Citi Rewards+^® Card Review [2024]: Earn Rewards With Points Round-Up & No Annual Fee

Card basics

Who should get the Citi Rewards + Credit Card?

People who want rewards for small everyday purchases

What I like about the Citi Rewards+ Card is that it doesn’t require extravagant spending to earn rewards. It’s perfect if you use your credit cards to make smaller purchases. With Citi Rewards+, every purchase is rounded up to the nearest 10 points, so a $1 candy bar will earn the same amount of points as a $9.99 purchase.

Here’s a fun exercise to try:

Imagine you make three purchases on the Citi Rewards+ Card, both with and without the elevated earnings.

In the above example, you’d earn a total of 90 rewards points if all three purchases were in a 2X elevated earnings category, which is worth about $0.90.

Now check out the point value on other types of purchases:

So with the same purchase amounts, you’d earn 50 rewards points instead of 90 (worth about $0.50).

And if you opted for a different credit card that offered, for example, a flat 1.5% in cash back on all purchases, your total of $38 in purchases would earn $0.57, which is the equivalent of about 57 points.

Each of these examples earns you some rewards, and, of course, those could add up to more significant amounts over time. As you can see, the elevated earnings categories work well along with the roundup feature to give you a bit more for your spending.

People who make frequent, smaller purchases at gas stations and supermarkets

If you spend frequently on gas or at supermarkets, you’ll like the Citi Rewards+ Card as well. Cardmembers earn 2X points per dollar spent at supermarkets and gas stations (on the first $6,000 in purchases per year, then 1X points thereafter). The rounding-up feature makes this even more appealing since those little purchases add up faster than they otherwise would.

Note that Walmart and Target aren’t classified as supermarkets, so you won’t earn elevated rewards at those stores. Wholesale clubs and discount grocery stores are also excluded.

People who want a 0% intro APR on a balance transfer

Do you have a balance hanging around on a high-interest credit card? Then this Citi card may be a great option. It offers a 0% introductory APR on balance transfers for 15 months (then 18.74% to 28.74% (variable) APR).

Note that you will pay a balance transfer fee upfront — 3% of each transfer ($5 minimum) within 4 months of account opening; then 5% of each transfer ($5 minimum).

However, the introductory APR alone probably isn’t enough of an incentive to get this card, but it’s a nice additional benefit

What you should know before applying

There are limits to how many reward points you can earn with the Citi Rewards+ Card. For example, the elevated earnings only apply to the first $6,000 you spend annually. If gas and groceries are big spending categories for you, the Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express may be a better fit as it offers 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. online retail purchases (up to $6,000 per year on purchases in each category, then 1%); and 1% cash back on other eligible purchases.

I know my family of four definitely shells out more than $6,000 annually just on groceries (fuel not included), so I’d be looking for a bigger cashback reward than the Citi Rewards+ Card. Your personal supermarket and gas spending might be lower, though. Think about what types of spending you normally do to decide whether this card is right for you.

Here’s a closer look at this card’s top benefits

Attractive rewards and perks

• Elevated earnings: The Citi Rewards+ Card returns you 2X points per dollar spent at supermarkets and gas stations (on the first $6,000 in purchases per year, then 1X points thereafter). And you can receive 5X points per dollar spent on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com through December 31, 2025.
• Welcome offer: Earn 20,000 bonus points after you spend $1,500 in purchases with your card within 3 months of account opening; redeemable for $200 in gift cards at thankyou.com. Plus, as a special offer, earn a total of 5 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com through December 31, 2025.

Other rewards perks

• Points round up: Unlike the rounding you learned in school, with this Citi card all purchases round up to the nearest 10 points. This means, for example, you’d earn 10 rewards points on a purchase of $1.50 or $4 or $9.99.
• 10% points back: When you redeem your ThankYou points, Citi returns you 10% of those points, up to 100,000 points per year. So if you redeemed 50,000 points, you’d get 5,000 points right back (although that would require spending $50,000 if it was on non-bonus rewards categories). If you only redeemed the 20,000 points from your welcome offer, you’d receive 2,000 points back in your rewards account.
• Points never expire: Your rewards points never expire, and you can earn an unlimited number of points (other than bonus earning offers for gas/groceries and travel purchases).

Inexpensive card

• Introductory 0% APR: Your Citi Rewards+ Card offers you 0% interest on your purchases for the first 15 months from the account’s opening, then 18.74% to 28.74% (variable). This can help anyone save money, but especially is helpful if you carry a balance and want to do a balance transfer.
• $0 annual fee: It’s always nice to earn credit card rewards without paying an annual fee, and there’s a $0 annual fee with this Citi rewards card.

Drawbacks: Why you may want a different card

• Elevated rewards are limited: Elevated earnings only apply to the first $6,000 in spending per year, so if you spend a lot more on those categories, your earnings are limited.
• Foreign transaction fee: This isn’t the best card if you travel internationally, since there’s a 3% foreign transaction fee.

Earning & Redeeming Citi Rewards + Points

Potential earnings in years one and two

Here's a look at how your ThankYou Points can add up with the Citi Rewards+ Card. To calculate these values, we used a point valuation of one cent.

Remember, this is an estimation. Your actual earnings will vary depending on your spending overall as well as in specific categories.

Year one earnings: $681

Year two earnings: $481

These values are based on the FinanceBuzz Credit Card Rewards Valuation Model, which takes a look at points earned via spending, the welcome bonus, and the annual fee.

