Citibank Review 2024

Citibank has a long history of providing financial services to urban dwellers. Founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York, Citibank is the consumer banking division of Citigroup — the third-largest financial institution in the U.S.

With over 600 domestic branches and over 2,300 worldwide, Citibank is one of the “Big Four” American banks. In the US, most Citibank locations are concentrated in the six major metropolitan areas: New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Miami, and San Francisco.

Citibank also utilizes the MoneyPass ATM network, which provides 65,000+ fee-free ATMs worldwide for Citibank customers in the U.S.

Read this Citibank review to learn the products and features that Citibank has to offer.

Citibank Checking Accounts

Citi offers two checking account options. Both have monthly maintenance but provide ways to avoid them. All Citi accounts have no minimum opening deposit requirements, so new customers can open one without having to throw in a large chunk of cash.

Each account is eligible for a Relationship Tier, meaning you get more benefits with more money you have saved in your checking or savings account. The tiers start at $30,000 and go up to $1 million.

Everyone starts in the ‘Everyday Benefits’ tier, but if you want to waive monthly fees or have special benefits, you must work your way up to the higher tiers.

1. Citi Access Account

The Access Account Package is a bare-bones checking account for people who don’t need physical checks and want to avoid overdraft fees.

The account gives you access to Citi’s full range of digital products and services. Paper checks don’t exist here, so all transactions must be made digitally.

The upside is that the account doesn’t allow you to overdraft, so your debit card will simply decline the purchase if you don’t have enough funds to cover it.

The Access Account has a $5 monthly service fee, which you can avoid by linking a $250 monthly direct deposit or reaching a Relationship Tier.

2. Citi Regular Checking

Regular Checking is Citi’s standard checking account that should serve most people’s basic checking needs. You’ll get a debit card, unlimited check writing, and access to mobile banking.

Regular Checking gives you access to free ATMs within Citi’s network. The monthly maintenance fee for Basic Banking is $15. To avoid this fee, you must link a direct deposit of at least $250 monthly or reach a Relationship Tier.

Earn a $5000 Bonus

for opening a Citi® Personal Wealth Management account
Available nationwide

Learn how

Relationship Tiers

Citi recently launched what it calls “Relationship Tiers”. These are meant to unlock new features and benefits as your account balance grows with Citi®.

Here are the 3 Citi® relationship tiers:

Citi Priority

Citi Priority Relationship Tier gives customers more access to professional financial guidance. With this account, you can chat with Citi Priority Advisors at your local branch or over the phone. You’ll also have access to other investment resources and financial planning tools.

Other benefits include:

• No fees for using non-Citi ATMs
• Higher Zelle limits
• Higher daily ATM withdrawal limits
• No overdraft fees

This account is ideal for those with an average monthly balance of $30,000 – $199,999.99.

Citigold®

Citigold® takes things a step further and sets you up with your own dedicated financial team and investment guidance. There’s no monthly fee, but to keep your account, you need to maintain a minimum balance of at least $200,000 between your linked checking, savings, and investment accounts.

In addition to what’s included in Citi Priority, you get:

• Unlimited reimbursement of non-Citi ATM fees
• Waived fees on wires
• Up to $200 back annually on subscriptions like Amazon Prime and Costco®

Citigold® Private Client

Citigold® Private Client is the bank’s highest relationship tier. It includes professional investment guidance, financial planning, waived transfer fees, $0 ATMs worldwide, and increased limits on all services.

You also get:

• Citigold concierge services
• $400 annual subscription rebates
• No foreign exchange fees

Private Client has an average monthly balance requirement of $1,000,000 across all accounts and has no monthly fee.

Learn More:

• Best Checking Accounts
• Best Free Checking Accounts
• Best Rewards Checking Accounts

Citibank Savings Accounts

Citibank offers a high-yield option for savings with the Citi® Accelerate Savings account.

Accelerate is an attractive high-yield savings account (HYSA) option if it’s available in your state.

