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The main draw – and function – of the Citi Simplicity® is its generous no-interest balance transfer period. However, the rewards program is non-existent. When you make purchases on your card, you won't earn any rewards points or miles.
While this can be seen as a minus, consider coupling this solid balance transfer card with one of Citi's no-annual-fee cash back cards. For example, the Citi Double Cash® Card nets you 2% cash back on all purchases. Another potential contender? The Citi Custom Cash Card® features 5% cash back on your top eligible spending category.
On the hunt for a no-balance transfer card? You can enjoy a no-interest balance transfer intro APR for 21 months after you open your account. That means you won't be on the hook for paying any interest for nearly two years.
The Citi Simplicity® card also features no annual fee, no late fees, and no penalty rate.
The balance transfer fee is $5 or 3% of the amount you're moving over, whichever is greater. Note that this applies only to transfers completed within four months of opening your account. After the four-month intro period is up, the balance transfer fee bumps up to 5% (or $5, whichever is greater).
After the 21 months ends, the standard purchase APR will kick in, which is 18.24% – 28.99%.
No-interest balance transfer periods are typically anywhere from 12 to 21 months, which means the Citi Simplicity® offers a more generous period to get your card balance to zero.
Tip: Because the balance transfer fee goes up after the four-month intro period, you'll want to get moving on that transfer as soon as you can.
That 2% bump in the balance transfer fee can make a difference. For example, if you're moving $3,000 from an existing card, your fee shoots up from $90 to $150. Remember: Every dollar counts when you're paying off credit card debt. Plus, you'll be shorted at least four months on the zero-interest period.
The main feature of the Citi Simplicity® is its 21-month zero-interest balance transfer period. That, coupled with the no late fees, no penalty rate, and no annual fee, makes it a great choice. You can think of this card as a single-use printer. It's great at performing one "task," which, in this case, is to help you pay off your balance and save you on interest and potential fees.
The Citi Simplicity® credit limit varies. It's normally determined by factors such as your income, credit limits on other accounts, debt-to-income ratio, and usage.
Expert intel: “It's probably best not to pile on new purchases on the card if you intend to use it to pay off a balance from an existing card. But if you end up using the Citi Simplicity for, say, that occasional big-ticket purchase, know exactly how long the 0% APR lasts,” suggests Alvin Carlos, a certified financial planner and managing partner at District Capital Management.
And while you won't ever incur late fees with the Citi Simplicity®, aim to stick to a schedule and pay off your card each month by the due date. Why's that? For one, late payments that are more than 30 days after the due date can show up as a negative mark on your credit card.
Also, you can't transfer your balance from an existing Citi credit card to the Citi Simplicity®. It would have to be from a different card issuer altogether.
Related: Compare our top balance transfer cards.
Create a debt payoff plan.
You'll want to have a realistic plan to pay off the balance before the promo period ends. Otherwise, you could end up with a high APR on the remaining debt. It can be as simple as sitting down and doing some simple math. You can figure out how many months it'll take you to pay off the balance.
Give yourself a bit of leeway.
In other words, instead of making payments every month, create a 17-month payoff plan. That way, you can account for those months when you tend to spend more. For example, if you have a $3,000 balance and aim to crush your debt in 17 months, then your monthly payments break down to $176.47 for each payment cycle.
Set up autopay.
It's a good rule of thumb to do your best to stick to a debt payoff plan – and steer clear of falling behind on your payments. We recommend setting up autopay for at least the minimum payment. That way, you can avoid interest fees after the promo period.
Avoid late payments.
While the card doesn't have a late payment fee, you'll want to make late payments the exception and not the rule. Citi offers flexible payment dates, so you can easily change your payment due date to better fit in with your cash flow.
Switch to a rewards card once the debt has been paid off.
We recommend doing this post-debt payoff. You can look for a good no-annual-fee cash back rewards card. When you card-switch within the same card issuer, you can retain your account history. Plus, your credit won't be affected by a hard credit pull.
The Citi Simplicity® comes with multi-pronged protection. For instance, there are account alerts – which can notify you with weekly or daily pings about your transactions, balance statements, and over-the-credit-limit notifications.
Another handy security feature is fraud early warning. You can also swiftly lock your account, which helps you block new charges. At the same time, those recurring charges on your card, like your monthly utility bills or streaming subscriptions will still get paid.
