The Citi PremierMiles Card is one of many traditional miles-focused credit cards in Singapore that offers low, but unlimited earn rates on your spending. Let’s find out how it fares against other miles credit cards. Here’s my complete analysis of the Citi PremierMiles Card.
At a Glance: Citi PremierMiles Card Review
Due to low earn rates, the Citi PremierMiles Card is not a good card to spend with. However, this is a good card for free airport lounge access, as a catch-all when you’ve maxed out miles credit cards with better earn rates and for bill payments through CardUp or Citi PayAll.
Due to the great flexibility of Citi miles (many transfer partners, miles don’t expire), this card is better than other general-spending miles cards with similar earn rates, even if other cards offer slightly better earn rates.
Key information
Here’s a quick rundown of the important details of the Citi PremierMiles Card.
Citi PremierMiles Card
Card tier
Mastercard World Select
Annual fee
S$196.20
(first year waived,
comes with 10,000 miles)
Income requirement
S$30,000/year
(Singaporean, PR)
S$42,000/year
(Foreigner)
Foreign currency fee
3.25%
Miles expiry
No expiry
Transfer partners
11
(9 useful ones)
Transfer ratio
1 Citi mile = 1 mile
Min. transfer block
10,000 miles
Transfer fee
S$27.25 per transfer
Points pooling
No
General earn rate
1.2 mpd
(SGD)
2.2 mpd
(Foreign Currency)
Bonus earn rate
N/A
Earning block
Every S$1
Calendar/Statement month
N/A
Transaction/Posting date
N/A
Lounge access
2
(per calendar year)
Sign-up promo
Check here
Pros and cons
Here are the pros and cons of the Citi PremierMiles Card, as compared to other miles credit cards in Singapore.
Pros
✅ 2x airport lounge access per calendar year
✅ Access to 9 useful Frequent Flyer Programs
✅ Miles do not expire
✅ Every annual fee payment comes with 10,000 miles
Cons
❌ Weak SGD spending earn rate of just 1.2 mpd
❌ Weak foreign currency earn rate of just 2.2 mpd
❌ 3.25% foreign currency fee
❌ No bonus earn rate
❌ Points transfers cost S$27.25 each time
Annual fee
Citi PremierMiles Card comes with a typical annual membership fee of S$196.20, which is automatically waived for the first year.
Paying the annual fee on this card on subsequent years will always come with 10,000 miles.
Related: Best Credit Cards with No Annual Fee
Is the annual fee worth it?
It’s not difficult to calculate if paying the annual fee on the Citi PremierMiles Card worth it. As you’d receive 10,000 miles every time you pay the S$196.20 annual fee, you’d essentially be “buying” miles at 1.96 cents per mile (10,000 divide by S$196.20).
Now, this is not a great price to pay as there are cheaper ways to buy miles, plus, I currently value Citi miles slightly cheaper at 1.8 cents each.
However, paying the annual fee can make sense if you:
- Have tried requesting for an annual fee waiver, and failed
- Utilize the card’s free airport lounge entitlement
- Are still accumulating miles on the card (before transferring out)
- Are still waiting for bonus miles from a recent Citi PayAll promo
Cardholders are encouraged to keep track of the card anniversary date, and request for an annual fee waiver every single year.
Free Google Sheet Template: Suitesmile’s Credit Card Management Sheet
How to request for an annual fee waiver?
Citibank credit card annual fee waivers can be done over the phone. Say something along the lines of “I saw the annual fee posted on my card. I am thinking of cancelling it, but can you waive the annual fee?”.
Guide: Citibank Credit Card Annual Fee Waiver
What if the annual fee waiver request is rejected?
Tracking your credit card anniversary gives you time to react if/when an annual fee waiver is not granted. It’s best to request for a waiver as early as possible (i.e. when the annual fee is posted in your card’s latest transactions, before you receive the latest statement).
If the initial annual fee waiver request is rejected, cardholders can attempt the following steps:
- Appeal the rejection via phone
- Still rejected? Redeem/Transfer out all remaining points immediately
- Wait for points transfer to complete
- Call to cancel the card, and confirm that you wouldn’t have to pay the annual fee
- If it was your only Citibank credit card, apply for the card 12 months later to enjoy another Citibank credit card sign-up promo
Airport lounge entitlement
Citi PremierMiles cardholders receive 2 free airport lounge visits (via Priority Pass) per calendar year. This is probably the main reason why most travel hackers hold this card.
Note: If you utilized more than two airport lounge visits within a calendar year, excess visits will be charged to your card account at US$35 per person per visit.
