The Citi Rewards+® Card offers a unique points rounding feature that bumps up every purchase to the nearest 10 points, plus earns extra rewards at supermarkets and gas stations for the first $6,000 spent annually. This basic rewards card shines for small purchases and becomes more valuable paired with premium Citi cards that unlock point transfers to travel partners.
This credit card review will cover everything you need to know about this card to determine if you should add this card or a different card to your wallet. Let’s dive right in.
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- Round Up to the Nearest 10 points on Every Purchase.
- For a Limited Time, earn 5 ThankYou Points per $1 spent on Hotel, Car Rentals, and Attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel Portal through June 30, 2024.
- 2x Points at Supermarkets and Gas Stations
- 10% Points Back up to 15,000 Extra Points
- No Annual Fee
Welcome Bonus
The Citi Rewards+ Card currently offers the following welcome bonus: bonus_miles_full
Before jumping at this offer, you should know about a key restriction – you won’t be eligible for the bonus if you’ve received a new cardmember bonus for a Citi Rewards+ account in the past 48 months.
Earning Points
The Citi Rewards+ Card earns ThankYou points at the following rates:
The 2x multiplier at supermarkets and gas stations provides decent but not industry-leading returns, with several other no-fee cards offering better grocery rewards.
You’ll likely want to pair this with a premium card that earns transferable points to maximize value, as the basic ThankYou points earned by this card alone have limited redemption options.
No Annual Fee
The Citi Rewards+ Card comes with no annual fee, making it an appealing option for those who want to earn rewards without paying yearly costs.
The card’s value proposition includes features like rounding up points to the nearest 10 on every purchase and providing 10% points back on redemptions up to 100,000 points per calendar year.
Rewards+ Card Benefits
The Citi Rewards+ Card lacks many benefits standard with many popular no annual fee cards, but does offer the following: Intro APR: Enjoy a 0% introductory annual percentage rate on balance transfers and purchases for the first 15 months of opening the card. After that, the APR will be reg_apr,reg_apr_type based on your creditworthiness. Points Back on Redemptions: Each time you redeem your ThankYou points, you’ll get 10% of them back up to the first 100,000 points redeemed per calendar year. This effectively increases the value of your redemptions without any extra effort on your part. You can maximize this benefit by strategically timing your redemptions. Citi Entertainment Access: Skip the general admission lines and get special access to thousands of events, including presale tickets and VIP packages. This perk opens doors to exclusive experiences across concerts, sporting events, and dining. Citi Concierge: Get personalized assistance with travel planning, dining reservations, and entertainment bookings through your dedicated concierge service. Your concierge can help research options and make arrangements.
Redeeming Rewards
The Citi Rewards+ Card offers unique benefits when it comes to redeeming your points. One standout feature is getting 10% of your points back on the first 100,000 points you redeem each year. This means if you redeem 50,000 points, you’ll get 5,000 points back automatically – a nice bonus that helps stretch your rewards further.
On its own, you can redeem your ThankYou points for gift cards or travel through the Citi portal at a rate of 1 cent per point. You’ll also have the option to use points for online shopping at Amazon and Best Buy, though these typically offer lower value at 0.8 cents per point.
The real magic happens when you pair the Rewards+ with a Citi Strata Premier℠ Card or Prestige card. This combo unlocks the ability to transfer points to Citi’s airline partners like Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, and Emirates Skywards. You can book premium cabin awards through these programs, often getting significantly more value per point. Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer is particularly useful for booking Singapore’s renowned business class.
The 10% points rebate applies even when transferring to airline partners, making this no-annual-fee card an excellent complement to other Citi cards. Without a premium Citi card, you’re better off sticking to gift cards and travel portal bookings to get consistent value from your points. Remember that statement credits offer the lowest value at just 0.5 cents per point, so they should typically be your last choice for redemptions.
Pros and Cons
Here are the advantages and disadvantages of this card:
Pros:
Unique Points Rounding: The card rounds up every purchase to the nearest 10 points, making it excellent for small purchases. Even a $1 purchase earns 10 points, providing exceptional value on minor transactions.