The standard APY for Citi® Accelerate Savings currently sits at 4.45%, and you just need a balance of $0 to earn it but to keep it, you must maintain a balance of $30,000 within three months of opening the account. This makes it one of the highest interest rates you can expect to see at any bank. This rate is especially high for a big bank.

As with Citi® Savings, the fees for Accelerate varies.

If you have a standard checking account and aren’t in a Relationship Tier, you must keep a $500 minimum balance to avoid the $4.50 monthly maintenance fee.

Learn More:

• Citi® Accelerate Savings Account review
• Best Online Savings Accounts
• Savings Accounts vs. Checking Accounts

Citibank CD (Certificates of Deposit)

Citibank offers three different types of FDIC-insured certificate of deposit accounts (CDs):

1. Citibank Fixed Rate CD

Citibank Fixed Rate CD comes with a locked-in CD rate depending on your selected CD term. Most terms will return a low APY (compared to many online banks and credit unions); however, they’re not too bad for a large national bank.

There are currently some solid “promo” deals that are competitive with many institutions.

2. Citibank Step-Up CD

Citibank Step-Up CD is a longer-term CD option with a rising APY every ten months. If you commit to a 30-month term, your rate will rise from 0.05% to 0.15% toward the end of the term.

3. Citibank No Penalty CD

Citibank No Penalty CD offers more flexibility but a lower APY than the bank’s other options. Once you open an account, you can withdraw your funds without a penalty after seven days.

Considering that there are high-yield savings accounts (HYSAs) that yield around the same APY, so make sure to consider all of your options before diving in.

Citibank Credit Cards

Citibank is one of the biggest credit card issuers in the world. Cashback rewards, travel rewards, and business cards are just a few of the perks Citi credit cards offer.

Citi cards are generally a little easier to obtain than some other banks. You only need a fair credit score (600-649) to qualify.

As you might expect, a fair credit score won’t get you access to Citi’s higher-tier cards, but you can get your hands on some solid credit card products.

If you pay your bills on time and avoid taking on too much debt, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to improve your credit score and bump up to the next tier of cards.

Citi currently has 14 different credit cards available. Our Citibank review includes a short list of Citi’s most popular cards:

1. Citi Rewards Cards

Citi’s rewards credit cards are based on the bank’s Thank You points system.

Once you build up enough Thank You points, you can cash them in to book travel, buy gift cards, or apply them as a credit toward your statement balance.

Here are two of Citi’s top rewards cards:

• Citi Rewards+: Citi Rewards+ is a rewards card issued by Mastercard with no annual fee. You’ll earn points on every purchase, and Citi currently offers 20,000 bonus points if you spend $1,500 or more in your first three months. This is also a good option if you want to move some debt around, with 0% APR on balance transfers for 15 months.
• Citi Premier: Citi Premier is a higher-tier rewards card that earns triple points on transactions at restaurants, supermarkets, air travel, hotels, and gas stations. The signup bonus is also more tempting, with 60,000 points up for grabs if you spend $4,000 in the first three months. In exchange for those perks, there’s a $95 annual fee.

2. Citi Travel Cards

Citi works with American Airlines in its travel credit card portfolio.

Five different cards can help you earn AAdvantage frequent flier miles. Here are two that stand out:

• Citi AAdvantage MileUp: Citi AAdvantage MileUp is an entry-level travel card earning 2 AAdvantage miles for each $1 spent on American Airlines purchases and grocery stores. You can also earn 1 mile for each dollar spent on all other purchases. There is no annual fee, and the card currently offers a sign-up bonus of 10,000 AAdvantage miles and a $50 statement credit if you spend $500 during the introductory period.
• Citi Executive World Elite: Citi Executive World Elite is Citibank’s premium travel credit card with many perks, including Admirals Club membership, $100 credit for TSA Precheck® or Global Entry, and no foreign transaction fees. If you travel a lot, these benefits will pay for themselves. On the other hand, if you don’t travel often, the $595 annual fee probably doesn’t make sense.

