Citi Rewards+ Card Review: Round Up Points With No Annual Fee

Citi Rewards+ Card Review: Round Up Points With No Annual Fee

13
In the interest of full disclosure, OMAAT earns a referral bonus for anyone that’s approved through some of the below links. Citi is an advertising partner of OMAAT. These are the best publicly available offers (terms apply) that we have found for each product or service. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of the bank, credit card issuer, airline, hotel chain, or product manufacturer/service provider, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Please check out our advertiser policy for further details about our partners, and thanks for your support! The offer for the Citi Rewards+® Card has expired. Learn more about the current offers here.

Link: Apply now for the Citi Rewards+® Card

The Citi Rewards+® Card is one of the best no annual fee credit cards out there. If you have a credit card that earns Citi ThankYou points, then you should also have the Citi Rewards+ Card, since the card can be worth having even if you don’t spend much money on it. Let’s take a closer look at the details of this card.

Citi Rewards+ Card Details For November 2024

The Citi Rewards+ Card is a no annual fee card that a lot of people could benefit from. It has some features that you won’t find on other cards, like the ability to round up points on every purchase, valuable bonus categories, and a rebate on points redemptions.

This card is also a fantastic complement to cards earning Citi ThankYou points, like the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card (review), which is worth considering.

Citi Rewards+ Card Welcome Bonus Of 20K Points & More

The Citi Rewards+ Card is currently offering a welcome bonus where you can earn 20,000 bonus ThankYou points after spending $1,500 within the first three months.

This is a decent bonus for a no annual fee card. Note that terms were recently changed so that you’re eligible for this card and bonus even if you’ve had it in the past. This card used to be subjected to Citi’s 24-month rule, but that no longer seems to be the case.

Citi’s typical application rules still apply, like that you can be approved for at most one Citi card every eight days, and at most two Citi cards every 65 days.

This card is also potentially available to you as a downgrade option. For example, if you have the Citi Strata Premier or Citi Prestige and keep it for at least a year, you should be able to later downgrade it to the Citi Rewards+.

Redeem Citi ThankYou points for Turkish business class

Citi Rewards+ Card 2x Points Bonus Categories

The Citi Rewards+ Card has a couple of useful bonuses that make this card worthwhile. The card offers 2x ThankYou points at supermarkets and gas stations, for the first $6,000 spent per calendar year (and then 1x points after that)

Supermarkets and gas stations are both potentially valuable bonus categories, given that these are common everyday expenses for many families. Do note that the Citi Rewards+ has foreign transaction fees, so I wouldn’t recommend using the card abroad.

Earn 2x Citi ThankYou points at grocery stores

Citi Rewards+ Card Rounds Up Purchases

The Citi Rewards+ Card has a further interesting rewards bonus — it rounds up purchases to the nearest 10 ThankYou points.

The round up feature of this card is especially useful, since even a $1 purchase would net you 10 ThankYou points. You can even combine the two bonus categories. If you spend $6 at a supermarket (and were under the $6,000 spend cap) you’d earn 20 points — 12 points for earning 2x points, and then it would be rounded up to 20 points.

I like when card issuers think outside the box, and in this case, Citi was clearly thinking outside the box. Getting these kinds of bonus categories for a no annual fee card is great.

Citi Rewards+ Card 10% Points Back On Redemptions

In addition to the 2x points and “rounding up” feature, the Citi Rewards+ Card also offers a nice perk when redeeming points, which is my favorite feature of this card.

When you have the Citi Rewards+ Card you get 10% points back for the first 100,000 ThankYou points you redeem per calendar year.

In other words, assuming you redeem at least 100,000 ThankYou points per year (even if they’re earned with the Citi Strata Premier Card), just having the Citi Rewards+ will earn you the equivalent of 10,000 points every year. That’s a fantastic incentive to hold onto this no annual fee card. Even transferring points to the ThankYou airline and hotel partners would trigger this.

Get 10% of Citi ThankYou points back on redemptions

Citi Rewards+ Card No Annual Fee

I said it above, and I want to emphasize it again — the Citi Rewards+ Card has no annual fee, so this is a card you can hold onto without it costing you anything. Having some cards long term can also be great for your credit score, since it helps your average age of accounts.

What Points Does The Citi Rewards+ Card Earn?

While the Citi Rewards+ Card earns ThankYou points, independently these points can’t be transferred to Citi ThankYou airline and hotel partners, which is my preferred use of ThankYou points.

However, if you have this card in conjunction with the Citi Strata Premier Card or Citi Prestige Card, then you can pool points at thankyou.com, and redeem points that way. You should be able to link this card with other Citi cards using your Citibank login.

Assuming you plan on having the Citi Strata Premier Card or Citi Prestige Card, this card will essentially earn points that can be transferred to airlines and hotel partners, which is fantastic.

Redeem Citi ThankYou points for Singapore business class

How Much Are Citi ThankYou Points Worth?

Personally I value Citi ThankYou points at 1.7 cents each when they can be transferred to an airline or hotel partner. That’s how much I value most of the major transferrable points currencies. It’s awesome to be able to transfer Citi ThankYou points to programs like Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Emirates Skywards, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, and more.

The points you earn on the Citi Rewards+ Card can be worth that if you have the card in conjunction with the Citi Strata Premier Card. However, independently points earned on the card are only worth a cent each, so that’s not quite as valuable. If you’re going to get the Citi Rewards+ Card, I’d mainly recommend doing so in conjunction with the Citi Premier Card.

I value Citi ThankYou points highly for the travel redemption opportunities

Is The Citi Rewards+ Card Worth It?

