Citi Forward Card Review

Citi Forward Card Review

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Last updated on January 3, 2019 Comments: 10

Editor’s Note: Thank you for your interest, this offer expired and is no longer available. Find more of the other best balance transfer credit cards offers.


While it may sound counter-intuitive for a credit card issuer to promote responsible spending and credit usage, Citi has decided to provide a credit card with this approach. The Citi Forward® Card is unique in that it rewards cardholders for making their credit card payments on time as well as staying within their credit limit. The card is geared towards young professionals who are interested in learning about personal finance and who don’t yet have the excellent credit required to obtain some of the best rewards credit cards in the market today.

Citi Forward® CardThat’s not to say that the Citi Forward® Card doesn’t reward cardholders appropriately. Because this is a Citi card, cardholders will be introduced to the ThankYou® platform, where points can be redeemed for just about anything, including cash. The rewards breakdown is not quite one point to one cent, but the more points you redeem, the closer you approach that standard conversion rate. This card does not carry an annual fee.

Each month cardholders make a payment and keep their balance below their limit, the cardholder earns 100 points for a total of 1,200 bonus points each year for being responsible. In addition, Citi offers the possibility of dropping a customer’s interest rate by 2 percentage points. By making a purchase, staying under the credit limit and by paying on time for three consecutive months, Citi will reduce the interest rate by 0.25 percentage points, up to eight total times.

The Citi Forward® Card gives you 10,000 bonus points when you make $650 in purchases and sign up for paperless statements in the first three months of card membership – good enough for $100 in gift cards. Another benefit to the card is that it offers five points for every dollar spent at restaurants, on books, movies and music, and one point for every dollar spent on all other purchases.

The pricing details on the Citi Forward® Card are also attractive. The card opens with an introductory 0% APR on balance transfers for 12 months and on purchases for seven months. The balance transfer fee is modest at 3%, but even with an up-front fee, the savings cardholders will receive from interest-free payments could be substantial. Once the 0% introductory rate expires, cardmembers can expect to receive a variable standard APR between 12.99% and 22.99%, depending on credit history. As I mentioned, that rate can be reduced by 2% after a long history of being responsible with your Citi Forward® Card.

The Citi Forward® Card won’t blow you away with its rewards program or with its interest rate, but it is an excellent option for anyone looking to take their credit to the next level while remaining a responsible credit card user. Remember to pay your balance in full and on time every month if possible, and the Citi Forward® Card will do a good job of rewarding your efforts.

Article comments

10 comments
Anonymous says:

I just got approved today. I never had a credit card before and just starting out. So those who are questioning if they can be approve my guess is most likely. Not to mention I am a college student. It’s a pretty sweet deal and it doesn’t hurt to try. I got approved immediately. A representative and I chatted for less than 10 minuets and that was it. I will be expecting my card within a week.

Anonymous says:

Hello,
I applied for a Citi Forward card today. Iwas looking at some consumer filings to check acceptance rates and saw that those with credit scores of 670 to 730 were getting the cards. I was confused about what score to look at when gauging whether or not I would get the card. My Equifax FICO score is a 691, my vantage score on transunion, equifax and experian are 731,736, and 736 respectively. I will actually be a Citi employee beginning in July wi a 70k income. What do you think my chances are and if I am not approved what steps do you think I should take? Thank you!

Anonymous says:

I actually have excellent credit history, but still choose to use this card for restaurants and amazon.com. 5 points per $1 ends up being anywhere from 4-5% back when you exchange for gift cards, and 3-4% back on Visa gift cards (essentially cash). I’ve yet to find a card that gives better rewards for restaurants and amazon all year round. (In case you’re wondering, I use a 2% cash back Fidelity Amex Card for all other purchases).

Anonymous says:

Yes! I just got this card to do the same thing. 3-5% back on restaurant/Amazon and 2% back on everything else is pretty awesome. Fidelity AmEx + Forward FTW!

Anonymous says:

Rob … I also use the CitiForward for restaurants & Amazon but use the PenFed card for gasoline (now that the CitiShell has revised its terms) … I use my FiedlityAmex for everything else.

Anonymous says:

Sounds like a good idea…especially for those learning to manage credit.

Anonymous says:

i have had this card since it was first offered. i have had zero problems. i would also add that you get the 5 points per dollar on every purchase from amazon.com.

Anonymous says:

Flexo-
This card sounds like it might be a good option for me. I am currently working on improving my bad credit into a good rating. Through responsible debt payment I have seen my credit score rise slowly but surely over the past couple of years. I have a score now in the low 600s. Do you think this card would accept someone with my rating? I am much more financially responsible now and feel like this card would continue to motivate me to be responsible with my finances.

Anonymous says:

I have a credit rating of around 685, I believe. I was approved in moments (all via the website, no wait). They gave me a limit of $7000 and an APR of %12.99, which I think was the lowest in the range.

Another piece of advice for you….you can request a credit increase on each of your cards, every 6 months. They’ll up your limit without doing a “hard pull” of your credit report. That will help a little to increase your credit score. I set calendar reminders every 7 months reminding me to request a credit limit increase. Of course, make sure you pay off your bill every month. I don’t actually need more credit headroom, but I know it helps my credit rating.

Anonymous says:

Thanks for the advice Zeya! I am going to apply later today.