Citi Simplicity review: A leading balance transfer card with minimal fees

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The Citi Simplicity® Card * The information for the Citi Simplicity® Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. offers an introductory interest rate on both balance transfers and purchases. It features no late fees and no annual fee, but it doesn’t earn rewards. 

About the Citi Simplicity® Card * The information for the Citi Simplicity® Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Paying off debt is more efficient when you’re not accruing interest or fees – and that’s exactly what the no-annual-fee Citi Simplicity is best for. 

What makes this card different from most of the balance transfer pack is the almost two year intro APR offer on balance transfers. The Citi Simplicity offers a 0% intro balance transfer APR for 21 months from the first transfer and 0% intro purchase APR for 12 months from account opening. After that, the variable APR will be 19.24% to 29.24%. There is an intro balance transfer fee of $5 or 3% of the transfer, whichever is greater, for transfers made in the first four months. After that, a balance transfer fee of either $5 or 5% of each transfer, whichever is greater, applies.

That intro APR offer is the main draw of the Citi Simplicity Card, making it a valuable tool in your debt-busting arsenal. With every dollar you pay going toward the principal of your debt rather than a portion of your payments being siphoned off by interest charges, you have the chance to get out of debt more quickly than you otherwise would. We recommend using this card for balance transfers, rather than purchases, since the purchase intro period is just OK.

While the addition of no late fees and no penalty APR are nice features, you should still always pay on time, even if you can only make the minimum payment due for the month. Even if you’re not charged a late fee, late and missed payments can severely damage your credit score.

The Citi Simplicity does not offer rewards or a welcome bonus, or other meaningful perks that would give it staying power past the intro APR period. But as a debt management tool if you’re currently carrying a balance on a non-Citi credit card, the Simplicity is worth consideration. 

Citi Simplicity basics

• Annual fee: $0.
• Welcome bonus: None.
• Rewards: None.
• APR: 0% intro balance transfer APR for 21 months from the first transfer and 0% intro purchase APR for 12 months from account opening. After that, the variable APR will be 19.24% to 29.24%. There is an intro balance transfer fee of $5 or 3% of the transfer, whichever is greater, for transfers made in the first four months. After that, a balance transfer fee of either $5 or 5% of each transfer, whichever is greater, applies.
• Foreign transaction fees: 3%.
• Recommended credit score needed: Good to excellent.
• Pre-approval tool: No.

Citi Simplicity other details

Citi Simplicity rewards

The Citi Simplicity doesn’t offer rewards in the form of cash back, miles or points. Instead, it offers something rare to credit cards: No late fees. While you won’t pay a late fee with the Citi Simplicity Card, keep in mind that a late payment can still be reported to the three major credit bureaus and leave a negative mark on your credit history. So, this feature should not be one you aim to intentionally use, but rather a small mercy in the event something goes wrong. 

Citi Simplicity APR details

The Citi Simplicity has a 0% intro balance transfer APR for 21 months from the first transfer and 0% intro purchase APR for 12 months from account opening. After that, the variable APR will be 19.24% to 29.24%. There is an intro balance transfer fee of $5 or 3% of the transfer, whichever is greater, for transfers made in the first four months. After that, a balance transfer fee of either $5 or 5% of each transfer, whichever is greater, applies. 

Something unique to the Citi Simplicity is that there is no penalty interest rate on the card. What this means is you won’t be slapped with a sky-high penalty APR if you’re late sending in a payment, which can be the case with many other credit cards.

But keep in mind there can be other negative impacts of paying your credit card late—so just like the Simplicity charging no late fee, the lack of a penalty APR should be considered an emergency feature rather than a perk to be used on purpose. 

Citi Simplicity pros

• 21 month-APR offer on balance transfers: 21 months is one of the longest time periods offered on an intro APR balance transfer card. Not paying interest for nearly two years means cardholders have the opportunity to make a serious dent in their debt.
• 12 month-APR offer on purchases: If you need to pay for purchases over time, you won’t have to pay any interest on them for a full year. However, there are cards with longer intro APR periods on purchases. 
• Fewer fees: The Citi Simplicity doesn’t charge an annual fee or late fees. It does, however, charge a balance transfer fee and cash advance fee.  
• No penalty APR: You won’t be assessed a penalty APR if you’re late on a payment. 
• Flexible payment due date: Cardholders are able to choose a payment due date that works best for them.

