Citi Prestige® Card

The Citi Prestige Card comes with a $495 annual fee, but that is offset by the excellent benefits and generous rewards that come with the card. It was newly redesigned by Citi with a different rewards program and some changes to the perks.

Cardholders will earn points in a variety of categories:

• 5X ThankYou points per dollar spent on:
  • Air travel
  • Restaurants
• 3X ThankYou points per dollar spent on:
  • Hotels
  • Cruise lines
• 2X ThankYou points per dollar spent on Entertainment (former cardholders only, through 8/31/19)
• 1X ThankYou point per dollar spent on everything else

So this credit card is very flexible, providing points at high rates in the travel and dining categories. You can transfer those points to a variety of retail and airline loyalty programs as well, where you can get the best value for them.

You’ll also get 50,000 bonus points for spending $4,000 within the first 3 months of account opening, equal to at least $500 when redeemed for travel. Take note that you’re ineligible for this signup bonus if you’ve either received a signup bonus or closed a Prestige card or any of the following cards in the past 24 months: Citi Rewards+ Card, Citi ThankYou® Preferred Card (Review), Citi ThankYou® Premier Card (Review)/Citi Premier.

The Prestige offers a variety of travel perks, with some of the best being:

• Annual $250 Travel Credit: A $250 statement credit per calendar year that applies to all travel purchases and will reduce this card’s effective annual fee down to $255.
• Complimentary 4^th Night Stay: Get your fourth night free with no black-out dates if you book four nights in a row through ThankYou.com or your Citi Concierge, and pay using your card, ThankYou points, or a combination of both. Starting September 2019, this perk is capped at two uses per year; uses before that date don’t count toward the cap.
• Priority Pass Select Lounge Access: You and your authorized users can access Priority Pass Select lounges at no charge, and with no need to enroll. Immediate family or up to two guests can enter for free as well; additional guests cost $32 each.
• Global Entry or TSA Pre✓ Application Fee Credit: If you pay for the application for Global Entry ($100) or TSA Pre✓ ($85) with your card you’ll receive a statement credit for the fee, once every five years.

Consider this card if you travel several times per year, and will be able to make use of the valuable 4^th night stay benefit.