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It's important to evaluate your rewards strategy, including which cards you use together to accelerate your earnings. It's even better when you can do this without paying annual fees — and best of all if you can score a limited-time sign-up bonus on one of these cards.
Three Citi cards can help you add thousands of points to your balance each year despite not charging an annual fee. However, it’s essential to understand the application strategy for each card and where it fits into your rewards game plan. Otherwise, you risk missing out on a big sign-up bonus in the future. This is particularly relevant if you currently carry a premium ThankYou® points-earning card and are thinking of downgrading or canceling that card after reassessing your annual fee.
Citi Rewards+® Card
Citi Rewards+® Card
Annual Fee$0
Welcome Bonus Earn 20,000 bonus points after you spend $1,500 in purchases with your card within 3 months of account opening; redeemable for $200 in gift cards at thankyou.com
The no-annual-fee Citi Rewards+® Card stands out for its unique point rounding feature, elevating small purchases by rounding up to the nearest 10 points on every transaction. Cardholders also benefit from 2 ThankYou® Points per $1 at supermarkets and gas stations (for the first $6,000 per year, then 1 point thereafter).
- 2X ThankYou® Points at supermarkets and gas stations for the first $6,000 per year and then 1X Points thereafter
- 1X points on all other purchases
- Automatically rounds up to the nearest 10 points on every purchase - with no cap
- 2X ThankYou® Points at supermarkets and gas stations for the first $6,000 per year and then 1X Points thereafter
- 1X points on all other purchases
- Automatically rounds up to the nearest 10 points on every purchase - with no cap
The Citi Rewards+® Card offers a sign-up bonus of 20,000 bonus points after you spend $1,500 in purchases with your card within 3 months of account opening — which is especially good for a no-annual-fee card.
The most unique aspect of the card is its unconventional earning structure that rewards small purchases. However, the hero feature is a 10% rebate on the first 100,000 points redeemed each year.
Citi Rewards+ Card Highlights
- 10% points back for the first 100,000 points redeemed each year. That's up to 10,000 points back.
- Solid sign-up bonus for a card with no annual fee.
- Intro 0% APR on purchases for 15 months, then an APR rate of 17.74% - 27.74% (Variable).
- Intro 0% APR on balance transfers for 15 months, then an APR rate of 17.74% - 27.74% (Variable).
- Great card to supplement the Citi Double Cash or a premium ThankYou® card like the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card or Citi Prestige® Card (though these latter two have annual fees).
- Earn 2X points at supermarkets and gas stations for the first $6,000 per year in combined purchases, then 1X.
- Every transaction is rounded up to the nearest 10 points, making this the ideal card to pull out for small purchases.
Citi Rewards+ 10% Points Rebate
The Citi Rewards+ provides outsized value if you already have a stash of ThankYou® points. That's because this card gives you 10% points back on the first 100,000 points redeemed each year. That means you can earn a rebate of up to 10,000 points every year.
Provided you have all your ThankYou® Points-earning cards linked, you'll get this points rebate on all redeemed points — including points transferred to airline partners and points earned from other cards, not just the Citi Rewards+.
If you transfer 100,000 points to a Citi transfer partner, you’ll get 10,000 points back in your ThankYou® account. If you value Citi points at ~1.7¢ per point (though AwardWallet users typically get more value than that), that’s roughly $170 worth of points back in your account for future award travel. That’s an amazing perk for a no-annual-fee card!
Read More: Citi Rewards+ Card Review
Citi Double Cash® Card
Citi Double Cash® Card
Annual Fee$0
Welcome Offer
Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back. Plus, get a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months. (After that, the (Variable) APR will be 18.24% - 28.24% based on your creditworthiness.)
The Citi Double Cash is a dynamic, no-annual-fee cash-back rewards card that allows you to earn 2% traditional cash back, or convert your rewards to ThankYou Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio (2x ThankYou points per $1). When paired with a premium ThankYou Rewards earning card, the Citi Double Cash is now the best card available for everyday, non-bonus purchases.