Citi Simplicity cons

• Regular APR is high: The main draw for this card is the introductory APR to help you pay down debt. Once the introductory period is over, the regular APR ranges from 19.24% - 29.24% (Variable). Paying an interest rate this high won’t help you pay down debt over the long run. 
• No rewards: The Citi Simplicity doesn’t offer points, travel miles or cash back. There are other cards with 0% introductory offers that do earn rewards, providing a reason to keep them in your wallet after you’ve paid off your initial balance. 
• Limited time to transfer a balance: To take advantage of the introductory offer, balance transfers must be initiated in the first four months. After this time period expires, you’ll pay the regular APR plus a balance transfer fee on any balances transferred over from other cards. 
• Balance transfer fee: The intro balance transfer fee is 3% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum within the first 4 months of account opening. Then, 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum after 4 months of account opening. While nearly every credit card has a balance transfer fee, it’s never fun to pay. If you transfer a $10,000 balance with the intro balance transfer fee, for example, that adds $300 to the balance on your Simplicity.

How the Citi Simplicity compares to other balance transfer cards

Citi Simplicity vs. Wells Fargo Reflect® Card * The information for the Wells Fargo Reflect® Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

The Wells Fargo Reflect offers a 0% intro APR for 21 months from account opening on purchases and on balance transfers made within the first 120 days, afterwards a 18.24%, 24.74%, or 29.99% variable APR applies. There’s a balance transfer fee of 5% with a $5 minimum. There is no annual fee.

Citi Simplicity vs. Discover it® Cash Back

The Discover it® Cash Back is another no-annual-fee card with a 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and eligible balance transfers. Then, a variable rate of 17.24% to 28.24% applies. There's a 3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms).

There’s a 3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)*. 

The Discover it® Cash Back does earn rewards in the form of 5% cash back on purchases at different places each quarter up to $1,500 spent each quarter when activated and 1% cash back on all other purchases – automatically.

For new cardholders, Discover will automatically match all the cash back earned at the end of the first cardmember year.

Citi Simplicity vs. Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express

The no-annual-fee Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express (terms apply, rates & fees) is a solid rewards-earner on everyday expenses and comes with a nice 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and on balance transfers requested in the first 60 days, then a variable APR of 19.24% to 29.99%. A balance transfer fee of $5 or 3%, whichever is greater, applies. 

The card has staying power past the interest-free period, too, earning 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and online retail purchases in the U.S. (on up to $6,000 in each category per year, then 1%), and 1% cash back on other purchases. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or for eligible items at Amazon.com checkout.

Should you get the Citi Simplicity?

The Citi Simplicity knows what it does best: help its new cardholders pay down debt. It does this with an introductory offer on purchases and balance transfers and by having no annual fees, late fees or penalty charges, helping cardholders put a serious dent in the principal amount of debt they owe.  

If you don’t have a balance to transfer from another high-interest credit card or need to make a large purchase where a 0% interest rate could come in handy, you’ll want to look at other cards. Other than the introductory offer, there are no rewards or incentives given to consumers to open this card. But, for anyone seeking a cost-effective debt management tool, the Citi Simplicity is worth considering. 

Citi Simplicity summary

OVERVIEW
Annual fee	$0
Welcome bonus	None
APR	0% intro balance transfer APR for 21 months from the first transfer and 0% intro purchase APR for 12 months from account opening. After that, the variable APR will be 19.24% to 29.24%. There is an intro balance transfer fee of $5 or 3% of the transfer, whichever is greater, for transfers made in the first four months. After that, a balance transfer fee of either $5 or 5% of each transfer, whichever is greater, applies
Rewards	None
Foreign transaction fees	3%

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Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

^{For rates and fees for the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express please visit this page.}

^{*Blueprint is using a FICO 8 score, which is one of many different types of credit scores. A financial institution may use a different score when deciding whether to approve you for a card.}