Get 5% back on Dining Out, Bookstore, Utilities, and More

While I’m still happy with the three main credit cards that I use for rewards, I just noticed that Citibank has come out with two new cards with good rewards:

Citi mtvU Platinum Visa Card – 5 ThankYou Points per $1 spent on restaurants, bookstores, record stores, movie theaters, and video rental stores

Citi Home Rebate Platinum MasterCard – 6% cash back for 6 months on utilities, cable tv, satellite tv, other pay tv and radio services, internet connection and telecom services.

ThankYou Points are Citibank’s new rewards system. To be very, very general, 1 point = 1 cent. For example, the reward that appeals to me the most is the $50 Target Gift Card for 5,000 ThankYou Points. It’s not as good as cash, but I shop at Target regularly so it’s basically the same for me. Here is a .pdf file of the whole catalog.

Each card has other features, but this basically means you’re getting 5+% back on all those things – with this and my existing Citi Dividend Select Card which gives 5% back on grocery stores, drugstores, and gas stations, I’d be getting 5% back on the majority of my purchases! Too bad the Home Rebate offer is only for 6 months.

The mtvU card is targeted towards students, even gives you up to 2,000 ThankYou points twice a year based on your GPA last semester! And you also get 25 points a month for paying your bill on time and not exceeding your credit limit.

[Update: I have some reports that Citi is asking for transcripts from some, but not all cardholders. It may be just for people who want the extra GPA points though.]

[Update #2: For 3% back on Restaurants, Auto Rentals, Gas, and Office Supply Merchants, check out the Citi Professional Card ($100 bonus currently too!]