Introducing the new Rewards+ Card from Citi Bank – this card comes with a unique system for earning points to help you earn rewards at a quicker pace!
Upon approval, new cardmembers can earn 15,000 points signup bonus for spending $1,000 within 3 months your account is open. The value of these points are around $255. In addition, cardmembers can score 2x points on grocery and gas, up to $6,000 per year, then 1x points on everything else.
In simple terms, this is a card that you definitely don’t want to miss out on as this card has a more accessible rewards option than many of the rewards cards in the market. If you are interested in what you hear, continue reading on what more this card has to offer below!
*The Rewards+ Card is issued by CitiBank. Citi also offers great sign-up bonuses for their Checking/Savings accounts.
Table of Contents
Citi Rewards+ Card Summary
| Bonus Available | Get 30,000 bonus miles after spending $1,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of account opening. Earn up to 15,000 Flying Club bonus miles every anniversary after qualifying purchases. Earn up to 5,000 Flying Club bonus miles when you add additional authorized users. |
| *Bonus Value | $750 |
| Travel Credit | No travel credit |
| Ongoing Rewards/Benefits | Earn 3 miles per $1 spent directly on Virgin Atlantic purchases and 1.5 miles per $1 spent on all other purchases.
Earn a companion reward on a Virgin Atlantic award flight when you spend at least $25,000 in purchases annually. |
| Foreign Transaction Fees | No |
| Airport Lounge Access | N/A |
| Annual Fee | $90 |
Recommended Free Credit Score (Get Free Score) 690 – 850 (Good – Excellent)
PROS
- Bonus points
- Anniversary bonus
- LATAM discount
- Flight points bonus
- Upgrade coupons
- Partner airlines
CONS
- Annual fee
- Excellent credit needed to qualify
- Complicated rewards
- Foreign transaction fees
Editor’s Alternate Pick
Citi Rewards+ Card 15,000 Bonus Points
Take advantage of the 15,000 ThankYou bonus points offer. All you have to do is charge at least $1,000 to your card within the first 3 months of opening your account.
15,000 ThankYou points has a value of $150 with the standard redemption options. Although not the best bonus offer on the market, it’s a great one for a no-annual-fee card. See the next section on how these points could be worth up to an average $255.
Here are some ideas on meeting the spending requirement:
| • Plastiq - Using Plastiq allows you to pay for your personal expenses such as rent, tuition, mortgage, auto lease etc. Although they charge a 2.5% processing fee for using your credit card, this will contribute to the card bonus that you will receive. There is also a referral program that allows you to earn "Free-Free Dollars" that goes towards processing fees as well. |
| • Funding Checking Accounts - When it comes to funding a checking account, opening your initial deposit with a credit card is the usual way to go about it. However, if you want to have more opportunities, you should open a checking account that offers a sign-up bonus. This allows you to work towards bonuses from not one but two different sources instead. Banks like Chase, Huntington Bank, TD Bank and BBVA offers credit card funding, and for your opening deposit, you can often fund anywhere from $50-$1000 with a credit card, depending on the bank. |
| • Gift Card Purchases With Using a Credit Card - Another way to acquire the bonus is using your credit card to purchase gift cards. Buying a a gift card or an individual merchant card typically do not require a purchase fee and are used towards leisure, so gift cards are ideal. However, gift cards such as a Visa or American Express do incur purchase fees because they can be spent anywhere, but gift cards that are specifically for a certain online shopping site such as Amazon or eBay don't. |
| As for a Citi Credit Card, you should call customer service and ask them to lower your Cash Advance limit to $0 before making any purchases because Citi tends to read gift card purchases as a Cash Advance. Ideally, you should do this with any card just to be safe. Lastly, there is such thing as a discounted gift card which can be purchased on Raise or eBay. If you use a credit card often for everyday purchases, it can build your credit score that will contribute towards paying for things such as bills and taxes. |
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What Are ThankYou Points Worth?
The “basic” ThankYou points you earn on Citi Rewards+ don’t have the same redemption power as “normal” ThankYou points. As a Rewards+ cardholder, you can only transfer your points to JetBlue (more on that later).
Other redemption options include:
- Travel booked through the ThankYou Travel center
- Merchandise at Amazon.com or BestBuy.com
- Gift cards
- Statement credits
All have a per-point value of $0.01. This valuation is neither good or bad. It’s what you would get for your points, on average, across different rewards cards.
