Citi Forward Credit Card: Signup Bonus, Rewards, and More

Citi has rolled out an interesting new Visa-branded card called the Citi Forward® card. If you’re in the market for a new credit card, this one appears to offers a nice combination features, including a generous bonus, and up to five reward points per dollar spent at restaurants and on books, movies and music, and there’s no annual fee.

Signup bonus

Citi Forward® cardholders earn 10,000 bonus points after $650 in purchases and when you sign up for Paperless Statements in the first three months.

Promotional rates

Another nice feature of the Citi Forward® card is that it offers a 7 month introductory period with 0% on purchases and a 12 month introductory period with 0% on balance transfers from date of first transfer when transfers are completed within 4 months from date of account opening. Interest Rate 12.99-22.99% variable rate.* The only real downside here is that there’s a 3% balance transfer fee.

Credit card rewards

In addition to the bonus, the Citi Forward® card offers five reward points for every dollar spent on books, movies, music, and at restaurants. For all other purchases you get the standard one point per dollar.

All in all, this card looks to be a nice complement as compared to other offers reward credit cards that offer up to 5% rewards on gas and groceries, some restrictions and limitations may apply.

Bonuses for good behavior

In addition to the above, Citi will give you 100 bonus points every month that you: (1) stay under your credit limit, and (2) pay on time up to a maximum of $1,200. They’ll also reduce your APR by 0.25% whenever you make a purchase and pay your bill on time for three consecutive months. You can do this up to eight times, for a total reduction of 2%.

The APR reduction is a non-issue for us, as we never carry a balance. The extra 100 points every month is, on the other hand, a nice touch. Not a huge deal, but I certainly wouldn’t turn them down.

Closing thoughts

I have yet to apply for this card, but will almost certainly be doing so. After all, it’s hard to turn down a 5 ThankYou points on restaurants and books, movies and music. Given our spending patterns, this card would be a great fit alongside our primary reward credit card (AmEx Blue Cash), which pays 3% cash back at supermarkets, 2% cash back at gas stations and department stores, and 1% cash back on all other purchases.