With so many rewards credit cards on the market, how do you know if a card is worth a place in your wallet? Let’s take a look at one card, the Citi Rewards+® Card, and see if its rewards, perks and benefits are worth it.
For those looking to earn rewards without paying an annual fee, the Citi Rewards+ card can be a worthwhile option. It comes with a welcome bonus, an annual redemption bonus, and a bonus rollup feature, all of which help you earn more rewards points.
When is the Citi Rewards+ card worth buying?
You don’t want to pay an annual fee
Because the Citi Rewards+ Card is a card with no annual fee, there are no additional annual fees to justify. Sometimes these transportation costs cause cardholders to overspend on their credit cards. Thankfully, you don’t have to worry about spending enough on the card to earn enough rewards to cover the annual fee.
Do you want to earn a welcome bonus
The Citi Rewards+ card allows you to earn a welcome bonus of 20,000 points after you spend $1,500 on the card within three months of account opening. These points can be redeemed for a $200 gift card at ThankYou.com, one of the most valuable ways to redeem points.
You want to earn rewards for groceries and gas expenses
Earn twice as many points on your purchases at supermarkets and gas stations (1 x point on purchases up to $6,000 per year). You’ll also earn 1X points on all other purchases. Earn 12,000 points ($120 value) on your first $6,000 in purchases if you spend the most in the Grocery Store and Gas Station categories.
They want lots of ways to redeem rewards
The Citi Rewards+ card offers a variety of ways to redeem rewards, including bank statements, gift cards, shopping with points (on Amazon.com or PayPal), and travel through the Citi portal.
It is important to note that the Citi Rewards+ card can only accrue ‘regular’ ThankYou points, not regular Citi ThankYou points. Technically, basic ThankYou points are not a Citi-approved rewards currency, but we can differentiate the two types of ThankYou points in the following ways. The main difference is that basic ThankYou points are not transferable to Citi travel partners (usually the more valuable redemption option). However, you can still use your basic ThankYou points to book travel through Citi for 1 cent per point.
They want ways to earn more rewards
This card features a points rollup feature that rounds the points you earn on purchases to the nearest 10 points. Let’s say you spend $36.50 at the gas station. You will not be awarded 73 points for this purchase, your points will be rounded up to 80 points. While this isn’t a key factor in earning points, it’s a nice perk that can help you maximize your rewards.
Plus, get 10% back on the first 100,000 points redeemed each year. Taking advantage of this will set you back 10,000 points, which could be worth a $100 gift card.
Should you get a Citi Rewards+ card?
You should get this card if:
- You don’t want to pay an annual fee, but you can still get rewards for groceries and gas expenses.
- They are not interested in transferring points to airline or hotel partners for a higher redemption value.
- They spend exactly or less than $6,000 a year on groceries and gas.
You should not receive this card if:
- They spend more than $6,000 a year on groceries and gas.
- You prefer a high-quality point exchange rate.
- You are a travel enthusiast and want to collect travel rewards.
