Rewards · Mastercard · No annual fee
Last verified 2026-09-09. Review issuer source
Citi Birch Lane Mastercard is a no-annual-fee points card from Citi. Its best everyday rates are 3x on grocery stores, and 2x on online shopping; everything else earns 1x. There is also 5x on Birch Lane, a single-merchant rate. Rewards are Birch points that only spend inside that program, so we value them at roughly a third of a cent each.
On our reference budget of $24,600 a year it returns about $130, an effective 0.5% back.
Get it if you already fly or stay with Birch often enough to use the perks. A general travel card earns points that go more places. It charges 3% on foreign purchases, so leave it home when you travel abroad.
5% BACK in Rewards at Birch Lane
3% at grocery stores
2% online
No welcome bonus is stored for this catalog entry yet.
$40 OFF your first qualifying order of $100, plus no annual fee.
No Interest Financing if Paid in Full up to 24 Months.
These come from Mastercard, not from Citi. Every card on the Standard Mastercard tier carries them, so they should not decide between two cards.
Call 1-800-MASTERCARD (1-800-627-8372) for 24/7 assistance to report a lost or stolen card.
Enjoy a HealthLock for Mastercard Medical Claim Monitor complimentary membership plus a 90-day upgrade to all HealthLock services at no monthly cost.
Groceries and more delivered in as fast as one hour. Get $10 off your second order each month, and new Instacart+ members can also get three free months of Instacart+.
Monitor your credit file for fraud, get alerts for suspicious activity and access a resolution specialist.
Mastercard gives you exclusive access to ticket presales at top venues and festivals across the U.S. Eligibility restrictions, exclusions and terms apply. Offer expires 3/31/2027.
Save when you tap and go with your eligible Mastercard and receive a $2.50 statement credit when you spend $10 or more each month at participating transit systems.
With Mastercard Zero Liability protection you’re protected against unauthorized transactions in stores, online and in app.
Benefit descriptions are the issuer’s and network’s own wording, trimmed for length. Limits and exclusions are in the guide to benefits.
| Card | Annual fee | Rewards earned | Net after fee | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birch Lane MastercardThis card · 3x on grocery stores | None | $130 | +$130 | 920th of 1,291 |
| Citi Double Cash®Citi's most-held other card · 2% on everything | None | $492 | +$492 | 282nd of 1,291 |
| Savor RewardsThe strongest no-fee card on this budget · 3% on dining | None | $642 | +$642 | 4th of 1,291 |
| Robinhood Gold CardHighest net return on this budget · 3% on everything | $50 | $798 | +$748 | 1st of 1,291 |
Reference budget: groceries $6,000, dining and restaurants $3,600, gas and ev charging $2,400, travel and transit $3,000, online shopping $2,400, entertainment and streaming $1,200, everything else $6,000. Points are valued at 1¢ unless the program is worth less; statement credits, welcome bonuses, and perks are left out. Run it with your own spending.