If you're looking to pay down debt or finance a larger purchase, this card also comes with one of the best available introductory APR offers on balance transfers.
- Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
- 2% cash back on every purchase - 1% when you buy + 1% when you pay
- 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months. After that, the (Variable) APR will be 18.24% - 28.24% based on your creditworthiness
- There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5)
- No annual fee
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Earn 2% cash back on every purchase—1% when you buy and 1% when you pay. Plus, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/25. Citi cash rewards now also convert to ThankYou points at 1:1 ($10 = 100 ThankYou points).
If you're looking to pay down debt or finance a larger purchase, this card also comes with one of the best available introductory APR offers on balance transfers.
- Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
- 2% cash back on every purchase - 1% when you buy + 1% when you pay
- 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months. After that, the (Variable) APR will be 18.24% - 28.24% based on your creditworthiness
- There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5)
- No annual fee
- Earn 2% cash back on every purchase—1% when you buy and 1% when you pay. Plus, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/25. Citi cash rewards now also convert to ThankYou points at 1:1 ($10 = 100 ThankYou points).
Whether you haven’t yet ventured into the Citi ecosystem or want to expand your ThankYou® Rewards earning potential, the Citi Double Cash is one of the best everyday spending cards from any issuer. That makes it an excellent place to start your journey.
Cardholders earn 2% cash back on every purchase (1% when you buy plus 1% as you pay). After a recent change, this cashback is technically earned as ThankYou® points that can transferred to three airline and hotel partners (Choice, JetBlue, and Wyndham) instead of being redeemed for cashback.
However, you'll still want a premium ThankYou® Rewards card to unlock the ability to convert those points to all 21 airline and hotel partners at a 1:1 ratio (1% cash back = 1 ThankYou® Point).
Citi Double Cash Card Highlights
- No annual fee.
- Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time. Plus, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked with Citi Travel..
- Introductory 0% APR on balance transfers for 18 months then an APR of 18.24% - 28.24% (Variable).
- 2% cashback is the “worst-case” scenario.
- The best-case scenario is transferring points to ThankYou® partners by pairing the card with a ThankYou® points-earning card.
Combining Points With Other Citi Cards
The rewards earned with the Citi Double Cash can be used as cash back or transferred to three transfer partners (Choice, JetBlue, Wyndham). If you have the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card or Citi Prestige® Card, you'll have access to the full range of Citi ThankYou® transfer partners.
The Citi Double Cash‘s 2% cashback is already one of the best returns available with no annual fee, but it gets better. You can pair the Citi Double Cash with one of the cards above to earn 2X transferrable points on all purchases. That's the best earning rate you'll find on any consumer card in the industry.
Read More: Citi Double Cash Card Review
Citi Custom Cash® Card
Citi Custom Cash® Card
Annual Fee$0
Welcome Bonus Earn $200 in cash back after you spend $1500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
The Citi Custom Cash® Card offers a distinctive and flexible cash back program that adapts to your top spending category. Every billing cycle, it automatically grants 5% cash back on the first $500 in your highest spend category, which can range from restaurants, gas stations, and grocery stores to select streaming services, travel, transit, home improvement stores, fitness clubs, live entertainment, and drugstores. Beyond this, all other purchases earn an unlimited 1% cash back. Notably, there's no annual fee, adding to its appeal. The cash back you earn is in the form of ThankYou Points, which can be redeemed for cash back, or combined with rewards from other qualifying ThankYou Rewards cards and transferred to travel partners.
- Sign-up bonus of $200 in cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening, issued as 20,000 ThankYou® Points
- 5% cash back in your top eligible spend category on up to $500 of purchses each billing cycle
- No rotating bonus categories to sign up for--the top earning category adjusts automatically each month to the eligible category in which you spend the most.
