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The Citi Rewards+® Card is a solid points-earning credit card for consumers looking to earn travel rewards from their daily purchases. The card features two quality points-earning benefits for those who want to earn more Citi ThankYou Points for their travels. Beyond that, it doesn't offer travel insurance benefits and charges a 3% foreign transaction fee, meaning it's not the ideal card for your international trips.
Here's everything you need to know about the Citi Rewards+.
- Sign-up bonus of 20,000 ThankYou Points after you spend $1,500 in purchases with your card within 3 months of account opening
- 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 point per $1 thereafter
- Top intro APR offer on purchases and balance transfers
- 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
Page Contents
Citi Rewards+ Pros
- $0 annual fee.
- 10% points rebate feature.
- All purchases earn at least 10 points.
Citi Rewards+ Cons
- No insurance protections, since Citi removed most of these in 2019.
- Minimal transfer partner options unless you hold another Citi credit card.
- 3% foreign transaction fee.
Citi Rewards+ Welcome Offer
If you apply for the Citi Rewards+, you can earn 20,000 bonus ThankYou Points after you spend $1,500 in purchases with your card within 3 months of account opening.
AwardWallet users get an average of 2.2¢ per point when redeeming Citi points, meaning you'll receive a great return on the minimum spending to earn the bonus. The value of this sign-up bonus is even better when considering that many no-annual-fee cards tend to have low-value welcome offers.
Related: How Does a Credit Card Signup Bonus Work?
Citi Rewards+ Earning Rates
The Citi Rewards+ has simple earning categories to understand. As you spend on the card, you will earn:
- 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
Plus, you'll earn 5X points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions (but not air travel) in the Citi travel portal through June 30, 2024.
It's worth highlighting the “round up” feature for its uniqueness. All earnings are rounded up to the nearest 10 points, meaning a $3 coffee earns 10 points. This is the best card for small purchases since you're guaranteed to earn at least 10 points on all purchases — rather than 1 or 2 points on most cards.
And as you redeem your points, you're eligible to earn 10% of them back into your account — up to 100,000 points redeemed per year. We'll discuss this more in the redemption section.
Citi Rewards+ Benefits
The Citi Rewards+ has a few valuable benefits you should keep in mind when considering this card as part of your points-earning strategy. While the perks don't include trip cancellation insurance or rental car insurance, they do include ways to help you earn more points and save money.
0% Introductory APR
When you're approved for the Citi Rewards+, you can take advantage of a 0% introductory APR for 15 months on purchases. After the introductory period, your interest rate will be 18.74% - 28.74% (Variable).
0% Introductory Balance Transfer Offer
New cardholders can enjoy a 0% introductory APR offer on balance transfers for 15 months months. After that, the APR is 15.74% - 25.74% (Variable).
Note that you will pay a balance transfer fee: Intro fee 3% of each transfer ($5 min) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, 5% of each transfer ($5 min).
No annual fee
The card doesn't have an annual fee, making it an excellent choice for budget-conscious people.
Related: Best $0 Annual Fee Credit Cards with 0% Intro APR
Redeeming Points with the Citi Rewards+
The Citi Rewards+ earns Citi ThankYou Rewards, which can be redeemed in a variety of ways — making them quite valuable. You'll get further value from another unique card feature: getting 10% of your points back. This applies to the first 100,000 points redeemed annually. It applies to all redemption options, providing up to 10,000 points back each year.
Transfer partners
It can take the most work, but it also can provide the most value if you redeem your ThankYou Points with Citi's transfer partners. This means that you will send your points to the loyalty program of your choice to redeem your points there. Citi has 18 total transfer partners, including three hotel partners and 14 airline programs. Notable partners include Choice Privileges, Wyndham Rewards, EVA Infinity MileageLands, JetBlue TrueBlue, and Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles.
Related: Citi ThankYou Point North America Sweet Spots
However, you won't have access to all of these partners if you don't have one of Citi's premium credit cards: Citi Prestige® Card (no longer open to new applicants) or Citi Premier® Card.
If you only have the Citi Rewards+, you'll have access to just three transfer partners: JetBlue TrueBlue, Choice Privileges, and Wyndham Rewards. This reduces your options and incentivizes holding one of Citi‘s other cards to access additional transfer partners.
Booking travel in Citi's portal
If you don't want to fuss with transferring your rewards, you can quickly book travel with the Citi travel portal. However, the value you earn may not be as high. Points are worth a flat 1¢ apiece here, but this can provide value when booking travel for which you can't use Citi's transfer partners: theme park tickets, boutique hotels, rental cars, etc.
Shop with points
It's likely that you shop online with large retailers like Amazon or Best Buy. When you shop with either retailer, you will have the option to use your points towards your purchases to knock down the cost. While it's convenient, it tends to provide poor value — as low as 0.5¢ per point.
Related: You Can Now Redeem Citi ThankYou Points at Walmart (But Please Don't)
Gift cards
Citi has a wide range of retailers with which you can redeem points for gift cards. Points are worth as much as 1.1¢ each here.
Redeem for cash
You have several options for redeeming ThankYou Rewards for cash. Using them for a statement credit against purchases provides 0.8¢–1¢ apiece in value, while you'll get 1¢ per point with a check in the mail or direct deposit to a bank account.
Application Restrictions and Strategy
You'll see the following rule 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, if you earned a welcome bonus on the Citi Rewards+ in the past 48 months, you aren't eligible for this bonus. Moreover, Citi has an 8/65 rule that applicants must abide by to be approved. This means:
- You will not be approved for more than one Citi card in an eight-day period.
- You will not be approved for more than two Citi cards in a 65-day period.
This is worth keeping in mind as Citi offers multiple rewards credit cards.
Related: Understanding Rewards Credit Card Application Rules and Restrictions
Cards That Compete With the Citi Rewards+
The Citi Rewards+ is a solid choice for consumers who want to earn valuable points without paying an annual fee. However, there are many others to choose from that also deliver great value to cardholders. Here's how the Citi Rewards+ stacks up.
- If you're under 5/24 with Chase, consider the Chase Freedom Unlimited®. You'll earn 1.5% back on everyday spending and can pair your earnings with other Chase cards to access Chase's transfer partners. This card also earns 5% back in Chase's travel portal and has no annual fee.
- If you want to earn Capital One miles instead, look into the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card. This card has no annual fee and earns 1.25 miles per dollar on everyday purchases — plus 5 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked with Capital One Travel. It also has a 0% intro APR on purchases for 15 months and a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 15 months (balance transfer fee of 3% for the first 15 months. No fee for amounts transferred at the Transfer APR), then a Variable rate of 19.99% - 29.99%. Check out our full review of the Capital One VentureOne.
- If you want a Citi card that earns a flat rate of cash back, the Citi® Double Cash Card earns 2% cash back on all purchases. You'll earn 1% back when buying and 1% back when paying your bill. You'll have access to the same redemption options for your earnings and won't pay an annual fee. Check out our full review of the Citi Double Cash.
Related: Citi's No Annual Fee Cards Cards and the Strategy Behind How to Get Them
Final Thoughts
The Citi Rewards+ is a solid pick for anyone looking for a rewards credit card without an annual fee and without complicated benefits to track. Instead, it multiplies your points-earning capabilities when paired with other Citi credit cards. While you shouldn't use it outside the U.S., you should use it any time you're making a small purchase.
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