Citi Easy Deals: Are they worth it?

Beyond the rewards rate you can earn on your card, credit cards come with all sorts of ways to save you money – via benefits like travel insurances and access to programs designed to boost your savings.

If you have a qualifying Citi card, the bank offers a great way to save money on common purchases – known as Citi Easy Deals℠. This program allows cardholders to unlock competitive savings on dining, merchandise, gift cards and more.

Unfortunately, Citi Easy Deals is currently limited to cardholders of only three Citi cards. If you do have a qualifying card, however, there are some great promotions to take advantage of.

What is Citi Easy Deals?

Citi Easy Deals is a program offering a collection of discounts available to select Citi cardholders. Easy Deals allows qualifying Citi customers to enroll and access unique savings as they advance through membership tiers.

From daily deals featuring select products to sales on gift cards, Easy Deals is designed to help customers save money on all kinds of everyday purchases.

Who can use Citi Easy Deals?

Citi Easy Deals are limited to specific Citi cards. To take advantage of the program, you must have one of the following:

Unless you have one of the three participating credit cards, you won’t be able to access Citi Easy Deals.

How does Citi Easy Deals work?

Citi Easy Deals operates on a tiered system. There are three of these tiers – each of which boasts unique offers – which eligible cardholders can advance through as they meet spend requirements throughout the year.

All qualifying cardholders who enroll in Citi Easy Deals are automatically placed in the base tier, which gives access to local offers from restaurants and retailers.

If you spend $100 on purchases in a calendar year, you can move into the enhanced tier, which adds savings on gift cards and magazine subscriptions to the standard local offers.

Finally, cardholders who spend at least $500 in a calendar year unlock the full potential of Citi Easy Deals – including savings on travel and merchandise.

Citi Easy Deals is not a card-linked offer program. Rather than award cash back as a statement credit after your purchase, you’ll unlock the savings from Citi Easy Deals immediately. You can receive discounts on dining, merchandise and travel purchases, among many others.

Are Citi Easy Deals worth it?

Most Citi Easy Deals that we found at the time of writing this article weren’t that enticing – and they seem to mimic promotions you can find on any coupon site.

If you regularly use shopping portals or coupon aggregating sites when you shop online, you can probably find a comparable discount to most City Easy Deals without the extra step of searching the platform.

However, there is one kind of promotion that serves as a true gold mine within Citi Easy Deals – gift cards. You can often find gift cards from major retailers at a 10 percent discount or higher. Citi customers have even reported getting a $5 gift card for free on past offers.

If you already spend money with a merchant, taking advantage of these deals can amount to incredible savings.

Tips for maximizing Citi Easy Deals

Despite limited membership opportunities and less eye-catching promotions than other savings tools, Citi Easy Deals still has the potential to save eligible cardholders money on their everyday purchases. Whether it be a discount at a local restaurant you frequent or a gift card for less than its cash value, you can still get some use out of the program if you follow these tips.

• Meet the spend threshold for the highest Citi Easy Deals tier as soon as possible each calendar year to extend your access to top promotions.
• Take advantage of deals on gift cards, especially from places where you already spend a significant amount.
• Check the Citi Easy Deals platform regularly for new promotions, including daily deals on featured products.
• Always compare Citi Easy Deals to other savings programs, including any card-linked offers or shopping portals you use.

Bottom line

Citi Easy Deals are limited to a very small group of Citi cardholders, and for the most part, promotions aren’t spectacular. However, cardholders who qualify for the program should keep a careful eye out for gift card sales, as these deals can be particularly valuable. Just keep in mind that you’ll need to reach the enhanced tier to have access to these kinds of deals, so you must spend at least $100 on your qualifying card in a calendar year.