The Citi Rewards+ Card is one of those cards that sounds gimmicky until you actually run the numbers. Its trick: round-up rewards that bump every purchase to the nearest 10 ThankYou points, plus 10% points back on every redemption. A $1.50 coffee earns 10 points instead of 1. Redeem 10,000 points and get 1,000 back. It's like the card has a built-in loyalty bonus on top of your loyalty bonus.

Important note: As of July 2025, all Citi Rewards+ cards have been converted to the Citi Strata Card. If you opened your Rewards+ between July 20, 2024 and July 19, 2025, you keep the round-up and 10% points back features until July 19, 2026. This page covers the Rewards+ benefits for folks still in that transition window.

• Round-up rewards — every purchase rounds up to the nearest 10 ThankYou points. A $3 coffee earns 10 points instead of 3. A $7 lunch earns 10 instead of 7. The smaller and more frequent your purchases, the more this feature shines.
• 10% points back when you redeem ThankYou points, up to 100,000 points per year. It's essentially a permanent 10% discount on everything you redeem.
• 2x ThankYou points at U.S. supermarkets and gas stations
• 1x ThankYou point on all other purchases
• $0 annual fee — free to hold.
• Access to Citi ThankYou transfer partners when paired with an eligible Citi card (like Strata Premier or Strata Elite). This is where the card gets interesting.
• Citi Entertainment — access to presale tickets and VIP experiences.

No annual fee means it costs nothing to keep in your wallet. The 3% foreign transaction fee is a deal-breaker for international use though — leave this one at home when you travel abroad.

The Citi Rewards+ previously offered 20,000 bonus ThankYou points after spending $1,000 in purchases within the first 3 months — worth $200 in gift cards or statement credits, or potentially more through transfer partners.

Since the card has transitioned to the Citi Strata, new applicants should look at the Citi Strata Card, which offers a similar 20,000-point welcome bonus with the same $1,000 spend requirement. Heads up: you're ineligible for a Strata bonus if you received a Rewards+ new account bonus within the past 48 months. Citi's bonus rules are strict — plan accordingly.

On paper, these rates are nothing special. But the round-up feature is where the magic happens on small purchases. That $3 coffee? 10 points — effectively a 3.3x rate. A $1 pack of gum? Still 10 points — that's a 10x rate. The more small purchases you make, the more the math tilts in your favor. This card rewards frequency over transaction size, which makes it the perfect companion for your daily coffee habit.

ThankYou points earned with the Rewards+/Strata can be put to work in a few ways:

• Statement credits — 1 cent per point. Simple.
• Gift cards — select retailers at 1 cent per point.
• Shop with points at Amazon and other participating retailers.
• Transfer to partners — and this is the big one. When paired with an eligible Citi card (Strata Premier, Strata Elite, or legacy Premier/Prestige), you unlock partners like JetBlue, Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Turkish Airlines, and more.

The 10% points back on redemptions is the card's secret weapon. Redeem 10,000 points, get 1,000 back. Every single redemption is effectively worth 10% more. No other card does this, and over time, it's free value that compounds quietly in your account.

Let's be upfront: the Rewards+ / Strata base card is not a travel card. No credits, no lounge access, no premium insurance. Here's what you do get:

• Citi Entertainment — presale access to concerts, sports, dining, and other events. Nice for snagging tickets before the general public.
• Citi ThankYou travel portal — book flights, hotels, and car rentals at 1 cent per point.
• Transfer partners (requires pairing with Strata Premier or Elite) — this is how your ThankYou points become airline miles worth significantly more than 1 cent each.

With a 3% foreign transaction fee and no travel insurance, keep this card domestic. It's built for everyday spending at supermarkets, gas stations, and coffee shops — not for globetrotting. Pair it with a travel card that handles the international stuff.

Here's the honest truth: the Rewards+ earning rates lose to basically every competitor listed here. The Autograph does 3x across six categories with standalone transfer access. The Freedom Unlimited does 3x on dining and drugstores. The SavorOne does 3x on dining, entertainment, and groceries. Where the Rewards+ carves out its niche is the round-up trick and the 10% points back — features nobody else offers. But those features work best as accelerators within a Citi card strategy, not as your only card.

• Frequent small-purchase buyers — if your day involves coffee, transit taps, convenience store runs, and quick bites, the round-up feature turns micro-purchases into surprisingly efficient point earners.
• Citi ecosystem builders who already have (or plan to get) a Strata Premier or Elite for transfer partner access. The Rewards+ is the perfect wingman card.
• Grocery and gas spenders who want 2x at supermarkets and gas stations without paying an annual fee.
• Points poolers who want to combine ThankYou points across multiple Citi cards for bigger redemptions.

Not the right fit for: people who want strong earning rates across many categories (the Autograph's 3x on six categories is objectively better), international travelers (3% FTF is a non-starter), or anyone who doesn't want to pair this with a premium Citi card to unlock transfers. As a solo card, there are stronger options. As part of a Citi strategy, it's a clever little earner.