Monday Roundup: We Review 9 Citibank Citicards
At Creditsense.com we know that there are more credit cards out there than you can shake a stick at. I mean, what is the difference between a preferred card, a platinum card, and a premium card? Who are these cards? (Jerry Seinfeld reference). That’s why we periodically round up the masses and simplify them down to a list. Here are nine of the Citibank Citicards we like:
1. Citi Dividend World Mastercard
Like a lot of cards this one comes in a couple of variations. One has $200 cash back and one has $100 cash back. Before you jump on the $200 let’s compare them completely.
Citi Dividend World MasterCard $200 Cash Back |
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Citi Dividend World MasterCard $100 Cash Back |
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You are basically trading the additional $100 cash bonus for the 0% introductory APR on balance transfers and possibly a lower APR on purchases. Therefore, it is really up to you as to what is more important to you--$100 cash or a lower APR. You make the call.
2. Citi Platinum Select Visa Card
This card was in the running for our Best Credit Cards of 2011 awards in the “Best Balance Transfer Cards” category. We love that it has an introductory APR or 0% for 21 months—one of the longest introductory periods in the whole industry. It is really a great card if balance transfer is your main objective.
Citi Platinum Select Visa |
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3. Citi Forward Card
This is an interesting card because they are really pushing the paperless features of the Forward Card. In order to get the 10,000 Bonus Points you need not only spend $650 in 3 months, but you must sign up for paperless billing. This is actually a great card for those looking to build their credit and earn some points.
Citi Forward Card |
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If you aren’t spending $200 per month you won’t get the 10,000 points but if you do it’s a great card because of the “pay on time” incentives. If you just stay under your credit limit, and pay all of your payment s on time the Citi Forward give you some great perks—1,200 bonus points and an APR reduction of up 2%.
Citi Forward Card for College Students
This version of the Citi Forward has all of the same features with a couple of variations.
Citi Forward Card for College Students |
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Basically this is a great option for students if you don’t spend at least $220 per month on your card. It still gives you a chance to get at least 1,000 bonus points immediately.
4. Citi Diamond Preferred Card
This card’s main benefit is the extremely long period of 0% APR. It also provides some VIP concierge services that other high end cards provide. That alone is a pretty good reason to check out this card. More importantly, the Diamond Preferred card is a perfect example of how credit card companies increasingly focus their card offers on a very narrowly defined group.
Citi Diamond Preferred Card |
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The perfect customer for this card could be described as someone who has decent credit, a balance to transfer, and doesn’t care about points or rewards as much as concierge service. If that is you, sign up below.
5. Citi Dividend Platinum Select for College Students
One thing you need to know is that all credit cards are a lot like cars. Car advertisements always try to make gigantic lists of the special features like, “Halogen Headlights” and “Automatic Transmission”. What car doesn’t come with these features? Often the lists of special perks on a credit card like “freed spending tips” are kind of like halogen headlights on a car—what card doesn’t come with that?
Citi Dividend Platinum Select for College Students |
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The Citi Dividend Platinum Card does come with 7 months of 0% APR, and some interesting, albeit confusing, cash back options. To summarize, the Citi Dividend Card will pay you 5% cash back on a broad range of purchases for 6 months. The categories included categories encompass probably 90% of most people’s spending-- hence the name “Dividend Card”. After 6 months, your special dividend rate drops to 2% and the categories rotate. You do have to check in to the site to keep track of which categories are paying 2%. All other purchases pay standard 1% cash back.
6. Citi Hilton Honors Visa Signature Card
There have been volumes written about the Hilton Honors rewards program. This is a great card for those who travel and stay at Hilton regularly. The points may be used at over 3,700 Hilton Hotels worldwide or transferred to a myriad of other points programs at attractive rates. There are a few restrictions on each of the bonuses listed below, but if you are interested check Hilton Honors Credit Card details.
Citi Hilton Honors Visa Signature Card |
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Note that there is no pre-set spending limit with this card. It will be determined based on the creditworthiness of the customer.
7. Citi Simplicity Card
Citi Simplicity Card |
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The Simplicity card is as straightforward of a card as there is. It offers a great balance transfer and introductory rate of 0% for 21 months. This is fantastic card if you want a simple card with none of the frills of rewards or cash back.
8. Citi ThankYou Preferred Card
Citi ThankYou Preferred Card -- $100 Gift Card
The main thing to understand about this offer is that you receive 10,000 points for signing up and spending $500 in 3 months. It is being advertised as a $100 gift certificate bonus. I reality you can spend the 10,000 points on anything ThankYou Points can purchase.
Citi ThankYou Preferred Card |
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*You will receive the 10,000 ThankYou Points after $500 in purchases within 3 months of account being opened. **5 ThankYou Points for every $1 you spend on purchases at gas stations, supermarkets and drugstores for 12 months and 1 point for every $1 you spend thereafter. |
Citi ThankYou Preferred Card -- $250 Gift Card
For the bigger spender this card simply gives you more points for more money spent. Specifically, Citi will give you 25,000 ThankYou Points if you spend $2,000 in the first 3 months. In case you need to do the math—that’s 2.5 times the points for spending 4 times the money. But the 250 card also adds a couple of other benefits to make up for the cost.
Citi ThankYou Preferred Card - $250 Gift Card |
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9. Citi ThankYou Premier Card
This is the King of the Thank You cards. The Citi ThankYou Premier Card throws everything and the kitchen in with this offer. The lesson to be learned from this card is that if you are the type of person that spends $500 per month on your credit card you are worth a lot as a customer to a bank. Citi, and all other banks for that matter are willing to take out all of the stops to get you as a customer. If this is you, take advantage of your elite status and get a Citi ThankYou Premier Card.
Citi ThankYou Premier Card |
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*Earn 30,000 bonus ThankYou Points after $1,500 in purchases within 3 months of account opening. **Earn 1.2 ThankYou Points per $1 spent –that’s 20% more points – when you use your card at gas station, supermarkets, drugstores, commuter transportation and parking merchants. |
Conclusion
If you got through all of that you can probably get an honorary degree in Citibank Citicards. For sure there are more offers out there than just these nine, but this encompasses all of the terms you will likely see. We keep our finger on the pulse of these offers so if there is anything spectacular we are likely to find it and let you know. For now, these are the offers that hit most consumers’ needs. If you know of anything we missed please let us know.