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In this post I wanted to talk a bit about the Citi Prestige Card, which is no longer open to new applicants. Despite that, it’s a product that continues to be in my wallet, and I figure it’s at least worth providing some context on why.
Let me start with the bad news. Since 2021, the Citi Prestige Card is no longer open to new applicants. Not only can’t you apply for the card directly, but you also can’t product change another card to this. So if you don’t have the card now, you can’t get it (if you already have the card, this might be a reason to think twice about canceling it).
I’m not exactly sure about why Citi discontinued the product. There had been rumors of Citi possibly launching a new premium credit card, so I’m not sure if that was the plan, and then Citi just backtracked, or what.
Regardless, hopefully Citi once again launches a premium card at some point in the future, to compete with products like The Platinum Card® from American Express (review), Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card (review), Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (review), etc.
Now let me cover some of the details of the Citi Prestige Card, including the annual fee, rewards structure, benefits, and more. This card definitely isn’t as lucrative as it used to be, but there’s still value to it, in my opinion.
The Citi Prestige Card has a $495 annual fee, and there’s a cost of $75 to add each authorized user. There’s value to adding authorized users, so I’ll talk a bit more about that below. But this fee is roughly in the middle of the pack as far as ultra-premium cards go.
The Citi Prestige Card earns Citi ThankYou points, which is one of the major transferable points currencies. ThankYou points earned on the card can be transfered to airline and hotel partners, which I consider to be the best use of these rewards, given the potential for outsized value.
The card has the following rewards structure, all with no foreign transaction fees
To help offset the $495 annual fee, the Citi Prestige offers a $250 travel credit every calendar year. This is super straightforward, as there’s no registration required, and it can be applied toward any purchase coded as travel.
To me this is good as cash, and the way I view it, this really lowers the card’s out of pocket cost annually to ~$245, since just about anyone getting this card should be using the $250 statement credit.
The Citi Prestige Card offers a Priority Pass membership for the primary cardmember, as well as authorized users. With this, you can take up to two guests with you at no extra cost.
While many premium cards offer a Priority Pass membership, what’s noteworthy is that this membership does offer credits at Priority Pass restaurants, unlike premium cards issued by American Express, Capital One, and Chase. That’s a major advantage of this card, and a reason to hold onto it, in my opinion.
The Citi Prestige offers a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit once every five years. Just charge the application fee to your card, and it will automatically be reimbursed. This is a pretty standard benefit on premium cards nowadays.
The Citi Prestige Card offers a fourth night free hotel benefit. Twice a year, you can book a hotel through the Citi Travel portal, and get the fourth night reimbursed. This has the potential to represent a good value, but isn’t a slam dunk, like it used to be.
Up until 2019, the Citi Prestige Card fourth night free benefit was the single best benefit offered by any card. You could use the fourth night free benefit an unlimited number of times, and it could even be used for reservations directly with hotel groups (so you could earn points and elite nights). I can’t even say how many thousands of dollars this benefit saved me over the years, though it’s a shell of its former self at this point.
The Citi Prestige offers cell phone protection at no additional cost:
While that’s a nice perk, the downside is that the card offers only 1x points on your cell phone bill, so you’re forgoing quite a few points by choosing to charge your cell phone bill to the card.
Back in 2015-2019, just about everyone in the miles & points space had the Citi Prestige Card, as the fourth night free hotel benefit was simply incredible. How do I justify still holding onto the Citi Prestige Card? Here’s how I approach it:
This card isn’t some slam dunk for everyone, but between the 5x points on dining and the credits at Priority Pass restaurants, it’s a card that I’m holding onto for the time being.
While the Citi Prestige Card is no longer open to new applicants, the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card (review) is, and it’s otherwise the most lucrative card for earning Citi ThankYou points:
For a few years now, the Citi Prestige Card hasn’t been open to new applicants. That being said, it’s a card that many existing cardmembers have held onto, given the value proposition. The card has a $495 annual fee, but offers a $250 annual travel credit, 5x points on dining, a Priority Pass membership with restaurant credits, and more.
I’ve held onto this card for years, and plan to continue to do so. That being said, I’d love to see Citi introduce a new premium card.
Do any other OMAAT readers still have the Citi Prestige Card? Or at least have fond memories of the uncapped fourth night free benefit? 😉
