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Citi Accelerate Savings Review

Citi Mobile® App available to make banking easy

Reviews 11

Citi® Accelerate Savings

Average

Reviews 11

Bestmoney Staff

Nov. 14, 2023

2 min read

Citi® Accelerate Savings Summary

Citi is the online and mobile banking platform from Citigroup, one of the “Big Four” banks in the United States. Citi offers most of the same products and services found at thousands of Citi branches in the U.S., along with a stack of dedicated online features. With basic and premium checking accounts, Citi appeals to a broad audience of online banking customers.

Pros

No minimum deposit to open checking account
Wide range of savings accounts, CDs and IRAs
Solutions for small businesses
Range of lending products

Cons

Some features and rates limited to residents of certain states
Minimum balance to use checking accounts
Lacks features compared to native online banks

Citi® Accelerate Savings at a glance

8.8

Editorial score

Fees?

Fees waived with minimum balance

8.0

Security

FDIC insured, SSL encryption, multi-factor authentication

9.0

Customer service

24/7 customer service

9.0

Online experience

Excellent user-friendly site

9.0

Mobile experience

Excellent mobile app

9.0

This content is not provided by Citibank. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone and have not been endorsed by Citibank.

Advantages Over Regular Bank

As one of the Big Four American banks (alongside Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo), Citigroup is the very definition of a regular bank. However, its online banking platforms offers numerous advantages over traditional banking.

Here are some of the top reasons to choose Citi’s online banking platform:

Open a checking, savings or certificate of deposit account online, without having to go to a branch.
No monthly maintenance fees for checking, as long as you meet minimum monthly balance requirements (ranges from $500 to $200,000 depending on type of account).
Access to other Citigroup products and services, such as mortgages, credit cards, personal loans, and lines of credit.

Cutting-Edge Banking Services

Citigroup has invested heavily in its online banking platform. As a result, customers can expect to find plenty of great features on their banking platform and app.

Citi’s online banking platform lets you:

Pay bills online
Send money to friends with Zelle
Move money between your Citi and non-Citi accounts
Set up balance and payment alerts
Add your Citi debit card to mobile wallets (e.g. Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay)
Purchase presale tickets and exclusive experiences for concerts, sports, and dining with Citi Entertainment
Access benefits by enrolling in Citi ThankYou Rewards with an eligible checking package

Traditional Banking Services

Given it’s Citigroup we’re talking about, it goes without saying that online banking users get access to all the same banking services as traditional banking customers.

Here are some of Citi’s top banking services:

Range of credit cards, including 0% intro APR credit cards, balance transfer credit cards, and rewards credit cards.
Wide range of checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, and banking IRAs.
Mortgages, home equity loans, personal loans, and lines of credit.
Investing insights and tools.
Citigold, comprising a Citigold relationship manager and Citi personal wealth management financial advisor.
Free access to thousands of Citi ATMs around the United States and globally.
Small business accounts and credit cards.

Interest Rates and Fees

From 5 types of checking and savings accounts and linked checking-savings accounts to dozens of CD and IRA options, Citi offers many ways to save. The Accelerate Savings account – available in select states only and subject to certain terms and conditions – offers a 4.45% APY.

Citi APYs

Rates

Min. balance

Monthly fee

Savings

4.45%

$0-$4.50 ($4.50 if the balance is below $500)

Customer Service

Being a regular bank with an online platform, Citi offers its users several support options. Customers can get in touch by: the live chat option on the Citi website; calling online banking support on 800-374-9700; or by visiting one of the hundreds of physical branches in the United States. Citi also offers a personalized relationship service to users of its premium checking accounts and wealth management services (which require a minimum balance ranging from a few thousand dollars to $200,000).

Mobile Apps

For a large traditional bank, the Citi mobile app is pretty good. Although it lacks certain online banking features, it does provide a convenient way to track and manage your bank accounts from the convenience of a smartphone or tablet. Citi’s mobile app has been certified by independent financial services ratings agency J.D. Power for providing an outstanding mobile credit card experience. It has a 4.6-star rating on the App store.

Here are some of the things you can do with the Citi mobile app:

Manage your finances and get personalized spending and saving insights
Instant access to your bank and credit card account summary without having to sign in
Custom alerts for transactions, purchases, payments, and more
Put a lock on a lost debit or credit card
Deposit a check by taking a photo from your phone
Send, receive, or request money using Zelle
Ask Siri to give your checking, savings, or credit balance

Security

As a large bank, Citi has the means to protect its users from fraud and hacking. When you bank online with Citi, all your activity goes through 128-bit SSL encryption, an extended validation SSL certificate, and multi-factor authentication. Every time you sign in to Citi Online, your visit is timestamped so any unauthorized account access can be tracked. If Citi believes your account has been compromised, it blocks your online and mobile access and sends you an instant notification.

Conclusion

With Citi, what you see is what you get: a full-service banking platform and app from one of America’s largest banks. If you’re looking for an online banking platform that lets you access all the services of a major U.S. bank without ever having to go into a branch, then it’s fair to say Citi does the job.

Written by

Bestmoney Staff

Our editorial staff consists of writers who are knowledgeable about financial services. We specialize in simplifying the process of choosing the right provider for your needs.

Trustpilot reviews

See what some customers are saying about Citi® Accelerate Savings

Average

•

Reviews 11

Excellent

Great

Bad

82%

andy bernstein

a month ago

CITI Costco Visa Treats customers badly!

