Citi credit cards
ThankYou points (Strata family) and American Airlines AAdvantage co-brand cards. Launched the $595 Strata Elite in July 2025.
About Citi
Citi is a national bank and major card issuer, best known for its ThankYou points cards in the Strata family, such as the Citi Strata Premier and the $595 Citi Strata Elite, and for American Airlines AAdvantage co-brands like the Citi / AAdvantage Globe Mastercard. It also issues simple cash-back cards, including the Citi Double Cash and Citi Custom Cash, plus the Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi.
Citi suits you if you want no-annual-fee cash back, American Airlines miles, or a points program you can grow into with the Strata cards. If you are building credit, it offers the Citi Secured Mastercard, and its online pre-qualification check uses a soft inquiry. The limitation to know: most Citi cards limit welcome bonuses to once every 48 months, and the Double Cash and Custom Cash charge a 3% foreign transaction fee.
Notable Citi cards
- Citi Strata Elite
- Citi Strata Premier
- Citi Strata Card
- Citi Double Cash
- Citi Custom Cash
- Citi / AAdvantage Globe Mastercard
Citi cards compared
| Card | Annual fee | Rewards | Intro APR | Foreign fee | Credit needed | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CitiDouble Cash 5260 9341 4153 3686 VALID THRU 10/29ALEX MORGAN Citi Double Cash CardDisciplined payers and people consolidating balance-transfer debt |
None | 1% when you buy + 1% when you pay = up to 2% on all purchases | 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months | 3% | Good (690+) | |
CitiCustom Cash 5391 9349 9861 2908 VALID THRU 06/30MORGAN LEE Citi Custom Cash CardPeople with one dominant monthly spending category |
None | 5% on your highest eligible category each cycle (up to $500), 1% after | 0% intro APR for 15 months | 3% | Good (690+) | |
Costco / CitiCostco Anywhere Visa 4448 1773 6146 2107 VALID THRU 02/29MORGAN LEE Costco Anywhere Visa Card by CitiCostco members with high gas spending |
None | 4% on eligible gas (up to $7k/yr), 3% dining & travel, 2% at Costco, 1… | None | None | Good to Excellent (700+) | |
CitiStrata Premier 5559 6364 5551 8795 VALID THRU 07/32SAM RIVERA Citi Strata Premier CardBroad 3x earning on one mid-tier card |
$95/yr | 10x hotels, car rentals & attractions via Citi Travel, 3x air travel,… | None | None | Good to Excellent (700+) | |
Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite MastercardAA flyers who check a bag a few times a year |
$99/yr | 2x miles on American Airlines, gas & restaurants, 1x on everything els… | None | None | Good to Excellent (700+) | |
CitiRewards+ 5411 0939 6754 6146 VALID THRU 05/31JORDAN TAYLOR Citi Rewards+ CardLots of small purchases paired with a Citi premium card |
None | 2x at supermarkets & gas stations (first $6,000/yr, then 1x), 1x on al… | 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 month… | 3% | Good (690+) | |
Citi Strata Elite CardThankYou points collectors wanting a premium card below $600 |
$595/yr | 12x hotels, car rentals and attractions via Citi Travel; 6x air via Ci… | None | None | Good to Excellent (typical for… | — |
CitiStrata 5443 8707 9615 7829 VALID THRU 06/31ALEX MORGAN Citi Strata CardNo-fee ThankYou points earners |
None | 5x hotels/car rentals/attractions via Citi Travel; 3x supermarkets, se… | 0% on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months | 3% | Good to Excellent (typical; no… | — |
Citi/ AAdvantage Globe Masterca… 5420 5350 0720 6031 VALID THRU 03/31SAM RIVERA Citi / AAdvantage Globe MastercardAmerican Airlines flyers chasing status who don't need full Admirals Club membership |
$350/yr | 6x AAdvantage Hotels; 3x American Airlines; 2x restaurants and rides/r… | None | None | Good to Excellent (typical; no… | — |
Approval rules and tips
1 personal card per 8 days, max 2 per 65 days; 1 business card per ~90 days; 48-month bonus waiting period on most cards; cross-family bonus restrictions dropped in 2025.
- Check Citi's pre-qualification page first; it uses a soft inquiry and asks for your name, address and the last four digits of your SSN.
- Offer terms on most Citi cards exclude a welcome bonus if you received one on the same card in the past 48 months.
- Widely reported: Citi approves no more than one personal card every 8 days and two every 65 days.
- Widely reported: business card applications are limited to about one every 90 days.
How to apply for a Citi card
Apply on citi.com or in the Citi Mobile app. Citi's official pre-qualification tool uses a soft credit inquiry, so you can see likely offers without affecting your score, and you can check more than once in a short span. The full application then triggers a hard inquiry. Have your Social Security number, date of birth, address, annual income and monthly housing payment ready before you start.
Customer service: online.citi.com
Citi FAQs
What credit cards does Citi offer?
Citi's notable cards include Citi Strata Elite, Citi Strata Premier, Citi Strata Card, Citi Double Cash, Citi Custom Cash. See the cards we review below for fees, rewards and APRs.
Does Citi have special approval rules?
1 personal card per 8 days, max 2 per 65 days; 1 business card per ~90 days; 48-month bonus waiting period on most cards; cross-family bonus restrictions dropped in 2025.
How do I apply for a Citi credit card?
Apply on www.citi.com. Check any pre-qualification tool first — it uses a soft inquiry that does not affect your credit score.
How do I activate a new Citi card?
See our step-by-step guide to activating a Citi credit card — online, in the app or by phone.
Does Citi offer a secured credit card?
Yes. The Citi Secured Mastercard has no annual fee and uses a refundable deposit of $200 to $2,500, chosen in $100 steps, which sets your credit limit. Citi reports activity to all three major credit bureaus. The deposit is held for up to 18 months, does not earn interest, and is generally refunded when the account is closed in good standing.
Is the Costco credit card issued by Citi?
Yes. The Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi is a Citi card offered to Costco members, so you apply with Citi and manage the account through Citi's online banking and app rather than through Costco. It has no foreign transaction fee, which makes it usable for travel as well as warehouse shopping.
Do Citi cards charge foreign transaction fees?
Some do. The Citi Strata Premier, Citi Strata Elite and AAdvantage cards such as the Globe Mastercard have no foreign transaction fee. Cash-back and entry cards, including Citi Double Cash, Citi Custom Cash, Citi Rewards+ and the Citi Strata Card, charge 3% of each purchase made abroad.