Priority Pass entitlement can be used for free food, drinks, haircut, massage, manicure and pedicure at lounges, restaurants and spas worldwide, as described in the Priority Pass website.
Cardholders may use their lounge entitlement for a guest, as long as the principal cardholder is also gaining entry. If travelling as a couple, it’s best to get your partner to also sign up for this card, so that you’ll both have lounge access for the outbound and inbound flights (4 visits in total).
🛋️ Credit cards with free airport lounge access
How to use your free Priority Pass entitlement
Citi PremierMiles cardholders can retrieve their unique Priority Pass invitation code via the Citi mobile app (log in and scroll down to the bottom), within 10 working days after card approval.
Once you’ve received the code, submit it on this Priority Pass page and complete your registration for a Priority Pass account. You can then log in to your Priority Pass app and present the QR code on the app along with your boarding pass on your next lounge visit.
Here’s a screenshot of where to find your Citi PremierMiles Card Priority Pass invitation code:
Earn rates
Citi PremierMiles cardholders can earn 1.2 Citi miles per S$1 (1.2 mpd) on transactions in Singapore Dollar and 2.2 Citi miles per S$1 (2.2 mpd) on foreign currency transactions. No minimum spending is required and there is no cap to how many miles you can earn on the card at these rates.
Unlike better miles credit cards, there are no bonus earn rates on this card, aside from Agoda spending, which you should probably avoid.
Earn up to 7.2 mpd on Agoda
Citi PremierMiles cardholders can earn up to 7.2 miles per dollar on Agoda hotel bookings booked through this dedicated link. These bookings earn an additional 5 mpd, which will give you a total earn rate of 6.2 mpd for bookings made in SGD and 7.2 mpd for foreign currency ones.
However, as shared in my frequently updated page for Agoda credit card promos, this deal should be treated only as a last resort, when you can’t take advantage of other Agoda’s instant discount promos. This is due to over-inflated hotel rates found on the dedicated link and, as frequently shared in Suitesmile Chat, bonus miles may not get credited automatically.
In fact, as stated in point 15 of the terms and conditions of the promo, even Citibank doesn’t want to handle any disputes!
“15. In case of dispute, all disputes will be referred to AGODA, the decision of AGODA shall be final.”
I only recommend this deal for hotels that are excluded from receiving the instant discounts (mostly chain hotels). But also keep in mind that chain hotels are often cheaper when booked directly with the loyalty program, plus, indirect bookings do not get to enjoy loyalty perks and hotel points.
tl;dr: Seriously guys, stay away from this “deal”.
Citibank rewards exclusions
Citibank shares a list of transactions that are excluded from earning rewards miles and points. Using the Citi PremierMiles Card for the following transactions will not earn any miles:
tl;dr: There’s nothing out of the ordinary here. Most of these are also excluded from earning miles/cashback on other cards.
- AXS
- AMAZE* AXS
- BANC DE BINARY
- BUS/MRT^
- AMAZE* BUS/MRT
- EZ-link
- AMAZE* EZ-link
- OANDA ASIA PAC
- SAM
- Saxo Cap Mkts Pte Ltd
- SIMPLYGO*
- SPL AUTO*
- SPL ATU*
- SPL ONLINE*
- SKYFX.COM
- TL-ABT
- TRANSIT
- AMAZE* TRANSIT
- Transit Link
- Youtrip Singapore SG
| MCC | Description |
|---|---|
| 6529 | Quasi Cash – Remote Stored Value Load – Financial Institute |
| 6530 | Quasi Cash – Remote Stored Value Load – Merchant |
| 6534 | Quasi Cash – Money Transfer – Member Financial Institution |
| 6540 | Non-Financial Institutions – Stored Value Card Purchase/Load |
| 7349 | Cleaning and Maintenance, Janitorial Services |
| 7511 | Quasi Cash – Truck Stop Transactions |
| 7523 | Parking Lots, Parking Meters and Garages |
| 7800 | Government-Owned Lotteries (US Region only) |
| 7995 | Betting, including Lottery Tickets, Casino Gaming Chips, Off-Track Betting, and Wagers at Race Tracks |
| 4829 | Wire Transfer Money Orders (WTMOs) |
| 4900 | Utilities – Electric, Gas, Water, and Sanitary |
| 5199 | Nondurable Goods (Not Elsewhere Classified) |
| 5960 | Direct Marketing – Insurance Services |
| 6012 | Financial Institutions – Merchandise, Services, and Debt Repayment |
| 6050 | Quasi Cash – Financial institutions, Merchandise, Services |
| 6051 | Non-Financial Institutions – Foreign Currency, Money Orders (Not Wire Transfer), Stored Value Card/Load, Travelers Cheques, and Debt Repayment |
| 6211 | Securities – Brokers and Dealers |
| 6300 | Insurance Sales, Underwriting and Premiums |
| 6513 | Real Estate Agents and Managers – Rentals |
| 8211 | Elementary and Secondary Schools |
| 8220 | Colleges, Junior Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
| 8241 | Correspondence Schools |
| 8244 | Business and Secretarial Schools |
| 8249 | Vocational and Trade Schools |
| 8299 | Schools and Educational Services (Not Elsewhere Classified) |
| 8398 | Charitable and Social Service Organizations |
| 8062 | Hospitals |
| 8651 | Political Organizations |
| 8661 | Religious Organizations |
| 9211 | Court Costs Including Alimony and Child Support |
| 9222 | Fines |
| 9223 | Bail and Bond Payments |
| 9311 | Tax Payments |
| 9399 | Government Services (Not Elsewhere Classified) |
| 9402 | Postal Services – Government Only |
| 9405 | U.S. Federal Government Agencies or Departments |
| 9754 | Quasi Cash – Gambling – Horse Racing, Dog Racing, State Lotteries |
| 5993 | Cigar Stores and Stands |
When are miles credited?
