Citi Cash Back Card Review 2024: Best Card for Foodies?

Priscilla Lee
Updated:
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on Citi's website

Citi Cash Back Card

Apply Now
on Citi's website
8% cashback on groceries is already a good deal, but the Citi Cash Back Card tops it off by giving you rebates on grocery purchases worldwide. If you spend quite a bit on cooking and dining out, this is a card worth considering.

Pros

  • Higher than average cashback
  • Earn cashback worldwide
  • Up to 20.88% savings at Esso and Shell
  • Access exclusive deals and discounts locally and across 95 countries

Cons

  • Limited eligible categories for cashback
  • Minimum spend of S$800
  • No travel perks despite worldwide cashback
  • Outdated cashback redemption process

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With up to 8% cashback on food and petrol worldwide, the Citi Cash Back Card ranks as one of the best cashback cards for Singapore.

Better yet: there are no cashback caps per category. Want to spend your entire month’s budget on gourmet groceries (and get 8% rebate in the process)? You’re free to do so.

But what else does this card have to offer?

Read on to find out more about the Citi Cash Back Card:

Citibank Cash Back Card vs Citi Cash Back+ Card

Here’s a quick rundown of the two cards:

Citibank Cash Back CardCiti Cash Back + Card
  • 0.25 – 8% cashback
  • Capped at S$80/month
  • S$800 monthly minimum spend
  • Unlimited 1.6% cashback
  • No cashback cap
  • No monthly minimum spend
Click to applyClick to apply

Both cards have the same annual fee and income requirement.

You can also have both at the same time:

  1. Use the Citi Cash Back Card for between S$1,000 to S$1,333 worth of dining, grocery, and petrol expenses. This gets you the max of S$80 cashback monthly.
  2. Afterwards, switch to the Cash Back+ Card to earn 1.6% cashback on all expenses past the spending cap.

If you have to choose one over the other, the Citi Cash Back Card is more suitable if you can spend at least S$800 per month to fulfil the minimum spend. Those who spend less than S$800 or more than S$5,000 may prefer the Cash Back+ Card.

Eligibility Requirements for the Citi Cash Back Card

Age21 and above
Income Requirement
  • S$30,000 for Singapore Citizens or Singapore Permanent Residents (SPR)
  • S$42,000 for foreigners

You can apply via Citibank’s website using Singpass MyInfo if you’re a Singaporean or SPR. Foreign applicants may also apply online with digital copies of supporting documents.

Fees and Charges

Annual FeesS$194.40 (inclusive of GST) for a principal card with a first-year fee waiver. S$97.20 for a supplementary card
Effective Interest Rate26.90% per annum
Late Payment ChargesS$100
Minimum Monthly Payment1% of outstanding balance plus 1% of outstanding unbilled instalments plus interest plus late payment charges or S$50, whichever is higher
Branch Service FeeS$10.70 (inclusive of GST) for each payment made over the counter
Overlimit FeeS$40
Foreign Currency Transaction FeeUp to 3.25%
Cash Advance Interest and Fees6% of the amount withdrawn or S$15, whichever is higher
Points Transfer FeeS$ 26.75 (inclusive of GST) for each conversion
Citiphone Redemption Fee600 Points chargeable for each item redeemed

Similar to other Citibank cards, the Citi Cash Back Card imposes an extra 600 Points for redemption via phone and a $10.70 fee for over-the-counter credit card bill payment. Best to keep your activities online when making redemptions or payments.  

Cashback, Discounts, and Other Benefits

CashbackGroceries, in-store or online worldwide: 8% 

Petrol: 8% at all petrol kiosks worldwide and up to 20.88% savings at Esso and Shell

Dining worldwide: 6%

All other retail spending: 0.25%
Minimum Spend$800
Monthly Cashback Cap$80

Monthly Cashback Cap

First thing to note is the total monthly cashback cap of S$80. Unlike other cards, there’s no cashback cap per category – you’re free to fulfill the S$800 minimum spend entirely with groceries or petrol, if you wish.

Don’t cook at home or drive? Then you’ll have to dine out a lot to optimise this card’s cashback. Otherwise, you might consider alternatives such as:

  • Bank of China Family Card: Offers 10% on dining and movies among others, but caps it at S$25 per category, S$100 overall cashback per month
  • Maybank Family & Friends Card: Offers 8% on your choice of 5 categories from 10 available options (including dining & food delivery, groceries, and transport) but caps it at S$25 per category as well
  • CIMB Visa Signature: Offers 10% on groceries, online shopping, pet retail, beauty & wellness, veterinary services, and cruises. Capped at S$20 per category

Read also: 9 Best Cashback Credit Cards for Singapore

Complimentary Travel Insurance

When you charge your airfare to the Citi Cash Back Card, you’ll get insurance coverage of up to S$1,000,000 (S$50,000 for accompanying children).

But charging your travel expenses to the card earns just 0.25% instead of 8% cashback. You may be better off with air miles credit cards like the Citi PremierMiles Card, which offers airport lounge access on top of free travel insurance coverage.

Downsides of the Citi Cash Back Card

Here are some areas that you should take to note of while spending with it:

Cumbersome Cashback Redemption

Oddly, Citi seems to have antiquated systems in place: redeeming cashback requires you to message a code to the bank. What makes it even more complicated is that you have to redeem your cashback in blocks of S$10, so you’ll have to wait and accumulate a sum before withdrawing.

If you happen to own a Citi Cash Back+ Card as well, you can stack the rebates from both cards for easier redemption.

No Travel Privileges

Even though you can earn cashback worldwide with this card, it doesn’t seem like a great card to use for travel. Besides the sad 0.25% cashback you get from charging travel expenses to this card, there are none of the usual perks like airport lounge access or free hotel stays.

Read also: Best Multi-Currency Accounts for Singapore

Who Would Benefit From This Card?

  • Foodies who love to scour the country – and the world – for great cuisine (and who charge those meals to this card)
  • Those who drive, since this card offers excellent petrol discounts
  • Those who frequently cook at home
  • Private hire drivers (Grab, Gojek) who can benefit from the 8% cashback and petrol discounts