5 Best Citibank Credit Cards of 2022 (All are Free)

Citibank offers a wide range of credit cards. Its cards offer some of the best 0% APR, cash back and travel deals available today. In this article I’ll cover what I think are the best no annual fee Citibank credit cards for those looking for the rewards and low rates.

I’ve carried Citi credit cards for years. Back in the day I took advantage of Citi’s 0% balance transfer cards to get out of debt. Today the Citi Double Cash is in my wallet because it pays 2% cash back–1% on purchases + 1% when you pay for those purchases.

Factoid: Did you know that Citibank was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York? Now you do.

In this article we’ll look at what I think are the best Citibank credit cards available today, starting with the card I carry.

Best Citibank Cash Back Credit Cards

Citibank credit cards offers excellent cash back rewards. Here are two of my favorites.

Citi® Double Cash Card

The Citi® Double Cash Card is one of the best all-around cash back credit cards. It pays 2% cash back on all eligible purchases. You get 1% at the time of purchases and another 1% cash back when you pay charge on the card. If you pay your balance in full each month, you’ll get the full 2% right away.

Beyond the cash back, the card also offers a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months. The card doesn’t come with a signup bonus, but there is no annual fee and you get free access to your credit score.

• Rewards: Earn 1% on purchases & 1% on payments
• Signup Bonus: None.
• 0% Intro APR: 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months. After that, the variable APR will be 16.24% - 26.24%, based on your creditworthiness.
• Balance Transfer Fee: 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).
• Annual Fee: $0

Approval Odds

Based on data we’ve collected from public forums, here are a sample of credit scores that were either approved or denied for this card:

App Status	Date	Credit Score	Bureau	Credit Limit
Approved	08/15/2020	749	Equifax	$7,000
Approved	05/12/2021	690	Equifax	$6,100
Approved	04/26/2020	752	Equifax	$13,800
Denied	09/06/2020	777	Equifax	---
Denied	06/13/2021	630	Equifax	---

Citi Custom Cash Card

The Citi Custom Cash Card is a relatively new card from Citibank. It’s similar to the 5% rotating category cash back cards, but better. It pays 5% cash back on up to $500 in spending per month in one of several eligible categories. Rather than have to pick the category, Citi applies the 5% to whichever eligible category you spent the most.

The result is a 5% cash back card without the headaches and limitations of existing rotating category cards. Keep in mind that the 5% is capped at $500 a month and all other purchases earn 1% cash back.

Beyond the cash back, the card also offers a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 15 months and on purchases for 15 months. The card also offers a $200 bonus after you spend $750 on purchases with the card in the first 3 months.

• Signup Bonus: $200
• Rewards Rate: 1% or 5%
• 0% Intro APR: 0% Intro APR on balance transfers for 15 months and on purchases for 15 months, then a variable APY of 16.24% - 26.24%, based on your creditworthiness.
• Balance Transfer Fee: $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
• Annual Fee: $0

Approval Odds

Based on data we’ve collected from public forums, here are a sample of credit scores that were either approved or denied for this card:

App Status	Date	Credit Score	Bureau	Credit Limit
Approved	06/10/2021	724	Experian	$7,800
Approved	06/10/2021	728	Equifax	$7,800
Approved	06/10/2021	792	Experian	$8,000
Approved	06/10/2021	813	TransUnion	$6,500
Approved	06/12/2021	809	Experian	$11,600
Approved	06/10/2021	809	Equifax	$6,500
Approved	06/10/2021	783	TransUnion	$3,400
Approved	06/14/2021	714	Experian	$3,500
Approved	06/13/2021	759	Experian	---
Denied	06/10/2021	810	Equifax	---

Citi Double Cash + Citi Custom Cash

For those wanting to maximize cash back, a combination of Citi Double Cash and Citi Custom Cash is a good strategy. For example, if we assume a $4,000 monthly spend, the Citi Double Cash alone would generate $80 a month in cash back assuming the card were paid in full ($4,000 x 2% = $80).

