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You are here: Home / Credit Cards / 6 Best Citibank Credit Cards of 2023 (All are Free)

6 Best Citibank Credit Cards of 2023 (All are Free)

December 30, 2022 by Rob Berger

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 my favorites.

Citi® Double Cash Card - 18 month BT offer

The Citi® Double Cash Card - 18 month BT offer 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 does come with a signup bonus, there is no annual fee, and you get free access to your credit score.

  • Rewards: Earn 1% on purchases & 1% on payments
  • Signup Bonus: For a limited time, earn $0 cash back after spending $0 on purchases in the first 0 months of account opening.
  • 0% Intro APR: 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months. After that, the variable APR will be 18.49% - 28.49%, 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 StatusDateCredit ScoreBureauCredit Limit
Approved08/15/2020
749
Equifax
$7,000
Approved05/12/2021
690
Equifax
$6,100
Approved07/25/2022
690
Not Provided
$2,400
Approved08/26/2022
772
Equifax
$5,000
Approved04/26/2020
752
Equifax
$13,800
Denied09/02/2014
710
Experian
---
Denied06/16/2017
752
Experian
---
Denied09/06/2020
777
Equifax
---
Denied06/13/2021
630
Equifax
---
Denied04/06/2016
607
Equifax
---
Denied09/17/2015
737
Experian
---

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 $1,500 on purchases with the card in the first 6 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 18.49% - 28.49%, 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 StatusDateCredit ScoreBureauCredit Limit
Approved06/10/2021
724
Experian
$7,800
Approved06/10/2021
728
Equifax
$7,800
Approved12/30/2022
792
Experian
$11,600
Approved02/06/2023
748
Experian
$3,800
Approved06/10/2021
792
Experian
$8,000
Approved06/10/2021
813
TransUnion
$6,500
Approved08/05/2022
770
Equifax
$6,800
Approved11/27/2022
720
Not Provided
$8,000
Approved06/12/2021
809
Experian
$11,600
Approved06/10/2021
809
Equifax
$6,500
Approved06/10/2021
783
TransUnion
$3,400
Approved06/27/2022
837
Experian
$3,500
Approved01/17/2023
TransUnion
$5,300
Approved06/14/2021
714
Experian
$3,500
Approved06/13/2021
759
Experian
---
Approved07/16/2022
739
Equifax
$6,900
Denied08/24/2022
723
Equifax
---
Denied06/10/2021
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 17.49% - 28.24%, 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 StatusDateCredit ScoreBureauCredit Limit
Approved06/09/2018
764
Equifax
$2,800
Approved10/15/2022
721
Not Provided
$7,600
Approved01/09/2017
725
Equifax
$6,200
Approved11/18/2022
787
Not Provided
$9,000
Approved05/20/2018
710
Not Provided
$7,400
Approved01/11/2023
720
Equifax
$8,900
Approved02/15/2023
734
Experian
$1,000
Approved07/01/2020
799
Equifax
$9,800
Denied04/04/2021
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 18.49% - 29.24%, based on your creditworthiness. Balance transfers must be completed within 4 months of account opening.
  • Balance Transfer Fee: Either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater for the first four months of account opening, after that balance transfer fee of $5 or 5% after first four.
  • Annual Fee: $0

FAQs

Is Citi the same as Citibank?

Yes. In 2009 Citicorp, Inc. reorganized into two groups, Citicorp and Citi Holdings.

Are Citi credit cards good cards?

Yes and no. They have some of the best cash back and 0% APR cards available on the market today. Its travel cards, however, are not as popular as those offered by the likes of American Express and Chase.

What credit score do you need to get a Citibank credit card?

You need good to excellent credit for most of Citi's credit cards. Generally speaking, you want to aim for a FICO score of 700 or higher, although we have seen some approvals with scores in the upper 600s.

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.

About Rob Berger

Rob Berger is the founder of allCards.com. He's written about personal finance and investing since 2007 and is the author of the highly acclaimed book, Retire Before Mom and Dad. He is a former litigation attorney in the securities field and the Founding Editor of Forbes Advisor.

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About Allcards.com

Rob Berger founded allcards.com in 2008 to help consumers make data-driven decisions about credit cards and banking. A retired trial attorney, he’s written about credit cards, banking and personal finance since 2007, and is the author of Retire Before Mom and Dad.

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