Cardholders will receive the miles for their spending as soon as the transactions are posted into the account. Typically, this happens 2 to 3 days after the transaction date.
Miles expiry
Miles earned on the Citi PremierMiles Card never expire, giving it another advantage over competing general-spending miles credit cards. Take your time to accumulate enough miles, and transfer them out only when you’re ready to make an award redemption.
Citibank miles/points pooling
Miles earned on the Citi PremierMiles Card cannot be pooled together with those of other points-earning Citibank cards, like the Citi Rewards and Citi Prestige cards.
Related: Best Citibank Credit Cards in Singapore
Lack of points pooling gives you 2 key disadvantages:
- If/When an annual fee waiver is not granted, and you want to cancel the card, you can only transfer out Citi miles in blocks of 10k miles. A balance smaller than this block can be used to redeem for cashback or for vouchers, which is not ideal
- If/When you need to transfer miles/points from 2 or more Citi cards, you’ll need to pay the transfer fee of S$27.25 for each transfer
This feature is lacking across all Citibank credit cards. While it’s unfortunate, I don’t see it as a dealbreaker, as Citi miles/points have far better freedom and flexibility, as compared to most other miles credit cards in Singapore.
Citibank transfer partners
Points earned on the Citi PremierMiles Card can be converted to miles on the following FFPs.
Technically, this card has 12 airline/hotel transfer partners. However, due to a number of factors like conversion ratios and award rates, 9 of them are useful for Singapore-based travellers.
This makes Citibank miles/points the most flexible in the Singapore market. When deciding between 2 credit cards of similar earn rates, Citi credit cards should be your top priority to spend on.
Related: Credit card transfer partners in Singapore (all banks)
0 Good conversion ratio, useful FFP
0 Good conversion ratio, poor FFP
0 Poor conversion ratio
0 Unlock useful FFP through an additional step*
*Related: How to transfer Avios from Qatar Airways to Finnair
| Frequent Flyer Program | Conversion Ratio & Block |
|---|---|
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 10k Citi miles to 10k miles |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 10k Citi miles to 10k miles |
| EVA Air Infinity MileageLands | 10k Citi miles to 10k miles |
| British Airways Club | 10k Citi miles to 10k Avios |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 10k Citi miles to 10k Avios |
| Finnair Plus | Transfer via TBAC |
| KLM/Air France Flying Blue | 10k Citi miles to 10k Avios |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | 10k Citi miles to 10k miles |
| Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles | 10k Citi miles to 10k miles |
| Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus | 10k Citi miles to 10k miles |
| Etihad Guest | 10k Citi miles to 10k miles |
| IHG One Rewards | 10k Citi miles to 10k points |
How to transfer Citibank miles?
Citi cardholders can transfer credit card miles to FFPs easily using the Citi mobile app. Here’s a quick guide:
1. Tap on the points balance that you want to redeem from
2. Tap on Points Transfer
3. Tap on Let’s Go
4. Tap on an FFP of choice
5. Choose the amount of frequent flyer miles to receive
6. Fill up your name and membership no. carefully (must match your FFP profile)
How long do Citibank miles transfers take?
Miles transfers to all useful FFPs typically take 2 to 3 days.
Additional note: Where the expiry term permits, cardholders are encouraged to keep their miles/points in the credit cards, instead of transferring to FFPs speculatively. This gives you the flexibility to only transfer the points to an FFP when making a booking, after checking award availability.
