Pre-Nerf: Get Citi Prestige Before July 2025 For Better Value

Ever since getting my Citi Prestige in 2022, it’s been a yearly no-brainer: pay a non-waivable annual fee, get benefits in excess of the S$545, and everyone’s happy over the next year. Well it appears that Citibank hasn’t been quite as pleased as its cardholders because from 1st July 2025, they are finally implementing a significant nerf on the card from 1st July 2025, along hiking the annual fee to S$651.82.

To be honest, I’m surprised it has taken them this long. That said, from now until 1st July, those who have yet to sign up for the card have a few weeks to take advantage of the current lower annual fee of S$545.

Sign up now for excellent value

If you qualify for the new cardholder promo (and even existing Citibank cardholders are eligible), signing up now can get you a few advantages as opposed to waiting until the new changes begin.

The card officially requires an annual income of S$120,000 but from what I hear, the bank does have a little leeway for approving those who don’t quite meet that amount. It’s pretty much a don’t try don’t know thing.

Lower annual fee

Obviously, one advantage would be the lower annual fee of S$545 as opposed to S$651.82. To be fair, Citibank could well introduce a new sign-up promo from 1st July 2025 to compensate for the increased annual fee, but we can’t be sure that the new promo would be better.

If the offer for existing cardholders is anything to go by, the added value doesn’t seem very good. The bank has announced that the renewal miles will go up from 25,000 miles to 32,000 miles in light of the increased annual fee which is just 7,000 more miles for paying an additional S$106.82. At 1.53 cents per mile, it’s not a terrible rate to buy miles at, but certainly not the best.

New cardholders can get 50,000 miles with the current offer, which can already offset the S$545 fee while allowing them to enjoy the other card benefits.

Get unlimited lounge until 1st July

On top of enjoying the card benefits over the next year at the lower annual fee, one of the bigger advantages would be getting unlimited Priority Pass lounge visits from now until the change kicks in. It can let you hop between airport lounges and restaurants that accept Priority Pass without limit. Even if you have just one trip lined up before then, I think it is pretty worth it.

My typical flight from Changi Airport these days involves at least 6 to 8 lounge visits. I tend to go to Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck at Terminal 3 for lunch (great pasta and steak), followed by TranSpa at Terminal 2 for a complimentary foot massage (you can also opt for a haircut) and finally Asian Street Kitchen also at Terminal 2 for S$33.50 of dining credits (great cocktails). If I have time (and stomach space), I’d also visit TGM at Terminal 2 for Asian food (great salmon sashimi).

The massage time and dining credits are doubled at these (PS: from my experience, even without a travel companion) if you use your free +1 guest entitlement which is currently unlimited. That’s a lot of value just with one trip out of Singapore, and many of the restaurants also allow you to use your Priority Pass when you return to Singapore.

Regardless how many visits you use before July, the number of visits get reset to 12 from 1st July 2025 after the nerf takes effect and the unlimited visits gets capped.

Make use of benefits earlier

You can of course make use of the card’s benefits earlier, such as the card’s marquee feature of getting the 4th night free when you book hotel stays with it and complimentary airport rides. I don’t want to jinx it, but 4th night free is such a great feature I suspect it’s next on the chopping block, so I would use it as much as possible while it’s still around.

Check out out some resources I’ve written on using the benefits of the card:

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While the first-year value of the card remains strong even after the nerf, existing cardholders may find the renewal proposition less compelling. My own renewal is coming up soon, so I’ll be sharing my thoughts on whether it’s still worth keeping — stay subscribed for that.

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Seth Wee was a licensed financial adviser representative from 2009 to 2025, with over 16 years of experience in Singapore’s financial advisory industry.

He started Sethisfy.com in 2019 to share practical insights on credit cards, banking products, and miles strategies, helping readers identify financial products that deliver the best value. Seth has been featured in CNA, Channel 8, Today, and a host of other publications. In 2025, he was also part of a panel at CPF’s Ready For Life festival.

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