3. Citi Cash Back Cards

Cardholders who just want cash back have a couple of options as well.

• Citi® Double Cash: Citi Double® Cash is a cash-back card that pays 1% cash back on all purchases, twice — once when you buy something and again when you pay your balance on those purchases. (Double Cash, get it?).
• Citi Custom Cash℠: Citi Custom Cash℠ is a cash-back card that pays 5% cash back on your top eligible spend category up to $500 spent each billing cycle. Purchases that fall outside that category will earn 1%.
• Costco Anywhere Visa: Costco Anywhere Visa pays up to 4% cash back on gas and EV charging up to $7,000 annually. It also pays 3% on restaurants and travel, 2% on all Costco purchases, and 1% on everything else. If you’re an avid Costco shopper, this is a pretty nice feature.

Fees

Here is a breakdown of the various fees you can expect from Citibank.

In most cases, you can avoid monthly fees by linking a direct deposit, making a monthly bill payment, maintaining a certain balance, or some combination of the three.

Monthly Maintenance Fees

Unless you plan to open a premium checking account — and have a large balance stashed in it — you can expect to pay a monthly service fee.

To learn how to avoid the monthly fees associated with each account, check out the Products and Features section above, which covers each account in more detail.

Overdraft Fees

Citi eliminated all overdraft charges in February 2022 to make their banking services more inclusive.

You can also enroll in overdraft protection, which transfers funds from a linked savings account, money market account, or a line of credit.

ATM Fees

Citibank charges a $2.50 fee for using non-Citi ATMs, on top of whatever the ATM itself charges.

Higher-level accounts offer ATM fee waivers and reimbursements, but there’s no way to get around non-Citi ATM fees with basic packages.

Citibank does have a massive network of ATMs, so hopefully, you won’t run into this fee too often.

Getting Started

When you’re ready to open a Citi account or credit card, it’s easy to do so online, in person, or over the phone.

Citi offers different accounts, products, and rates in different markets, so it might be easiest to speak with someone if you’re a new customer.

This will help you fully understand exactly which options are available to you without spending too much time doing your own research.

Once you’re signed up, you’ll have access to the Citi mobile app, which lets you handle most banking transactions on the go.

Promotions

Citibank is at the top of its game regarding providing new customer incentives.

As with many of Citi’s account perks, sign-up bonuses tend to be tiered. The higher level of account you open, and the more money you deposit, the larger bonus you’ll get.

Citi often does not have any minimum opening deposit requirements. However, to qualify for a signup bonus, most of the time, you have to hit a certain deposit amount shortly after opening the account and then maintain that account balance for a couple of months.

Here are some of the best Citi® promotions going on right now:

1. Business Checking Account - up to $2000 bonus

Expires: January 7, 2025

CitiBusiness if offering up to $2,000 when you open a new business checking account in-branch and make a minimum deposit within 30 days.

This is a tiered offer, where the more you deposit the more you earn (starting at a $300 bonus for $5,000, up to the full $2,000 for depositing a cumulative $200,000).

If you have the cash and live close to a physical branch, this is a solid welcome bonus. The lowest tier represents a 12% effective rate on your savings – not bad!

Branches currently located in the following metropolitan areas: Los Angeles (CA), Orange County (CA), Riverside (CA), San Diego (CA), San Francisco (CA), Miami (FL), Chicago (IL), Baltimore (MD), Las Vegas (NV), New York City (NY), and Washington, DC.

