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Advertiser Disclosure
We are an independent, advertising-supported comparison service. Our goal is to help you make smarter financial decisions by providing you with interactive tools and financial calculators, publishing original and objective content, by enabling you to conduct research and compare information for free - so that you can make financial decisions with confidence.
Bankrate has partnerships with issuers including, but not limited to, American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi and Discover. SHARE: On This Page
ThisAbility Limited/Getty Images November 09, 2022 Checkmark Bankrate logo How is this page expert verified? At Bankrate, we take the accuracy of our content seriously. "Expert verified" means that our Financial Review Board thoroughly evaluated the article for accuracy and clarity. The Review Board comprises a panel of financial experts whose objective is to ensure that our content is always objective and balanced. Their reviews hold us accountable for publishing high-quality and trustworthy content. Aja McClanahan is an author, blogger and speaker on personal finance and entrepreneurship. Aja is the author of "How a Mother Should Talk About Money with Her Daughter." Liz Bingler is an Associate Editor for CreditCards.com and Bankrate, where she focuses on product news and reviews. As an editor, her goal is to produce content that will help people to make informed financial decisions. Mariah Ackary is a personal finance editor who joined the Bankrate team in 2019, excited by the opportunity to help people make good financial decisions. Send your questions to Bankrate logo The Bankrate promise
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You don t want to pay an annual fee
Since the is a no-annual-fee card, there’s no carrying cost that you’ll need to justify each year. Sometimes, this carrying cost can cause cardholders to overspend on their credit card. Thankfully, you won’t have to worry about spending enough on the card to earn enough in rewards to cover the annual fee. You want to earn a welcome bonus
With the Citi Rewards+ Card, you can of 20,000 points after you spend $1,500 in purchases with your card within three months of account opening. These points can be redeemed for $200 in gift cards at ThankYou.com, which is one of the most valuable ways to redeem your points. You want to earn rewards on grocery and gas spending
When you , you’ll earn 2X points on your spending (on up to $6,000 in purchases per year, then 1X points). You’ll also earn 1X points on all other purchases. If you’re able to max out spending in the supermarket and gas station categories, you could earn 12,000 points (worth $120) on the first $6,000 spent. Plus, for a limited time, you can also earn 5X points at restaurants during the first 12 months of card membership (on up to $6,000 in purchases, then 1X points). You want plenty of ways to redeem rewards
The Citi Rewards+ card comes with numerous ways to , including statement credits, gift cards, shopping with points (on Amazon.com or PayPal) and . It’s important to note that the Citi Rewards+ card only accrues , not regular . Basic ThankYou points are not technically an award currency that Citi recognizes, but this is how we differentiate between the two types of ThankYou points. The key difference is that basic ThankYou points can’t be transferred to (usually a more valuable redemption option). However, you can still use basic ThankYou points to book travel through Citi at a value of 1 cent per point. You want opportunities to earn more rewards
This card comes with a for points, which rounds up the points you earn on purchases to the nearest 10 points. For example, say you spend $36.50 on a gas station purchase. Instead of earning 73 points on that purchase, your points will be rounded up to 80 points. Although this is not a game-changer when it comes to earning points, it’s a neat perk that can help you to . Additionally, you’ll receive 10 percent of your points back on the first 100,000 points you redeem each year. Maxing out this benefit would earn you 10,000 points back, which could be worth $100 in gift cards. When is the Citi Rewards Card not worth it
You want a more travel-focused card
If you’re interested in transferring your points to one of Citi’s airline or hotel partners, you’ll need a premium card like the . Although this card comes with a higher annual fee of $95, on more spending categories. You’ll earn 3X points on restaurant, supermarket, gas station, hotel and air travel purchases and 1X points on all other purchases. The Citi Premier also comes with a welcome offer of 80,000 ThankYou points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first three months of account opening. According to , this bonus could be worth up to $1,520 when transferred to a high-value Citi partner. Plus, this card includes an on a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when you book your stay through ThankYou.com or 1-800-THANKYOU. Even with the annual fee, you’ll likely out of the Citi Premier’s better rewards structure and transfer partner options. And that doesn’t even include the significant value of the 80,000-point welcome bonus or the annual $100 hotel discount. You don t want to worry about spending limits
This card’s 2X points at supermarkets and gas stations is capped at $6,000 in spending per year, after which you’ll only earn 1X points on these purchases. Depending on how much you spend on groceries each month, this card might not make sense for you. Instead, you might want to consider other rewards cards, many of which earn better rewards on spending at and . Should you get the Citi Rewards Card
You should get this card if
You don t want to pay an annual fee, but you still want to earn rewards on grocery and gas spending. You’re not interested in transferring points to airline or hotel partners for better redemption value. You spend exactly or less than $6,000 per year on groceries and gas. You shouldn t get this card if
You spend a lot more than $6,000 per year on groceries and gas. You prefer high-value redemption ratios for your points. You’re a travel enthusiast looking to rack up rewards toward travel. The bottom line
If you don’t have any aspirational travel goals and simply want to earn some grocery and gas rewards on your spending, the does the job. For some cardholders, earning $150 to $200 in rewards per year could be all they need to make the card worth it. However, if you’ve already got this card, with a premium Citi travel card — so you can transfer ThankYou points to travel partners — will help you maximize this card’s value. SHARE: Aja McClanahan is an author, blogger and speaker on personal finance and entrepreneurship. Aja is the author of "How a Mother Should Talk About Money with Her Daughter." Liz Bingler is an Associate Editor for CreditCards.com and Bankrate, where she focuses on product news and reviews. As an editor, her goal is to produce content that will help people to make informed financial decisions. Mariah Ackary is a personal finance editor who joined the Bankrate team in 2019, excited by the opportunity to help people make good financial decisions. Send your questions to