Citi Rewards+® Card review

Best for rewards on small purchases

• Rewards rate: 2X points at supermarkets and gas stations (on up to $6,000 in purchases per year, then 1X points) with 1X points on all other purchases
• Welcome offer: 15,000 points after spending $1,000 within the first three months
• Annual fee: $0
• Purchase intro APR: 0 percent for 15 months from date of account opening
• Balance transfer intro APR: 0 percent for 15 months from date of first transfer
• Regular APR: 13.49 percent to 23.49 percent variable

The Citi Rewards+® Card is the perfect rewards credit card for errand-runners. Its 2X ThankYou points on supermarket and gas station purchases (on up to $6,000 per year, then 1X points) doesn’t sound like the most lucrative reward scheme at first, but the card’s point roundup feature (up to the nearest 10 points) on every purchase and 10 percent points back (for the first $100,000 points redeemed each year) stack up to make this one of the best cards if you’re always making small purchases.

However, the card’s low $6,000 ceiling on 2X categories, lack of benefits and inability to redeem points for a higher value via travel (on its own) means the Citi Rewards+ is best used as a companion card with other Citi cards, such as the Citi Premier® Card.

Current sign-up bonus

You’ll earn 15,000 ThankYou points after spending $1,000 within your first three months as a new cardholder.

When redeeming for non-travel rewards like cash back, your bonus will be worth $150—a bit less than some of the sign-up bonuses we’ve seen for the same spending requirement, which can run as high as $200. Unfortunately, according to The Points Guy, Citi’s no annual fee cards—including the Citi Rewards+ card—only earn “basic” points, which can’t be transferred to Citi travel partners in order to reach their full value of 1.7 cents per point. But you can finally utilize transfer partner values if you have a Citi Premier card, or you can redeem your points through the Citi Travel Center for a 25 percent boost in point value, for a total of $187.50 in travel rewards.

Rewards

Citi Rewards+ earns Citi ThankYou points, but keep in mind that the “basic” points exclude the ability to redeem with travel transfer partners. Although the rewards might be a bit niche without a Citi travel card, you have a few more opportunities to earn up to 1,600 extra ThankYou points per month based on your account activity if you also bank with Citi.

Earning rewards

Supermarket and gas station purchases earn 2 ThankYou points per dollar, but this bonus rate is limited to the first $6,000 spent within those two categories per year before reverting to the standard 1 point per dollar you get on all other purchases.

This means you may quickly max out your bonus category limit if you use this as your main grocery or gas credit card. If you’re looking to earn more rewards on these purchases, you might want to consider a full-time grocery card or gas card.

Luckily, this card cements its value by rounding your rewards to the nearest 10 points per dollar. This perk is most valuable with total purchases under $10 since even a $3 coffee will earn 10 points.

Redeeming rewards

You can redeem your Citi Rewards+ card’s ThankYou points for gift cards, travel (excluding transfer partners) or charitable donations at a 1:1 value, but you get less bang for your buck when it comes to other options, like cash rewards (redeemable in $50 and $100 increments). On the bright side, you might be able to offset this difference a bit since the Rewards+ card earns back 10 percent of the first 100,000 points you redeem each year.

You can also redeem your points for online purchases at Amazon.com or Best Buy, statement credits, recent purchases using Pay with Points and other online Citi bill payments like select loans. Disappointingly, Pay with Points only covers select category purchases, but it includes your grocery and gas bonus categories. Citi also added a new option this year to put points toward your credit card’s minimum payment.

How much are points worth?

Other than the low rewards spending cap, this card’s biggest drawback is the flat 1 cent per point redemption value for “basic” points.

Redeeming for gift cards and travel are your most valuable options, but that’s a bit generous considering points are only worth 1 cent apiece with these options. You can redeem your “basic” points through the Citi Travel Center at a better rate of 1.25 cents per dollar with a premium Citi travel card, but this boost will be discontinued starting Apr. 10, 2021. A Citi travel card also lets you take advantage of transfer partners, which could boost your points to their full 1.7 cent value, according to The Points Guy.

Cash rewards and statement credits halve your points to 0.5 cents, and options like Pay with Points, minimum payment contributions and shopping with points at online retailers reduce your points to 0.8 cents each, says Bankrate industry analyst Ted Rossman. This means that if you were planning to redeem for anything other than travel, you might want to pursue cash back with the Citi® Double Cash Card instead.

