A higher bonus and no annual fee: Earn 20K points with the Citi Rewards+ Card

Aug. 12, 2021

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5 min read

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The Citi ThankYou program has gotten a lot of attention recently, thanks to the Citi Premier® Card unveiling its historically high 80,000-point sign-up bonus after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.

TPG values ThankYou points at 1.7 cents each, as you can take advantage of Citi's 15-plus airline transfer partners to score the redemption flights of your dreams.

And now, Citi has done it again by introducing an updated sign-up bonus on its no-annual-fee cash-back card, the Citi Rewards+® Card.

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(Photo by John Gribben for The Points Guy)

New cardmembers will enjoy 20,000 ThankYou bonus points after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. This equates to $200 in gift cards on the Citi ThankYou portal, but if you pair this card with one of Citi's premium cards (the Citi Premier® Card or Citi Prestige® Card), this bonus is worth $340 according to TPG valuations — a pretty great offer for a no-annual-fee card.

The information for the Citi Prestige has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

The Citi Rewards+ isn't your average cash-back card. It comes with the ability to round up your points to the nearest 10, meaning your $3 pack of gum will automatically earn 10 points, and your $12 lunch will earn 20 points. These extra points will certainly add up over time, so it's nice to be rewarded even for the smallest of purchases. You'll also get back 10% of the points you redeem per year (up to 100,000 points), which is a rare feature that isn't found anywhere else.

Apply here for the 20,000-point bonus on the Citi Rewards+ Card.

Why you should pair the Citi Rewards+ with your premium Citi cards

If you're already an existing cardholder of the Citi Premier or Citi Prestige card, opening the Citi Rewards+ is an easy way to earn a nice stash of ThankYou points (a solid 20,000, to be exact). You can then transfer all the points earned to your premium Citi cards to access Citi's airline transfer partners.

Let's compare the earning rates of the three cards to see how the Citi Rewards+ can fit into your long-term cards strategy.

Card	Earning rate
Citi Rewards+	2 ThankYou points per dollar at supermarkets and gas stations (on the first $6,000 per year, then 1x). 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.
Citi Premier	3 points per dollar on restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel and hotels. 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.
Citi Prestige (no longer available to new applicants)	5 points per dollar on restaurants, airlines and travel agencies. 3 points per dollar at hotels and cruise lines. 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.

While the Citi Rewards+ bonus categories overlap with both the Citi Premier and Citi Prestige, remember that all your points get rounded up to the nearest 10. This makes the Citi Rewards+ a solid card for non-bonus spending, as you'll be able to sweep up those additional points that you wouldn't normally earn on the Premier or Prestige.

Related: Maximizing the Citi Quadfecta

Citi Rewards+ Card sign-up bonus eligibility

If you're intrigued by the Citi Rewards+ card, make sure you go over the eligibility requirements for the sign-up bonus:

Bonus ThankYou® Points are not available if you received a new cardmember bonus for Citi Rewards+®, Citi ThankYou® Preferred, Citi ThankYou® Premier/Citi Premier® or Citi Prestige®, or if you have closed any of these accounts, in the past 24 months.

This restriction only allows you to earn the sign-up bonus on the Citi Rewards+ if you haven't earned a bonus from another ThankYou points card in the last 24 months. If you've held the Citi Premier or Prestige for more than 24 months, then this restriction doesn't apply to you. But if you don't already own the Citi Premier card (the Citi Prestige is not open for new applicants), you should consider applying for the Premier with its 80,000-point bonus.

Bottom line

The Citi Rewards+ is a solid card whether you're looking for an everyday rewards card or want to double down on your Citi ThankYou points strategy. What better time to apply than when there's an elevated offer that's worth $340 (according to TPG valuations)?

Official application link: Citi Rewards+ Card with a 20,000-point bonus after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.

Featured image by (Photo by John Gribben for The Points Guy)

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.