- Excellent intro APR offer on purchases and balance transfers
- No annual fee
- Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent
- 1% cash back thereafter, plus, you'll earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases
- No rotating bonus categories to sign up for – as your spending changes each billing cycle, your earn adjusts automatically when you spend in any of the eligible categories.
- Special Travel Offer: Earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2025.
- Eligible spending categories are: Restaurants, Gas Stations, Grocery Stores, Select Travel, Select Transit, Select Streaming Services, Drugstores, Home Improvement Stores, Fitness Clubs and Live Entertainment.
- Sign-up bonus of $200 in cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening, issued as 20,000 ThankYou® Points
- 5% cash back in your top eligible spend category on up to $500 of purchses each billing cycle
- No rotating bonus categories to sign up for--the top earning category adjusts automatically each month to the eligible category in which you spend the most.
- Excellent intro APR offer on purchases and balance transfers
- No annual fee
- Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent
- 1% cash back thereafter, plus, you'll earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases
- No rotating bonus categories to sign up for – as your spending changes each billing cycle, your earn adjusts automatically when you spend in any of the eligible categories.
- Special Travel Offer: Earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2025.
- Eligible spending categories are: Restaurants, Gas Stations, Grocery Stores, Select Travel, Select Transit, Select Streaming Services, Drugstores, Home Improvement Stores, Fitness Clubs and Live Entertainment.
You also can earn cashback with the Citi Custom Cash® Card, which has no annual fee and adapts to your spending habits to provide the best earning rates possible. Cardholders earn 5% cash back in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent (1% cash back thereafter), and 1% cash back on all other purchases, plus an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2025.
Additionally, new applicants can earn a $200 bonus after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening.
The same ideas apply here: You'll want a premium card to unlock transfer partners (since you can't access any from this card), and you can turn your cashback earnings into ThankYou Points by pairing with another Citi credit card.
Citi Custom Cash Highlights
- No annual fee.
- Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, 1% cash back thereafter. Also, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. Special Travel Offer: Earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2025.
- Introductory 0% APR on balance transfers for 15 months, then an APR of 18.24% - 28.24% Variable.
- Doesn't require enrolling for bonus earnings.
Read More: Citi Custom Cash Card Review
Citi Application Strategy & Sign-Up Restrictions
If you are serious about collecting ThankYou® Points, getting the sequencing right is critical. Long term, you want to get each of these cards in your arsenal:
- Citi Double Cash — Industry-leading 2X earning
- Citi Strata Premier or Prestige Card (no longer open to new applicants) — Access to transfer partners
- Citi Rewards+ — 10% rebate on points redeemed
- Citi Custom Cash — 5X in your top spending category (up to $500 in spending per month)
Citi limits you to earning a welcome bonus on the same card to once every 48 months. For instance, the Citi Rewards+ has the following terms on the application page:
“Bonus ThankYou® Points are not available if you have received a new account bonus for a Citi Rewards+® account in the past 48 months.”
Thus, you can't earn a sign-up bonus on this card if you earned a bonus on the Citi Rewards+ in the last 48 months. If you're not sure about your timing, contact Citi to confirm when you received your previous bonus. It's worth noting that this rule is an update to Citi's previous rule blocking you from earning a bonus if you had opened or closed a ThankYou® points card in the past 24 months. That was much trickier to navigate.
Here's when it makes sense to apply for Citi’s no annual fee rewards cards.
If You Don’t Currently Hold a Citi ThankYou® Card
Start with the Citi Double Cash. You'll earn 2% cashback on all of your purchases without paying an annual fee. Since the Citi Double Cash isn't part of the 48-month rule described above, you'll still have the option to apply for the Citi Strata Premier and earn a lucrative bonus when you are ready to start transferring points out to airline partners (the Prestige Card also is a premium card, but it's not open to new applicants).
