Citibank CashBack Credit Card Review: Good for Utilities; Low on Overall Value Back

Citibank Cashback Credit Card is one of the first credit cards launched with a cashback model instead of reward points. The card offers 5% cashback on movie tickets, telephone and other utility payments and 0.5% cashback on all other spends. Though these cashback rates were good at the time of its launch as there were no better cashback cards in the market, now you can get much better cashback with other cards such as Axis Bank Ace Card, Amazon Pay ICICI Card and HSBC Cashback Credit Card. The minimum monthly income requirement for Citi Cashback Credit Card is Rs. 25,000 and the annual fee is Rs. 500, making it an entry-level card. Let us talk about the features of Citi Cashback Credit Card and how it compares with other similar cards in the market.

5% Cashback on Movie Ticket Booking and Utility Bill Payment

One of the best features of this card is that it offers direct cashback instead of reward points, redeeming which is a hassle. You will get:

5% cashback on utility bill payments can be considered a good deal, especially if you do not qualify for other utility cards such as Axis Bank Ace or Standard Chartered Super Value Titanium. You must note that Axis Bank Ace Credit Card offers 5% unlimited cashback on utility bill payments made via Google Pay and Standard Chartered Super Value Titanium Card also gives you 5% cashback on utility bills above Rs. 750 but only up to Rs. 100 per month.

Moreover, on Citi Cashback Card, the maximum cashback earning in a month on utilities, telephone bills and movies is capped at Rs. 100 each. So, even if you pay Rs. 5,000 for utilities using this card, you will only get Rs. 100 instead of Rs. 250. But if you use all 3 benefits of the card, you can get a maximum cashback of Rs. 300 in a month.

The flat rate cashback on this Citibank credit card also stands below average at 0.5% only. You can get better value back on other cards. The cashback is auto credited to statement in multiples of Rs. 500.

Citi Cashback Credit Card Comparison with Other Cashback Cards

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Who Should get Citibank Cashback Credit Card?

Citibank Cashback Credit Card is best suited for telephone and utility bill payments, as well as a competitive card for movie ticket purchases. The cashback rate is applied on bill payments that are enrolled and charged to Citi Bill Pay or paid through Citibank online payments. Although the categories for cashback are limited, the card can still be seen as a versatile option, especially for people who are not eligible for better cashback cards. 

The card would be ideal for people who are:

1. Looking for their first credit card and want to build their credit score.
2. Seeking cashback instead of Reward Points.
3. Looking to earn cashback on utilities, phone bills, and movie ticket purchases, without incurring a high annual fee.

Citibank Cashback Credit Card Vs. Citibank Rewards Credit Card

Citibank Cashback Credit Card is a beginner credit card similar to Citibank Rewards Credit Card but is actually better than that. The Citibank Rewards Credit Card is a low fee (Rs. 1,000) credit card to use exclusively for retail shopping. The card offers a reward rate of 2.80% (10 points per Rs. 125 spent; 1 point= Rs. 0.35) on retail spending. 

While the Citibank Cashback Credit Card does not offer special rates for shopping, it does offer 5% cashback on utilities, phone bills and movie tickets. It is to be noted that both the cards offer below average rewards for general spending, though Citibank Cashback Credit Card offers a slightly higher rate (0.50%). Therefore we would suggest Citibank Cashback Credit Card for customers interested in cashback on utility bills, phone bills and movie ticket purchases, whereas the Citibank Rewards Credit Card is for customers who are more interested in a low-fee retail shopping card.

Drawbacks of Citibank Cashback Credit Card

Indeed this is a very basic credit card and when it comes to offers and privileges, it does not have much to offer. Apart from that, some other cons of this credit card are:

• Even if you spend generously on the 3 categories, you will still be able to earn only Rs. 300 as cashback per month because of the capping
• The basic cashback rate is too low at 0.5%; you can get much better value back with Axis Ace (2%), Amazon Pay ICICI Card (1%) or Flipkart Axis Bank Card (1.5%)
• Since it is best suited for cashback, you don’t earn reward points or have the option of redeeming them as you get direct cashback instead
• There aren’t any travel discounts/benefits on this card while many other basic credit cards with the same fee offer better travel offers
• Citibank Cashback card may not also be suitable if you are looking for fuel benefits

Bottom Line

There are multiple credit cards in the market today that come with not only a number of benefits but with a low annual fee. Citibank Cashback credit card does fulfil the criteria of having a low annual fee but the benefits and privileges on the card are less than satisfactory.

Citibank Cashback Credit Card Terms and Conditions

General Terms and Conditions related to Citibank Credit Cards