Citi Entertainment Guide 2024 (2024)

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It’s easy to get wrapped up in the major benefits a credit card offers. Perks like accelerated points earning, monthly rebates, hotel free nights and even stellar travel insurance are usually top of mind, while other perks, like access to presale and exclusive tickets, tend to play second fiddle.

While those secondary perks might not be as flashy, they can definitely offer value and shouldn’t be overlooked. One of those forgotten perks is access to Citi Entertainment, a website that offers music, sports and cultural event tickets to Citi card holders. These tickets include presales to big-name concerts, VIP packages and even complimentary tickets. Even better, the site is free to use even without one of the best credit cards for maximizing Citi Entertainment purchases.

What Is Citi Entertainment?

Citi Entertainment is a website that offers access to concerts and sporting events plus arts and culture experiences to Citi credit card and Citibank debit cardholders. The special access includes presales, preferred tickets, exclusive experiences, VIP packages and even complimentary tickets.

You’ll see a variety of events available through Citi Entertainment including concerts (Jennifer Lopez, Pink, Jelly Roll), sporting events (NBA, MLB, MLS), stand-up comedy, art events, exclusive events and much more.

How Does Citi Entertainment Work?

The Citi Entertainment website is available for anyone to view, but only Citi cardholders have access to purchase tickets and experiences.

There are four main types of tickets available through Citi Entertainment:

• Citi presale. Tickets that go on sale to Citi cardholders prior to the general public.
• Citi preferred tickets. Tickets that are set aside for Citi cardholders during the public sale.
• Citi complimentary tickets. Free tickets for select events are available to Citi cardholders, with a limit of one complimentary offer per account every six months.
• Citi VIP package. A ticket package that includes an extra benefit such as merchandise, a meet-and-greet or access to a hospitality area at the event.

Citi has been the official card of many big-name concert tours (including the Beyoncé Renaissance World Tour), making Citi Entertainment a major player in the event ticket space.

While most Citi credit cards or Citibank debit cards grant access to Citi Entertainment, occasionally some events will only be offered to those holding select cards.

How To Access Citi Entertainment

There is no login required to purchase tickets. However, a Citi credit card that has a Visa or Mastercard logo or a Citibank debit card that displays a Mastercard logo needs to be used as payment.

The Citi Entertainment website is simple, displaying the available concerts and events right on the home page. There’s also a search box so you can quickly find a specific event based on your location, a date range or by the specific event or artist.

Once you’ve selected an event, click on Buy Now or Buy Presale Tickets.

You’ll need to enter your passcode to complete the purchase (see below for details). While some ticket purchases will be processed on the Citi Entertainment website, others will be transferred to ticket processing agencies like Ticketmaster or LiveNation.

It’s a good idea to link your Citi card to your Ticketmaster or LiveNation account beforehand so the purchase process is as smooth as possible.

Some presale tickets that are processed by Ticketmaster may be labeled as Citi Verified Fan Presale. Ticketmaster Verified Fan is a way to distinguish humans from bots. Preregistration is required for these sales. Once you are verified, you should get an email with an access code the night before the presale goes live. For in-demand events, registering doesn’t guarantee that you’ll receive an access code or be able to purchase tickets.

Citi Entertainment doesn’t charge any fees, however, the ticketing agency that processes the purchase may charge fees for processing and/or shipping.

How Do I Find My Citi Entertainment Passcode?

Some events and concerts may require a passcode to purchase tickets.

For ticket purchases that start on the Citi Entertainment website but go through Ticketmaster or Live Nation, the passcode is the first six digits of your Citi credit card or Citibank debit card number. If the purchase occurs directly on the Citi Entertainment website or through another processing site (like Eventbrite), the passcode will be available in a pop-up box after clicking the purchase link.

How To Maximize Citi Entertainment

There are a few ways to maximize what Citi Entertainment has to offer.

First, Citi Entertainment offers weekly emails to help keep you up to date on ticket presales and special events. Only Citi credit card holders are eligible to sign up for the email list and the email associated with the credit card account must be used. Citibank debit card holders are excluded from signing up for the email list.

You’ll get the best chance at early notification for presales and special events if you’re on the Citi Entertainment email list.

The Best Credit Cards To Use for Citi Entertainment Purchases

The next way to maximize your Citi Entertainment purchase is by using the right credit card.

If you’d like to purchase tickets through the Citi Entertainment website but don’t have a Citi credit card or Citibank debit card, you’ll need to apply for a new card before you can complete your purchase. If you’re short on time, consider a Citi card that offers instant account access like the Citi Custom Cash® Card. After approval, simply request instant access to your card. Be sure to carefully write down the temporary number since you’ll need it to purchase your tickets.

Even better, the Citi Custom Cash® Card earns 5% cash back on purchases in a top eligible spend category up to the first $500 spent each billing cycle, 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2025 and 1% cash back on all other purchases. One of the categories is live entertainment, which makes the card perfect for purchasing tickets through Citi Entertainment.

The other 5% categories include restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, select travel, select transit, select streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores and fitness clubs.

If you’re planning to spend more than $500 in one of the select categories, like live entertainment, or would prefer not to think about bonus categories, the Citi Double Cash® Card which earns unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases—1% when purchases are made and another 1% when they’re paid off may be a better fit.

The cash back earned on these two cards is awarded as Citi ThankYou Points. These points can be redeemed for cash back (via direct deposit, a statement credit or a check by mail) or they can be used for gift cards, travel and shopping at a rate of 1 cent per point.

The ability to transfer these points to airline and hotel partners is enhanced when you also hold an eligible card like the Citi Premier® Card. This provides the opportunity to potentially get more than 1 cent per point in value from your ThankYou Points.

Citi ThankYou transfer partners include:

• Aeromexico Club Premier
• Avianca LifeMiles
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
• Choice Privileges Rewards
• Emirates Skywards
• Etihad Guest
• EVA Air Infinity MileageLands
• Air France-KLM Flying Blue
• JetBlue TrueBlue
• Qantas Frequent Flyer
• Qatar Airways Privilege Club
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
• Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
• Wyndham Rewards

Why Should I Use Citi Entertainment?

There’s no downside to using Citi Entertainment. It’s free to use and offers access to a wide variety of concerts and events. Plus, it often has exclusive access to big-name tour presales.
Access to Citi Entertainment is available even through Citi’s no annual fee cards, making it easily accessible without having to keep a card with a high annual fee in your wallet year after year.

Alternatives to Citi Entertainment

Citi Entertainment isn’t the only place to get exclusive access to concert and event tickets.

American Express cardholders can access American Express Experiences. This website offers ticket presales as well as exclusive access to events for select cardholders. While some of these events can overlap with what Citi Entertainment offers, many are unique to American Express, so it makes sense to check both websites when looking for event tickets.

Chase cardholders have access to Chase Experiences offering preferred seating, exclusive sponsored events, and unique dining experiences. Chase’s platform has more of an emphasis on unique events with less access to concert tickets than Citi Entertainment does.

Bottom Line

Citi Entertainment offers access to live events like concerts and sports to Citi credit card and Citibank debit card holders. The special access includes presales, preferred tickets, exclusive experiences, VIP packages and complimentary tickets. There is no cost to using Citi Entertainment, so it can be a useful way to purchase event tickets.