Wait on the Citi Rewards+. Its most valuable benefit is the 10% rebate on points redemptions, so this card pays dividends once you have built up a significant ThankYou® Points balance. Consider other cards first, such as waiting for an elevated bonus on the Citi Strata Premier.
You can get the Citi Custom Cash after you understand your spending habits and how to amass your earnings. Since you can combine earnings with other cards and apply for this card at other point, it's not your first priority.
If You Already Have a Citi ThankYou® Card
Pay Lower Fees: If you only hold the Prestige Card and you are concerned about the high annual fee, you could apply for the Citi Strata Premier. You'll earn the 60,000-point bonus, and you can then downgrade your Prestige Card to a Citi Rewards+. Be 100% sure about this decision, though, since you won't be able to get the Prestige Card again in the future. It's closed to new applicants and to product changes.
This strategy provides a significant bonus while significantly reducing your annual fees. You'll get a no-annual-fee card that returns 10% of the points you redeem each year (up to 10,000 points). Plus, you retain the ability to transfer ThankYou® Points to partners but with a significantly reduced out-of-pocket expense.
Eliminate Annual Fees: If you want to avoid paying an annual fee completely, the other option is to apply for the Citi Rewards+ before downgrading or canceling your premium ThankYou® card. This way, you earn the 20,000-point bonus on the Citi Rewards+ and keep your existing ThankYou® Points alive. If you're considering this route, remember that you won't be able to transfer points to many partners.
Instead of applying for the Citi Rewards+ directly, you could downgrade your premium card to a Citi Rewards+. You won't earn a bonus, but you won't have a hard pull on your credit report (since it's not a new application).
The Citi Double Cash and Citi Custom Cash play a fantastic supporting role in collecting Citi points, but you don't want one of these to be your only card if you already have a stash of ThankYou® Rewards. If you're looking to trim annual fees, the Citi Rewards+ is a great tool to keep your ThankYou® balance intact. Just be sure you understand the limited transfer partners available from the Citi Double Cash and absence of transfer partners if all you hold is the Citi Rewards+ or Citi Custom Cash.
Final Thoughts
We think Citi ThankYou® Rewards is widely underrated compared to its main rivals like Amex Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards. With its current roster of ThankYou® points-earning cards, it’s arguably easier to build a sizeable balance of ThankYou® Rewards than any other flexible currency through spending alone. And both these cards can potentially add tens of thousands of points to your balance every year.
If you're looking to pay down debt or finance a larger purchase, this card also comes with one of the best available introductory APR offers on balance transfers.
- Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
- 2% cash back on every purchase - 1% when you buy + 1% when you pay
- 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months. After that, the (Variable) APR will be 18.24% - 28.24% based on your creditworthiness
- There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5)
- No annual fee
- Earn 2% cash back on every purchase—1% when you buy and 1% when you pay. Plus, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/25. Citi cash rewards now also convert to ThankYou points at 1:1 ($10 = 100 ThankYou points).
- 2X ThankYou® Points at supermarkets and gas stations for the first $6,000 per year and then 1X Points thereafter
- 1X points on all other purchases
- Automatically rounds up to the nearest 10 points on every purchase - with no cap
- Sign-up bonus of $200 in cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening, issued as 20,000 ThankYou® Points
- 5% cash back in your top eligible spend category on up to $500 of purchses each billing cycle
- No rotating bonus categories to sign up for--the top earning category adjusts automatically each month to the eligible category in which you spend the most.
- Excellent intro APR offer on purchases and balance transfers
- No annual fee
- Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent
- 1% cash back thereafter, plus, you'll earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases
- No rotating bonus categories to sign up for – as your spending changes each billing cycle, your earn adjusts automatically when you spend in any of the eligible categories.
- Special Travel Offer: Earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2025.
- Eligible spending categories are: Restaurants, Gas Stations, Grocery Stores, Select Travel, Select Transit, Select Streaming Services, Drugstores, Home Improvement Stores, Fitness Clubs and Live Entertainment.
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