Citi sucks! They treat customers like crap. I have the Citi Costco Visa card, which is the exclusive card of Costco. Costco is a great company that treats customers well. But, for some reason, Costco made a HUGE mistake with their credit card partner. They switched several years ago from American Express, which was fine, to CITI, which is a terrible and greedy company that has unfair and unfriendly practices toward customers. They have unreasonably short time periods to pay the bill, and charge outrageous fees and interest if you're even a couple days late. I didn't receive my paper statement, they charged outrageous and unfair interest charges on a relatively low balance that was only a couple days late in paying. They refused to waive the fees. Horrible service. I am stuck with these jerks because Costco only partners with one credit card. Costco, if you are listening, please choose a different company than Citi to do the member credit card. There are so many companies that are better than Citi. Capital One is great. American Express is great. Wells Fargo, Chase, Synchrony are all much better than Citi.

joy noel

3 months ago

CITI refund check BOUNCED

7/10/23 Macy's gave me a REFUND of $1874.91 on a defective product. 8/10/23 Amount is credited to my Macys card which is actually a CITIBANK credit card. I call to get cash refund and requested bank transfer, provided bank routing and account number, told to call back next day to confirm. 8/11/23 Call and told no transfer made, check issued from Citi.com 8/17/23 I receive and deposit Check 8/22/23 Macy's Citi department put stop payment on check. 8/23/23 Macy's Citi customer service representative says money was transferred to my account on the 21st. 8/25/23 There is no deposit. Macy's Citi customer service supervisor asks me to have bank fax to Citibank (513-573-2234) confirmation of bounced check. 8/29/23 Call Macy's Citi: no deposit to my account; customer service rep sends email that bank transfer was requested again on 29th. Escalated to supervisor who says she has to review it. 8/30/23 Supervisor calls me back, says Macys/CITI does not have confirmation of the funds being returned to Macys' account. Instructs me to have my bank send an email to macysdisputes at citi.com confirming that the check was not deposited and that the stop payment was honored. 9/1/23. I speak to rep at Affinity Federal Credit Union to request the email to Citi. Because of Monday holiday, suggests I check back on 9/6 9/7/23 Affinity confirms email sent to macysdisputes at citi.com on 9/5/23. 9/7/23. 1:30p to 3:10pm: Macy's customer service rep tells me the money was transferred to my bank account on the 21st, the same answer I received on the 29th. The rep has to send it to a specialist to review. I asked for a supervisor who told me that I stopped the check because I wanted it transferred. I asked for a Manager who told me she had to send it to the specialists to look at. I asked for her manager or the name of the head of department and was told I couldn't speak to anyone above her and she couldn't give me the 'personal information' of the person in charge of refunds or customer service. This whole process started in June. I have tried calling CITI who does not connect me to anyone since I do not have a direct contact with them. They direct me to the REFUND department at Macy's that handles all the CITI credit cards....and they give me the run around. This has been reported to the state Division of Consumer Affairs, posted on FairShake and TrustPilot. My next move will be to contact the Office of Senior Services: feels like FRAUD to me.

candice angell

4 months ago

I had five fraudulent charges within…

I had five fraudulent charges within two days and thee different states. I found them, not Citi. It has taken numerous calls, faxes, arguments and almost two months and two new credit cards to get a “temporary” credit. Absolutely the worst credit card.

ashby andrus

4 months ago

They have no customer service…

They have no customer service whatsoever during the weekends, and NO LIVE BRANCH OFFICES IN THE ENTIRE STATE OF WA, AND THEIR SYSTEM UPDATES ARE WHEN I TRY TO ACCESS THE ACCOUNT ONLINE. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH CITI.. ESPECIALLY COSTCO.

rod mael

4 months ago

STAY AWAY FROM THEIR "REWARDS" CREDIT…

STAY AWAY FROM THEIR "REWARDS" CREDIT CARDS!! They have manipulated the rewards to the point you LOSE points/money when you try and collect the awards you have earned. Their managers feel they are clever in changing the award collection process into a real mess.

milla z

8 months ago

I lost my money in citi bank

I lost my money here. Stuped system... The most bad bank in all world...

shari

8 months ago

I purchased tickets through…

I purchased tickets through Ticketmaster using my Citi card. They were never delivered and Citi would not handle my dispute to my benefit. I researched and found the two companies heavily linked. Do not buy tickets from Ticketmaster especially using the Citi card.

danielle adams

9 months ago

Very dishonest and prejudice compant

First City has charged me a late fee for 4 consecutive months for payments that I have made on time. When I attempted to call their customer service number, not only did Citi refuse to refund these illegal late fees for on time payments, their customer service agents were using very transphobic and abusive language because I was not cisgender I do NOT recommend using anything from this company as I closed all credit card accounts including my Home Depot card and IO also recommend they be marked as anti-trans on Shinigami Eyes for their transphobic behavior.

william celmons

a year ago

Good for business banking

Good for business banking. I use them to operate my business account. There is branch up the street from me about 15 minutes. So, in the rare occasion I need to go in it's fairly handy. They don't have as many branches as B of A or WF but seem to have better business services. Just my opinion.

laurie g

a year ago

This card will ruin your credit & Worst customer service ever

Worst customer service ever! This card will mess up your credit! I was approved for a credit card, I’ve never missed a payment and always paid more than my minimum. I got sick and was out of work but I was still paying over the minimum due every month. They randomly lowered my credit limit by $700. I called them to let them know I had returned to work and wanted to be assured that I would not have my credit limit lowered again. I still have not maxed out my card but they randomly decided to close my account with no explanation. Each time I contacted customer service I was treated like a deadbeat And not like a customer. Nobody could give me an explanation to why my account was closed and just told me they had the right to do so. First of all after they decreased my credit limit my credit dropped by 100 points. Then they treat you like absolute garbage for no reason even if you’ve never missed a payment. I worked really hard to get my credit score up and because of this credit card now my score is going to be decreased even more because they closed my account for no reason!

anonymous

2 years ago

Nightmare trying to do external…

Nightmare trying to do external transfer. DO NOT USE