What Credit Score Do You Need to Get the Citi Premier Card?

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The Citi Premier^® Card, from our partner Citi, is a great starter credit card with lucrative earning potential and a valuable travel perk. As a mid-tier card, its annual fee is reasonable at $95 per year and the elevated welcome bonus makes it an enticing choice. It’s a sensible rewards card in a sea of flashy options. If you’ve got your eye on the Citi Premier, you may be wondering what the credit score requirement is for approval. 

While good credit makes approvals easier, we’ll dive into exactly what that means and what score range will increase your approval odds.

Citi Premier® Card

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Rates & Fees

• Our Rating 4.5/5 How our ratings work Read the review
• APR21.24% - 29.24% (Variable)
• Annual Fee$95
• Sign Up Bonus 60,000Citi ThankYou Points More Info

  Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou Points after making $4,000 worth of purchases during the first three months of account opening. Dollar Equivalent: $1,080 (60,000 Citi ThankYou Points * 0.018 base)

The Citi Premier® Card, from our partner Citi, is worth considering if you’re looking for accelerated travel rewards but don’t want to pay a huge annual fee. It’s easy to quickly rack up lots of points on this card. While you can redeem ThankYou points for gift cards, you’ll get more value when you redeem points for flights and hotels, and potentially even better value when you transfer points to travel partners.

• Overview
• Perks
• Pros & Cons

Overview

This credit card offers its members a range of incentives, such as bonus points, gift cards and 1:1 point transfers with airline partners. One of the more unique features of the Citi Premier^® Card from our partner Citi is that it offers 3x ThankPoints for every dollar spent at supermarkets, gas stations, restaurants and travel purchases. Plus, new cardholders can earn 60,000 ThankYou Points after spending $4,000 during the first three months of account opening.

Read the review

Perks

• Earn 3x ThankYou Points per dollar spent on travel, grocery stores, restaurants and gas stations
• Annual $100 hotel savings benefit. Just book a hotel stay of $500 or more through thankyou.com or 1-800-THANKYOU to earn the discount.
• No foreign transaction fees
• Easily transfer your points to Citi's airline partners

Pros

• High reward rate on common categories of consumer spending
• Points are easily transferable to airlines and hotel partners
• No foreign transaction fees
• Points never expire

Cons

• $95 annual fee
• No standout rewards category

Citi Premier Overview

The Citi Premier card currently offers 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 within the first three months of account opening. The card is great if you want bonus rewards in everyday spending categories for a reasonable annual fee:

• 3X miles on air travel and hotels
• 3X miles at gas stations
• 3X miles at restaurants
• 3X miles at supermarkets
• 1 point per dollar on all other purchases

Citi’s ThankYou® program lets you redeem points with more than a dozen airline and hotel partners, including Choice Hotels, JetBlue and Wyndham. Don’t let the lack of domestic airline partners fool you—you can do a lot with 60,000 ThankYou points.

The Citi Premier’s $100 annual hotel savings benefit is also unusual for a mid-tier card and completely offsets the $95 annual fee. The benefit is valid on bookings of $500 or more. Plus, the card charges no foreign transaction fees. Despite the travel benefits, this card is better suited for everyday use than travel spending. That’s because Citi eliminated all travel protections, so you miss out on vital coverage like trip cancellation/interruption insurance and auto rental damage waiver.

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Transferring & Redeeming Citi ThankYou Points: Many Ways to Use Your Rewards

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What Credit Score Do You Need for Citi Premier? 

Citi mostly pulls from Experian, though this might vary depending on your state. Citi requires a good to excellent credit score for a Premier card, which is defined as a FICO® Score of 670-739 and a Vantage Score of 661-780. Some reports indicate that you’re more likely to get approved for a Citi Premier card with a minimum credit score of 700.

Per Citi, the bank considers “many factors” when determining creditworthiness. While there’s no guarantee you'll be approved for a card if your score falls in this range, it's a good indicator. If your credit score is well under this range, you might want to work on boosting your score before applying.

If you want a sense of what type of Citi card you qualify for, head over to the prequalification page. After entering some personal information, Citi will match you with offers that you prequalify for. This tool is an excellent way to determine whether you might qualify for a Citi Premier, without impacting your credit score. 

Rules That Can Impact Approval

Your credit score isn’t the only factor impacting your application. Citi will take your credit history into account, as well as income and existing credit lines. Additionally, Citi has several application rules you should be aware of when applying for a Citi Premier card:

• You must wait at least 24 months between canceling and reapplying for a Citi Premier Card.
• If you’ve opened or closed another Citi card in the last 24 months, you might not get approved for a Citi Premier.
• If you’ve opened or closed one of the following cards in the last 24 months, you won’t qualify for a Citi Premier:
  • Citi Rewards+^®
  • Citi ThankYou^® Preferred
  • Citi Premier
  • Citi Prestige^®

Consult your credit report before applying for a Citi card so you don’t waste a credit inquiry on a card you don’t qualify for.

