【2025.2 Update】This card will be forcibly converted to a Citi ThankYou Card on April 12 (the website says it is being renamed). According to the product page, the points earned will also become ThankYou Points, and the card number will not change. People originally got this card for the 10x Sears points. Citi’s website currently does not have a ThankYou Card application link (it did exist a long time ago), so it looks like this is meant to take in cards whose partnerships have ended.

Citi Sears Shop Your Way Credit Card Introduction

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Full review

Citi Sears Shop Your Way Rewards Credit Card

5% cash back on gas, 3% at supermarkets, no annual fee!

  • Welcome bonus: Currently unavailable, will be converted to Thank You Card
  • Rewards: 5% on gas; 3% on dining and supermarkets (on up to the first $10k in spending); 2% at Sears and Kmart; 1% on all other purchases
  • Redemption: Redeem for purchases at Sears and Kmart; can also be redeemed for select gift cards
  • Annual fee: $0
  • Apply now>>

Highlights

  • Targeted offers: This card is not that interesting for everyday cash back, but the targeted offers it sends are very appealing. In the past, it would periodically send targeted offers such as 10%-15% cash back on spending. You can check previous offers on this page

Citi card perks

  • Price Rewind: If an item drops in price, you can ask Citi for a price adjustment
  • Free FICO credit score: From Equifax, with historical tracking shown in charts
  • Private Pass: They once sent out free movie tickets; unfortunately I missed that one

Drawbacks

  • Everyday spending earns Sears points, which are not easy to cash out

SYWR Points System Introduction

This card earns Sears points, Shop Your Way Rewards (SYWR). In the past, SYWR was not very valuable and could only be redeemed when shopping at Sears, Kmart, and other affiliated merchants. Kmart was a little better because you could buy groceries and household essentials there. However, SYWR recently added a new redemption option that lets you redeem directly online for third-party gift cards, which makes it somewhat useful. If you redeem them 1:1 for gift cards, the points are worth about 0.8 or so.

If you find that the points you earned cannot be redeemed, call the customer service number on the back of the card and have your credit card linked to your Shop Your Way Rewards account.

My take

After the sign-up bonus increase, this card is still pretty good. After all, having a no-annual-fee card with $225 is nice. For everyday spending, the cash back is decent for gas, dining, and groceries, but redemption is a bit awkward because if you convert the points through SYWR into gift cards, you still take a haircut. That said, if you spend a lot with the targeted offers they send, the occasional 15% cash back is actually the most valuable part.

In short, only

Apply

  • Citi application status link or call: 877-343-4118
  • 8/65/95 rule: You can apply for only one personal card every 8 days, only two personal cards every 65 days, and only one business card every 95 days. This refers to application submission limits, regardless of whether you were approved or not.
  • 24/48-month welcome bonus rule: If you have received a welcome bonus on a ThankYou Points card within the past 24 months, you will not be eligible to receive the bonus again. For AA products, the restriction is 48 months, but both rules apply only to the same card; there is no restriction across different card families.
  • You can call the reconsideration line (800-763-9795) to speed up the credit card approval process or ask a representative to review a denied credit card application again.
  • Having a Citi Checking/Gold relationship may help with your application.
  • More about applying for Citi credit cards

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