Citi Rewards+® Card review: A rewards card for people on the go

For a rewards card, the Citi rewards+ covers the basic necessities: it comes with a standard welcome offer as well as rewards on travel, gas and supermarkets while keeping costs low with no annual fee. 

Welcome offer: On par with most no-annual-fee cards

The most recent Citi Rewards+ bonus gives you a chance to earn 20,000 bonus points after you spend $1,500 in your first three months. If you redeem rewards for gift cards, 20,000 points will be worth $200. This bonus value is comparable to many of the best no-annual-fee rewards cards, which also tend to offer bonuses of around $200 in value. 

Rewards: Point boosts make up for redemption value dip

Supermarket and gas station purchases earn 2 ThankYou points per dollar, but this bonus rate is capped at 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. There's also a limited-time offer to earn 5 points per $1 spent on a rental car, hotel and attraction purchases booked through cititravel.com until December 31, 2025.

While there is a spending cap, it's high enough to reasonably use this card as your main grocery or gas card. If you’re worried about maxing out your bonus category limit, you can still earn extra points with the Citi Rewards+ card through its roundup features. This 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.

Rates & fees: Keeps things simple

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 account opening date. Plus, there's a 0 percent introductory APR offer for 15 months from the date of your first transfer on balance transfers made in your first four months, with a 3 percent fee or $5, whichever is greater (after that, 5 percent or $5 minimum balance transfer fee, whichever is greater). When the intro APR period ends, an 17.99% - 27.99% (Variable) APR applies. 

This makes it great for planning a large purchase, paying down credit card debt or giving yourself time to figure out the best way to use your card. Plus, the lack of an annual fee ensures that you start benefiting from your rewards right away. If you plan to travel, remember that the card has a 3 percent foreign transaction fee. And if you miss a payment due date, mind the late payment and returned payment fees (see terms).

The Citi Rewards+ card is a bit light on benefits outside the intro APR offer, point roundup and year-end 10 percent points back benefits. Like most Citi cardmembers, you’ll get access to entertainment experiences and can enjoy Mastercard benefits, but you’ll likely find more value elsewhere.

Benefits: Slimmer than standard cash back

Beyond the point bonuses and access to Citi Entertainment, you’ll find few perks and benefits on this card. Depending on your credit limit, you’ll qualify for a variety 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 cellphone protection (if you pay your cellphone bill with your card), complimentary subscription service deals and exclusive travel privileges. 

However, these are standard perks you can find on almost all Mastercard credit cards. They’re useful to have, but not the value-add that can elevate a rewards card to a “must-have” level. 

Redemption: Caveats limit value

The Citi Rewards+ card earns basic ThankYou points worth 1 cent per point earned. You can redeem your card’s ThankYou points for gift cards, travel (excluding transfer partners) or charitable donations at a 1:1 value, but you may get less bang for your buck when it comes to other options, like cash rewards (redeemable in $50 and $100 increments). You can also redeem your points for:

• Online purchases at Amazon.com or Best Buy
• Statement credits
• Recent purchases using Pay with Points
• Other online Citi bill payments like select loans. 

Disappointingly, Pay with Points only covers select category purchases, but it includes the Citi Rewards+ grocery and gas bonus categories. 

Katie Genter, a travel rewards specialist at The Points Guy, believes the Citi Rewards+ Card is a good option for both beginners looking for simplicity and advanced users with many Citi ThankYou cards.

I don’t use the Citi Rewards+ Card all that much, but I keep it in my wallet for small purchases that I want to round up to 10 points. Plus, since I earn and subsequently redeem a lot of Citi ThankYou points with other cards, I appreciate getting 10 percent of the points I redeem back (up to the first 100,000 points redeemed per year).

— Katie Genter, Senior Writer, The Points Guy

While the Citi Rewards+ Card can be great if you like to eat out or cook at home, it’s limited beyond its food-centered bonus categories. Meanwhile, there are other no-annual-fee cards that reward everyday purchases, like gas, online shopping and travel. 

The Citi Rewards+ may not be the strongest rewards card on its own, but pairing it with another Citi card increases the card’s flexibility. 

The Citi Rewards+ card is an excellent card if any of these profiles sounds like you:

Since there are other no-annual-fee cards that can provide unlimited and more valuable rewards in a broader range of categories, the Citi Rewards+ Card is a tough sell if you aren’t planning to pair it with another card like the Citi Strata 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 on frequent smaller purchases. Together, these two perks make this card worth considering, even if you already have one of the best gas credit cards or a dedicated grocery card.