Benefits

The Citi Rewards+ card is a bit light on perks outside the point roundup and year-end 10 percent points back benefits. However, like most Citi cardmembers, you’ll get access to Citi Entertainment experiences and can enjoy Mastercard benefits since the Citi Rewards+ operates on the network.

Round up feature

For every purchase, the Citi Rewards+ card rounds the number of points earned up to the nearest 10 points. For example, a $1.07 dollar store purchase would earn 10 points instead of 1.

It’s worth noting that your 2X category purchases also round up, but only after the double points are applied. Therefore, $64 of groceries would earn you 130 points instead of 140 points.

10 percent points back on the first 100,000 points redeemed annually

Every year, you’ll receive 10 percent back on the first 100,000 points you redeem (except sharing points). Maxing out this benefit would earn you 10,000 points back—worth $100 in gift cards.

Mastercard benefits

Depending on your credit limit, you’ll qualify for a range of benefits through Mastercard. Standard Mastercard credit cards carry basic perks like $0 liability on unauthorized purchases and identity theft protection services, but World Mastercard and World Elite Mastercard credit cards offer premium benefits like up to $1,000 in yearly cellphone protection (if you pay your cellphone bill with your card), complimentary subscription service deals and exclusive travel privileges.

Rates and fees

The Citi Rewards+ card is a low-cost card in most cases. There’s no annual fee and you may be eligible for a 0 percent introductory APR offer for 15 months on purchases from the date of account opening, plus 0 percent for 15 months from the date of your first transfer on balance transfers made in your first four months (after that, a 13.49 percent to 23.49 percent variable APR applies, with a 3 percent or $5 minimum balance transfer fee, whichever is greater).

If you plan to travel, keep in mind the card has a 3 percent foreign transaction fee. And if you might miss a payment due date, be aware of the up to $40 late payment and returned payment fees.

How the Citi Rewards+ Card compares to other rewards cards

Since Citi restructured the Citi Premier card to include 3X points per dollar on supermarket and other everyday purchases, the Premier has become a much better option than the Rewards+ if you plan to redeem for travel.

The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express might be a great no annual fee alternative if you prefer to get cash back on your eligible U.S. supermarket and U.S. gas station purchases. Plus, it comes with unlimited 2 percent cash back at select U.S. department stores.

If you shop for groceries at stores other than supermarkets or you outspend typical bonus category reward caps each year, you might be better off with a flat-rate rewards card. The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is an excellent option outside the Citi Double Cash due to its extra 5 and 3 percent cash back categories.

Best cards to pair the Citi Rewards+ Card with

Pairing the Citi Rewards+ with the Citi Premier is a must if you’re a traveler and want to realize this card’s full potential. The Citi Double Cash could also be a valuable addition to the team since its unlimited up to 2 percent cash back (1 percent at purchase, then another 1 percent upon payment) can be converted for more “basic” ThankYou points to pool with the Premier. This strategy provides great rewards coverage for purchases outside the Rewards+ card’s categories or yearly spending cap.

But ultimately, the Rewards+ card carves out its own unique value for “small-fry” purchases as a partner to any card, on account of its round-up feature and annual 10 percent points back (on the first 100,000 points redeemed).

Bankrate’s Take—Is the Citi Rewards+ Card worth it?

Since the Citi Double Cash card provides unlimited and more valuable rewards without an annual fee, the Citi Rewards+ Card is a tough sell if you aren’t planning to pair it with another Citi travel card like the Citi Premier.

However, the ability to round up your rewards to the nearest 10 points and earn back 10 percent of the first 100,000 points you redeem each year gives the Rewards+ card unique value. Together, these two perks make this card worth considering even if you already have a dedicated gas or grocery card.

Pros

• No annual fee
• Points that would be earned on each purchase are rounded up to the nearest 10
• Earn 10 percent back of the first 100,000 points redeemed each year
• 0 percent intro APR on purchases for 15 months from account opening and for 15 months from the date of first transfer on balance transfers (13.49 percent to 23.49 percent variable ongoing)

Cons

• $6,000 cap for 2X supermarket and gas station purchases
• Limited benefits outside the ThankYou point features
• Only earns “basic” ThankYou points that can’t be transferred to travel partners