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A stand-out feature of this credit card is its points round-up feature, which rounds every purchase up to the nearest 10 points. This benefit makes for a nice rewards boost, especially for small purchases. The Citi Rewards Plus Card also has a points-back feature, allowing cardholders to get 10% of their redeemed rewards back, up to the first 100,000 ThankYou points annually.
Let’s take a closer look at the features, rewards structure, redemption options, and rates and fees for this card so you can decide if the Citi Rewards+® Card is your ideal rewards card.
Here’s an overview of how you can earn and redeem rewards with the Citi Rewards+® Card:
The Citi Rewards+® Card is part of the Citi ThankYou Rewards program, so you’ll earn Citi ThankYou points.
Here’s a breakdown of how you earn rewards with the Citi Rewards+® Card:
Earn 2X points per $1 spent at supermarkets and gas stations (up to the first $6,000 spent per year, then 1X point per $1)
Earn 1X point per $1 on all other purchases
For a limited time, you can also earn bonus rewards on eligible travel bookings: Through December 31, 2025, Citi Rewards+® cardholders can earn 5X points per $1 spent on hotel, car rental, and attraction bookings made through CitiTravel.com.
Expert Intel: Christian Maldonado, financial expert and co-founder of TaxAdvisor365, likes using the Citi Travel portal. He appreciates the opportunity to earn bonus rewards on eligible travel bookings and feels the prices are fair. Maldonado explains why he likes to book travel arrangements this way: "Most cards that make you purchase travel through portals seem to charge a premium, but Citi's travel pricing is very reasonable and similar to prices you'd find elsewhere on the internet.”
Related: Check out our picks for the best travel rewards credit cards
The Citi ThankYou Rewards program provides multiple redemption options.
Here are a few ways Citi Rewards Plus cardholders can redeem their Citi ThankYou points:
Cash back: Redeem for cash back as a paper check, direct deposit, or a statement credit to your credit card account.
Gift cards: Redeem for gift cards to popular retailers like Macy’s, Petco, and Target.
Shop with points: Redeem for purchases at participating retailers like BestBuy.com and Amazon.com.
Travel bookings: Redeem for eligible travel bookings through the Citi Travel portal.
Travel partners: Transfer to select travel partners to book flights or hotel stays.
Be sure to explore all of your redemption options before redeeming your ThankYou points.
Do you like to travel? As noted above, travelers can book through the Citi Travel portal or transfer their Citi points to transfer partners. Some travelers with this card prefer to make travel arrangements by booking with airline and hotel partners.
But it's essential to know that Rewards+® cardholders can't benefit from Citi's complete travel transfer partners list. Participating transfer partners for this Citi Rewards card are highlighted below, along with the Citi points to partner points ratios for each partner:
Choice Hotels Choice Privileges: 1:1.5 ratio
JetBlue TrueBlue: 1:0.8 ratio
Wyndham Hotels and Resorts Wyndham Rewards: 1:0.8 ratio
If you prefer to have access to all Citi travel partners, you may want to consider adding a premium Citi rewards credit card to your wallet to use alongside the Citi Rewards Plus. By doing this, you’ll have access to more Citi transfer partners.
Expert Intel: Sarah Cash, a points advisor for the points and miles search engine, point.me, explains why it can be valuable to pair this card with another card like the Citi Strata Premier: “You can combine ThankYou points earned on Citi cards with the Citi Strata Premier. Since the Strata Premier has access to more transfer partners, this is a great way to get more value out of your points. With more options to transfer your points to, you increase the value of the points you already have.”
Related: Read our Citi Strata Premier credit card review
The Citi Rewards+® Card scored 4.2 out of 5, based on our credit card review methodology. This score reflects its high rankings in categories like Features and Benefits, Card Security, and Rates and Fees, while also taking lower scores for Customer Service into account.
We explain our basis for our Citi Rewards Plus review ratings in each category below:
The Citi Rewards+® Card has no annual fee. Balance transfer fees apply to all balance transfers. This rewards card also charges foreign transaction fees, so it’s not an ideal credit card choice for international travelers. A 15-month introductory 0% APR offer is available for purchases and balance transfers. However, a variable APR of 17.74%-27.74% applies after the promotional period.
While bonus rewards earned on supermarket and gas station spending are capped at $6,000 in spending per year, cardholders will appreciate other notable card perks.
The Citi Rewards Plus Card has a points round-up feature. You’ll earn points on every purchase you make with your card and each purchase is rounded up to the nearest 10 ThankYou points.
Here’s another notable feature: As a Citi Rewards+® cardholder, you can earn 10% points back annually when you redeem your rewards, up to the first 100,000 points redeemed yearly.
Another valuable benefit is the card’s welcome offer. You can earn 20,000 bonus points after spending at least $1,500 within three months of account opening. The value of this welcome offer varies depending on how you redeem your rewards. When redeeming ThankYou points for travel booking at CitiTravel.com, 20,000 points are worth $200.
Citi cardholders enjoy $0 fraud liability protection for unauthorized charges. Another notable security feature available to credit card customers is Citi Quick Lock. Through the Citi Mobile app or website, cardholders can turn on this feature to block new credit card charges without disrupting recurring transactions like monthly bills enrolled in autopay.This feature can be helpful when dealing with a misplaced credit card.