If the Citi Custom Cash is used for $500 of spending in an eligible category, however, that spend alone would generate $25 (5% of $500). If the remaining $3,500 were charged to Citi Double Cash, that would generate $70. Combined both cards would produce $95 a month in cash back. That’s an 18.75% increase over using the Citi Double Cash card alone.

Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi

The Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi is ideal for Costco fans, but it offers a lot more. You get 4% cash back on eligible gas purchases up to $7,000 in spend per year. The card pays 3% cash back at restaurants and eligible travel, 2% on Costco purchases, and 1% on everything else.

That’s the good news. The not so good news is that the card pays out these rewards once a year (around February). You get a certificate that you can use at Costco or exchange for cash. I’ve carried the card for years primarily as our Costco ID. Because you have to wait a year for the rewards, we rarely use it outside of Costco (we don’t even use it at Costco most of the time!). But others might not mind waiting a year for the rewards.

Beyond the cash back, the card also offers a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for months. The card doesn’t come with a signup bonus, but there is no annual fee and you get free access to your credit score.

• Rewards: 1% to 4%
• Signup Bonus: None
• 0% Intro APR: None.
• Annual Fee: $0

Best Citibank Balance Transfer Credit Cards

Citibank offers some of the longest 0% intro APRs available on balance transfers. The one note of caution, however, is the balance transfer fee. While the days of no fee balance transfers are gone for now, Citibank charges as high as 5% on the transfer fee. The industry standard is 3%. Note that there are no fees for using the 0% intro APR for purchases.

The higher balance transfer fee may be worth the cost if the extra 0% period saves you more. It’s important, however, to do the math before making a decision. One alternative is the Citi Double Cash card listed above. While the duration of its 0% balance transfer is a bit shorter, its transfer fee is lower.

Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card

The Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card does one thing and does it really well. It offers a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 21 months. Less impressive is its 0% intro APR on purchases, which lasts just 12 months. So if you want 0% on purchases, Citi Custom Cash is a better option. But a 0% balance transfer card, Citi Diamond is hard to beat.

The card offers no meaningful rewards and no signup bonus. It is a no annual fee card, which again makes it ideal for its primary function–balance transfers.

• Signup Bonus: N/A
• Rewards Rate: N/A
• 0% Intro APR: 0% Intro APR for 21 months on balance transfers from date of first transfer and 12 months on purchases from date of account opening. After that the variable APR will be 15.99% - 25.99%, based on your creditworthiness. Balance transfers must be completed within 4 months of account opening.
• Balance Transfer Fee: $5 or 5% of the amount of the transfer, whichever is greater
• Annual Fee: $0

Approval Odds

Based on data we’ve collected from public forums, here are a sample of credit scores that were either approved or denied for this card:

App Status	Date	Credit Score	Bureau	Credit Limit
Approved	06/09/2018	764	Equifax	$2,800
Approved	01/09/2017	725	Equifax	$6,200
Approved	05/20/2018	710	Not Provided	$7,400
Approved	07/01/2020	799	Equifax	$9,800
Denied	04/04/2021	698	Equifax	---

Citi Simplicity® Card

The Citi Simplicity® Card is nearly identical to the Citi Diamond card. It offers a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 21 months and 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months. And just like Diamond, he card offers no meaningful rewards and no signup bonus. It is a no annual fee card, which again makes it ideal for its primary function–balance transfers.

So what’s the difference? Unlike Citi Diamond, this card charges no late fees or penalty rates. That’s the good news. In exchange, it does charge a slightly higher regular APR.

• Signup Bonus: N/A
• Rewards Rate: N/A
• 0% Intro APR: 0% Intro APR for 21 months on balance transfers from date of first transfer and 0% Intro APR for 12 months on purchases from date of account opening. After that the variable APR will be 16.99% - 26.99%, based on your creditworthiness. Balance transfers must be completed within 4 months of account opening.
• Balance Transfer Fee: $5.00 or 5% of the amount of the transfer, whichever is greater
• Annual Fee: $0

FAQs

Final Thoughts

I’ve banked at Citi for more than 30 years. I’ve carried at least one Citibank credit card for about as long. Overall they offer competitive cards depending on your specific goals. They compete best in the cash back and 0% intro APR markets.