Citi Forward Card – 5x on Restaurants & Amazon

**2/1/2013: Note that the Citi Forward card appears to be in flux right now. I have removed the links temporarily until I can determine what is going on. There are reports of only receiving 2x points for the key categories and the non-student version isn’t on Citi’s website.</strong></p>

10/20/2011: Citi starts you off with 10,000 Thank You points after spending $650 and signing up for paperless statements in the first 3 months.

The Citibank Forward Card is a great additional card to keep in your wallet for all of your restaurant spend and spending on Amazon.com since you get the equivalent of 5% back (gift cards, etc.) on those purchases. With no annual fee, this card gives you 5 thank you points for each dollar spent on:

• Restaurants – including fine dining and fast food; but sometimes not when it is principally a bar
• Books – including Amazon.Com, Amazon Marketplace, Barnes&Noble(in store only)
• Movies – including most theaters, blockbuster, redbox; but not netflix
• Music – including iTunes Note: The bonus 5x points are based upon how the merchant codes the transaction. This could change over time, so keep an eye on statements.

Cell phone protection (key terms):

• Damage or Theft (w/police report) Coverage up to $250 per incident (up to 2/year) with a $50 deductible
• A simple loss is not covered, nor is the phone covered while in the mail or in checked luggage
• Pre-paid phones are not covered
• You must pay your cell bill on this card to get coverage (starts the following month) If you don’t mind carrying around a few cards, this is a great one to add to the mix.