Introduction to the Citi Double Cash
Many of the best cash back credit cards give you 1.5% back on your spending without an annual fee, but few surpass that earning threshold for every single purchase. That's why the Citi® Double Cash Card is so noteworthy.
$0
0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months
18.24% - 28.24% Variable
Earn $200 cash back
Excellent, Good, Fair
- No annual fee
- Simple earning structure without confusing bonus categories
- Some cards earn higher rates of cash back on rotating categories
- While it has an introductory APR offer, that's only on balance transfers, not purchases, so you can't use it to fund a major expense without interest
The Citi® Double Cash Card doesn't come with a lot of bells and whistles. But earning 2% cash back (1 point per dollar at the time of purchase and 1 point per dollar when you pay your bill) without an annual fee is an excellent deal. It's also one of our picks for the best balance transfer credit cards.
Citi Double Cash CardCiti Double Cash Overview
With the Citi® Double Cash Card, you'll earn 2 points per dollar — effectively 2% cash back — on all purchases (1% per dollar when you make a purchase, and 1% per dollar when you pay it off). And there's no limit to what you can earn, which puts the card high on our list of the best 2% cash back credit cards.
It's an ideal card for those who want a solid cash back rate without having to keep track of bonus categories or spending caps.
Because it has no annual fee, the Citi® Double Cash Card is a great option as a long-term "keeper card" — both for its strong cash back earning and because your average account age is a factor in calculating your credit score. The Citi® Double Cash Card offers a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months, then a 18.24% - 28.24% Variable APR, which can save you money if you're looking to consolidate debt or move a balance from a high-interest credit card.
Citi Double Cash Card Rewards
The Citi® Double Cash Card is one-third of the Citi Trifecta — a trio of Citi cards that can supercharge your ThankYou Rewards balance by earning anywhere from 2x to 5x rewards on every single purchase.
Citi ThankYou points are worth 1.6 cents each, on average, based on Business Insider's latest points and miles valuations — but the exact value you'll get depends on how you redeem your rewards.
Citi Double Cash Welcome Bonus
Currently, the Citi® Double Cash Card has a bonus of $200 cash back, fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first six months of account opening.
It almost always doesn't offer a welcome bonus, but it has offered similar modest cash back welcome bonuses a couple of times in the past.
How to Earn Cash Back With the Citi Double Cash
The Citi® Double Cash Card is simple in that it doesn't require you to keep track of bonus categories — you'll earn the same cash-back rewards rate on every purchase you make.
Instead of awarding cash back all at once as most cards do, the Citi® Double Cash Card works a little differently. You'll earn 1 point per dollar (worth 1% cash back) when you make a purchase and 1 point per dollar (1% cash back) when you pay it off. This delayed return shouldn't be a factor if you pay your bill in full every month, but if you're someone who carries a balance, it's something to consider.
How to Use Citi Double Cash Rewards
You can use points from the Citi® Double Cash Card in more ways than you might think — they're not just good for cash back.
Because the Citi® Double Cash Card earns Citi ThankYou points instead of straight cash back, you can redeem rewards for travel through the Citi ThankYou travel portal, gift cards, merchandise, and more.
If you want to trade in your rewards for cash back, you can redeem your Citi ThankYou points at a rate of 1 cent each for a check, a statement credit, or a credit to your linked account with no minimum requirement for statement credits or direct deposit; check redemptions have a minimum of $5. You can also use points toward travel, gift cards, merchandise, and more.
The Citi® Double Cash Card now lets you transfer Citi ThankYou points to one airline partner, JetBlue, at a transfer ratio of 5:4 (1,000 Citi ThankYou points to 800 JetBlue points), and to hotel partners Wyndham (5:4 ratio) and Choice Privileges (2:3 ratio).
If you also hold the Citi Prestige® Card (no longer available to new customers) or the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card , however, you can combine your points and transfer them at a 1:1 ratio to all of Citi's airline partners, including Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Cathay Pacific, and Etihad Guest, and at an improved ratio to Citi's hotel partners.
Redeeming your points this way can often translate into even more value, especially if you book business- or first-class award flights that would otherwise cost a fortune.
Redeeming Citi ThankYou points for airfare, hotel stays, car rentals, and attractions through the newly refreshed Citi Travel With Booking.com gets you a rate of 1 cent per point. This is a one-stop shop for using rewards for travel, but be sure to compare prices through the Citi portal to booking directly with the airline, hotel, or other travel provider.
Citi Double Cash Benefits and Features
As a no-annual-fee card, the Citi® Double Cash Card doesn't come with many cardholder benefits. However, there are a couple that can be very helpful in the right circumstances.
Introductory 0% APR on Balance Transfers for 18 Months
With the Citi® Double Cash Card, you'll qualify for a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months, followed by a 18.24% - 28.24% Variable APR. It has a 3% intro fee of each transfer ($5 minimum) completed within the first four months of account opening, then 5% of each transfer ($5 minimum).
