Amex Green Card vs. Citi Premier Card [Detailed Comparison]

The American Express^® Green Card and the Citi Premier^® Card are excellent starter travel cards with access to transfer partners and great bonus categories, all at a relatively reasonable annual fee.

If you’ve had your eyes on both of these cards and you’re trying to decide which is the better fit for you, this detailed comparison is the post for you. Read on for our complete head-to-head comparison to learn how these cards stack up.

Amex Green Card vs. Citi Premier Card — Overview

Before we dissect each card, category by category, here is a quick overview of their highlights:

Benefit or Feature	American Express® Green Card	Citi Premier® Card
Welcome Bonus Offer	NEW OFFER: Earn 60,000 points after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first 6 months. Plus, earn 20% back on eligible travel and transit purchases made during your first 6 months, up to $200 back as a statement credit.	Earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel portal through June 30, 2024.
Earning Potential	3x points on dining (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.), transit, and travel	3x points on air travel, at hotels, restaurants, gas stations, and supermarkets
Redemption Options	Amex transfer partners Amex Travel bookings Cash-back via statement credit, gift cards, and shopping with select retailers	Citi transfer partners Citi Travel bookings Cash-back via statement credit, gift cards, and online shopping
Statement Credits	Up to $189 annual CLEAR Plus credit Up to $100 annual LoungeBuddy credit	Up to $100 annual hotel savings benefit
Travel Protections	Secondary rental car insurance Baggage insurance Trip delay insurance	N/A
Shopping Benefits and Protections	Amex Offers, purchase protection, extended warranty coverage	Citi Merchant Offers, DoorDash benefits, purchase protection, extended warranty
Annual Fee	$150 (rates and fees)	$95
Authorized User Fee	$0 for the first 5 cardholders, then $35 (rates and fees)	No additional annual fees for authorized users

As you can see, the Amex Green card and the Citi Premier card have many similar benefits, so let’s explore a bit deeper to narrow in on which card might be better suited for you.

The Value of a Welcome Bonus Offer

Amex Green Card

Citi Premier Card

Bottom Line:

Our valuations of Amex Membership Rewards points and Citi ThankYou Points are 2.2 cents per point and 1.6 cents per point, respectively. However, the welcome bonus offers for both cards can vary, so determining which one provides more value will depend heavily on the current welcome offer.

Earning Potential

If you want to earn as many points as possible, you should ensure your new card’s bonus categories match your spending habits. Here is a comparison of the points you’ll earn with each card for their bonus categories:

Bonus Category	Amex Green Card	Citi Premier Card
Air Travel	3x points	3x points
Hotels	3x points	3x points
Other Travel Purchases	3x points	1x points
Dining	3x points	3x points
Transit (Trains, Ferries, Buses, Subways, Rideshares, etc.)	3x points	1x points
Gas Stations	1x points	3x points
Supermarkets	1x points	3x points

The Citi Premier card lags a bit behind when it comes to overall travel by offering 3x points on airfare and hotels, while the Amex Green card’s travel category extends to far more purchases like Airbnbs, rental cars, cruises, and more. Further, the Amex Green card comes out ahead on transit purchases like rideshares, trains, and subways.

While both cards offer 3x rewards on dining, the Citi Premier card takes it a step further by offering 3x points at gas stations and supermarkets.

That said, the bonus categories for the Citi Premier card are a bit more well-rounded. But deciding which is best for you depends on what items you spend the most on.

Redemption Options

Amex Green Card

Amex Membership Rewards is easily one of our favorite points and miles programs due to the number of redemption options and excellent Amex transfer partners you can transfer your points to.

For instance, you can transfer your points to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club to book a one-way business class ticket in Delta One (a SkyTeam partner) between the U.S. and various European cities for just 50,000 points and less than $6 in taxes and fees.

Beyond that, you can redeem your Amex points through the Amex Travel portal for cash-back via statement credit, gift cards, or shopping with select merchants.

Citi Premier Card

Fortunately, the Citi ThankYou Rewards program comes with its own collection of solid Citi transfer partners. This includes some of our favorite programs, such as Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Avianca LifeMiles, and Turkish Miles&Smiles.

Aside from using transfer partners, you can use your points through the Citi Travel with Booking.com portal, cash-back via statement credit, gift cards, and online shopping.

Statement Credits

Amex Green Card — CLEAR Plus and LoungeBuddy

Cardholders of the Amex Green card receive an annual CLEAR Plus credit of up to $189, fully covering the membership cost each year.

CLEAR provides an expedited security experience nationwide at select airports and stadiums using biometrics such as your fingerprint or eye. For airport travelers, this allows you to move right to the front of the ID check line and is a huge time saver for those with and without TSA PreCheck.

Additionally, Amex Green cardholders receive an annual LoungeBuddy credit of up to $100. LoungeBuddy has approximately 300+ airport lounges in its network, and the entry price can vary based on the quality of the lounge. The credit should get you at least 2 to 3 visits annually.

Citi Premier Card — Annual Hotel Credit

Meanwhile, the Citi Premier card has an annual hotel savings benefit of up to $100. However, getting the credit requires a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) for reservations booked through thankyou.com once per calendar year.

Travel Protections

Benefit or Protection	Amex Green Card	Citi Premier Card
Rental Car Insurance	Secondary	N/A
Baggage Insurance Plan	Up to $1,250 for carry-on baggage and up to $500 for checked baggage	N/A
Trip Delay Insurance	Up to $300 in coverage for flights delayed by 12 hours or more	N/A

While the Amex Green card is far from one of the best credit cards for travel protections, it offers far more coverage than the Citi Premier card. This is an essential factor to remember if you’ll regularly make travel purchases with either card.

Shopping Benefits and Protections

Amex Green Card

• Amex Offers — Discounts and opportunities to earn more points and statement credits with 100 merchants each month (enrollment required)
• Purchase Protection — Coverage of up to 90 days from the date of purchase toward stolen or damaged items
• Extended Warranty — Adds up to 1 year of additional warranty to extended warranties of 5 years or less
• American Express Experiences — Exclusive access to ticket presales

Citi Premier Card

• Citi Merchant Offers — Discounts and opportunities to earn more points and statement credits with 100 merchants each month
• DoorDash — 3 free months of DashPass, plus $5 off every month when you use your card at checkout
• Purchase Protection — Coverage of up to 90 days from the date of purchase toward stolen or damaged items
• Extended Warranty — Adds up to 24 months of additional warranty to extended warranties of 7 years or less

Annual Fees and Adding Authorized Users

Annual Fees

The Amex Green card annual fee is $150, while the Citi Premier card’s annual fee is $95. Given that the fees are pretty close, deciding which is the better fit for you should consider which bonus categories, perks, and protections suit you best.

Authorized Users

Amex Green cardholders can add up to 5 cards for no additional cost; any additional cards beyond that are $35 each. The Citi Premier card has no additional annual fees for authorized users.

Final Thoughts

Whatever way you slice it, both the Amex Green card and the Citi Premier card can be great credit card options.

Most cardholders of the Citi Premier card are likely to earn more points thanks to including supermarkets as a 3x category. However, we believe Amex offers a better collection of transfer partners and statement credits.

Ultimately, deciding which is better for you will come down to your own preferences, wants, and needs in your new card.

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For the car rental loss and damage insurance benefit of the Amex Green card, car rental loss and damage insurance can provide coverage up to $50,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the commercial car rental company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. geographic restrictions apply. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

For rates and fees of the American Express^® Green Card, click here.