Compare Citi Credit Cards

Credit Card	Intro Bonus	Annual Fee	Rewards Rate	Learn More
Citi Double Cash® Card Apply Now Rates & Fees	$200Cash Bonus More Info Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.	$0	2%Cashback More Info Earn 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 due on time. Plus, for a limited time, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/24.	Apply Now Rates & Fees
Citi Premier® Card Apply Now Rates & Fees	60,000Citi ThankYou Points More Info Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou Points after making $4,000 worth of purchases during the first three months of account opening. Dollar Equivalent: $1,080 (60,000 Citi ThankYou Points * 0.018 base)	$95	1X-10XPoints More Info 10X total ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through June 30, 2024. 3X -- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Other Hotels 3X -- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets 1X -- Earn 1 Point on All Other Purchases	Apply Now Rates & Fees
Citi Custom Cash® Card Apply Now Rates & Fees	$200Cash Bonus More Info Earn $200 in cash back after you spend $1500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.	$0	1% - 5%Cashback More Info Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, 1% cash back thereafter. Also, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. Special Travel Offer: Earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2025.	Apply Now Rates & Fees
Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi Apply Now Rates & Fees	$0Cash Bonus	$0 More info Active Costco membership required	1% - 4%Cashback More Info Earn 4% cash back on up to $7,000 in annual gas and EV charging purchases (and then 1% after), 3% back on restaurant and travel purchases, 2% back at Costco and Costco.com and 1% everywhere else.	Apply Now Rates & Fees

What to Do If You’re Rejected for a Citi Premier Card

You don’t have to take no for an answer if you get that dreaded rejection message. Depending on the reason for rejection, you have 30 days to appeal without incurring another credit inquiry. Call Citi’s reconsideration line (the number is listed in the decision letter) and make your case. Here are some tips on handling the most common reasons for rejection.

You Don’t Qualify Based On Credit History

If the problem is negative hits on your credit report, you can dispute them and clear your record. But if your rejection is because you have a limited credit history, the solution will require a long-term commitment to building your credit history. Consider getting a secured credit card. Once you have this card, you’ll want to keep your credit utilization rate low and pay it off on time every month. After a year or two, you may be in a better position to reapply and get approved for a Citi Premier. 

You Have Too Many Recent Inquiries

Citi has been known to reject credit card applications for too many recent inquiries. There’s no hard-and-fast number, but you may see this reason cited in your decision letter. You can try to get Citi to reconsider your application by pointing to your good credit history and providing an explanation for the recent inquiries. Citi wants to protect itself against “gaming,” so if you can make a good case for why you needed multiple credit cards in a short period, they might approve you for a Citi Premier card.

You Don’t Qualify for Additional Credit

Suppose you’re an existing Citi cardholder who is rejected because you’ve reached the maximum allowable credit. In that case, ask Citi to move some of your credit line from an existing card to the Citi Premier. This may not work if your existing card has a low limit, but it’s worthwhile to call Citi and ask. If you decide to cancel your Citi Premier card at some point, be sure to transfer the credit line back to the original card. This will ensure your credit score won’t be negatively affected because your available credit has decreased.

Alternatives

If you can’t get approved for a Citi Premier card, you can ask them to consider you for a lower-tier Citi card like the Citi Rewards+ card, from our partner Citi. The card is easier to get approved for and earns Citi ThankYou points. Or you can check out other rewards cards to see if another option fits your needs.

Recommended Rewards Credit Cards

Credit Card	Rewards Rate	Annual Fee	Intro Bonus	Learn More
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Apply Now	1x- 5xPoints More Info The card offers 5x points per dollar on Chase Travel℠, 3x points on dining (including eligible takeout and delivery services), as well as 3x points on select streaming services and online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs). This card earns 2x points on all other travel spending and 1x point per dollar everywhere else. Chase broadly defines travel to include not just airfare, hotels and rental cars, but expenses like parking, tolls and public transit too.	$95	60,000Chase Ultimate Rewards Points More Info Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Dollar Equivalent: $1,380 (60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points * 0.023 base)	Apply Now
Chase Freedom Unlimited® Apply Now	1.5% - 5%Cashback More Info Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.	$0	1.5%Extra Cash Back More Info Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back. That's 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases.	Apply Now
Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card Apply Now Rates & Fees	1x - 3xPoints More Info Earn unlimited 3X points on the things that really add up - like restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services, and phone plans. Plus, earn 1X points on other purchases.	$0	20,000Points More Info Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months - that's a $200 cash redemption value. Dollar Equivalent: $200 (20,000 Points * 0.01 base)	Apply Now Rates & Fees
Citi Premier® Card Apply Now Rates & Fees	1X-10XPoints More Info 10X total ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through June 30, 2024. 3X -- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Other Hotels 3X -- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets 1X -- Earn 1 Point on All Other Purchases	$95	60,000Citi ThankYou Points More Info Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou Points after making $4,000 worth of purchases during the first three months of account opening. Dollar Equivalent: $1,080 (60,000 Citi ThankYou Points * 0.018 base)	Apply Now Rates & Fees

Is The Citi Premier Card Worth It?

The Citi Premier card is worth it if you want to earn valuable and flexible points. Even if you don’t transfer your points to an airline or hotel program, you can redeem them at 1 cent each toward travel booked through Citi. If you qualify for a Citi Premier based on credit score, you may want to go for it as it's an excellent card that checks many boxes.

Your credit score isn’t the only factor determining approval for a Citi Premier card. Citi has credit card application rules that may prevent you from being approved if you’ve had the card in the past. Just be aware of these rules and hopefully, you’ll increase your chances of getting approved. And if you don’t, you can always try your luck at a reconsideration call or increase your credit and try again down the road.