If you are not familiar with Citi Shop Your Way MasterCard, that’s a sign that you are a normal person. It doesn’t earn flexible points or valuable miles, and it doesn’t come with a huge sign-up bonus. The points it earns used to be tied to Sears, but can now be redeemed towards gift cards via Raise.com Confused yet?
First, let me outline the details of the offer. You can earn $75 in statement credits for every $500 spent, up to $225, on eligible purchases in the first 90 days after you are approved for a new Shop Your Way Mastercard. You also earn 5X points on gas and 3X on groceries. This offer actually expires today, unless Citi extends it, and here is the application link (does not pay us commission).
Update: the offer has been extended.
I applied for this card about a month ago and was approved. I used it to pay my home insurance, and the $225 credit was automatically applied to the statement, which was convenient. I also already redeemed my points towards an Amazon gift card, from $2100 in spending. You earn 1X point on all other purchases. Keep in mind that 120 points=$1 in gift card value, if I remember correctly.
Why I applied for this less than stellar offer
There is no question that $225 is very low compared to offers that are on the market at the moment. Plus, every new card you get adds an extra inquiry to your credit file and can potentially cost you a lucrative offer down the road. Normally, $225 would not be enough to tempt me. However, I’ve seen this card mentioned quite a few times over the years, mostly on blogs like Doctorofcredit
Many folks who get approved for it seem to get highly lucrative spending offers after just a few months. One example: 15x bonus points on groceries/gas/restaurants or 10% statement credit. That’s on top of the points you are already earning. Not bad, right?
The reason I haven’t pulled the trigger on this card until now is because I was regularly getting lucrative targeted offers on my Wells Fargo Cash Wise card. However, those have dried up in the recent months. Right now I’m putting grocery, gas and restaurant purchases on my Chase Hyatt card because I was targeted for 5X points on up to $1,500. Check this link to see if you are eligible.
That said, 15x Shop Your Way points is a far superior offer I would pick any day. But the only way to get it is to pull the trigger and sign up for the card. As much as I love Hyatt points, based on my math, they are not worth 3X as much as Shop Your Way currency. My goal for the next few years is to focus on accumulating rewards that can be used to offset our normal (non-travel) expenses. As much as I value miles and hotel points, they can’t buy food or toilet paper.
So, my plan is to spend down what I’ve accumulated via sign-up bonuses, and focus on cash/Amazon gift cards when it comes to everyday spending. Assuming I get tempting offers, of course.
I want to be clear that I can’t guarantee that you will be targeted for lucrative offers if you apply for this card. I’ve noticed that many folks in this community tend to blame bloggers for things that are outside of our control. So, once again, only apply if you are ok with $225 bonus. That’s the only guarantee in this deal. We don’t make commission on this card, I’m simply sharing my thought process here.
Who should not apply for it
I fall into category that is referred to as LOL/24 in this hobby, as in I apply for many credit cards and don’t really care about “saving” myself for Chase or other banks. If I see a good deal, I go for it. Denied? Try, try again. When it comes to this card, I first tried applying for Citi Premier and AAdvantage cards. You guessed it, no dice.
But Citi seems to have different approval criteria for Shop Your Way card, and I was welcomed with open arms. Will my strategy pay off? Who knows, stay tuned for updates on targeted offers that I may or may not get in the upcoming months. But it was worth a shot and an extra inquiry (to me).
That being said, if your credit file is fairly pristine, you should NOT even think about applying for this offer. I would focus on Chase cards first, followed by Amex. There are a couple of great deals at the moment, with Chase Ink Business Preferred (our affiliate link) offer being the best of the bunch. If you have a business, getting 100k Ultimate Rewards points after spending $8k is nothing to sneeze at. Focus on the big fish, then worry about subpar offers.
You can always reach out to me or Nancy for advice at milesforfamily@gmail.com
Author: Leana
Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.
I got the card last year and with the constant trickle of offers (10% back on $700-$800 for gas/groceries, 10 back up to $500 a month in utilities, etc.) it’s become a pretty solid part of my (non-ms) portfolio. It’s not a big earner but very very solid.
@Christian That’s good to hear! It’s not an exciting card, as in it won’t get you an overwater bungalow for “free.” But cash is highly underrated in our community.
Interesting. I’m looking for cards…no one is approving me…too many applications in past two years. I could probably do amex but I have a big chunk of spending coming up and they don’t take amex.
@HML This card could be an option, for sure. The bonus is low, but $225 is still something. I got tons of inquiries, but was approved. That said, I recommend you try applying for something more lucrative first.