Other built-in security features? You can enjoy $0 liability on unauthorized charges. This is a common – yet valuable – feature of major credit cards.
Citi features free access to the Mastercard ID Theft Protection program. This feature monitors your personal and financial information, and will ping you if fraudulent activity is detected. Although it's included with your card at no charge, you'll need to opt in by signing up.
As it goes, security features are only as good as your awareness of them – and you're making full use of them. For instance, you'll want to set up alerts based on your preferences and flow. For example, while I prefer daily pings on all my credit card transactions, I opt for weekly balance statements.
If you're looking for a new credit card, a quick search on the internet can point you toward several landing sites for the Citi Simplicity, which essentially include the same information, but in slightly different formats. For example, rates and fees, introductory offers, and annual fees.
You can also do a card-by-card comparison on Citi's main credit card landing page. You can choose to compare up to three cards. We’ve found this feature to be incredibly useful and easy to scroll through.
Trustpilot gives Citi as a whole 1.1 out of 5 stars, while Citi gets a D- rating on BBB. When it comes to the app, the Citi Mobile app on the App Store features 4.9 out of 5 stars, and is based on 3.9 million reviews. On the Google Play app, you'll find it has 4.7 out of 5 stars, and is based on over 10 million reviews.
App reviews run the gamut, from boasting about the ease of use to strong customer service. On the one-star-review side, however, users found the app to be glitchy, and new features aren't working.
When we tried reaching out to Citi's credit card department by phone:
It seems likely that Citi relies on its marketing and website to answer the majority of credit card questions and to handle the application process.
Redditors warn those curious about the Citi Simplicity® to pay close attention to the balance transfer fee. Although the 5% fee doesn't apply until four months after opening your account, users on the platform have reported experiencing it immediately after being approved for the card.
Reddit users also warn to make sure your approved credit limit covers the full balance transfer amount. If you find yourself falling short of your desired credit limit, you can try reaching out to Citi and requesting an increase in your limit.
On Quora, users nod in agreement that the Citi Simplicity® is a good choice if you're looking for a balance transfer card for at least 18 months with no fees.
“The Citi Simplicity® is a great option if you'd like some breathing room on your debt,” explains Carlos. "You're looking at a long 0% intro APR on balance transfers and purchases."
To make the most of this card, aim to use it mainly for balance transfers or a big purchase you can't pay off right away, he says. Then, aggressively pay down the balance before the 0% intro period ends.
| Citi Simplicity® | Citi Diamond Preferred® | |
| Annual fee | $0 | $0 |
| Base rewards | None | None |
| APR | 18.24% to 28.99% variable | 17.24% to 27.99% variable |
| Intro APR | 0% APR for the first 21 months | 0% APR for the first 21 months |
| Sign-on bonus | None | None |
| Late fee | None | $41 |
We reviewed credit cards in the following categories. Here's how our review process works:
The Citi Simplicity® credit card is best if you're carrying a high-interest balance on another card and you need time to pay it down without racking up more interest, says Carlos. "It's also good for someone who occasionally forgets a payment, since there's no late fee," he says.
Beyond the longer-than-average balance transfer period, the Citi Simplicity® is a no-frills card without a rewards program or added perks. If you want a card where you can rack up miles or points or tap into, say, travel benefits that come with other credit cards, you'll likely want to look elsewhere.
The main drawback of the Citi Simplicity® card is that beyond the zero-interest balance transfer period, there's no rewards program. On top of that, there are no additional perks – think purchase protection or extended warranty. If you do use this card for new purchases, note there's also a 3% foreign transaction fee when you travel.
Both the Citi Diamond Preferred® and the Citi Simplicity® feature 21 months of no interest on balance transfers and no annual fee. However, the Citi Diamond Preferred® has a 5% balance transfer fee from the start. The Citi Simplicity® comes with a 3% balance transfer fee for the first four months after you open your account. Another difference? The Citi Simplicity® also has no late fees or penalty APR.
The Citi Simplicity® credit card is primarily designed for balance transfers. To get the most out of the card, note the balance transfer fee and zero-interest period, and then create a reasonable debt payoff plan that fits within your budget and financial goals.
Editorial disclosure: This content is not provided by the issuer. Any opinions expressed are those of BestMoney.com alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the issuer.
