Chase vs. Citi Credit Cards – Which Is Best? (2024)

Chase and Citi are 2 of the largest banks in the U.S. Offering a variety of financial services and products, these 2 compete fiercely for market share in the realm of credit cards, too.

Citi generally offers a more petite portfolio of credit cards, while Chase offers a stronger variety.

That being said, Citi still boasts some of the best points out there. In this guide, we’ll be comparing Chase’s best credit cards with the best that Citi has to offer, by each major segment.

Without further ado,here’s how Citi and Chase credit cards stack up against each other!

Comparing Chase Ultimate Rewards and Citi ThankYou Rewards

Chase’s proprietary loyalty program is referred to as Ultimate Rewards, and most of us refer to these points as Ultimate Rewards points, Chase Ultimate Rewards points, or even Chase points.

Citi’s points system is called ThankYou Rewards — generally, these points are known as ThankYou Points, ThankYou Rewards Points, or Citi points.

Chase offers a series of credit cards that earn Ultimate Rewards points, although several of Chase’s cards don’t earn Ultimate Rewards points.

Similarly, Citi has a handful of credit cards that accumulate ThankYou Points; however, there are also a number of credit cards that don’t earn ThankYou Points and instead earn other rewards like American Airlines AAdvantage miles or cash-back.

Ultimate Rewards points can be used in many ways:

• Transfers to airline and hotel partners
• Chase Travel portal bookings
• Pay Yourself Back redemptions
• Gift cards
• Statement credits/cash-back
• Apple merchandise
• Amazon.com transactions
• Other online shopping expenditures

The best value will usually come from leveraging transfer partnerships.

Beyond that, both Chase Travel portal bookings and Pay Yourself Back redemptions can net you a value of up to 1.5 cents per point.

Gift cards will get you 1 to 1.2 cents per point, while statement credit/cash-back redemptions earn 1 cent per point of value. Lastly, with Amazon.com, Apple, or other online shopping redemptions, expect less than 1 cent per point of value, usually around 0.8 cents per point.

Meanwhile, Citi ThankYou Points can be used for:

• Transfers to airline and hotel partners
• Citi Travel Center bookings
• Gift cards
• Cash-back
• Shop with Points (online purchases)
• Amazon.com transactions

Citi ThankYou Points are also very easy to use; the best, as usual, will be to transfer those points to travel partners.

After that, you can get 1 cent per point on Citi Travel Center bookings, up to 1 cent per point on gift cards, 0.5 to 1.0 cents per point on cash-back, 0.83 cents per point through Shop with Points, and 0.8 cents per point on Amazon.com purchases.

Transfer Partnerships

Chase and Citi share a handful of the same transfer partnerships, which is actually great news. That means you can get some fantastic value from your points, whether it’s with Chase or Citi.

Currently, Chase and Citi share the following transfer partners in common: Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Emirates Skywards, JetBlue TrueBlue, and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.

Chase does offer a few incredibly useful transfer partners in comparison to Citi, including:

On the other hand, Citi has a different advantage over Chase with unique transfer partners including:

Although there are clear use cases for each of the transfer partners listed above, we give the edge to Chase.

Chase’s partnership with World of Hyatt cannot be taken for granted — this is the king of hotel transfer partnerships.

Chase also has a distinct partnership with a U.S. airline in United MileagePlus, while Citi does not.

That being said, Citi’s partnerships with Cathay Pacific Asia Miles and Avianca LifeMiles may prove advantageous for international travel.

Also, Citi has a 1:2 transfer partnership with Choice Privileges, which can be leveraged for Preferred Hotels stays. Lastly, Citi’s partnership with Wyndham Rewards can be extraordinarily useful when booking vacation rental stays exclusively through Vacasa (a Wyndham Rewards partner).

In the end, we value Chase Ultimate Rewards points at 2.0 cents apiece, while Citi ThankYou Points are worth 1.6 cents each.

Best Overall Travel Rewards Card

Looking for the absolute best “middle-of-the-road” credit card to travel rewards?

Chase and Citi both offer fantastic options in this space, so let’s take a look at our finalists!

Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is our top credit card in this segment — this fantastic product is jam-packed with some of the best credit card benefits in the business.

