Citi Forward Card Review

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.

That’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.