The Citi Simplicity card offers something that no other card does – a 0% interest offer that won’t go away if you miss a payment. That’s right. There are no penalty fees and no late fees for this card. Make a payment late and you won’t be slapped with a late fee or have your APR raised. The 0% APR lasts for 18 months, and is good for purchases and balance transfers. The downside to this card is that it doesn’t offer any rewards program – but for customers who are prone to incurring late fees, this card might have more value than even cards with the best rewards programs.
| Credit level recommended: | Excellent/Good |
|---|---|
| APR on purchases: | 12.99% - 21.99% (Variable) depending on creditworthiness |
| Annual fee: | None |
Special offers:
No interest on balance transfers or purchases for 18 months. The Citi Simplicity card gives one of the longest 0% APR introductory periods out there. The balance transfer fee is 3%, but after that you’ll pay no interest at all for a year and a half – enough time to pay off a balance that would have taken you much longer at a high interest rate.
Earning rewards:
This card doesn’t have a rewards program – not even the Citi ThankYou points program that most Citi cards offer. The big draw of this card is the lack of fees or penalty rates.
Redeeming rewards:
No rewards program means no rewards redemption rules to navigate.
Benefits:
Although this card doesn’t offer rewards, cardmembers are eligible for Citi Price Rewind, a program that guarantees the lowest available price on registered purchases within 30 days. Just go to the Citi Price Rewind web site and register your purchase, and Citi will look for a lower price on that item for the following 30 days. If they find your item offered for at least $25 less somewhere else, they’ll refund you the difference, up to $250 per item and $1,000 per year. Citi Simplicity also offers complete 24/7 customer service by phone, email, or chat.
Considerations:
The cardinal rule of most balance transfers is to never make a late payment. Paying late puts an end to your 0% APR and could even make you subject to a penalty APR of 29.99% or higher. This card is unique, in that you can actually keep your 0% APR for the full 18 months, even if you slip up and miss a payment. There’s no penalty APR and no late fee, making this card perfect for someone who is worried about making payments on time. The 18 month 0% interest promotional period is just about the longest in the industry, giving you an entire year and a half to get rid of some lingering debt or make purchases and pay them off over a period of time with no interest. Sure, there’s no rewards program, but if you’re looking to transfer a balance and pay it off, it’s better not to use the card too much anyway during that intro period. This card lets you focus on zeroing out your debt without worrying about late fees.