How to earn the bonus

The Business Checking Account sign up offer requires you to deposit and maintain a minimum balance in order to earn the $2000 bonus. Full requirements to receive this bonus are:

1. Open a new Citibank business checking account in-branch and ask to be enrolled in this offer.
2. Within 45 days, deposit $5,000 to earn $300, $20,000 to earn $750, $100,000 to earn $1,500, or $200,000 to earn $2,000.
3. Starting Day 46, Maintain that balance for 45 consecutive days.

read the full terms

Apply now to earn the $2000 bonus from Citi®

2. Relationship Tier - up to $1500 bonus

Expires: January 7, 2025

Citi® is offering up to a $1,500 cash bonus when you open a new Citi Priority Relationship Tier account with activities. Like most Citi promotions, this is a tiered offer based on the amount you're able to deposit and maintain in your new checking account.

Citi recently removed the upper tier to this bonus, making the max payout capping at their previous "middle tier". All told, the bonus amount ranges from $500 for depositing $30,000, up to the full $1,500 for depositing $200,000 or more.

Depending on when you deposit the cash (it needs to be there by the 20th day), the bonus represents an effective rate of roughly 4-11% on your savings. The $500 offer nets you the best effective rate, but every offer is significantly more than what you can find on most savings accounts. So if you have the cash, this is a great way to put it to work, risk-free.

It's important to note that this offer is available in most, but not all states.

Information about some or all of these products has been collected independently by the author. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy.

How to earn the bonus

The Relationship Tier sign up offer requires you to deposit and maintain a minimum balance in order to earn the $1500 bonus. Full requirements to receive this bonus are:

1. Open a new eligible checking account using the link below and enroll in the offer the same day.
2. Within 45 days, deposit $30,000 into your new account to earn $500 or $200,000+ to earn $1,500
3. Maintain that balance for an additional 45 days from the 46th day that the account was opened.
4. Bonus will be credited to your open, eligible account within 30 calendar days after completing the requirements.
5. New to Relationship Tier customers can choose their relationship tier.

read the full terms

Apply now to earn the $1500 bonus from Citi®

3. Citigold® Checking Account - up to $1500 bonus

Expires: January 7, 2025

Citi® is offering up to a $1,500 cash bonus when you open a new Citigold® Account. This time around they've added a lower tier to make it easier to participate, but have raised some of the middle tiers which could make higher bonus levels slightly harder to achieve. It's important to note that this offer is available in most, but not all states.

This is a tiered bonus based on the amount you're able to deposit and maintain in your new account. $10,000 in new funds will earn you $500; $200,000 will earn you $1,500.

Depending on when you deposit the cash (it needs to be there by the 20th day), the bonus represents an effective rate of roughly 5-11% on your savings. Each offer is significantly more than what you can find on most savings accounts. So if you have the cash, this is a great way to put it to work, risk-free.

Tip: They're running this same deal on other accounts, too, like the Citi Relationship Tier accounts.

How to earn the bonus

The Citigold® Checking Account sign up offer requires you to deposit and maintain a minimum balance in order to earn the $1500 bonus. Full requirements to receive this bonus are:

1. Open a new Citigold® Account using the link below.
2. Within 20 days, deposit $10,000 into your new account to earn $500, or $200,000+ to earn $1,500
3. Maintain that balance for 60 days or more after the 21st day that the account was opened.
4. Bonus will be credited to your open, eligible account within 30 calendar days after completing the requirements.

read the full terms

Apply now to earn the $1500 bonus from Citi®

4. Enhanced Direct Deposit - $325 bonus

Expires: January 7, 2025

Earlier last year, Citi offered an Enhanced Direct Deposit bonus to some existing cardholders when they opened a qualifying new checking account and completed required activities. Now they've opened it up to everyone as a new product launch.

How to earn the bonus

The Enhanced Direct Deposit sign up offer requires you to set up eligible direct deposits in order to earn the $325 bonus. Full requirements to receive this bonus are:

1. Open a new eligible Citi Checking account with Enhanced Direct Deposits.
2. Within 90 days, complete at least 2 Enhanced Deposits directly into your new checking account totaling $3,000 or more. (Deposit your way from recurring paychecks, retirement payments, pensions, and more)
3. Bonus will be deposited within 30 days after required activities have been completed

read the full terms

Apply now to earn the $325 bonus from Citi®

Learn More:

• See all current offers from Citi®

Security

Citibank is FDIC-insured, and, like all big national banks, they implement many security measures. For example, the bank offers a number of protections against identity theft and unauthorized transactions from your account.

