Citi Premier Miles Card Review 2024: How Good Are the Perks?

Priscilla Lee
Updated:
PROMO: Receive a Samsonite Straren Spinner 67/24 + 2X AirTag (worth S$690.80) or Dyson Supersonic (worth S$699) or Apple iPad 9th Gen 10.9 wifi 64GB (worth S$508.30) or 21K Heymax Miles or S$350 Shopee AND enjoy PAY DAY SURPRISE
Apply Now
on Citi's website

Citi Premier Miles Card

Apply Now
on Citi's website
The Citi PremierMiles Card is designed for the occasional traveller looking to accumulate miles at their own pace. It offers decent miles earning rates with Citi Miles that never expire.

Pros

  • Citi Miles never expire
  • Earn Citi Miles by paying tax, utility, insurance bills with Citi PayAll
  • Two complimentary passes to worldwide air lounges per year
  • Linked with multiple frequent flyer programs

Cons

  • Average local and foreign MPD earn rate
  • $25 + GST admin fee to convert Citi Miles to frequent flyer miles
  • Small service fee per Citi PayAll transaction
  • PremierMiles card rewards are not shared with other Citibank cards

Current Promotion

Receive a Samsonite Straren Spinner 67/24 + 2X AirTag (worth S$690.80) or Dyson Supersonic (worth S$699) or Apple iPad 9th Gen 10.9 wifi 64GB (worth S$508.30) or 21K Heymax Miles or S$350 Shopee AND enjoy PAY DAY SURPRISE when you spend a minimum of S$500 within 30 days of card approval. (Valid until 1 September 2024). Pay Day Surprise: Every 10th applicant of participating Citi & Standard Chartered credit cards will receive S$100 bonus Shopee voucher on top of existing rewards! (Valid until 5 September 2024) Click to apply.

The Citi PremierMiles Card may not be the best card on the market, but it does have an edge in certain areas.

For one, you’re not tied down to a specific airline (unless you want to be) so you’re free to compare rates to get the most out of your miles.

Second, you won’t find many other cards that give you the option of earning miles or cashback on bills (like condo management fees).

Read on to find out more about:

Eligibility Requirements

Residential StatusSingaporean or PR
Age21 and above
Annual IncomeAt least S$30,000 for Singapore Citizens and PRs; S$42,000 for foreigners

Singaporeans and Permanent Residents can easily apply via Singpass MyInfo. Foreign applicants can apply via the online form. 

Fees and Charges 

Annual FeesS$194.40 with the option of a first year fee waiver, or an extra 30,000 Citi Miles if you pay the annual fees. Free supplementary cards.
Effective Interest Rate26.90% p.a. (S$3 minimum)
Late Payment ChargeS$100
Minimum Monthly Payment1% of the current balance plus 1% of any outstanding unbilled installment amounts plus all interest charges plus late payment charge or S$50, whichever is higher
Overlimit FeeS$40
Citi Miles Conversion FeeS$25 for each conversion
Foreign Currency Transaction FeeUp to 3.25%
Interest On Cash Advance26.9%

Miles Earning Rate, Discounts, and Other Perks

The Citi PremierMiles card offers:

  • 2 Citi Miles per S$1 equivalent for foreign currency spending
  • 1.2 Citi Miles per S$1 for local spending
  • Bonus 10,000 Citi Miles when you renew the card

On the surface, this all sounds pretty standard – and perhaps slightly underwhelming. After all, the Krisflyer UOB Card gives you 3 miles per dollar with local spending, while the HSBC Revolution gives you 4 miles (or 10 Reward Points) per S$1.

Here’s where it gets a bit more appealing:

  • 2 complimentary worldwide airport lounge visits per year
  • Up to S$1 million in travel insurance coverage when you purchase your tickets with the Citi PremierMiles Card
  • (Promotional Offer) 10 Citi Miles per S$1 spent on Kaligo
  • (Promotional Offer) 7 Citi Miles per S$1 spent on Agoda
  • Earn Citi Miles when you pay your taxes, rent, insurance premiums, utilities, and more with Citi PayAll
  • Partnered with multiple frequent flyer programs, including Krisflyer, Eva Air, Asia Miles, Qatar, and Flying Blue to name a few
  • Citi Miles never expire

Earn Citi Miles with Citi PayAll

Tax payments, insurance premiums, and utility bills are usually excluded from earning miles or cashback. That’s why it’s nice that Citi PayAll gives you the option to earn miles on those categories – even if you do have to pay a small service fee for it.

Redeem Miles with Multiple Frequent Flyer Programs

Citibank has arguably the best range of airline partners, so you aren’t locked into redeeming miles with only one or two frequent flyer programs. This allows you to pick whichever airline offers the best rates for the dates you plan to fly. You can view the full list of Citibank’s airline partners via their rewards portal.

How Many Miles per Dollar Do You Earn Compared to Other Cards?

Credit CardLocal SpendOverseas Spend
Citi PremierMiles CardS$1 = 1.2 Miles
  • S$1 = 2 Miles
  • S$1 = 10 Citi Miles on Kaligo
  • S$1 = 7 Citi Miles on Agoda
BOC Elite Miles World Mastercard S$1 = 1 MilesS$1 = 2 Miles 
American Express KrisFlyer Card 
  • S$1 = 1.1 Krisflyer Miles
  • S$1 = 3.1 Krisflyer Miles on Grab transactions
S$1 = 2 Krisflyer Miles, but only in June and December 
DBS Altitude American Express Card S$1 = 1.2 Miles  
  • S$1 = 2-3 Miles
  • S$1 = 3-4 Miles on online flight & hotel transactions
  • S$1 = 10 Miles on Kaligo

In this snapshot, the Citi PremierMiles Card seems to hold its own well.

It doesn’t have as many odd restrictions as the AMEX Krisflyer (which only gives you 2MPD for overseas spending in June and December), though the latter does give you an excellent 3.1 MPD if you spend a lot on Grab.

The Citi PremierMiles does lose out to the DBS Altitude card for foreign currency and travel spending though. With both cards going at S$194.40 in annual fees and requiring the same minimum annual income, the DBS card naturally has a strong edge over Citi’s.

That said, DBS only has KrisFlyer and AsiaMiles as its frequent flyer partners, so that makes a difference if you’d prefer having more options to compare miles exchange rates. 

How to Maximize Earned Miles

At its current rates, the Citi PremierMiles card seems best as a general spending card. To maximise your miles, apply for this card when you anticipate a big purchase (at least S$800) so you automatically qualify for the 30,000 bonus miles.

Other than that, use this card for recurring bills and categories that other credit cards tend to exclude, namely:

  • Taxes
  • School fees
  • Insurance premiums
  • Condo management fees
  • Rent & rental deposits (if payable via card)
  • Utility bills
  • Goods & services such as renovations, wedding expenses, parking and transport fees

Of course, use this card for air tickets and travel-related expenses like hotel bookings as well.

Who Should Use the Citi PremierMiles Card?

  • Infrequent travelers who take a trip maybe once or twice a year. Since Citi Miles don’t expire, you can use this card to collect miles at your own pace. Frequent flyers would do better with a card that offers a higher MPD for overseas spending.
  • Those who want a card that offers miles/rewards for paying bills such as taxes, insurance premiums, utility bills, condo management fees, and school fees.
  • Travelers who aren’t picky about the airlines they fly with (read: non-SIA loyalists) and prefer having a range of frequent flyer programs so they can secure the best deals for their earned miles.