Using a 0% APR credit card or balance transfer card can save you money if you're carrying high-interest debt on other cards. It can also be a good opportunity to simplify your monthly bills by consolidating credit card debt in one place. Just be sure you're able to make at least the minimum payment each month and have the means to pay the entire balance before the introductory period expires.
Citi Double Cash Fees
While the Citi® Double Cash Card has a $0 annual fee, there are other fees to be aware of.
You'll pay a 18.24% - 28.24% Variable APR whenever you carry a balance, and fees apply for certain activities, including:
- Foreign transaction fee (if you're heading abroad, use a credit card that doesn't charge foreign transaction fees instead)
- Balance transfers
- Cash advances
Citi Double Cash Card Comparison
Before you decide on the Citi® Double Cash Card, be sure to consider other no-annual-fee credit cards that offer similar cash back. For example, the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card offers 2% cash rewards on purchases, and comes with a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card vs. Citi® Double Cash Card
If you're comparing the Citi® Double Cash Card vs. Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card, you'll want to decide how much you value how quickly you'll receive your cash back rewards. That's because the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card earns 2% cash rewards on purchases, and there's not the limitation of earning half the rewards when you buy and the other half when you pay like there is on the Citi® Double Cash Card.
That might make the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card a clear winner for most folks. But keep in mind, the Citi® Double Cash Card has the advantage for its long intro APR on balance transfers (0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months, then a 18.24% - 28.24% Variable APR). If completing a balance transfer is your main motivation for getting a card, the Citi® Double Cash Card should be your pick.
The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card also has an intro APR offer (0% intro APR on purchases and qualifying balance transfers for 12 months from account opening, then a 19.24%, 24.24%, or 29.24% variable APR), but it's not as long as on the Citi® Double Cash Card.
The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card also comes with a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first three months from account opening, while the Citi® Double Cash Card offers $200 cash back, fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first six months of account opening.
Read more in our Wells Fargo Active Cash card review.
Chase Freedom Unlimited® vs. Citi® Double Cash Card
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is another strong competitor to the Citi® Double Cash Card. When comparing these two cards, consider your spending habits and what you want from the card.
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® has a welcome bonus offer of additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year), which gives this card an advantage in the first year. Its earning rates can also be more lucrative if you spend a lot on travel, restaurants, and drugstores. You'll earn 5% cash back on travel booked through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on dining, 3% cash back at drugstores, and 1.5% cash back on everything else, with no caps.
With the Chase Freedom Unlimited®, there's also a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months, then a 19.49% - 28.24% Variable APR.
The Citi® Double Cash Card has an advantage for balance transfers and overall cash back rate. You'll do much better with this card if the long balance transfer is worth it for you, and if most of your spending is outside of the Chase Freedom Unlimited®'s bonus categories.
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® also comes with benefits you don't often see on no-annual-fee cards, including purchase protection, extended warranty, car rental insurance, trip interruption and cancellation insurance, and travel and emergency assistance services.
Read more in our Chase Freedom Unlimited review.
Citi Double Cash Frequently Asked Questions
The Citi® Double Cash Card is a Mastercard.
Typically, to get approved for the Citi® Double Cash Card, you'll a credit score in the excellent, good, fair range. This means a FICO score of at least 580.
Your Citi® Double Cash Card rewards will not expire as long as your account is open.
If you already had cash back in your Citi® Double Cash Card account, they've been converted to ThankYou points at a rate of 1 point = 1 cent. For example, if you had $25 in cash back sitting in your account, it converted into 2,500 ThankYou points.
The Citi® Double Cash Card doesn't come with travel protections like primary rental car insurance or trip delay insurance, nor does it offer perks like purchase protection or extended warranty. If you're looking for a card with more benefits, check out our guides to the best travel credit cards and best credit cards with travel insurance for top options.
Why You Should Trust Us: How We Reviewed the Citi Double Cash Card
Insider's credit cards team evaluated the Citi® Double Cash Card in comparison to similar cash back credit cards with no annual fee. We looked at various factors, including:
- Ease of use — Are the cash back or rewards from the card straightforward to earn and redeem, or are there hoops to jump through? Are there lots of ways to use your rewards?
- Cash back earning potential — Does the card come with earning rates that are equal to or higher than comparable cards? If the card has bonus categories, are they broadly useful to consumers, and do any of them have a spending cap?
- Benefits — Most cash back credit cards aren't packed with fancy benefits, but does the card offer perks that put it above competing cards? These could be things like travel benefits, purchase protections, or statement credits.
- Annual fee — If the card has an annual fee, is it justified? Does the card's earning potential and other perks make paying a fee worth it?
To read more about Business Insider's methodology, and how we pick the best credit cards, check out our explainer on how we rate credit cards.
