Best Citi Credit Cards of April 2024

Citi, an advertising partner with The Ascent, offers a wide selection of quality credit cards. Whether you're looking for cash back, flexible travel points, or a way to avoid interest and other credit card fees, there's a Citi card that fits the bill.

Best Citi credit cards at a glance

• Best for flate-rate cash back: Citi Double Cash® Card
• Best for 0% intro balance transfers: Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card
• Best for customizing your cash back categories: Citi Custom Cash® Card
• Best for rewards: Citi Rewards+® Card
• Best for Costco members: Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi
• Best for American Airline travelers: Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®

The Citi credit card that's best for you depends on whether you want travel rewards, cash back, a 0% intro APR, or a card to build your credit.

To pick a Citi card, start by pinpointing your No. 1 need in a credit card. This helps you figure out which type of Citi credit card to get, which will narrow down your options.

Here are a few common situations and the right type of card for each one:

• You want to earn easy-to-understand rewards on your spending: Citi cash back cards are the best choice. Cardholders can redeem points through the Citi ThankYou Rewards program.
• You travel multiple times per year: A Citi travel card that is tied to a specific travel company, such as American Airlines, or a more all-purpose travel card, such as the Citi Premier® Card will be a great fit.
• You have big purchases that you can't pay in full right away: Go with a Citi card that offers a 0% intro APR on purchases. This will give you time to pay off those purchases through monthly payments without interest charges.
• You're dealing with credit card debt: Check out Citi's balance transfer cards. They offer 0% intro APRs on balance transfers, allowing you to transfer debt and avoid interest charges. Keep in mind that these typically charge a small balance transfer fee.
• You're working on your credit score: The Citi® Secured Mastercard® has the most flexible approval requirements. Applicants with lower credit scores can qualify for this card and use it to improve their credit.

If you still need help deciding, use our compare credit cards tool for a side by side analysis of all the important features.

Citi has credit cards available for every credit score, so there's no set score needed for a Citi card.

If your credit score is below 600, the Citi® Secured Mastercard® is the card issuer's most accessible option. Since it's a secured card, it requires a security deposit.

Other cards have different requirements. Some of the best Citi credit cards, in particular its rewards credit cards, are aimed at consumers with a credit score of 700 or higher.

Learn more about Citi's credit scores specific to its cards:

Citi offers a diverse selection of credit cards. Below, we'll cover the main types of Citi credit cards.

0% intro APR cards

Citi's 0% intro APR cards don't charge you any interest for an intro period. There are two types of intro 0% APR offers: purchases and balance transfers. An intro 0% APR on purchases means that purchases you make are interest free during the intro period. A 0% intro APR on balance transfers means you don't pay interest on balances you transfer over, such as those from other credit cards, for the intro period.

This is one of Citi's strong suits, as several of its cards boast lengthy 0% intro APR offers. If you're interested in this type of credit card, make sure you get one with the type of offer you need. Or, you can get a card with a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers.

Another financing option Citi offers through its credit cards is Citi Flex Plan. If your card has this type of offer available, you can use it to get a Citi Flex Plan loan with a fixed interest rate.

Cash back cards

A Citi cash back card rewards you with a set percentage back on your everyday purchases. Some cash back credit cards offer the same rate on purchases, with the Citi Double Cash® Card being one notable example. Others, such as the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi and Citi's business credit card with Costco, offer higher rates in bonus categories. You can typically redeem cash back as a statement credit or a deposit to a bank account.

Low-fee cards

Low-fee cards by Citi keep the cost of owning a credit card to a minimum. No annual fee credit cards fit into the low-fee category since they allow you to avoid fees entirely. Some cards go a step further. For example, there's the Citi Simplicity® Card. Besides not charging late fees, it also has no annual fee.

Keep reading about Citi credit cards

Our credit card methodology

At The Motley Fool Ascent, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.

Our highest-rated credit cards have:

• A rewards rate above 2% (or 2x points or miles) with average spending, or competitive 0% intro APR balance transfer and purchase offers
• Attainable welcome bonuses that make up for any annual fees
• Low annual fees or a balance transfer fee of 3%
• Top perks such as purchase and travel protections, no foreign transaction fees, travel credits, and status upgrades

We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how The Ascent rates credit cards.