Points Rebate: You’ll receive 10% of your points back on the first 100,000 points redeemed each calendar year, effectively boosting the value of your rewards with no extra effort.
No Annual Fee: You can keep this card long-term without paying anything, making it an easy addition to your wallet while potentially helping your credit score through increased account age.
Cons:
Limited Earning Structure: The 2x points at supermarkets and gas stations is capped at $6,000 per year, and the base 1x earning rate on other purchases isn’t competitive with other no-annual-fee cards.
Foreign Transaction Fees: The 3% foreign transaction fee makes this card impractical for international travel or purchases.
Transfer Partner Restrictions: On its own, the card doesn’t allow transfers to travel partners – you need another premium Citi card to unlock this valuable feature.
Basic Card Benefits: The card lacks meaningful travel protections, purchase protections, or other premium benefits that some competing no-annual-fee cards offer.
Alternatives to the Citi Rewards+
Now that you know about this credit card’s various benefits and pros and cons, it’s time to see its alternatives.
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® (review) sets itself apart with 1.5% back on non-bonus purchases, plus higher rewards in select categories including dining and travel. This flexible rewards card becomes even more valuable when paired with a premium Chase card, allowing you to transfer your rewards to travel partners. Welcome Bonus: bonus_miles_full Earning Cash Back: 5% back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; 3% back on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services; 3% back on drugstore purchases; 1.5% back on all other purchases CaBenefits: Purchase protection, extended warranty, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, secondary rental car insurance, and 0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, after that reg_apr,reg_apr_type APR applies; 
Citi Strata Premier℠ Card
The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card stands out for its impressive 3x points earning on everyday purchases including restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, and travel. While its redemption options might not match competitors like Chase or Amex, you’ll still get solid value through airline transfer partners and travel bookings. Welcome Bonus: 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening. Earning Points: 10x points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through the Citi Travel portal; 3x points on airfare, hotels, gas stations, EV charging, supermarkets, and restaurants. Card Benefits: $100 annual hotel credit on bookings of $500+ through the Citi travel portal, no foreign transaction fees, trip delay insurance, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, secondary rental car insurance, and Mastercard World Elite benefits.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (review) is one of the most popular travel rewards cards because it offers nice welcome bonus and extra points on travel and dining, which can be transferred to airline and hotel partners or redeemed directly for travel at a rate of 1.25 cents per point through Chase Travel℠. The Sapphire Preferred also offers great travel and purchase protections for a card with a $95 annual fee. Welcome Bonus: bonus_miles_full Earning Rewards: 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3x points on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2x points on all other travel purchases, and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases. Card Benefits: Ability to transfer to airline and hotel partners, 25% bonus when redeeming points through Chase Travel, $50 annual hotel stay credit via Chase Travel, 10% anniversary points bonus, no foreign transaction fees, primary rental car insurance, trip delay insurance, trip cancellation insurance, baggage delay insurance, purchase protection, and extended warranty. Transfer Partners: Aer Lingus, Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways, Emirates, Air France KLM Flying Blue, Hyatt, IHG, Iberia, JetBlue, Marriott, Singapore KrisFlyer, Southwest, United, and Virgin Atlantic.
Is the Rewards+ Worth It?
I’ve found the Citi Rewards+ Card to be a perfect companion to the Citi Strata Premier, as this combination allows point transfers to travel partners while offering a unique round-up feature that turns even $1 purchases into 10 points.
While the double points at supermarkets and gas stations aren’t particularly competitive compared to other cards in my wallet, I’ve found tremendous value in using this card specifically for small purchases where the round-up feature can boost the earning rate significantly.
I wouldn’t use this card abroad due to foreign transaction fees, but I’ve found it’s excellent for those $1-5 purchases where getting 10 points represents an exceptional return.
I’d suggest anyone with a Citi Strata Premier℠ Card consider adding this no-annual-fee card primarily for small purchases and to get 10% of their points back when redeeming – it’s essentially free value for holding the card.
