Why the Citi Rewards+ is a good card for everyday purchases

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Groceries and gas make up a decent portion of many people’s day-to-day spending. Finding a credit card that rewards those purchases could make spending on those necessities a bit less humdrum. The Citi Rewards+® Card is good for everyday purchases just like these. There’s no annual fee, and the card offers a few unique ways to help you maximize your Citi ThankYou points.

Plus, the Citi Rewards+ is a good option for anyone looking for an affordable balance transfer credit card. We dig into how the Citi Rewards+ Card works, its points-boosting features as well as how to determine if it’s the right option for you.

How does the Citi Rewards+ Card work?

With the Citi Rewards+ Card, you’ll earn 2X points on the first $6,000 you spend each year at supermarkets and gas stations, then 1X points, as well as 1X points on non-category purchases.

This no-annual-fee card is a solid option for everyday spending, especially if you find yourself making lots of smaller purchases rather than only using your card for big occasional shopping. That’s because one of its unique benefits is a round-up feature. Each purchase you make with the Citi Rewards+ is rounded up to the nearest 10 points, regardless of how small the purchase is, and there’s no cap on the number of points you can earn.

In terms of a first-year welcome offer, you can earn 20,000 bonus points after spending $1,500 in purchases within your first three months. Plus, for those looking to pay off a large, upcoming purchase or existing credit card debt, the Citi Rewards+ offers a 0 percent intro APR for 15 months on both purchases and balance transfers (followed by a 18.74 percent to 28.74 percent variable APR). Note that balance transfers must be made within your first four months of owning the card to take advantage of the intro terms.

Now, let’s take a closer look at a few Citi Rewards+ Card benefits that make it a great option for everyday purchases.

Points-boosting features that reward you for everyday purchases

Citi round-up feature

If you find yourself making a lot of small purchases throughout the day, you’ll benefit from Citi’s round-up feature. Every time you make a purchase, it gets rounded up to the nearest 10 points. That means if you buy a $5 latte, you’ll earn 10 points — and there’s no limit to the number of points you can earn.

Further, you’ll double your points by making purchases at supermarkets and gas stations. It means your $1.72 pack of gum at the gas station can net you 10 ThankYou points, instead of three. The more you use your card, the more you earn in “rounded up” points.

10% redemption bonus

Another perk Citi offers is its 10 percent redemption bonus. For the first 100,000 points you redeem each year, you’ll receive 10 percent of your points back. You can “earn” up to 10,000 points back each year by fully maximizing this benefit.

How much is it worth?

According to Citi, you can redeem 10,000 points for a $100 gift card. Citi does offer other redemption options, but you’ll receive the most value by redeeming your points for travel and gift cards, in particular.

Gift cards are usually redeemed at 1 cent per point. If you want to receive cash back or a statement credit, on the other hand, you can redeem your points at 0.5 cents per point. In other words, this card isn’t ideal as a straight cash back card. There are better options out there if that’s your goal.

However, if you own a premium Citi card, like the Citi Premier® Card, combining your points on that card and transferring them to a high-value Citi transfer partner can get you as much as 1.0 cents per point, according to Bankrate valuations.

Is the Citi Rewards+ Card right for you?

If you’re looking for a card with no annual fee that offers decent points on gas and groceries, the Citi Rewards+ Card may be worth it. However, it does matter where you buy your gas and groceries. For instance, if you regularly buy groceries at Target or Sam’s Club — which are not considered supermarkets — these purchases won’t qualify under the 2X rate.

It’s also a good choice for anyone looking to complete a balance transfer. If you have high-interest credit card debt you want to pay down, consider using this card’s lengthy zero-interest introductory rate on balance transfers for the first 15 months (then 18.74 percent to 28.74 percent variable APR thereafter). Just make sure to complete your balance transfer within the first four months of opening the card, and note that there’s an intro balance transfer fee of 3 percent ($5 minimum) for the first four months, and after that a 5 percent ($5 minimum) fee.

Other options to consider

The Citi Rewards+ could work for individuals who enjoy strategizing the best ways to maximize rewards points. If you don’t like putting that much thought into your credit card rewards, you may want to consider other cards that have no annual fee and earn points for essential purchases like groceries and gas.

Citi Double Cash® Card

The Citi Double Cash® Card* is another no-annual-fee credit card that rewards daily purchases. You’ll earn 1 percent cash back when you make your purchase and another 1 percent back when you pay off the balance, for a potential earning of 2 percent cash back on all your purchases. There are no categories or spending limits to keep track of.

This card can be a great debt payoff option as well due to its 18-month 0 percent intro APR offer on balance transfers (19.24 percent to 29.24 percent variable APR after).

Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express

The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express is another no-annual-fee card, and it offers generous cash back rewards on grocery store purchases. You can earn 3 percent cash back at eligible U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations and U.S. online retail purchases (on the first $6,000 spent per year on each category, then 1 percent) and 1 percent back on other eligible purchases.

As a first-year welcome offer, you can earn a total of $200 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new card within the first six months.

The Amex Blue Cash Everyday also offers a comparable 0 percent intro APR offer on both balance transfers and purchases for 15 months from account opening, followed by a 19.24 percent to 29.99 percent variable APR.

The bottom line

If you spend a lot on gas and groceries and enjoy finding ways to maximize your rewards, you’ll probably like the Citi Rewards+ Card. Citi’s round-up feature helps you get more bang for your buck — especially on your smallest purchases — and the opportunity for 10 percent of your points back on the first 100,000 points redeemed annually is icing on the cake.

However, if redeeming points for gift cards isn’t the most exciting idea to you, or if you would prefer the freedom of a flat-rate credit card, you have other options to consider. It’s also not the best way to go about accumulating travel rewards either, even though it officially earns ThankYou points. Again, there are better travel rewards strategies out there.

The information about the Citi Double Cash® Card has been collected independently by Bankrate.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.