[Targeted] Citi Sears: Spending Bonus For Online Purchases

Update 11/15/24: Valid 11/15-12/14

Update 10/15/24: Another round has gone out from 10/15-11/14.

Update 9/15/24: New round of 250k with $1,000 spend from 9/15 – 10/14. Others got 200k with $750 spend.

The Offer

  • Citi has sent out targeted spending bonuses on the Citi Sears card:
    • Get 250,000 Bonus Shop Your Way Points when you make eligible online purchases totaling $1,000 or more on your Shop Your Way Mastercard from 2/15/24 (or the date you activate this offer, whichever is later) through 3/14/24.
    • There are other versions of this offer as well.

Our Verdict

Check this post and comments to find out what counts as an online purchase. These types of offers are why this card is listed as the #1 store card.

Post History:

  • Update 5/15/24: new offer sent out for 250,000 points after spending $1,000 by June 15 (ht MoreSun)
  • Update 4/15/24: Offer has been sent out again for $70 back after $1,000 in online spend from 4/15 – 5/14 (ht reader David)
  • Update 3/16/24: This has been sent out again from 3/15 – 4/14/24.

View Comments (394)

  • $30 for $500 spend for like the 4th month in a row. Ugh lol. Tried ignoring it last time in hopes of a better offer but nope.

  • got the $70 offer after meeting the 200k pts offer last month and $50 the month prior. not sure how their algo works.

  • @6 Another round just got emailed out. I got a $70 statement credit on $1000 online spend.

    Check your inboxes!

    • Got that one too, it’s an oddball one.
      Check your inbox today because the Online spend offers always come on the 15th

        • Oh gotcha, yeah just keep putting spend on your card and most people see the good offers start in about 3-4 months after the card opening. I’d recommend setting up an email alert/flag for any emails that have “Shop Your Way Mastercard”

  • Can't get this card to work on pepper. Authentication doesn't work. Anyone else have this problem?

    • I had this problem after getting a replacement card and accidentally putting in the old CVV. A call to Citi fixed it.

  • Anyone else get an email today for a spend offer, but the link to activate doesn't work?

    Subject: NAME, Bonus Shop Your Way® Points® are waiting – see inside for details

    After clicking "Activate Now", the page loads but it says "We’re sorry, but the offer was NOT activated at this time. Please try again later."

    • Mine wouldn't activate before, but it just activated today. If you look at the dates of the promotion in the email, it said starting at 11/1. However, I couldn't see any terms of the bonus offer. I'm getting 150k bonus points for $1500 of "eligible" spend. What's eligible? Who knows.

      • Yep looks like a glitch that they sent it out early. Usually it sends on the first day that the offer is available so makes sense it wasn’t able to be activated prior to the promo period starting on 11/1.

        As for what qualifies, it does list that in the email. It’s basically all normal purchases, just no BTs, Cash Advances, Wire Transfers, Interest, etc, the usual excluded stuff from any offer :

        “The following types of transactions don’t qualify as purchases that earn Bonus Shop Your Way Points: balance transfers, cash advance transactions, cash advance transactions designated as purchases, convenience checks, returned purchases, disputed or unauthorized purchases/fraudulent transactions, annual credit card membership fees, money orders, wire transfers, bets, lottery tickets, or casino gaming chips, credit insurance premiums, AccountCare® fees, interest charges and credit card fees.
        The Shop Your Way Mastercard account must be current and open at the time we determine whether you qualify for the Bonus Shop Your Way Points. Please allow 2 billing cycles after the end of the promotional period for the Bonus Shop Your Way Points to be added to your account.”

    • Yes I posted in the other DoC thread earlier. It appears to be a glitch that they were sent out early since it’s not available until Nov 1. Usually these offers get sent out on the starting day so I’m expecting mine to be able to activate on Friday (11/1). Interestingly there’s also a Nov 1 - Jan 31 offer in my Offers page that says Activated but I have never seen it as an email and never activated it. I’m guessing that’s also a part of this glitch and that that one will show up as an email on Nov 1. If that’s the case it’s nice getting the preview of it but something funky is definitely happening right now with the offers.

  • Has anyone ever contacted them after not getting the required points like 200K/250K after spending $750/$1000 and what was the result of that call ? This is the first time I did not get the points even though I spend more than the required amount.

        • Have all your charges for the required spent post points already? I have noticed the last few weeks that the card spend is taking forever to post points, at least for me. Just had the points for a charge on the 14th post today.

    • This is what I have gotten every month for the past who knows how long. Never got a better spend offer. I might just skip this and see if it activates a higher tier next month.

      • I’d recommend activating the offer even if you aren’t going to use it so they see you’re interested still and hopefully that triggers a better offer.