Citi Rewards Plus Credit Card: Everything You Need To Know

The Citi Rewards Plus card offers one of the more-unique cardholder benefits: A minimum of 10 bonus points for every purchase. But is a gimmick a reason to get a credit card? Or is gimmick truly valuable?

This Article Will Cover

• 3 Reasons You Might Consider Applying For The Citi Rewards Plus Card
• The Most Lucrative Bonuses Offered By The Citi Rewards Plus Card
• How Does The Citi Rewards Program Work?
• Are There Better Alternatives To The Citi Rewards Plus Card?
• How Do Citi Cards Compare To Other Mileage And Cash Back Cards?

3 Reasons You Might Consider Applying For The Citi Rewards Plus Card

1. The 10-points-per-expense bonus, regardless of how small your purchase is.

2. 10% Rebate when you redeem points.

3. $100 statement credit when buying ticket through Live Nation.

Citi Rewards Plus Card Details

Aside from the three points mentioned above, the Citi Rewards Plus card also includes:

• No annual fee
• 2x points on groceries and gas, up to $6,000 in purchases per year; 1x points thereafter in those two categories.
• 1x points on all other expenses.
• Earn 15,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 in purchases with your card within 3 months of account opening; redeemable for $150 in gift cards at thankyou.com. That’s not terrible, though you will find substantially larger welcome bonuses with other cards.

The Most Lucrative Bonuses Offered By The Citi Rewards Plus Card

10 points per purchase: If you make lots of small purchases on your credit card, then this might be a good card for you. Because no matter how small the purchase, you will get 10 points. Spend $1 on stamps — get 10 points. Spend less than a dollar on candy or gum or whatever — get 10 points.

That’s not a bad perk, since most credit cards pay you just 1 mile or 1 point per dollar spent.

10% points rebate: Each year, Citi returns to your account 10% of all the points you redeemed during the year on the first 100,000 points redeemed. Again, that’s not a bad perk since it means you can stretch your points further.

$100 statement credit: For fans of concerts and other live events, Citi Rewards Plus will award you a $100 statement credit when you use your card to pay for at least $100 worth of tickets from Live Nation, one of the largest live-music event promoters. Once again, a decent perk, if live events are part of your lifestyle.

How Does The Citi Rewards Program Work?

Citi credit cards come in all flavors when it comes to reward programs.

Some cards give you airline miles; some offer cash back. Citi Rewards Plus dishes out Thank You points, which are a slightly different animal. So, you earn neither miles nor cash back points, but a reward that is proprietary to Citi – those Citi Thank You points.

You don’t redeem Thank You points directly with an airline or for cash back. Instead, you redeem your Citi Thank You points through Citi’s own portal, or for statement credit or gift cards. Citi says consumers can “choose from over a thousand great rewards – many starting at just 1,000 points.” Through the Citi portal, 1,000 points are worth, for example, a $10 Starbucks gift card. That math tells you the points are worth 1 cent each, which is on the lower end for many credit cards.

You can transfer points to JetBlue’s TrueBlue rewards, but the ratio of 5 Thank You points for 4 TrueBlue miles means you lose 20% of your points value.

Who’s The Right Consumer For The Citi Rewards Plus Card?

Because Citi awards 10 Thank Your points for every purchase, the Citi Rewards Plus card can be a pretty good choice if you use your credit card to pay for small purchases every day, such as a $4 latte, for instance, or even to buy $1 worth of stamps at the post office.

Citi also rounds every purchase to the nearest 10. So, for example, if you spend $32 at dinner, Citi will credit you with 40 Thank You points.

Your small purchases, and the round-up feature means you will collect Thank You points at a faster pace.

It’s also a decent card if you’re not a traveler (since airline miles won’t be important to you) and if you like getting gift cards for the places where you regularly spend money.

Who Should Skip It

Anyone with less-than “good” credit. You likely won’t be approved.

Anyone looking for a more-meaningful sign-up bonus that will help you earn a free airline ticket or a sizeable chunk of cash back, this isn’t the card for you. The 10,000-point sign-up won’t go very far.

Anyone who wants to use accumulated points more effectively when it comes to booking travel, or if you want cash back, then you should likely look for a better option.

Anyone who travels overseas. The Citi Rewards Plus card imposes a 3% foreign transaction fee, which can add substantial hidden costs to your trip.

Are There Better Alternatives To The Citi Rewards Plus Card?

Like I mentioned a moment ago, Citi cards come in all kinds of flavors when it comes to reward options.

Which one is best for you depends entirely on what you most want from a rewards-based credit card – cash back or miles?

If you want miles, then it’s the:

Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard: This card is tied to American Airlines and it’s AAdvantage mileage program. 50,000 bonus AAdvantage miles at sign up after you spend $2,500 in the first three months. No foreign transaction fees. 2x miles on eligible American Airlines purchases; 2x miles at restaurants and gas stations; 1x on all other purchases. $100 American Airlines flight discount when you renew your card after spending $20,000 in your card membership year. Preferred boarding and first checked-bag free. No annual fee in the first year; $99 thereafter.

CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard: If you’re a business owner, this card is similar to the one above, but comes with some added perks. 50,000 bonus miles after $3,000 in spending in the first three months, but the ability to earn an additional 10,000 miles (for a total of 60,000 bonus miles) after spending $10,000 in the first year. 25% savings on American Airlines inflight WiFi. Earn an American Airlines companion certificate after spending $30,000 in purchases each membership year (when you renew). 2x miles on eligible American Airlines purchases; 2x on telecom, cable/satellite, car rental and gas stations; 1x miles on everything else. First checked-bag free and preferred boarding. No foreign transaction fees. Earn miles for each authorized user.

If you want cash back, then it’s:

Citi Double Cash^® Card: 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months. Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time.
Plus, a special travel offer, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/25. No annual fee.

How Do Citi Cards Compare To Other Mileage And Cash Back Cards?

The Citi Double Cash card compares quite well, since 2% cash back exceeds the 1% to 1.5% that is fairly common. Two cards that are slightly better are:

Capital One Savor Cash Rewards: $300 cash back bonus after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months. Unlimited 4% cash back on dining and entertainment expenses; 2% cash back at grocery stores; 1% back on all other purchases. In addition, because of a new partnership with Vivid Seats, get 8% cash back on tickets for live shows, concerts, sporting events, and other similar events through May 2020. Annual fee: $0 intro for first year; $95 after that thereafter.

Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards: 0% rate on balance transfer and purchases for 15 months. $150 cash bonus after spending $500 in the first 3 months, and an unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase. No annual fee, and no foreign transaction fees.

American Express Blue Cash Preferred: $200 statement credit after you spend $1,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 3 months. 6% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%). 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations. 1% Cash Back on other purchases. $95 annual fee.

As for good mileage cards:

Capital One Venture Rewards: 50,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 in first 3 months. 2x miles on every purchase. Annual fee: $0 intro for first year; $95 after that thereafter.

The Wrap Up

At the end of the day, the Citi Rewards Plus credit card is a middle-of-the-pack credit card. It has some OK features, and the minimum accumulation of 10 points per purchase, no matter how small can be a benefit to certain consumers, particularly those that make lots of little purchases.

But the sign-up bonus is mediocre, at best. And the redemption features for the points you accumulate isn’t the best.

Still, if can make sense for certain consumers who don’t generally care about travel rewards or direct cash back, and are happy with statement credits or turning their points into gift cards for the items they regularly purchase, like, for instance, Starbucks coffee.

But we want to know: Do you Citi Rewards Plus card a compelling offer?

Let us know in the comments below.