You’ll first start off with a huge welcome bonus, and you’ll earn up to 5x Ultimate Rewards points:

• 5x points on travel purchased through the Chase Travel portal
• 5x points on Lyft purchases through March 31, 2025
• 5x points on select Peloton purchases over $250 (through March 31, 2025)
• 3x points on dining, online grocery purchases, and select streaming services
• 2x points on other travel
• 1x points on other purchases

Every year, you’ll also get a 10% anniversary bonus for on your total card spend for the calendar year. So if you spend $20,000 on the card, you’ll get an additional 2,000 bonus points!

Additionally, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card has a $50 annual Ultimate Rewards hotel credit, a complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership, and a 25% redemption bonus on Chase Travel portal bookings and Pay Yourself Back redemptions in select rotating categories.

This credit card has some of the best travel insurance available, including primary car rental coverage, baggage insurance, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, and roadside dispatch.

Lastly, you’ll enjoy no foreign transaction fees, authorized users for no additional annual fee, purchase protection, zero liability protection, and extended warranty coverage.

Runner-up: Citi Premier^® Card

The Citi Premier card is one of our favorite credit cards out there; if you’re looking for a fantastic catch-all credit card and are looking to keep your credit card portfolio as simple as possible, this card could be your saving grace.

As an introductory offer, the Citi Premier card has a fantastic welcome bonus. It also earns 3x Citi ThankYou Points on a vast array of purchases:

• 3x points at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel, and hotels
• 1x points on other purchases

Having a single credit card earn bonus points on all of those categories is almost unheard of, except for the Citi Premier card.

Once per calendar year, you can also enjoy a $100 annual hotel savings benefit on a single hotel stay of $500 or more, excluding taxes and fees, when booked through thankyou.com.

This card gets you access to Citi Entertainment, no foreign transaction fees, authorized user cards for no additional annual fee, and contactless payment capabilities.

Bottom Line: The Chase Sapphire Preferred card wins out against the Citi Premier card, thanks to its rewards of 5x points, which is equal to a return on spending of 10%. In contrast, the Citi Premier card has a maximum return on spending of 4.8%, even though it has more bonus categories. The Chase Sapphire Preferred card also offers phenomenal travel insurance, while the Citi Premier card offers almost nothing in that space.

Best Overall Business Card

Happen to be a business owner? Chase has some incredible products for small business owners; unfortunately, Citi doesn’t compete well in this arena.

Let’s take a look at the best overall business credit cards available!

Winner: Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card

Our favorite business credit card between Chase and Citi is the Ink Business Preferred card, which offers fantastic rewards and benefits.

You’ll notice a 6-figure welcome bonus, which is easily worth $2,000 based on our valuations.

Even better, you can earn up to 3x Ultimate Rewards points on select business categories for a total of $150,000 in combined purchases every cardmember year:

Better yet, earn 5x points on Lyft purchases through March 31, 2025!

That’s equal to a return on spending of 6% when earning 3x points and 10% when earning 5x points!Other purchases will earn 1x points, which is a 2% return on spending.

You’ll even enjoy a 25% redemption bonus on travel bookings made through Chase Travel, as well as a 25% bonus on Pay Yourself Back redemptions, which cover select rotating categories.

The Ink Business Preferred card is one of the few credit cards that offer cell phone protection, which can deliver up to $1,500 in value to you every year!

Also, this card boasts superb travel insurance, including primary car rental insurance, purchase protection, extended warranty, zero liability protection, fraud protection, no foreign transaction fees, and employee cards for no additional annual fee.

Runner-up: Ink Business Unlimited^® Credit Card

Our runner-up winner is the Ink Business Unlimited card. It’s one of our all-time favorite business credit cards because of its top-shelf rewards and low fees.

The Ink Business Unlimited card earns an uncapped, unlimited 1.5% cash-back on all business purchases.

The secret, though, is that these cash-back rewards can actually be converted to Ultimate Rewards points if you happen to have a card such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred card or Ink Business Preferred card.

The rewards will be converted at a 1% to 1x ratio, which translates to an accrual structure of 1.5x points and a 3% return on spending!

This credit card is one of the few out there that includes primary car rental insurance without an annual fee — you’ll also get purchase protection, extended warranty, zero liability coverage, and other travel insurance perks.

