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When it comes to online shopping, few things make the experience better than earning extra rewards through a shopping portal. One option you might not be as familiar with is Citi Shop — a free program that lets eligible Citi cardholders earn statement credits and access additional savings at more than 5,000 online retailers.
Here’s what to know about Citi Shop and how you can use it to save on your online purchases.
What Is Citi Shop?
Like other online shopping portals such as Rakuten or Capital One Shopping, Citi Shop works through a browser extension. Once you download the extension and link an eligible Citi credit card, you’re ready to start shopping and earning rewards.
Eligible rewards will appear on your linked card’s statement as a credit. Depending on the retailer, rewards are offered either as a percentage of your purchase or a flat dollar amount.
One notable drawback, though, is that Citi Shop’s terms indicate it can take anywhere from 61 to 180 days for statement credits to post, which is a long wait.
Additionally, Citi Shop can automatically search for promo codes during checkout. If it finds one, you can apply the code before completing your purchase. And this can mean extra savings if you're lucky.
Related: The Best Credit Cards for Online Shopping
How to set up Citi Shop
Getting started with Citi Shop is simple. Download the browser extension (this also works on iOS mobile devices), sign in to your Citi account, and link a Citi credit card. The good news is that even co-branded cards are eligible.
Rewards will post only to the linked card, of which you can only have one of at a time. Once linked, you’re ready to shop.
There isn’t an official list of participating retailers, even though Citi advertises more than 5,000 stores. The best way to check is to visit a retailer’s website and look for the Citi Shop popup, or search for products and see if the icon appears next to a merchant.
Be sure to activate the offer before you check out, then wait for your rewards to post. But just keep in mind you might be waiting a while for those rewards.
Which Citi Card Should You Use to Shop Online?
Trying to decide which Citi credit card to use for your Citi Shop purchases? Here are three great options:
- If you're shopping at a retailer that falls into one of the Citi Custom Cash® Card‘s 5% bonus categories, this is hands down the best card to use. You'll earn 5% cash back in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent (1% cash back thereafter). So, if you're planning to shop online for “select travel” or at “home improvement stores,” for example, this card will help you maximize your rewards.
- If you shop online frequently but across a range of retailers, your best bet is the Citi Double Cash® Card. This card earns 2% back on every purchase — 1% when you buy plus 1% as you pay. There's no cap and no need to track or enroll in categories, making it an easy choice for online shoppers who value simplicity.
- If you're working towards American Airlines AAdvantage® elite status, consider using the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®. While it’s not the most rewarding card for online shopping in rewards, you'll earn 1 Loyalty Point for every eligible AAdvantage mile earned from purchases. If you shop online often, this can help you rack up Loyalty Points and move closer to the next AA elite status tier.
- 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.
- 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).
- Earn 2X miles for every $1 spent at restaurants
- Earn 2X miles for every $1 spent at gas stations
- Earn 2X miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases
- Earn 1X mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases
Related: Build a Citi Quadfecta To Earn Between 2.22 and 5.55 Points per Dollar on Purchases
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking to save a bit on online purchases, Citi Shop could be worth exploring. Depending on where you shop, you might find a decent opportunity to earn rewards — if you can locate an eligible retailer. That said, even at stores we’ve seen included, the rates generally aren’t spectacular.
For example, here are some current payouts as of early July 2025 at popular brands:
- Dick's Sporting Goods: 0.7% cash back
- Nike: 1.1% cash back
- IHG: 1.5% cash back
- Petsmart: 1.1% cash back
- Samsonite: 1.9% cash back
As always, your mileage may vary. Our recommendation is to keep Citi Shop in your back pocket and only use it if the offer is stronger than what you’d find with Rakuten, Capital One Shopping, or an airline shopping portal. After all, comparing rewards across multiple portals is the best way to maximize your earnings.
If Citi Shop has the top (or only) offer for something you want to buy, it can be a handy tool to have available.
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).
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