Citi Entertainment
Citi Entertainment is the bank's cardholder perk that unlocks presales, preferred seats, VIP upgrades, and the occasional comp ticket to thousands of live events every year - concerts, games, comedy, dining, family shows. Think of it less as a points store and more as a velvet rope: if you carry an eligible Citi card or debit card, you get in line before the general public.
What access you get
Access to four kinds of offers across a rotating live-events calendar:
- Presales - buy tickets during a limited window (usually 2-3 days) before they go on sale to everyone else
- Preferred Tickets - a Citi-only allotment held back for cardholders for a limited time
- VIP Packages - premium seating plus extras like artist merch, meet-and-greets, and hospitality access
- Complimentary Tickets - occasional free tickets to select events
Categories span concerts (every genre), sports, comedy and magic, dining with top chefs, and family shows.
How it works
This is access, not redemption - you pay cash for the tickets at face/preferred pricing, you do not spend points. Citi Entertainment is essentially a discovery hub: browse events on the site, then get routed to a ticketing partner (usually Ticketmaster) to actually buy.
To unlock a presale you either (1) enter the first six digits of your eligible Citi card number at checkout, or (2) link your Citi card account to your Ticketmaster account once for the year.
Note on ThankYou points: you cannot apply them at the Citi Entertainment / Ticketmaster checkout. You can only redeem points as a 1-cent-per-point statement credit after the charge posts.
Who's eligible & how to access
Open to all Citi credit card and Citibank debit card customers - no specific premium card or elite tier required. Unlock by entering your card's first six digits at the partner checkout, or by linking your Citi card account to Ticketmaster (re-link at least once a year to keep access to future presales).
Standout examples
Inventory rotates constantly, but recently featured offers have included presale access to major touring artists (Sting, Shania Twain, Jelly Roll, Rush's Fifty Something Tour), comedy from Chelsea Handler, the Harlem Globetrotters and select college football, Kidz Bop Live for families, and culinary nights like the No Kid Hungry chef dinners. The exact lineup changes weekly, so treat these as the flavor rather than a fixed menu.
Good to know
- You pay full ticket price - this is early/exclusive access, not a discount program (though VIP packages bundle in extras).
- Presale windows are short (often 2-3 days) and inventory is limited, so move fast.
- Purchases happen on the partner site (Ticketmaster), and refundability follows that partner's and the event's policy - all-sales-final is common for live events.
- Offers are tied to specific events and markets, so availability is regional and event-driven.
- Re-link your card to Ticketmaster at least once a year or you'll lose presale access.
- Find inventory at citientertainment.com, browsable by category and location.
Our take
Worth knowing because it's a free perk on nearly every Citi card - the value is in beating the general public to seats for in-demand tours and snagging VIP extras you can't otherwise buy. Just don't expect to pay with points; this is an access play, not a redemption one.
Part of Citi
See the full Citi guide →