Citi Prestige^® Card Review [2023]: High-End Benefits for Frequent Travelers

Travel credit cards often deliver exceptional value to cardholders who want to be rewarded for their swipes. But there is a higher tier of travel card that caters specifically to customers who travel often and enjoy the finer things along the way. 

The Citi Prestige^® Card is one of the best credit cards for high spenders who also have a healthy dose of the travel bug. This Citi Prestige review will take a closer look at this luxury card so you can decide whether or not it’s the right choice for you.

Note: The Citi Prestige is no longer available for applications. Find other card considerations at the bottom of this review.

Who should get the Citi Prestige?

The Citi Prestige card is aimed at those who have excellent credit and are looking for more high-end experiences from their travel credit card. With travel perks like a free night twice per year, an annual travel credit, and Priority Pass lounge access plus this card's ability to quickly earn travel rewards, the Citi Prestige can be a good fit for an avid adventurer.

You would have to travel often during the year to earn enough Citi ThankYou points and travel credits to offset the card’s $495 annual fee. However, the benefits of being a Citi Prestige cardholder also go beyond what many of its competitors offer, which may well deliver enough value for some.

Card basics

Citi Prestige benefits and perks

• Generous welcome offer
  
• $250 annual travel credit: Every year, you can get up to $250 in automatic statement credits for purchases categorized as travel.
• Free night at hotel: When you book 4 consecutive nights at a hotel using 1-800-THANKYOU or ThankYou.com, you get the fourth night free. You can take advantage of this complimentary fourth night benefit twice per calendar year.
• VIP lounge access: As a Citi Prestige cardholder, you are given complimentary access to VIP lounges through a Priority Pass Select membership. With hundreds of locations in the U.S. and over 1,300 lounges and restaurants in airports worldwide, you can have some downtime before flying in luxury.
• Earn major points: Citi Prestige rewards travel and dining purchases with huge point earnings per dollar spent. You can get N/A points for airline and restaurant purchases, N/A points on hotels and cruise lines, and N/A points for all other purchases.
  
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck: You can get a statement credit for up to $100 every 5 years, as an application fee reimbursement for either Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. This can be a time saver for both domestic and international travelers.
• Lots of options for redeeming points: ThankYou points can be used for travel purchases, statement credits, exclusive events and experiences, gift cards, cash payments, and even charitable donations.

Drawbacks to this card

• High annual fee: The Citi Prestige does come with an annual fee of $495. But once you figure in the annual credit and other travel perks, this card can pay for itself if you take advantage of its benefits. This card will not be a good fit for someone who does not use these perks.
• Fewer travel partners: Citi does not have as robust of a transfer program as other credit card issuers like Chase or Amex, which have many hotel partners. While the list of Citi's hospitality partners has grown since they first introduced it, it will not provide you as much flexibility or value if you want access to a wider range of transfer opportunities.
  

Earning & redeeming ThankYou Points

Best ways to earn

Taking advantage of bonus categories is the best way to use any rewards credit card. Air travel and dining purchases are by far the best and fastest ways to earn ThankYou points. You’ll earn N/A points for every dollar you spend on airline and restaurant purchases — even fast food, cafes, bars, and lounges.

Purchases with hotels and cruise lines get you N/A points per dollar. So when you’re sleeping on the road or sailing the seas, every swipe of your Prestige card earns you points that can be turned into dollars to put toward your next trip.

In addition, the Citi rewards program allows you to pool your Citi ThankYou points from multiple Citi cards into one ThankYou account. This is important because only the Citi Premier^® Card and Citi Prestige can transfer to all the airline partners. But if you have a Citi^® Double Cash Card you can earn up to 2% cash back on your spending, which is more than the N/A on all other purchases with the Prestige, and then pool all those points together.

Maximizing your redemptions

You have a lot of flexibility when it comes to using your points. Citi offers a travel marketplace through which you can book your flights, hotels, cruises, and other arrangements for a trip and pay with points. If you make enough card purchases to qualify for the welcome offer, you’ll have $500 worth of points you can spend within months of opening an account.

You can apply your annual $250 in travel credits and possibly some of your points to the expense of booking four consecutive hotel nights through ThankYou.com so you can take advantage of your fourth night free benefit.

If these redemption options don’t appeal to you, you can always trade in points for statement credits, gift cards, or even cash.

Citi Prestige transfer partners

You can also take advantage of the Citi transfer partners. You can transfer to several airline loyalty programs and then redeem your rewards directly through those airlines. The Citi Prestige is one of the few cards in the ThankYou Rewards program that allows you to transfer your points to other programs, and in most cases, your points will transfer at a 1:1 rate.

Citi transfer partners include:

• Aeromexico Club Premier
• Air France-KLM Flying Blue
• Avianca LifeMiles
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
• Emirates Skywards
• Etihad Guest
• EVA Air Infinity MileageLands
• Jet Airways JetPrivilege
• JetBlue TrueBlue
• Malaysia Airlines Enrich
• Qantas Frequent Flyer
• Qatar Airways Privilege Club
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
• Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
• Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Citi Prestige FAQs

Other cards to consider

If you’re thinking the Citi Prestige card might not be your cup of tea, but you’re still looking for a high-end rewards credit card, here are two other rewards card offers to investigate.

Both the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve cards are popular and deliver good value for travelers. The Chase Sapphire Reserve^® earns you 3X points for other travel and dining, which is less than what you get with Citi Prestige. New cardholders can earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening — worth $900 in redemptions through Chase Ultimate Rewards, and the annual travel credit is $300 instead of $250.

The Platinum Card^® from American Express comes in with a higher annual fee of $695, but some significant benefits for those dollars. Cardholders can earn 5X points per dollar spent on eligible airfare (on up to $500,000 per calendar year, after that 1X) and eligible hotel purchases, and 1X points per dollar on all other eligible purchases. Plus, this card comes with luxury perks like access to VIP properties in the American Express Global Lounge Collection and its partner networks, complimentary benefits with Fine Hotels & Resorts, and up to $200 in Uber Cash annually. These benefits, coupled with complimentary rental car insurance and elite status with Marriott and Hilton make the annual fee worth it for many cardholders. Select benefits require enrollment.

You can compare the Chase Sapphire Reserve vs. Amex Platinum vs. Citi Prestige cards side by side to figure out which best fits your needs. 

Premium Travel Benefits

Chase Sapphire Reserve^®

Chase Sapphire Reserve^®

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Current Offer

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening

Annual Fee

$550

Rewards Rate

5X points on flights and 10X points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards® immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually; 3X points on other travel and dining & 1X points per dollar on all other purchases

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
• Earn 10X points on hotels and car rentals purchased through Ultimate Rewards® (after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually)
• Priority Pass airport lounge access
• $300 annual travel credit
• 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs

Drawbacks

• High annual fee
• Excellent credit required

Card Details

• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
• $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
• Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards® immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
• Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 60,000 points are worth $900 toward travel
• 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
• Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select and up to $100 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck®
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more
• Member FDIC

Author Details

Robin Kavanagh Robin is a freelance writer who lives on the South Carolina beach. She has spent the last 20 years writing about all kinds of topics for publications such as The New York Times, Yes! Magazine, Next Tribe, Parenting, and various trade magazines. On FinanceBuzz.com, you’ll find her mostly writing about smart ways to use credit cards, navigating personal loans, how to save when traveling, and ways to improve your financial health.

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