Citi’s website is organized and user-friendly. A mobile website version is also available. The Citi Mobile app is rated 4.7 out of 5 on Google Play and 4.9 out of 5 on the App Store. Cardholders can review their statements, make payments, review transaction history, and explore card benefits using Citi’s website or mobile app. The Citi website clearly outlines card features, including rates and fees. Customers can easily apply for a new credit card online.
Citi cardholders can contact support via phone and communication channels, like social media. Unfortunately, some Citi customers have shared their disappointment with customer service.
In online communities such as r/CreditCards and /Citibank on Reddit, Citi cardholders have shared that they struggled to get connected to a representative or found it difficult to get prompt help when calling Citi’s customer service line.
Citi customer support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The primary way to get assistance is by calling the customer support line at 1-800-950-5114. Citi also has official accounts on social media channels, including Facebook. Cardholders can send messages requesting support through these channels.
While writing this review, we called Citi’s customer service line. We were unable to verify how prompt their response was because callers must provide account information to be connected with a representative. We reached out to Citi through the official @Citi Facebook page and received a reply within minutes of sending a message.
If you experience difficulty reaching a support representative when calling the customer support line, you may want to consider sending a message to an official Citi social media page.
It can be helpful to review first-hand cardholder experiences when considering a specific rewards credit card. We compiled some feedback shared in online communities and forums.
Here’s what cardholders had to say about their experience using the Citi Rewards Plus Card:
Because of its points round-up feature, many cardholders find success in using the Citi Rewards+® Card for smaller transactions. Those with multiple Citi credit cards also enjoyed benefiting from the Citi Rewards+®’s 10% points back feature when redeeming their rewards.
One Reddit user shared the following in r/CreditCards: “The Rewards+® has two purposes. One is to enhance your earnings with other cards in the Citi ecosystem since if your ThankYou accounts are all linked properly, the card gives a 10% rebate on up to 100k of point redemptions and transfers per year (so 10k points). The other is for use on low-dollar-value transactions like transit fares, where you can get 10 points on a $2 train ticket.”
In r/CreditCards, another Citi Rewards Plus cardholder agreed that the points round-up feature is especially valuable for small transactions: "It really can be a powerful card. I'm pretty sure when my son goes off to college, it's going to be the only card I give him. The amount of small transactions he already does on a weekly basis is crazy."
Citi Rewards+® | Citi Double Cash | |
Annual fee | $0 | $0 |
Base rewards | 2X points per $1 on supermarket and gas station purchases (for the first $6,000 in spending annually), 1X point per $1 on all other purchases | 2% unlimited rewards: 1% cash back when you make a purchase, 1% cash back when you pay off a purchase |
APR | 17.74%-27.74% Variable APR | 18.24%-28.24% Variable APR |
Sign-on bonus | 20,000 bonus rewards points after spending $1,500 within the first three months of account opening | $200 cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first six months of account ownership |
Both credit cards earn rewards and have no annual fee. The regular purchase APRs are similar. It’s worth noting that the Citi Rewards+® has an introductory 0% APR offer for 15 months on purchase and balance transfers. Meanwhile, the Citi Double Cash Card has a longer 18-month introductory 0% APR offer. However, this card’s introductory zero-interest offer only applies to balance transfers.
Both cards have welcome offers of similar value, depending on the redemption method chosen. The Citi Double Cash Card is ideal for anyone looking for simplified rewards, since it earns 1% cash back on purchases and 1% cash back when you pay off your purchases — for an unlimited 2% cash back rewards.
The Citi Rewards+® Card has two bonus rewards categories. You can earn 2X points per $1 on the first $6,000 in annual spending on supermarket and gas station purchases. All other purchases earn 1X point per $1.
Your rewards potential will be limited if you spend over $6,000 in the bonus rewards categories each year. Consider your typical spending habits when choosing your ideal rewards card. For some people, a multi-card approach may be worthwhile to maximize rewards.
Related: Check out our top picks for the best cash back credit cards
While creating this guide and reviewing the Citi Rewards+® Card, we examined several factors that impact credit card users. Such factors include rates and fees, features and benefits, security, user experience, and customer service. We also considered first-hand experiences shared by current and past Citi Rewards Plus cardholders in online communities.
Learn more about our credit card rating and review methodology.
The Citi Rewards Plus Card may be your ideal rewards card if you want to earn rewards on supermarket and gas station purchases without paying an annual fee. But there are other no-annual-fee rewards credit cards with more generous rewards rates.
If you spend over $6,000 annually on gas or grocery purchases, you’ll only earn 1X point per $1, plus purchases outside of those bonus categories earn at the same meager rate. You may want to explore other card options like the Citi Double Cash Card to boost your earning potential.
Yes, the Citi Rewards+® Card charges a 3% foreign transaction fee. For every international purchase charged to your credit card, a 3% fee will apply. If you travel abroad often, consider a travel rewards credit card that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees.
The minimum credit limit for the Citi Rewards+® Credit credit card is $1,000. Citi may offer a higher credit limit, depending on creditworthiness. Factors such as your annual income and the amount of debt listed on your credit report can impact your credit limit.
The Citi Rewards Plus card is intended for people with good to excellent credit. A FICO Score of 670 or above may improve your approval odds. In addition to your credit score, other factors, such as your income and debt-to-income ratio, are considered during the application process.
Disclosure: This content is not provided by the issuer. Any opinions expressed are those of BestMoney alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the issuer.
