Citi Credit Cards Mobile App Review
Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.
Citi’s mobile app packs a lot of do-it-yourself features and can save you the time you might spend on the phone connecting with a customer service representative. However, it falls short when you need to access your credit card’s terms and conditions.
Get to know which actions can be completed with the Citi mobile app and which are better left to logging in with a computer or by contacting a customer service representative.
Features
Citi’s mobile app provides the standard options that facilitate making payments, redeeming rewards and setting notifications to manage your account. Some helpful options available in the app include:
Login and security
You can sign in with a fingerprint, Face ID or a user ID and password. When you visit the "profile" tab, you can also set up an even more secure two-step authentication login process with a PIN. Account alerts set up in the app can also help you monitor the current balance, when a balance exceeds a certain amount, when payment is due, when a transaction exceeds a certain amount and other options.
The Citi Quick Lock feature lets you lock a lost or stolen card with two simple taps. Activating the lock blocks new purchases and cash advances while still allowing recurring payments, balance transfers and credits to go through.
Credit score monitoring
You can access your FICO score from the "services" tab or through a shortcut on the screen that displays your credit card transactions. With the shortcut, it takes only one tap to monitor your FICO score and see a breakdown of key factors that affect it.
Overview of rewards and redemptions
Clicking on the card through the home screen shows your rewards balance. Once there, you can click through to your redemption options. If your credit card earns ThankYou points, like the Citi Premier® Card or the Citi Rewards+® Card, you can click to access a summary that shows how many rewards you’ve earned across different billing periods.
Payment planning options
When you scroll through your card’s transaction history, you’ll be able to see which purchases are eligible for Citi Flex Pay. This option lets you pay off a large purchase over a set time frame with a fixed payment and interest rate.
You can also add your card to a digital wallet of choice, including Apple Wallet, PayPal and Click to Pay. These services allow you to check out digitally in person or online without a physical credit card or your credit card’s information.
Time-saving features
The Citi mobile app offers plenty of actions that can save you time. To make the most of the app, get acquainted with these options:
The Citi Mobile Snapshot feature: This option lets you view basics such as balances and several recent transactions without having to log in every time. To set it up, navigate to your profile in the app and enable the setting with one tap.
The ability to add an authorized user: The "card services" section under the "services" tab allows you to seamlessly add an authorized user.
Smart shortcuts: Buttons conveniently located beneath your account’s balance allow you to activate a new credit card, send a travel notice to the issuer, check your FICO credit score or lock your card if it’s lost or stolen.
A way to request a credit limit increase: When you view your credit limit or APR by clicking through to the screen that shows credit card transactions, you have the option to request a credit limit increase. Some issuers require you to call them for this type of request.
In-app customer service messaging
In cases where you need to speak to an agent, there's an instant messaging icon that is easily accessible in the app to help you contact customer service directly. You’ll also find the number to the customer service department in the app if you prefer to phone in questions.
Drawbacks
The app’s spending summary doesn't always categorize transactions correctly and it could benefit from more categories to help you see where your money is going each month. (This happens sometimes on the website version, too.) Current spending categories include merchandise, restaurants, travel, health care and more.
Citi Offers, limited-time offers that'll help you maximize savings, earn reward points and enjoy additional benefits, are abundant, but they are hard to find. You’ll have to go to do a deeper dive in the "services" tab and tap the "rewards and benefits" tab to find the latest merchant offers.
Depending on the offer, you’ll get a rewards rate or discount back in the form of a statement credit when you add the offer and use your Citi card to shop with select merchants. Sometimes you won’t find any offers available.
Desktop vs. mobile
The mobile app doesn’t stray too far from the experience you’ll get by accessing your account through a desktop browser, but there are a few valuable features, such as merchant offers, that are easier to find when you log in that way. And, if you ever need to request a card member agreement or see your card’s benefits, you’ll want to log in from a computer or call customer service directly. The app doesn’t have an option to access that information.
RATINGS
Ranked No. 9 out of 11 major credit card issuers — J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Credit Card Mobile App Satisfaction Study
4.9 / 5 — Apple's App Store (rating as of March 2021)
4.7 / 5 — Google Play Store (rating as of March 2021)
Find the right credit card for you.
Whether you want to pay less interest or earn more rewards, the right card's out there. Just answer a few questions and we'll narrow the search for you.
