What credit score do you need to get the Citi Rewards+ Card?

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Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Citi is a TPG advertising partner.

The Citi Rewards+® Card offers bonus earning at supermarkets and gas stations. And the points earned on each purchase are rounded up to the nearest 10 points. But, for most cardholders, the real reason to have this no-annual-fee credit card is that it provides 10% points back for the first 100,000 points you redeem each year.

The card is currently offering a limited-time bonus of 25,000 bonus Citi ThankYou points after spending $1,500 in purchases within three months of account opening.

If you want to sign up for the Citi Rewards+ Card, you may wonder whether you have a high enough credit score to be approved. But your credit score is just one of many factors Citi will consider when deciding whether to approve you for a card.

So, let’s look at what it takes to get approved for this rewards credit card.

Credit score needed for the Citi Rewards+ Card

Citi doesn’t publish specific credit scores needed to be accepted for its cards. But, you’ll usually need an excellent credit score of around 760* to be approved for a rewards credit card such as the Citi Rewards+.

Of course, other factors besides your credit score may be evaluated. For example, Citi may consider your income, the age of your accounts and your behavior with past Citi credit cards when deciding whether to approve your application. So, it’s possible to be approved with a lower score if other aspects of your credit portfolio look appealing to Citi.

Is the Citi Rewards+ Card a good card?

The Citi Rewards+ Card is a good card if you make many small purchases. The Citi Rewards+ Card earns 2 points per dollar at supermarkets and gas stations for the first $6,000 per year (then 1 point per dollar) and 1 point per dollar on everything else. So, all purchases under $5 at supermarkets and gas stations (up to $6,000 per year) and under $10 everywhere else will earn 10 points with the rounding up.

The Citi Rewards+ Card earns what we call “basic” ThankYou points. These points are worth a flat 1 cent each when redeemed toward gift cards and other rewards on the ThankYou.com website. But, these points can’t be transferred to most of the Citi ThankYou transfer partners unless you also hold a premium ThankYou Rewards card such as the Citi Premier® Card or the Citi Prestige® 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.

So, you should also consider getting the Citi Rewards+ Card if you already have a premium ThankYou Rewards card in your wallet. Especially since the Citi Rewards+ Card provides 10% points back for the first 100,000 points you redeem each year, it is a popular no-annual-fee companion for many Citi Prestige and Citi Premier cardholders.

However, if you don’t make many small purchases and aren’t interested in the 10% redemption rebate, the Citi® Double Cash Card may be a better choice. Plus, cash rewards earned by the Citi Double Cash Card can be converted to “basic” ThankYou points via a linked ThankYou account.

How many Citi credit card accounts can I have open?

Citi doesn’t state how many card accounts you can have open. But, we can come to some conclusions based on our own and reader experiences. Citi seemingly doesn’t limit the overall number of credit cards you can have open. But, there is apparently a maximum credit line that Citi is willing to extend across all your cards.

So, if you don’t get approved when you apply for the Citi Rewards+ Card and you have at least one other Citi credit card, it may be worth calling Citi’s reconsideration line. During the call, you can inquire whether you can get approved for the Citi Rewards+ Card by shifting some credit from one of your current cards to open the new card.

Bottom line

The Citi Rewards+ Card is one of many credit cards that requires excellent credit.

The Citi Rewards+ Card isn’t high on the list for many consumers, but it can be a valuable addition to your wallet if you make many small purchases that would benefit from rounding up to the nearest 10 points.

Likewise, the Citi Rewards+ Card may also be useful if you would benefit from getting 10% back on the first 100,000 Citi ThankYou points you redeem annually.

Additional reporting by Ryan Wilcox.

*The Points Guy credit ranges are derived from FICO® Score 8, which is one of many different types of credit scores. If you apply for a credit card, the lender may use a different credit score when considering your application for credit.