Citi Rewards+^® Card Review

Who is the Citi Rewards+ card for?

The Citi Rewards+ card is an ideal card for people looking for a simple rewards system at no cost. This card offers 2x Points per dollar on purchases at supermarkets and gas stations for the $6000 each year and then 1x Points per dollar thereafter, plus 1x Points on all other eligible purchases. Currently, Citi is offering new cardmembers 5x Points per $1 spent on air travel and hotels up to $6000 in the first 12 months of cardmembership.

This card is ideal for people who want a simple rewards system with a lot of flexibility on how to earn and redeem points. No annual costs make this card attractive for any shopper, especially those who will maximize their points by shopping at supermarkets and gas stations frequently.

Sign-Up Bonus

There is also a nice sign-up bonus of 20,000 bonus points after you spend $1500 in purchases on your card within 3 months of account opening. These points can be redeemed for $200 in gift cards at thankyou.com. This is the equivalent of 15% cash back, and with no annual fee!

Rewards

Now down to the rewards rate. Cardholders earn 2x points at supermarkets and gas stations for the initial $6,000 spent each year and then 1x points thereafter. All other purchases earn 1x points per $1 spent. This rewards the owner for two of the most common purchases, making it fairly easy to rack up the points.

Furthermore, the Citi Rewards+ Card calculates points earned by rounding upwards to the nearest 10-point increment on each purchase - all without a cap. So if your purchase would typically earn you 6 points, Citi will go ahead and give a full 10 points, which can really add up over time.

ThankYou Points can be redeemed in a variety of ways. They can be transformed into gift cards, of which you can choose from a large selection of department stores and restaurants. They can be redeemed for travel rewards, such as flights, hotels, cruises, and more. You can also use these points on Amazon.com or BestBuy.com to easily shop for a variety of different products. Sometimes these gift cards offer increased redemption value ($20 gift cards selling for $15), which can be a quick way to increase your purchasing power.

Benefits

The points you get on this card are accompanied by a 0% introductory APR for 15 months on both balance transfers and all new purchases made on this card. This feature will be really useful to finance a larger purchase by postponing payments for more than a year. We recommend that you plan accordingly and purchase any future vacations, cars, or expensive items while you have no interest during these 15 months. Following that, the variable APR is going to vary between 13.74% and 23.74%. Be cautious, though, because Citi has the right to end the introductory APR and apply the penalty APR if you miss a payment.

The Citi Rewards+ Card is a great rewards card with a genuinely differentiated value proposition because cardholders will enjoy full access to the exclusive Citi Entertainment portal, which offers special access to thousands of events, concerts, sports games, restaurants and more. Citi has done a great job with this portal, which assembles experiences that are not easily obtainable to the general public.

Services and Protections

In addition, this card will give you access to 24/7 customer service. If a card is not working properly, if you have a question about your account, or if you want to learn more about certain charges, Citi will always have customer service specialists ready to answer your questions at any time of the day.

The Citi Rewards+ card also contains contactless pay. Instead of having to swipe or insert your card, you are able to just tap your card on the card reader, providing an easier and quicker payment alternative, with the added bonus of protecting your cards’ information.

This card is protected by a few different Citi services. You can use digital wallets in order to safely and easily shop online. You also will not be liable for fraudulent charges made on your account, as Citi provides $0 liability on unauthorized charges.

Cautions

When trying to receive 2x points for your purchases you should look into what classifies as a supermarket. Examples of stores that are not counted as supermarkets include: general merchandise/discount superstores (namely, Walmart & Target), dairy product stores, convenience stores, farmer’s markets, pharmacies, and wholesale clubs.

If you do get this card, make sure you complete your payments on time. If your payments are late, you can be charged up to $40 as a late fee. In addition, Citi has the right to raise your APR up to 29.99% as a penalty for late payments. Thus, these punishments make it crucial to make your payments on time.

Also, certain transactions will not give you points. Cash advances, items returned for credit, interest and account fees, travellers checks, foreign currency purchases, money orders, lottery tickets, and gaming chips do not earn ThankYou Points.

You should also be careful when traveling internationally if you are using the Citi Rewards+ card as your only credit card. The card does contain a 3% foreign transaction fee, so any transaction made in other countries will be accompanied by a hefty fee, which adds up. You should look into travel credit cards to accompany this card if you are someone who travels internationally frequently.

No Annual Fee

With all of these rewards, bonuses, and benefits, it seems logical that there should be an annual fee, but Citi has decided not to implement an annual fee on this credit card. This means that you receive 25,000 points between the signup bonus and the 10% points back without ever having to take money out of your wallet. No annual fee makes this an attractive credit card for any type of shopper.

Conclusion

The Citi Rewards+ card is perfect for any shopper who wants to earn rewards without paying an annual fee. As one of Citi’s most coveted rewards cards, the signup bonus, the rounding up of points to the nearest ten, and the 10% points back are all added incentives to this generous rewards card. At no annual cost, this reward card benefits from double points at highly used locations (supermarkets and gas stations) making this card a great option for anyone who shops frequently and would like to earn rewards as a result of it.