Citi Simplicity Credit Card Review 2024

The Citi Simplicity® Card* is a no-frills, no annual fee card best utilized for balance transfers during the introductory 0% APR period. Though it does offer one of the longest o% intro APR offers for balance transfers on the market at 21 months, the card does not offer a rewards program. Consumers looking to earn rewards should look elsewhere.

For someone wanting a basic debt management card, the Citi Simplicity card’s 0% APR period on purchases and balance transfers is an attractive reason for consideration. Instead of getting caught in an endless cycle of minimum payments and interest charges, a card like Citi Simplicity could help alleviate the stress of debt accumulation.

• 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 21 months
• 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months
• No late fee
• No annual fee
• No rewards

The Citi Simplicity® Card* offers a 0% intro APR for 21 months on balance transfers from date of first transfer and 0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases from date of account opening. After that, the variable APR will be 19.24% - 29.99%. There is an intro balance transfer fee of $5 or 3% of the amount of the transfer, whichever is greater, for transfers made within 4 months of opening the account. After that, a balance transfer fee of either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, applies.

Note that the standard APR is relatively high, so it is in the cardholder’s best interest to use the introductory APR to pay down all debt during the introductory period. Forbes Advisor recommends you never carry a balance.

• Mastercard ID Theft Protection. Cardholders have access to Mastercard’s identity theft monitoring and resolution specialists.
• 24/7 customer service. Cardholders have access to live help from customer service.
• Automatic account alerts. Cardholders can stay informed with automatic alerts regarding balance levels, payments due, credit limit information and more by email or mobile phone.
• Choose your due date. Cardholders can choose to pay their bill on any available due date in the beginning, middle or end of the month.
• Digital wallet. Store the card digitally on a personal mobile device and easily make payments online, in stores or within apps.

Interest Rates

• Regular APR: 19.24% - 29.99% (Variable)
• Purchase intro APR: 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months
• Balance transfer intro APR: 0% intro APR for 21 months

Fees

• Annual fee: $0
• Intro balance transfer fee: $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, for transfers completed in the first 4 months of account opening
• Regular balance transfer fee: 5% of the amount of each balance transfer; $5 minimum
• Foreign purchase transaction fee: 3% of the amount of each purchase

Citi Simplicity® Card* vs. Chase Freedom Flex℠*

The Chase Freedom Flex card offers an impressive 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in categories that rotate quarterly (requires activation), 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on dining and drugstores and 1% cash back on all other purchases.

The Chase Freedom Flex has no annual fee and offers a 0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 20.49% - 29.24% applies. Balance transfer fee of up to 5% (min. $5) of the amount of each transfer applies.

For those looking for a card for everyday purchases with a 0% introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers, plus an attractive rewards program, the Chase Freedom Flex is an excellent choice. Citi Simplicity remains a better choice as a balance transfer card.

Citi Simplicity® Card* vs. Amex EveryDay® Credit Card*

The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card* functions exactly as its name suggests: It earns cash back on everyday purchases with 2 Membership Rewards points per dollar at US supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1X), 2 points per dollar when using the card to book trips through American Express Travel and 1 point for every eligible dollar on everything else. Plus, use the card 20 or more times on purchases in a billing period and earn 20% extra points on those purchases. Additionally, the card offers a welcome bonus: 10,000 points after spending $2,000 in qualifying purchases in the first 6 months of account opening.

The Amex Everyday card also has no annual fee and offers a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months, followed by a regular APR of 18.24% - 29.24% variable. A balance transfer fee of $5 or 3%, whichever is greater, applies. Although it’s a good card for common purchases, the card isn’t an ideal choice for someone interested in balance transfers. For those, the Citi Simplicity still wins.

Citi Simplicity® Card* vs. Wells Fargo Reflect® Card

The Wells Fargo Reflect® Card has no annual fee and offers 0% intro APR for 21 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers. A 18.24%, 24.74%, or 29.99% variable APR applies thereafter. Balance transfers made within 120 days qualify for the intro APR and a balance transfer fee of 5%, min $5 applies.

The card does offer up to $600 of cellphone protection when you pay your monthly bill with your eligible Wells Fargo card. There is a $25 deductible when making a claim, and cardholders can make two claims per year.

The Citi Simplicity credit card can prove useful for those looking to pay down balances over an extended period of time. There are better options out there for those looking for rewards programs and balance transfer abilities in the same card, but for short-term debt management, it stands as a reasonable pick.

Forbes Advisor considers a variety of criteria when assigning credit cards a rating. Cards are graded based on numerous factors including:

• Annual fees
• Welcome bonus offers
• Rewards offered
• Additional cardholder benefits

Card features we expect cardholders to use the most often are weighted more heavily in our ratings. Altogether, the factors came together to provide a star rating for each individual card.

Read more. How Forbes Advisor Rates Credit Cards