The Citi Rewards+ Card is a fantastic complement to the Citi Strata Premier Card. This is true even if you don’t plan on spending much money on the Citi Rewards+ Card, as you’ll basically receive 10,000 ThankYou points back every year just for having this card, assuming you redeem at least 100,000 ThankYou points per year.

On top of that, the Citi Rewards+ Card can be worth it for small purchases with the ability to have your purchases rounded up to the nearest 10 ThankYou points. If you’re in the Citi ThankYou points ecosystem, then you absolutely should have this card so that you’re maximizing your value.

Citi Rewards+ Vs. Citi Double Cash

My two favorite no annual fee Citi cards are the Citi Rewards+ Card and the Citi Double Cash® Card (review). The way I view it, the Citi Double Cash is the all-around best no annual fee card:

  • The Citi Double Cash earns 1x ThankYou points when you make a purchase, and 1x ThankYou points when you pay for that purchase
  • In conjunction with the Citi Strata Premier, rewards earned on the Citi Double Cash can also be transferred to airline & hotel partners, making them significantly more valuable than one cent each (otherwise each point can be redeemed for one cent)
  • This essentially means that the Citi Double Cash can earn you two transferable ThankYou points per dollar spent

With that in mind, I think both of these cards can make a lot of sense:

  • The Citi Double Cash is an incredibly well-rounded card for everyday spending, whether you’re looking to earn cash back or rewards points
  • The Citi Rewards+ is great for small purchases and for the 10% rebate on redemptions, and a fantastic complement to the Citi Strata Premier

Personally, I would recommend having both of these cards if possible — after all, there’s no real cost to holding onto them, given the lack of annual fees. At a minimum, you’ll want to pick up one of the cards as a complement to the Citi Strata Premier Card, given the huge value of having a good credit card duo.

An amazing three card combination

Bottom Line

The Citi Rewards+ Card is a no annual fee card that can add value for earning and redeeming ThankYou points, so it’s a great complement to the Citi Strata Premier Card. You can earn bonus points in certain categories, and have your purchases rounded up to the nearest 10 points.

On top of that, having this card will get you up to 10,000 points back per year, thanks to the 10% refund credit on redemptions. It’s fantastic to see the way that Citi has continued to build its portfolio of cards that earn ThankYou points.

All that being said, if I could just choose one Citi no annual fee card, I’d go with the Citi Double Cash Card, as it’s one of my go-to card for everyday spending.

If you want to learn more about the Citi Rewards+ Card or apply, follow this link.

Conversations (13)
The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.
Type your response here.

If you'd like to participate in the discussion, please adhere to our commenting guidelines. Anyone can comment, and your email address will not be published. Register to save your unique username and earn special OMAAT reputation perks!

  1. Pam Guest

    Does anybody know if you can use a Double Cash or a Rewards+ card to pool TYP with a Custom Cash fot transfer TYP to somebody else (can’t do only with the Custom Cash)? Or is a Premiere or Prestige required? Thanks

    1. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ Pam -- The Citi Custom Cash, Citi Double Cash, and Citi Rewards+ Card, are all in the same boat when it comes to requiring a premium card to transfer points to someone else for redemptions.

    2. Pam Guest

      OK thanks Ben, I just find it odd that Citi expressly states in their T&Cs only Custom Cash card customers are not eligible to share points (why wouldn't they also include R+ & DC?).

  2. Art_Czar Gold

    For hobbyists collecting transferable TY points, these 3 no AF Citi cards will perfectly complement their main-stay Premier (or Prestige) card:
    1) Rewards+ 10% rebate on points transferred (when TY accounts linked). Maximize earning points on purchases less than $5.
    2) Custom Cash - 5x points in any one purchase category per month.
    3) Double Cash - 2x points on all other non-bonus category spend.

  3. Daniel B. Guest

    I was about to apply for the Citi Double Cash because it now has a 20k bonus. I opened a Citi Premier 12 months ago. Based on what you wrote, it seems I am not eligible for the bonus on that , is that correct?

    1. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ Daniel B. -- The Citi Double Cash is considered separately from other Citi ThankYou cards when it comes to bonus eligibility, so you should still be eligible.

  4. Kanaka Gold

    Hmm... The 5 most recent articles here are about credit cards.

    1. Kanaka Gold

      Correction: It's now 6. I'll keep coming for the reviews though. Ben's reviews are much more detailed and helpful than other travel blogs.

    2. Greg Guest

      He literally just got a new baby and is spending quality time with him, let's cut Ben some slack...

    3. Eskimo Guest

      It's a blog that is supported by credit cards.

      No cards = No blog
      Newborn = No travel

      So, you're going to see a lot more credit cards, politics, and gossip for at least 6 months. Basically VFTW with fewer clickbaits.

    4. LEo Diamond

      7 right now, even writing industry news first published somewhere else at this point would be more beneficial as I believe in sg, all our credit cards are trash compared to American ones

Featured Comments Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ).

The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.

LEo Diamond

8 Now....

1
LEo Diamond

7 right now, even writing industry news first published somewhere else at this point would be more beneficial as I believe in sg, all our credit cards are trash compared to American ones

1
Eskimo Guest

It's a blog that is supported by credit cards. No cards = No blog Newborn = No travel So, you're going to see a lot more credit cards, politics, and gossip for at least 6 months. Basically VFTW with fewer clickbaits.

1
Meet Ben Schlappig, OMAAT Founder
5,163,247 Miles Traveled

32,614,600 Words Written

35,045 Posts Published