The Citi Premier card ups its bonus to 60,000 points

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If you’re looking for a travel rewards card that offers a lot of value in the first year, the Citi Premier Card is a great way to go. In addition to a generous triple point bonus on travel purchases, the Premier card has recently increased its sign-up bonus and currently offers one of the best bonuses for a card in its class: 60,000 points for spending $4,000 in the first three months of card ownership. Thanks to the card’s 25 percent bonus for redemptions made through its travel portal and list of travel partners you can transfer points to, you can stretch that sign-up bonus a long way.

ThankYou perks

Along with a 60,000-point bonus, the Citi Premier card allows cardholders to earn rewards on every purchase and offers a variety of perks, including a 25 percent higher redemption value on travel.

These benefits do come with a price tag, though: cardholders will be charged an annual fee of $95. However, the card’s yearly value more than makes up for its annual fee each year.

Citi Premier Card
	Rewards rate 3 points per dollar on travel, including gas 2 points per dollar on dining out and entertainment 1 point per dollar on other purchases
	Sign-up bonus 60,000 ThankYou® points when you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months
Why use it?If you’re a frequent traveler or heavy commuter, you will benefit from this card’s bonus rate on travel. For those who regularly eat out or attend entertainment events, the 2-point rate is an added bonus.Read review	Estimated First Year Value ($15,900 spend) $1,053
	Annual Fee $95

Recent changes to the Citi Premier card

As you can see from the table below, the card has a history of toggling between a 30,000-point and 60,000-point sign-up bonus. The card has even offered no sign-up bonus in the past.

Citi Premier card recent changes

Change date	Sign-up bonus
Jun. 13, 2019	60,000 ThankYou® points if you spend $4,000 in first 3 months
Oct. 23, 2018	50,000 ThankYou® points if you spend $4,000 in first 3 months
Aug. 1, 2018	60,000 ThankYou® points if you spend $4,000 in first 3 months
Feb. 28, 2018	50,000 ThankYou® points if you spend $4,000 in first 3 months
Jan. 25, 2018	30,000 ThankYou® points if you spend $3,000 in first 3 months
Sept. 27, 2017	No sign-up bonus
July 18, 2017	50,000 ThankYou® points if you spend $4,000 in first 3 months
Jan. 24, 2017	30,000 ThankYou® points if you spend $3,000 in first 3 months

Keep in mind that the increased sign-up bonuses also come higher spend requirements. To receive the 50,000-point or 60,000-point bonuses, cardholders must spend $4,000 in the first three months, compared to $3,000 for the 30,000-point bonus.

Who is eligible for the sign-up bonus

The Citi Premier sign-up bonus is only available to new cardholders who have not had a ThankYou Premier, ThankYou Preferred or Citi Prestige card opened or closed in the past 24 months.

Of course, you must meet certain credit requirements to be approved for the Premier card. To determine your creditworthiness, Citi will consider several factors, including, but not limited to, your annual salary and wages and any debt you may have.

Best ways to spend 60,000 ThankYou points

In general, travel redemptions are the best use of Citi ThankYou points, and – if you want to squeeze the most value out of your points – redeeming them for airfare through the Citi ThankYou portal is your best bet. Citi Premier card members get a 25 percent boost on their points when they redeem them this way, so 60,000 bonus points can get you $750 worth of airfare.

Citi gives you plenty of other choices for redeeming ThankYou points – including gift cards, merchandise and cash back – but most of these are a poor value, worth less than 1 cent per point.

Citi Premier card redemption options

Citi also has several airline partners that you can transfer points to at a 1:1 ratio (with the exception of JetBlue). It’s possible to stretch your points further with a point transfer, since you can look for values within each airline partner’s redemption chart. Unfortunately, the options are slightly limited, consisting mostly of small oversea airlines:

Citi Premier card transfer options

Should you apply for the Citi Premier card now?

The bonus on the Citi Premier card is currently at its highest throughout the card’s history. Plus, the 25 percent redemption bonus and array of airline partners can boost the value of your points.

See related:American Express Platinum card offers 100,000 bonus points through CardMatch