You can also sign up for online fraud protection and receive account alerts for suspicious transactions right on the mobile app. Overall, you can feel comfortable that your data and funds are safe with Citibank.

Customer Support

Citibank offers the type of customer support that you can expect from a large national bank. Phone support is available seven days a week, and there’s a live chat feature on the website and mobile app.

You can also stop by a local branch to get help or schedule an appointment online to meet with a banker.

Customer Reviews

Citibank currently holds a 4.9 out of 5-star rating on the App Store and a 4.7 on the Google Play Store. Here is what some of its customers have to say.

5-star review:

Very smooth transactions with Citi. The card is meeting all my banking needs. Thank you Citi!

4-star review:

App is Great. Switched to a high yield savings account with Citi. Interest payments hitting account like they are supposed to. Very informative.

3-star review:

It's simple, I like that you are able to see a rumming list of your transactions. However it takes a long time for your payment to come out of your account. I'd like to see that happen, like instantly

Pros & Cons

Alternatives to Citibank

Some of the more popular alternatives to Citibank include:

• Chase Bank
• Bank of America
• Wells Fargo
• TD Bank
• Capital One Bank
• U.S. Bank
• PNC Bank

Frequently Asked Questions

Now, let’s cover some questions about Citibank that you might be asking:

Does Citibank have the best savings account?

Yes and no. Citi offers one of the best savings account interest rates that you can find from any large bank.

The current APY on Accelerate Savings is 4.45% APY, which puts it among the top high-yield savings accounts. Best of all, the minimum balance to earn the APY is a whopping $0. The only downside is that Accelerate Savings is only available in select markets.

Is Citibank better than Chase?

Citibank and Chase have quite a bit in common. They’re both Big Four banks, they are both based out of New York, and both offer comprehensive financial services throughout the country.

Deciding which of the two is best for you comes down to a few differences.

Chase has a much larger network of physical branches, while Citi has fewer branches and is mainly located in urban areas.

Chase also has a wider variety of credit card options and tends to have better rewards. That being said, when it comes to HYSAs, Chase doesn’t have an option that comes close to the higher rates you can earn from Accelerate Savings.

Is Citibank only available in major cities?

No. Citibank is available to customers nationwide. However, if having a physical branch near you is important, you might have a tougher time finding one outside of a major metro area.

Also, while the bank itself is open to anyone, anywhere, you might get different rates and account options based on your location.

If you’re interested to know what’s available in your area, go on the website and type in your zip code. From there, you’ll get an idea of what’s available in your specific market.

Is Citibank Right For You?

Citibank offers most of the things you can expect from a bigger bank. You’ll have many account options, convenient and secure online banking, and easy access to customer support. As with most big banks, you also must also watch out for fees, which we shared several times in this Citibank review.

The thing that sets Citi apart from the pack is the Accelerate Savings interest rate. While the other Big Four banks offer microscopic interest rates on even their highest-yielding accounts, Citi goes against the grain and has one of the best HYSA rates, period.

Citi also offers attractive signup bonuses and a competitive variety of credit card options that are relatively easy to qualify for. If you’re looking for convenience and the peace of mind that comes with big banks, combined with a competitive HYSA account, you can’t go wrong with Citibank — if it’s available in your area.

If you are the type of customer who doesn’t want to worry about carrying a minimum balance to avoid monthly fees, or if you live in a rural area, you might want to look more closely at a local credit union or no-fee online-only bank.

Here’s to finding the best place to grow your nest egg.

The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of the offers mentioned may have expired or changed.

Information about this product has been collected independently by the author. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy.