Citibank Credit Cards

The best Citi travel credit card is American Airlines AAdvantage Gold if you’re looking for airline miles, the Expedia+ card if you’re a frequent Expedia user, or Citi ThankYou Premier for general travel expenses. If you’re a Costco member, you could also look into the Costco Anywhere Visa, since it has no foreign transaction fees and rewards you for gas and other travel.

Here are the best Citi travel credit cards:

• American Airlines AAdvantage Gold: 25,000 miles for spending $750 in the first 3 months. 1 mile per $1 on all purchases. 25% savings on American Airlines food and beverages. 3% foreign transaction fee. $50 annual fee waived the first year. Good credit needed.
• Expedia+ Card: 15,000 points for spending $1,000 in the first 3 months. 3 points per $1 on Expedia purchases, 1 on everything else. Expedia+ silver status gets you exclusive amenities like free drinks or spa access. 3% foreign transaction fee. No annual fee. Excellent credit needed.
• Citi ThankYou Premier: 3 points per $1 on travel (gas included), 2 on dining and entertainment, 1 on everything else. No foreign transaction fee. $95 annual fee waived the first year. Excellent credit needed.
• Costco Anywhere Visa: 4% cash back on $7,000 spent on gas each year, 3% on restaurants and travel, 2% at Costco, 1% everywhere else. No foreign transaction fee. No annual fee. Excellent credit needed. Must be a Costco member ($55+ per year).

While travel credit cards can have great rewards and perks, you don’t necessarily need one to save on travel. For example, Citi Double Cash offers 2% cash back on all purchases. The only issue is that cash back cards usually charge foreign transaction fees (3% for Double Cash) so they’re not always ideal for going abroad.

Citi Preferred Tickets is a program that gives Citi credit card and debit card users exclusive access to an allotment of tickets to live events. It’s part of Citi Private Pass, a broader program that helps Citi customers enjoy events and experiences, including concerts, sporting events, fine dining and more. 

Citi Preferred Tickets are a good option for popular shows that are likely to sell out fast, as Citi cardholders often get access to presales. You may also be able to score VIP seating, artist meet-and-greets, and more. But Citi Preferred Tickets don’t get you much of a discount, if any.  

Here is what you should know about Citi Preferred Tickets:

· Citi Preferred Tickets allows you to access select seats at certain concerts, sporting events, family entertainment, and upscale dining establishments. 

· Current Citi Preferred Ticket offers include artists such as Dierks Bentley, Nicki Minaj & Future, and Lady Antebellum & Darius Rucker. 

· To access the Preferred Tickets feature, visit citiprivatepass.com. 

You should see a list of events. If you find an event you’d like to attend, click the event image. Then click “Buy,” and you will be redirected to either LiveNation.com or TicketMaster.com to complete your purchase. You will need your passcode – the first 6 digits of your Citi card number – to access your tickets. 

• In addition to preferred tickets, you can also get pre-sale tickets and VIP packages using the Private Pass program. You can access those features, if available, when you select the event you wish to attend.

Whether Citi Preferred Tickets is a good deal depends largely on your entertainment preferences. If you frequently attend live events and like the idea of getting first crack at the best seats or even VIP treatment, that might outweigh the possibility of getting a discounted ticket elsewhere.

If grabbing great seats is not a priority, you’re better off going straight to the ticket vendor’s website. There, you’re not restricted to paying for your tickets with just a Citi card. And you can get seats anywhere in the venue, not just where they’re reserved by Citi. 

Also, keep in mind that these events usually take place in large cities. If you don’t live near one, you might not find much value in Citi Preferred Tickets or the other Private Pass features.

You need a good credit score for a Citi credit card in most cases. So you’ll have a shot with a credit score of 660+, and your odds will be good with 700+. But it really depends on which card you’re after. Some Citi credit cards require higher scores, and one has no minimum score at all.

For example, some of the Citi credit cards that require good credit or better for approval include Simplicity (0% for 21 months on balance transfers), and Double Cash (2% cash back). Among the Citi credit cards you need excellent credit (a score of 750+) to get are ThankYou Preferred (2X points on dining and entertainment), ThankYou Premier (3X points on travel), and the two Expedia cards. And even people with bad credit can get the Citi Secured Card.

Below, you can see what Citi cards your credit score will allow you to pursue, along with other information about approval.

Here’s what else you should know about the credit score you need for a Citi credit card:

• Bad credit (below 640): You only have one option for a Citi card if you have bad credit. That’s the Citi Secured Mastercard. It doesn’t give any rewards, but it does have no annual fee and can help you rebuild your credit. There’s a $200 minimum security deposit.
• Fair credit (640-699): With fair credit, you have a good shot at getting one of Citi’s various store cards. These cards can only be used at their associated store. Some examples of stores that offer fair credit cards through Citi are Staples, Best Buy and Goodyear.
• Good credit (700-749): Good credit opens you up to some of Citi’s more attractive credit card offerings. You can get the best cashback card on the market, Citi Double Cash, with good credit, or the Citi Simplicity card.
• Excellent credit (750 and up): You’ll be eligible for all of Citi’s cards with a score in this range, assuming your income and other information check out. Some excellent-credit-only offerings include Citi ThankYou Preferred (15-month 0% APR), Expedia+ Voyager (travel rewards) and Citi/AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard (airline miles).
• Other requirements: It takes more than just a good enough credit score to get Citi credit card approval. In particular, you need enough income to pay the monthly bills, along with your existing debts. You’ll also need a valid Social Security number (or ITIN) and U.S. mailing address.

Check your credit score before applying for a Citi credit card. That will tell you which cards you have the best chances of getting. And you can check if you’re pre qualified for any Citi cards on their website.

You should set a Citi travel notification for your credit or debit card any time you’re taking a trip. You’re never required to set one, but it’s always a good idea for both foreign and domestic travel. What exactly constitutes “travel” comes down to your judgement. You don’t need to set an alert every time you drive to the grocery store, but if you’re visiting a place well outside your daily geographic radius, it might be a good idea. A travel alert lets Citi know that charges from a new location don’t mean you’re a victim of fraud. So it helps you avoid having Citi put a temporary hold on your card while you’re away.

If your card is declined while traveling, you can call customer service at 1-800-950-5114 and enter your card number to speak to a representative who can help. Internationally, you can make a collect call to 210-677-0065.

Here’s how to set a Citi travel notification:

1. Sign into your Citi account online.
2. Click “Benefits and Services,” then “Services and Requests.”
3. Select “Travel Notification.”
4. Enter your destinations as well as the dates of your departure and return.
5. Verify the phone number and email address that Citi has on file are up to date.

You can cancel or update your Citi travel notification at any time by logging in and changing your information. It only takes a few minutes and could potentially prevent a major inconvenience on your trip.