If you want more value for your points, pair your Rewards+ Card with Citi Prestige or Citi Premier. Moving your Rewards+ ThankYou Points to your Prestige or Premier card account allows you to transfer to all airline partners – not just JetBlue. This boosts your per-point value to $0.017. So the value of your Citi Rewards+ signup bonus increases from $150 to $255.
Pairing the other cards with the Rewards+ Card is worthwhile because of the differences in higher earning categories. The Citi Prestige earns higher rewards on Air Travel, Restaurants, Hotels and Cruises. The Citi Premier earns higher on Travel (including gas stations), Restaurants and Entertainment.
Here are the transfer partners available to Citi Prestige and Citi Premier cardholders.
Citi ThankYou Points Transfer Partners
| Airline | Loyalty Program |
| Air France | Flying Blue |
| Avianca | LifeMiles |
| Cathay Pacific | Asia Miles |
| Etihad | Guest Miles |
| EVA Air | Infinity MileageLands |
| Garuda Indonesia | Frequent Flyer |
| Jet Airways | JetPrivilege |
| JetBlue | TrueBlue |
| Malaysia Airlines | Enrich |
| Qantas | Frequent Flyer |
| Qatar Airways | Privilege Club |
| Singapore Airlines | KrisFlyer |
| Thai Airways | Royal Orchid Plus |
| Turkish Airways | Miles & Smiles |
| Virgin Atlantic | Flying Club |
Why You Should Apply for This Card
Citi Rewards+ rounds up earnings on all purchases to the nearest 10 points. If you spent $21 on lunch (non-category spend), you’ll earn 30 ThankYou points instead of 21.
This also means you’re guaranteed to earn a minimum of 10 points on every purchase. So it’s a useful feature if you often make purchases under $10.
Citi Rewards+ gives 10% of your redeemed points back. You’ll get it at the end of each calendar year, for up to 100,000 redeemed points. That means a maximum of 10,000 ThankYou points back annually, which is a $100 value.
All cardholders benefit from a suite of Citi services, including:
- Citi Private Pass. Buy tickets to concerts, sporting events, comedy shows and more before they’re open to the general public. Look out for exclusive VIP packages to certain events.
- Citi Concierge. 24/7 assistance for booking a flight or hotel, arranging a special night out and even finding the perfect gift for that special someone. Help is just a phone call away.
Bottom Line
There is a new card being introduced and it’s highly talked about. The Citi Rewards+ Card has an innovative way of earning points and rewards quicker. There is no annual fee as well as low intro rate on purchases and balance transfers.
With a signup bonus of 15,000 points for spending $1,000 within 3 months, this card will definitely allow you to rack up points. Not only that but you will earn up to 2x points on grocery and gas, up to $6,000 per year, then 1x thereafter.
If this is not the card for you, check out the Citi Prestige or Citi Premier, or feel free to check out our full list of the best credit card bonuses to find out which one suits your needs.
(Visit Citibank for more details)
What’s The Competition?
Below are some of the top competitors to the Citi Rewards+ credit card you should consider.
Looking For More Flexibility?
The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card earns a flat rate on all purchases. There are no categories to keep track of. Its got a nice sign-up bonus as well.
 The Capital One® Quicksilver® Cash Rewards Card offers a one-time $150 cash bonus after spending $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening. You'll be able to earn an unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day with no rotating categories or sign-ups needed to earn cash rewards. This card comes with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees which makes this card a viable option for your go-to everyday card. |
Looking For Another Category Rewards Card?
The Chase Freedom card is a popular cash back card and earns 5% on quarterly rotating categories. Historically, gas stations and grocery stores have been included in these rotating categories. The Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express will have categories similar to the Citi Rewards+ Card.
 The Chase Freedom® Card offers a $150 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. You'll earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate and an unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. You cash back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open and there is no minimum to redeem for cash back. This card has no annual fee and you'll get a free credit score that's updated weekly with Credit JourneySM. |
| PROMOTIONAL LINK | OFFER | REVIEW |
| Chase Ink Business PreferredSM Card | 80,000 Points | Review |
| Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card | 60,000 Points | Review |
| Chase Ink Business UnlimitedSM Credit Card | $500 Cash | Review |
| Chase Ink Business CashSM Card | $500 Cash | Review |
| Chase Freedom® | $150 Cash | Review |
| Chase Freedom Unlimited® | 3% Cash Back | Review |
| UnitedSM Explorer Business Card | Up to 100,000 Miles | Review |
| ABOC Platinum Rewards Mastercard® | $150 Cash | Review |
Editorial Note: The editorial content on this page is not provided by any bank, credit card issuer, airline, or hotel chain, and has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of the bank, credit card issuer, airline, or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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