You won’t find any additional annual fees for authorized users, either.

Best Premium Travel Rewards Card

If you’re looking for high-end luxury travel benefits, you might love the idea of having a premium card.

Right now, Chase is the undisputed winner in this category, since the only card Citi used to offer (Citi Prestige^® Card) is unavailable to new applicants.

Let’s see what Chase has to offer!

Winner: Chase Sapphire Reserve^®

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card is our go-to premium credit card from Chase.

Thanks to a solid welcome bonus, incredible rewards categories, and a long list of travel perks, our favorite option is the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

Right now, you can earn a stellar maximum of 10x Ultimate Rewards points:

• 10x points on Chase Dining, car rentals, and hotels purchased through Chase Travel
• 10x points on Lyft purchases through March 31, 2025
• 10x points on select Peloton purchases over $250 (through March 31, 2025)
• 5x points on flights purchased through Chase Travel
• 3x points on other travel and dining purchases
• 1x points on other purchases

This credit card comes with the famous $300 travel credit after every cardmember anniversary year, as well as a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership, and a $100 TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, or NEXUS application fee credit.

You’ll even enjoy a complimentary DoorDash DashPass subscription (when activated by December 31, 2024), access to The Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection, complimentary rental car privileges with Avis and National, and, of course, some of the best travel insurance.

These card benefits are rounded out with purchase protection, extended warranty, return protection, and no foreign transaction fees.

Best No-Annual-Fee Credit Card

Looking for a card with no annual fee that still earns awesome rewards? Read this section to locate our definitive winners!

Winner: Chase Freedom Unlimited^®

The Freedom Unlimited card is one of the easiest credit cards to start dipping your toes in rewards. In fact, this section is devoted wholly to cards without annual fees, making it an almost risk-free way to get started.

The earning rates are so powerful that you probably wouldn’t believe they come from a card without an annual fee:

• 5% cash-back on travel booked through the Chase Travel portal
• 5% cash-back on Lyft purchases through March 31, 2025
• 3% cash-back on dining anddrugstores
• 1.5% cash-back on all other purchases

Remember, your rewards can be converted from cash-back to Ultimate Rewards points, so long as you have one of Chase’s Ultimate Rewards credit cards, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, Chase Sapphire Reserve card, or Ink Business Preferred card.

This could double your return on spending from 5% to 5x points, which is equal to a 10% return!

Furthermore, the Freedom Unlimited card boasts purchase protection, extended warranty, zero liability fraud protection, authorized users for no additional annual fee, and secondary rental car coverage.

Runner-up: Chase Freedom Flex℠

The Freedom Flex card is similar in many ways to the Freedom Unlimited card. That being said, it offers a few fundamentally different bonus categories.

• 5% cash-back on quarterly rotating bonus categories (up to $1,500 per quarter)
• 5% cash-back on Lyft purchases through March 31, 2025
• 5% cash-back on travel purchased through Chase Travel
• 3% cash-back on dining, including takeout and eligible delivery services, and at drugstores
• 1% cash-back on other purchases

If you feel confident that you can keep up with and maximize quarterly bonus categories, the Freedom Flex card could be a great fit.

That being said, the Freedom Unlimited card boasts a 1.5% cash-back structure on non-bonused purchases, while the Freedom Flex card earns 1%.

The Freedom Flex card’s cash-back can still be converted to Ultimate Rewards points just like the Freedom Unlimited card, and you’ll also find travel insurance, purchase protection, extended warranty, and cell phone insurance.

There are no additional annual fees or authorized users on the Freedom Flex card.

Best Card for Cash-back

Now let’s pivot to cash-back rewards. In this section, we’ll focus on the best credit cards for cash-back rewards.

Winner: Citi Double Cash^® Card

The Double Cash card is one of our favorite cash-back credit cards because of how simple the rewards are.

Although you won’t find a huge welcome bonus on this card, it’s one of the best cards to hold long-term.

The biggest selling point of the card, however, is that you can earn 2% cash-back (1% when you buy and 1% when you pay).

The rewards you earn are in the form of ThankYou Points — if you also have the Citi Premier card, you can access the full list of transfer partners. Otherwise, these points are generally redeemable for cash-back, direct deposit, gift cards, or limited transfers to JetBlue or Citi’s hotel partners.

