Citi Prestige Card 50,000 Bonus Points ($850 Value)

Citi Prestige® Card is offering 50,000 bonus points after $4,000 in purchases made with your card in the first 3 months of account opening. This includes the $250 Air Travel Credit. As a cardholder, you’ll also get complimentary access to hundreds of VIP lounges through Priority Pass Select.

You can actually earn more for your points by using Citi’s transfer partners which would increase your average to 1.7 cents per point.

The card has no foreign transaction fees on purchases. You’ll earn 5x points on Air Travel and Restaurants, 3x points on Hotels and Cruise Lines, and 1 ThankYou Point per $1 spent on other purchases. No expiration and no limit on the number of points you can earn. However, there is a hefty annual fee of $495.

*Check out more Checking bonuses Citibank offers as well.

Citi Prestige® Card Features

Priority Pass Airport Lounges 

Priority Pass is the best all-around program that gives you airport lounge access, with over 1,200 locations available worldwide. The membership level that is complimentary with the Citi Prestige Card is the Priority Pass Select, which is equivalent to the Prestige membership level when purchased directly through Priority Pass. This is a $429 value (discounted rate here), which helps to offset the $495 annual fee by a little.

While many major airports in the U.S. have lounges in the program (e.g. JFK, LAX, ATL, ORD, etc.), many also do not. Luckily, the worldwide footprint is massive, where relaxation in lounges abroad benefit the most.

You can look on their website or mobile app to find all the current locations.

Get $250 In Air Travel Credit Annually

If you travel at all during the year, you’re probably going to use up this benefit and essentially cut out more than half of the annual fee. Every year, you’ll receive $250 in Air Travel Credit that will be automatically applied to flight related expenses charged to your card.

This perk applies to a broad array of travel expenses. It includes purchases from airlines, hotels, car rental agencies, travel agencies/travel aggregators/tour operators, commuter transportation, ferries, commuter railways, subways, taxis/limousines/car services, passenger railways, cruise lines, bridge and road tolls, parking lots/garages, and bus lines.

For frequent travelers who will take advantage of the lounge access and air travel credit to use towards any of the things listed above, the $495 annual fee will already be more than negated.

4th Hotel Night Complimentary

When you book through the Citi Prestige Concierge, you’ll get a free 4th night stay at any hotel of your choice after a minimum 4-consecutive night booking. The benefit will be calculated as the average nightly rate of your total stay, not including taxes.

This is certainly a good perk if you travel often and stay at luxury hotels. However, your options for booking through the concierge are by calling in or emailing them. There’s no streamlined web interface for price comparison versus booking through the hotel itself, or through travel sites like Priceline or Agoda.

Regardless, if you’re staying somewhere that is $300+ a night, it may be worth checking the price through the concierge to compare with your outside booking options.

*Beginning September 1, 2019, this benefit will be capped at 2 times, each year. Bookings made prior to 9/01/19 will not count towards the two-stay cap in 2019.

Additional Benefits

No Foreign Transaction Fee: Purchases made outside the U.S. will not incur any foreign transaction fees.

Citi Prestige Concierge: Personalized requests and assistance is available when help is needed with anything from booking travel and hotel to finding the nearest ATM.

Purchase and Travel Benefits: Travel protection includes worldwide car rental insurance, roadside assistance, travel & emergency assistance, worldwide travel accident insurance, trip cancellation & interruption protection, lost baggage protection, trip delay protection, and baggage delay protection. Purchase protection includes damage and theft purchase protection, extended warranty coverage, missed event ticket protection, and Citi’s Price Rewind service.

Bottom Line

Is the Citi Prestige® Card worth the $495 fee? If you consider the 50,000 bonus points, $250 in Air Travel credit, the Global Entry waiver, and other perks like 4th night free at any hotel stay, you could make back the value of the annual fee and more in the first year.

Whether you’re a big spender or do a lot of traveling, the Citi Prestige® Card is something to consider with its first-class benefits for your first-class lifestyle! If you’re interested in more deals like this, check out our list of Citibank Promotions and the best Credit Card Bonuses, here on HMB!

What’s The Competition?

Most would say the Chase Sapphire Reserve is one of the best, if not the best, premium credit card options available.

The other big player is The Platinum Card from American Express. This card earns rewards faster than its competitors on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel. You’ll also get more lounge access that includes The Centurion, International American Express, Delta Sky Club, and Airspace Lounges networks, as well as the Priority Pass Select membership. However, one big pitfall for international travelers is going to be the lack of American Express acceptance in many locations abroad.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers 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 TravelSM. You'll earn • 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. • 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 Travel. This card does carry a $550 annual fee and there are no foreign transaction fees. However, you're able to earn a $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year & up to $120 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre?®. Member FDIC Click here to learn how to apply

The Platinum Card® from American Express offers 125,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. You'll earn: • 5X Membership Rewards Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. • 5X Membership Rewards Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. • $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts(R) or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel using your Platinum Card(R). The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay. • $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required. • With American Express Global Lounge Collection you can enjoy access to over 1,400 airport lounges globally, including The Centurion Lounge, Unlimited Delta Sky Club® Access when flying an eligible Delta flight, Escape Lounges, Lufthansa Lounges when flying Lufthansa Group, Plaza Premium, Priority Pass Select Lounges, & Additional Global Lounge Collection Partner Lounges subject to visit limitations. Lounges may have their own rules, like additional access rules and guest fees, and for Priority Pass Select, you need to enroll and there are unlimited airport lounge visits for Card Members. With Delta Sky Club Access, Card Members will receive 10 Visits to the Delta Sky Club to be used from February 1 until January 31 of the next calendar year and can unlock Unlimited Delta Sky Club Access by spending $75,000 in eligible purchases on their Card in a calendar year. To find a lounge, visit the membership section in the American Express App or visit http://www.americanexpress.com/findalounge#/loungefinder. • $155 Walmart+ Credit: Save on eligible delivery fees, shipping, and more with a Walmart+ membership. Use your Platinum Card to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership and get up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes back on one membership (excluding Plus Ups) each month. • $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card. • $200 Uber Cash: Platinum Card Members can ride or dine in style with $15 in Uber Cash each month, plus a bonus $20 in December after adding their Card to their Uber account. Use your Uber Cash on rides and orders in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction. • $199 CLEAR® Plus Credit: CLEAR Plus helps to get you to your gate faster at 50+ airports nationwide and get up to $199 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Card. CLEARLanes are available at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues. • Receive either a $120 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost. • Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required. This card comes with a $695 annual fee.¤ (See Rates & Fees), but you cardholders can enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member and Additional Centurion Cards only. Terms Apply. Terms Apply. Click here to learn how to apply

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