Citi Prestige® Credit Card Review: No longer available but worth keeping

Who Is the Citi Prestige® Credit Card Good For?

Citi Prestige® Credit Card is an upscale premium travel reward card that is comparable to the American Express Platinum Card®. It has many similar travel benefits, and quite hefty $495 annual fee. The Citi card is no longer accepting new applications, but current cardholders still enjoy its outstanding perks, particularly those who travel a lot.

For starters, cardholders are reimbursed for Global Entry application fees. If you fly frequently, Global Entry will save you a lot of time in airport security lines. It guarantees you a coveted spot in a TSA Precheck line, and you will be able to skip immigration lines on your return home from international destinations.

Cardholders also receive a Priority Pass Select membership, which gives you free access to one of the best airport lounge programs available today. It’s good for you plus your family or two guests, and membership can be extended to authorized users for $50 each.

The Prestige card comes with some other great benefits, such as a $250 annual credit toward air travel and a free fourth hotel night. In addition to the airlines listed below, you can transfer points to your ALL – Accor Live Limitless, Choice Privileges®, Leaders Club, and Wyndham Rewards® account.

Sign-Up Bonus:

Although the Citi Prestige isn’t currently available to new applicants, previously, the card’s sign-up bonus was 50,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first three months.

Miles Earned:

• 5 points per dollar on restaurants and air travel
• 3 points per dollar spent on hotels and cruise lines
• One point for everything else

What Do Your Points Get You?

Citi ThankYou is an incredibly flexible program. It’s the only major travel reward program that allows you to share points with other members.

This is a fantastic benefit, especially considering that other reward programs are adding more restrictions to prevent people from sharing points and miles. Shared points expire in 90 days, so don’t transfer unless you or your friends or family are ready to use them.

You can redeem your points for air travel online through the Citi ThankYou Travel Center at a value of 1.33 cents per point.

While none of the airline transfer partners are based in the U.S., each carrier is either a member of a major alliance or has powerful partners of its own. That means you’ll be able to redeem miles on dozens of airlines all over the world, including all of the major U.S. carriers.

Some of the airline partners are also the most desirable and luxurious carriers in the world, including Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Etihad and Qatar Airways. These are an excellent option if you want to fly in business or first class.

Usage Perks

• $250 annual credit for airline purchases
• Points can be transferred to anyone with a ThankYou account
• Free airport lounge access
• Points can be earned through banking
• Multiple airline transfer partners
• A 35 percent bonus when redeeming points for flights through the ThankYou Travel Center
• $100 credit toward Global Entry application fees
• Free fourth night at hotels booked through ThankYou.com
• Three free rounds of golf annually when booked through Citi’s golf portal

Usage Quirks

• High annual fee
• Shared ThankYou points expire in 90 days
• No major U.S. airline partners
• Most airline partners add fuel surcharges to award flights

How Far Do Your Points Go?

If you’re interested in premium class travel, one of the best ways to experience ultimate luxury is with Singapore Airlines’ First Suite. It’s best to transfer your ThankYou points to Singapore’s loyalty program, KrisFlyer, because it offers a 15 percent discount to members booking award flights online.With the discount, you can fly one way between New York and Frankfurt, or Houston and Moscow, in the carrier’s extravagant First Suite for 57,375 miles and $203 in taxes and fuel surcharges.

Additional Cardholder Benefits:

• Special bonuses for Citi banking
• 24/7 customer service
• Citi® Concierge
• Citi Entertainment®
• Zero liability
• No foreign transaction fees