The Double cash card comes with fraud protection, access to Citi Entertainment, and no-additional fee authorized user cards.

Runner-up: Citi Custom Cash^® Card

Our runner-up credit card is the Citi Custom Cash card, which happens to be one of Citi’s newer credit cards.

You’ll earn 5% cash-back on purchasesin your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent:

Being able to earn 5% cash-back from such an immensely broad list of popular bonus categories is huge, though the one drawback is the low cap of $500 every billing cycle. On all other purchases, you’ll earn 1% cash-back.

The Citi Custom Cash card comes with zero liability on unauthorized charges, contactless payments, the ability to choose your payment due date, and access to Citi Entertainment.

This card comes with no additional annual fees for authorized users, too.

Hot Tip: For more options, check out these 5% cash-back credit cards.

Best Business Card for Cash-back

The next section we’ll cover is the best business credit cards for cash-back.

The unfortunate reality is that Citi doesn’t compete heavily in the business credit card segment; therefore, our top cards are both from Chase.

Winner: Ink Business Cash^® Credit Card

Our favorite business credit card for maximizing cash-back is the Ink Business Cash card, which can earn up to 5% cash-back.

Here’s the rewards structure in detail:

• 5% cash-back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases every account anniversary year at office supply stores and on internet, cable, and phone services
• 5% cash-back on Lyft purchases through March 31, 2025
• 2% cash-back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases every account anniversary year at gas stations and restaurants
• 1% cash-back on other purchases

Best of all, the cash-back rewards on the Ink Business Cash card can be converted to Ultimate Rewards at a 1%:1x ratio, which allows you to earn up to 5x Ultimate Rewards points if you also have an Ultimate Rewards credit card.

Rounding out the Ink Business Cash card is the primary car rental insurance, purchase protection, extended warranty, zero liability fraud protection, and no-additional fee employee cards.

Runner-up: Ink Business Unlimited^® Credit Card

Our runner-up card is the Ink Business Unlimited card, which we actually discussed in the “Best Overall Business Card” section.

These rewards are convertible to Ultimate Rewards points at a 1% to 1x ratio, and you’ll also enjoy primary rental car coverage, purchase protection, extended warranty coverage, travel insurance, and zero liability fraud protection. Lastly, there are no additional annual fees for employee cards.

Best Balance Transfer Credit Card

The last category we’ll be highlighting is one that’s relatively unknown in the world of credit card rewards: balance transfer credit cards.

If you’re looking to consolidate any existing high-interest debt on other credit cards, pay close attention to this section!

Winner: Citi Double Cash^® Card

We love this card because it allows you to arbitrate credit card debt through balance transfersand earn industry-leading rewards on everyday purchases.

You’ll earn 1% cash-back (1% when you buy and 1% when you pay, earned as ThankYou Points) — and these points can be used with the full list of airline and hotel partners as long as you have another ThankYou Rewards card like the Citi Premier card.

There are no additional annual fees for authorized users, and you’ll get fraud alerts, contactless payments, and much more.

Runner-up: Citi Rewards+^® Credit Card

More importantly, you’ll get that lovely introductory balance transfer fee as part of the welcome bonus. The welcome bonus also gets you some fantastic bonus rewards on top of everything!

On an ongoing basis, the Citi Rewards+ card earns 2x ThankYou Points at supermarkets and gas stations, up to the first $6,000 per year.

This card offers an exclusive benefit whereby your rewards will be rounded up to the nearest 10 points on every purchase, making it easy to earn even more points!

The Citi Rewards+ card also allows you to get 10% points back when you redeem, up to the first 100,000 points redeemed per year (and therefore, a maximum of 10,000 points back every year).

Of course, authorized users can be added with no additional annual fee.

Final Thoughts

Chase and Citi both have some superb credit card options. As we’ve seen in this guide, Chase tends to focus on the slightly higher-end customer, usually in the premium segment, while Citi tends to focus on appealing to the mass market.

Overall, you’ll have plenty of options if you want to make the most of your credit card slots; you’ll have no problem making the right decision when keeping this guide handy.

The information for the Citi Prestige^® Card has been collected independently by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Chase Freedom Flex℠ was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.