Several weeks ago I wrote about a very enthusiastic email I received from Citi. The email’s subject line exclaimed Citi had some “Great News” regarding my underutilized Citi ThankYou Premier card. Now, it turns out that news wasn’t all that great. Instead, Citi was simply emailing to let me know that I would soon receive my new contactless Citi Thank You Premier card.
Well, after a few weeks of waiting (and a card shipping to an old mailing address) my new contactless Citi Premier card has arrived. With the arrival of this two cards I noticed two significant changes to the Citi Thank You Premier card. First, the name of the card, which changed on Citi’s website, is now changed. Second, the Citi Premier card, like many others, is now contactless. Additionally, receiving this card has forced me to reevaluate the card’s benefits to decide if it’s worth keeping open for another year.
The New Contactless Citi Premier Card
As with most credit cards, my new Citi Premier card arrived next day in a FedEx envelope. Unlike other cards, when I opened the envelope I did not find another sealed letter envelope. Instead I simply found the card affixed to an activation instructions page. I promptly pealed the card off the page as activating new cards doesn’t take much instruction these days.
If you don’t read the activation instructions page, don’t worry, there is a small sticker which tells you have to activate your new card. Activating the card is easiest by simply logging into the Citi mobile app. When I logged in my card was instantly activated and Citi deactivated my old card.
On the rear of the card you’ll find your card number, expiration date, CVV code, and the contactless logo. Other card issuers have been putting the contactless logo on the front of the card. For the Citi Premier card, Citi opted to put the logo on the back of the card.
As you can tell, the card design hasn’t changed all that much from the old card design. The notable change to the font of the card is that Citi has dropped the “ThankYou” moniker from the card. You can’t tell from the below photos, but that center circle looks depressed into the card. It’s a unique 3D effect that you have to look at closely to appreciate.
Similar to the front of the card, the rear of the card hasn’t changed much at all. The only notable change to the card is the introduction of the contactless card logo toward the top left corner of the card.
Other than those small changes, the card is identical to the old one. This is a good thing considering that the “old” card was still quite good.
Citi Premier Card Benefits
With the updated card name and design, Citi hasn’t made any significant changes to the card’s benefits. This means that the basic benefits of the card remain as follows:
- 60,000 ThankYou Point Sign-Up Bonus (after spending $4,000 in first 90 days)
- 3X ThankYou Points on “Travel” purchases, including Gas
- 2X ThankYou Points on Restaurant and Entertainment purchases
- 1X ThankYou Points on all other purchases
- $95 annual fee (not waived for 1st year)
As you can see above, the Citi Premier card is actually quite rewarding for a $95 annual fee credit card. Notably, the card offers 3X points on “travel” which includes airfare, hotel stays, public transportation, taxis, car services, and gasoline purchases, among others. I personally use this card mostly for all of my gas and public transportation purchases. There are other cards available today that offer more generous rewards on Dining purchases and many more than offer more than 1X points on everyday purchases.
As I mentioned, I primarily use this card for all of my Gas and Public Transportation purchases. It’s because of these purchases that I’m excited about the new Contactless Card. More and more gas pups accept contactless payment which is much faster and easier than inserting a card into the pump. Also, public transportation options in Chicago and many other cities now accept contactless payment directly. So, I can now tap this card on the reader directly instead of using the card through Apple Pay. This is a nice option because I don’t love tapping my phone on card readers in busy subway stations.
Final Thoughts
While I realize that receiving a new credit card isn’t the most exciting thing in the world, I also appreciate that Citi now offers a contactless card. I love seeing U.S. card issuers moving away from the silly chip reader cards pushed out a few years ago. I’m not sure why it’s taken so long for us to adopt contactless cards and I’m happy that we finally are. I also love contactless cards because they work so well oversees. In Europe, most merchants accept and expect contactless payment. It’s always a whole thing to have to Chip/Sign when paying abroad. Contactless on the other hand is a quick tap which doesn’t require a signature.
I’m also happy Citi send me a new card because it’s forced me to once again take a hard look at my wallet and my current lineup of credit cards. By doing so I’m reminded of just how rewarding the Citi Premier card can be. However, I’m also reminded that it’s time in my wallet is most likely limited. I say this not because the card isn’t good, but rather because I already carry other cards that are just as rewarding and because my spending habits have changed significantly. For example, I now rarely have to pay for gas!
I’ll save those thoughts for another post. For the time being, I’ll enjoy tapping my new Citi Permier card on the Ventra card reader each morning on my way to work.
