you will receive 50,000 ‘ThankYou’ points after you have spent $4,000 on the card within the first three months of opening the account. 

And according to the Citi.com website these points are redeemable for $500 in travel with no blackout dates as long as you book through their website ThankYou.com.
Now, whilst these 50,000 points are pretty good, it is a little low In comparison to cards such as the Platinum Amex which currently offers 75,000 points upon signup after you spend $5,000 and these points are worth up to $750.
Either way, the current sign-up bonus that Citi is offering does actually offset to card’s annual fee for the first year.

Now let’s look at the benefits that actually come with this card.

First up you will receive up to $250 in travel credit every year, and for the rest of 2021, both supermarkets and restaurant purchases will count towards the $250 travel Credit.
So this should be relatively easy to receive all of the credits this year just by shopping at the supermarket.
To receive the credits basically once you have made a qualifying purchase you will automatically get a statement credit that will max out at $250 each year.

So just this offer on its own helps to reduce the cost of the card’s annual fee down to $245.

Next up the card offers a complimentary 4th-night hotel stay at the hotel of your choice up to 2 times per year.
To take advantage of this offer you must make the booking on their website ThankYou.com and book a minimum of 4 consecutive nights.
Now, this can be at just about any hotel available but it does not mean it is always the best deal, I recommend always checking a few different booking methods to see if you can find a better price.
And remember that you must book through the ThankYou.com website to be eligible for this offer.

The next offer which is also available with other premium Credit Cards is the Global Entry Statement Credit or TSA Pre-check credit of $100 which is available every 5 years.
Having either Global Entry or TSA Pre-check can potentially save you a lot of time at the airport when you are leaving or arriving as you can bypass long lines at either the TSA security or US customs.

Just a side note, If you already have either of the programs you can actually use the credit for a family member or friend.

Next up, you will also receive a Priority Pass Card which will grant you access to over 1300 airport lounges worldwide and you will also have the option of claiming a restaurant credit of $28-$30 at multiple airport restaurants around the world.
The Priority Pass card will also allow you to bring 2 guests with you into the lounges free of charge.

Now let’s look at how you can earn points when you the card.
For restaurants, airlines, and travel agencies you will receive 5x points,
Hotels and cruise lines will give you 3x points and any other purchases will receive 1 point per dollar. 

Now to redeem points you have a couple of different options.

First of all, you have the option of transferring your points to approximately 16 different airlines.
Or you can redeem points for just about anything else such as statement credits, cash, or gift cards.
And best of all the points never expire so you don’t have to worry about using them when it might not be convenient. 

A few other notable benefits of The Citi Prestige Card offers are an early warning fraud system that basically monitors your account to make sure there are no fraudulent transactions, and if there is any suspicious activity they will protect your account.
They also have ‘Citi Entertainment’ which gives you the ability to purchase tickets to literally thousands of events such as concerts, sporting events and dining experiences.
They also give you access to pre-ticket sales to certain events.

One last benefit of the card that is really useful for Frequent flyers is that it has no foreign transaction fees, this makes traveling abroad a lot less stressful knowing that you won’t be charged a fee each time you use the card.

So, is the Citi Prestige Credit Card really worth it?
in my opinion, if you do travel a fair amount and you know that you can utilize all of the benefits I think it is worth it.
But I would really recommend checking out a few other premium credit cards such as the Platinum Amex or Chase Saphire Reserve credit card as they both offer amazing perks.

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