These values don’t include points from the first $6,000 spent at supermarkets and gas stations. Your yearly earnings could potentially be higher than what is projected here if you take advantage of the 2X rewards rate in those categories.

Best ways to earn

Earning ThankYou points with the Citi Rewards+ card is fairly simple. Cardmembers can earn 2X points at supermarkets and gas stations (on the first $6,000 in purchases per year, then 1X points thereafter), and 1X points on all other purchases; Plus, as a special offer, earn 5X points on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com through December 31, 2025.

You do need to be aware of which grocery stores and gas stations qualify for extra points, though. Wholesale clubs, discount superstores, drugstores, convenience stores, bakeries, meal delivery services, and various other stores will not earn elevated rewards. The same goes for gas stations owned by retail stores, like grocery stores or wholesale clubs.

This is kind of disappointing because many of those excluded businesses would likely save you more money than the equivalent of potential rewards points. So if you typically shop at a big-box store for groceries, you might not benefit as much from this card.

Maximizing your redemptions

You have plenty of options for redeeming your rewards points at thankyou.com, but a great way to maximize redemptions is by booking travel through the Citi Travel portal. You’ll get 1 cent per point this way, so 10,000 points would be worth $100. You can book flights, hotels, cruises, and rental cars.

You can also explore transfer options to transfer partners. Citi’s ThankYou portal offers transfer options to a number of loyalty programs for airlines, hotels, and retailers.

I often like to redeem credit card rewards for gift cards, which you can do with your Citi rewards points. Gift cards generally are worth 1 cent per point, although certain gift cards may go on sale occasionally. You can search the thankyou.com portal for dozens of available retailers offering gift cards.

Other possible redemption options include:

• Shopping with points at a dozen or more retailers like Walmart, Amazon, and PayPal
• Statement credits
• Pay bills online (must have an enrolled Citibank checking account)
• Cash rewards, paid by check or direct deposit
• Give points to charity
• Share or transfer points

Point values vary depending on the redemption type and are available on the card agreement that comes with new accounts.

Other cards to consider

Citi Double Cash^® Card

As an alternative to the Citi Rewards+ Card, another cashback card worth considering is the Citi Double Cash^® Card. You get the card with a $0 annual fee, plus you earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases; plus, for a limited time, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/24.

You also Earn $200 in 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. Plus, there's a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for a whopping 18 months (then 19.24% - 29.24% (Variable)).

Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express

The Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express offers similar perks to those of the Citi Rewards+ Card, but your reward-earning potential on gas and grocery purchases is even better.

With the Blue Cash Everyday Card, you can earn 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. online retail purchases (up to $6,000 per year on purchases in each category, then 1%); and 1% cash back on other eligible purchases. If I’m comparing that to the elevated rate of $6,000 total each year that you get with the Citi Rewards+, I’ll pick the Blue Cash Everyday® Card.

Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

If you don’t mind an annual fee, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a really smart alternative. This card is more than worth the $95 annual fee if you qualify for the welcome offer — Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Its rewards are fantastic too — 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; 3X points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries; 2X points on all other travel purchases, and 1X points on all other purchases. Your travel rewards are excellent with this card as well (points are worth 25% more when you redeem them through the Chase Travel Portal), and there’s no foreign transaction fee.

FAQ

Bottom line

Overall, the Citi Rewards+ Card can be a great addition to your wallet thanks to the $0 annual fee and rewards for even small purchases. It also has a nice 0% introductory APR and your points will never expire.

Some unique features are that the Citi Rewards+ essentially pays extra rewards because of the rounding feature, which rounds purchases up to the nearest $10, and it pays you back a portion of the points you redeem in a year. It’s a fairly straightforward card that gives you access to valuable rewards without you having to spend exorbitant amounts to earn them.

Rounds Up Your Points on Every Purchase

Citi Rewards+^® Card

3.5

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Citi Rewards+^® Card

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Rates and fees

Current Offer

Earn 20,000 bonus points after you spend $1,500 in purchases with your card within 3 months of account opening; redeemable for $200 in gift cards at thankyou.com. Plus, as a special offer, earn a total of 5 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com through December 31, 2025

Annual Fee

$0

Rewards Rate

2X points at supermarkets and gas stations (on the first $6,000 in purchases per year, then 1X points thereafter), and 1X points on all other purchases; Plus, as a special offer, earn 5X points on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com through December 31, 2025

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• Strong welcome offer
• Rewards round up
• Get 10% of rewards points back when you redeem points (on the first 100,000 points redeemed each year).
• $0 annual fee

Drawbacks

• Limits on earnings rewards
• 3% foreign transaction fee
• Redemption options are relatively limited

Card Details

• Earn 20,000 bonus points after you spend $1,500 in purchases with your card within 3 months of account opening; redeemable for $200 in gift cards at thankyou.com
• Plus, as a special offer, earn a total of 5 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com through December 31, 2025.
• 0% Intro APR on balance transfers for 15 months from date of first transfer and on purchases from date of account opening. After that, the variable APR will be 18.74% - 28.74%, 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).
• Earn 2X ThankYou® Points at Supermarkets and Gas Stations for the first $6,000 per year and then 1X Points thereafter. Plus, earn 1X ThankYou® Points on All Other Purchases.
• The Citi Rewards+® Card - the only credit card that automatically rounds up to the nearest 10 points on every purchase - with no cap.
• No Annual Fee