Citi Simplicity® Card Review by CardRatings

Citi Simplicity® Card review

This card boasts no late fees, no penalty rate, and no annual fee – ever. We've found it to be one of the most consumer-friendly and transparent cards available.

Written by
Brooklyn Lowery
Edited by
Jennifer Doss
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default_credit_card_type_name Card

card_name

  • Balance Transfer Intro
  • APR: balance_transfer_intro_apr
    Period: balance_transfer_duration_months
  • Balance Transfer Fee
  • balance_transfer_fees
  • Regular APR
  • reg_apr,reg_apr_type
card_name
Sponsored card
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About Our Ratings
Credit score tooltipCredit Score: credit_score_needed
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Terms and Limitations Apply

Key Features

description

Editor Analysis:

Pros
  • Enjoy 0% intro APR for intro_apr_duration and balance_transfer_duration_months. After that, RegAPR.
  • A great card if you're looking to consolidate and get rid of existing debt without incurring high interest, or planning to make a big purchase you can take your time paying off.
Cons
  • This card is exclusively for those at the higher end of the credit score spectrum.

card_name benefits

There is a great deal to like about the CardName. It offers a straightforward, easy-to-understand package of benefits, well-suited for consumers not caught up in the bells and whistles of cash back and rewards cards. It’s a consumer-friendly card aimed at keeping out-of-pocket expenses at a minimum. There is no annual fee, ever, and there are no fees or punitive rate hikes for late payments, ever. Citi is a CardRatings advertiser.

One of the best benefits of this card is that it offers intro 0% APR on purchases for intro_apr_duration and balance_transfer_duration_months. After these intro periods expire, a rate of RegAPR will apply.

Note: BalanceTransferFees. Balance transfer fees are normal though, and this is among the longest of such offers on the market that covers both purchases and balance transfers.

Beyond the financial benefits, the card_name offers convenience, starting with fast, personal 24-hour customer service; just say "representative" to get help promptly. You also have the option of setting up your own bill payment schedule on any available due date throughout the month. That can be huge when setting up your monthly household budget.

card_name credit score

Citi® doesn’t explicitly share what credit score is needed to receive the CardName; however, this card is reserved for those with CreditScoreNeeded scores. A good FICO® Score is typically anything above 670, according to the credit scoring agency Experian, but having a score above 740 or even 800 may further increase your chances of approval. Please note though that these numbers can vary between different bureaus.

card_name foreign transaction fee and other potential downsides

If you travel abroad often, you might want to leave the CardName at home as it carries a foreign_fee fee on all foreign transactions. This might not seem like much, but say you spend $2,000 on an international trip; you’d be looking at $60 in fees. This isn’t a huge deal if you only travel out of the country every now and then, but there are definitely better options out there if you’re looking for a good international companion.

Also, the card_name is not a rewards card; rather, your reward should be viewed as the money you can save through the intro APR periods.

How do cardholders rate the card_name?

CardRatings commissioned Slice MR in November 2024 to survey 1,666 cardholders nationwide. Responses were given on a scale of 1-10 and respondents’ ratings were then averaged under broad topics. Here are the results for the card_name:

Cost Effectiveness8.33
Rewards SatisfactionN/A
Customer Service8.39
Website/App Usability8.40
Likelihood of Continuing to Use8.32
Recommend to a Friend/Colleague7.98
Overall Rating8.12

Survey results by question

Respondents rated their personal experience with the card_name, answering questions on a scale from 1-10. The results for each question can be found below:

How the card_name compares to other cards

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card_name
card_name

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Balance Transfer Intro APR & Period
APR: balance_transfer_intro_apr
Period: balance_transfer_intro_duration
Balance Transfer Intro APR & Period
APR: balance_transfer_intro_apr
Period: balance_transfer_intro_duration
Balance Transfer Intro APR & Period
APR: balance_transfer_intro_apr
Period: balance_transfer_intro_duration
Balance Transfer Fee
balance_transfer_fees
Balance Transfer Fee
balance_transfer_fees
Balance Transfer Fee
balance_transfer_fees
Regular APR
reg_apr,reg_apr_type
Regular APR
reg_apr,reg_apr_type
Regular APR
reg_apr,reg_apr_type
Recommend Credit Score
credit_score_needed
Recommend Credit Score
credit_score_needed
Recommend Credit Score
credit_score_needed

Is Citi Simplicity® a good credit card?

If you like to keep your credit cards simple and don’t need fancy rewards programs, the CardName is right up your alley.

If you are carrying large balances on multiple credit cards and are drowning in interest payments, this card is an excellent way to consolidate debt and give yourself a respite from high interest charges on balance transfers. Just be sure to make a plan to pay off that balance before the intro periods end to really make this card work to your benefit.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, the card_name charges a foreign_fee foreign transaction fee on all foreign transactions.
The biggest benefit of the card_name is its long intro period for 0% APR on new purchases and balance transfers. In addition to this, no late fees, no penalty rate, and no annual fee are all nice perks.
The card_name does not charge annual fees.

Our Methodology

Survey methodology: CardRatings commissioned Slice MR in November 2024 to survey 1,666 cardholders nationwide. CardRatings’ website analytics from Jan. 1, 2024-Oct. 31, 2024 were used to determine a selection of the most popular cards. Responses to 10 questions were given on a scale of 1-10. For nine of these questions, respondents’ scores were averaged under broad topics. The overall rating represents an average of respondents’ responses to their overall rating of each card.

Disclaimer:The information in this article is believed to be accurate as of the date it was written. Please keep in mind that credit card offers change frequently. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this article. Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accurate information. See the online credit card application for full terms and conditions on offers and rewards. Please verify all terms and conditions of any credit card prior to applying.


This content is not provided by any company mentioned in this article. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed here are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any such company. CardRatings.com does not review every company or every offer available on the market.


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