Best ways to redeem Citibank miles
As mentioned earlier, Citibank miles give you superb flexibility when redeeming for an award ticket. Gain access to FFPs with better award rates to regions that are overdemanded (hence, overpriced) on KrisFlyer. These are:
- Japan
- South Korea
- Europe
Here’s a quick comparison of the number of miles required by other FFPs vs KrisFlyer:
| Destination (to/from SIN) | Cabin Class | Miles Required (Other FFP) | Miles Required (KrisFlyer) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan, S. Korea | Economy | 15.5k | 25.5k |
| Japan, S. Korea | Business | 25k | 54.5k |
| Europe | Economy | 25k | 44k |
| Europe | Business | 62.5k | 108.5k |
There are many other factors to consider, such as award availability, fuel surcharges and other taxes and fees. But the general takeaway is: Citibank miles give you choices and depending on where you are flying, possibly better award rates and availability.
Read more about the cheapest ways to fly to the following destinations using credit card miles:
Sign-up promotion
Over the years, new cardholders of Citibank can usually receive bonus miles, cash, vouchers and/or gadgets worth upwards of S$800 when applying for a new Citibank credit card.
Previous Citibank credit cardholders who cancelled their last card with the bank (as a principal cardholder) more than 12 months ago will also qualify as a new cardholder.
🎁 Check the latest sign-up promotion for the Citi PremierMiles Card
Citi PremierMiles Card’s competitors
As a reminder, the best miles credit cards in Singapore award 4 miles per dollar on your spending, albeit with monthly caps.
So, with that in mind, are there any alternatives to the Citi PremierMiles Card when it comes to general spending with no limits on earn rates? Let’s have a look at its key competitors:
| Card | Earn Rate | Transfer Partners (useful ones) | Miles Expiry | Annual Fee (miles inclusion) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citi PremierMiles | 1.2 mpd (SGD) 2.2 mpd (FCY) | 9 | Never expire | S$196.20 (10k miles) |
| HSBC TravelOne | 1.2 mpd (SGD) 2.4 mpd (FCY) | 7 | 3 years | S$196.20 (12k miles) |
| DBS Altitude | 1.3 mpd (SGD) 2 mpd (FCY) | 3 | Never expire | S$196.20 (10k miles) |
| Standard Chartered Journey | 1.3 mpd (SGD) 2 mpd (FCY) | 2 | Never expire | S$196.20 (10k miles) |
| OCBC 90°N | 1.3 mpd (SGD) 2.1 mpd (FCY) | 2 | Never expire | S$196.20 (10k miles) |
| UOB PRVI Miles | 1.4 mpd (SGD) 2.4 – 3 mpd (FCY) | 2 | 2 years | S$261.60 (no miles, except AMEX version) |
| AMEX KrisFlyer | 1.1 mpd (SGD) 1.1 mpd (FCY) | 1 | Automatically transferred to KrisFlyer | S$179.85 (no miles) |
| AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend | 1.2 mpd (SGD) 1.2 mpd (FCY) | 1 | Automatically transferred to KrisFlyer | S$397.85 (10k miles) |
Should you get the Citi PremierMiles Card?
With insane credit card nerfs and award devaluations in the past 3 years, earning a mere 1.2 mpd on SGD spending and 2.2 mpd on foreign currency spending (with a 3.25% FX fee) will not make you a successful travel hacker, as you’d take forever to accumulate enough miles for a decent award redemption. In fact, you’d probably be better off using the best cashback credit cards.
However, when compared against its direct competitors, I see the Citi PremierMiles Card as the best of the worst due to:
- Great miles flexibility (many transfer partners, miles don’t expire)
- Free airport lounge access
- Annual fee payments always come with 10k miles (if waiver request is rejected)
Plus, there are also limited use cases of the Citi PremierMiles Card, which should be the main reason(s) why you get it in the first place.
✅ Get the card if you:
- Travel at least once a year to enjoy the free airport lounge access
- Use Citi PayAll to make payments
- Use CardUp for bill payments
- Have consistently huge personal/business spending of over S$15,000/month
❌ Don’t get the card if you:
- Don’t travel much
- Are looking for a “lazy” miles card for day-to-day spending (get better miles cards)
- Only want cashback
- Don’t want the trouble of requesting for an annual fee waiver every year (consider credit cards with no annual fee)
✍️ Apply for the Citi PremierMiles Card
Citi PremierMiles Card information sheet
Citibank shared the following information sheet of the Citi PremierMiles Card:
information-sheet