The Citi® Double Cash Card stands out with its straightforward approach to rewards, offering up to 2% back on every purchase – 1% when you buy and 1% when you pay. This no-nonsense card becomes even more powerful when paired with a premium Citi card, allowing you to transform your cash back into valuable transferable ThankYou points.
This credit card review will cover everything you need to know about this card to determine if you should add this card or a different card to your wallet. Let’s dive right in.
Welcome Bonus
The Citi Double Cash currently offers a welcome bonus of: Earn $200 cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening.
If you’re interested in maximizing the bonus value, consider pairing this card with the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card. This combination allows you to potentially get even more value by unlocking additional redemption options through Citi’s transfer partners.
This bonus represents a nice boost to get you started with the card, though the real long-term value comes from its excellent everyday earning structure.
Earning Cash Back
The Citi Double Cash is one of the best cash back cards on the market because you can earn 1% cash back when you buy and 1% when you pay for your purchases, for a total of 2% cash back.
Cash back will be automatically earned through ThankYou points, which can be redeemed for cash back, gift cards, and many other things (detailed below).
If you want to supercharge your rewards, you should also consider adding the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card which allows you to transfer the ThankYou points earned with the Citi Double Cash to the Strata Premier card, which can then be transferred to Citi’s airline and hotel partners.
This would also allow you to earn 2x airline or hotel points on all of your purchases, making the Double Cash a powerful everyday spending card.
However, double cash is not a good option outside the United States because it cards a 3% foreign transaction fee.
No Annual Fee
The Citi Double Cash has no annual fee, making it one of the best cash back cards on the market.
Citi Double Cash Card Benefits
The Citi Double Cash doesn’t offer any major benefits or perks, but it does offer:
0% Intro APR: Enjoy 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months. After that, the APR will be reg_apr,reg_apr_type, based on your creditworthiness.
Citi Entertainment– Citi Entertainment gets Citi cardholders special access to purchase tickets to thousands of events, including pre-sale tickets, and exclusive experiences.
Citi Identity Theft Solutions– If your personal information has been stolen to commit fraud or theft, Citi has a team of specialists to help you restore your credit even if occurred on a non-Citi card.
Free FICO Score– Your FICO score is the most common credit score used by U.S. lenders, and Citi provides this for free to cardholders.
Redeeming Rewards
This card earns Citi ThankYou points, which can be redeemed in several different ways:
- Statement Credit = 1 cent per point
- Direct Deposit = 1 cent per point
- Check by mail = 1 cent per point with a minimum of $5
- Travel = 1 cent per point when you book travel through Citi.
- Gift Cards = 1 cent per point or above with minimum of 2,500 points
- Charitable Contributions = 1 cent per point
- Shop with Points: Amazon, PayPal, CVS, Best Buy, 1-800 Flowers, BP, Amoco, and Shell
Pros and Cons of the Double Cash
Here are the advantages and disadvantages of this card:
Pros:
Earning Structure: Simple and lucrative 2% return on all purchases (1% when you buy, 1% when you pay) with no category restrictions or spending caps makes this an excellent card for everyday spending.
No Annual Fee: The card provides strong value without requiring any annual investment, making it easy to keep long-term and justify having in your wallet.
Points Flexibility: When paired with premium Citi cards, rewards can be transferred to travel partners or redeemed for cash back, giving you multiple redemption options to maximize value.
Intro 0% APR: The 18-month 0% intro APR on balance transfers provides significant flexibility for managing finances, which is longer than many competing cards.
Cons:
Foreign Transaction Fees: The 3% foreign transaction fee makes this card impractical for international purchases, requiring a separate card for travel abroad.
Limited Stand-Alone Benefits: Without premium perks like travel insurance, purchase protection, or significant travel benefits, this card is fairly basic in terms of additional features.
Alternatives to the Double Cash
Now that you know about this credit card’s various benefits and pros and cons, it’s time to see its alternatives.
Bilt Mastercard®
The Bilt Mastercard® (review) lets you earn valuable travel rewards on rent payments without fees while offering bonus points on dining and travel purchases. This no-annual-fee card stands out for its unique rent payment feature and strong travel benefits like rental car coverage and trip protection. Earning Rewards: 5x points on Lyft; 3x points on dining; 2x points on travel purchases; 1x points on rent payments without any transaction fees up to 100,000 points per year, and 1x points on everything else. (Five transactions are required per billing cycle to earn points.) Card Benefits: No transaction fees to pay rent and earn 1x points, primary rental car insurance, cell phone protection, trip delay and trip cancellation insurance, purchase protection, and no foreign transaction fees.
Citi Custom Cash℠ Card
The Citi Custom Cash℠ Card offers a unique rewards structure that automatically earns 5x points in your highest spending category each billing cycle, up to $500 in purchases. You’ll maximize your rewards with this flexible no-annual-fee card that adapts to your spending habits across ten useful bonus categories including restaurants, travel, groceries, and gas stations. Welcome Bonus: bonus_miles_full Earn Rewards: 5% cash back for your top category each billing cycle up to $500 in the following categories: restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, select travel (airlines, hotels, cruise lines and travel agencies), select transit (car rentals, parking, EV charging, tolls, etc.), select streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs, and live entertainment.; 1% cash back on all other eligible purchases. Card Benefits: Access to Citi Entertainment, contactless payment, a free check of your FICO credit score, and 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfer, after that, a reg_apr,reg_apr_type APR applies.
Is the Citi Double Cash Worth It?
The Citi Double Cash stands out as one of the most practical no-annual-fee cards you can get right now, with its straightforward earning structure that gives you cash back twice on every purchase.
You’ll get a solid welcome bonus for a no-fee card, plus the flexibility to earn either cash back or convert your rewards to valuable ThankYou points if you pair it with select Citi cards. For everyday spending, you can’t beat the return rate on non-bonus purchases, making this an excellent choice to fill the gaps in your rewards strategy where other cards might only earn 1%.
The card’s only real drawbacks are the foreign transaction fees and limited standalone benefits, but that’s typical for no-annual-fee cards. If you want a simple yet rewarding card that can grow with you as your points and miles strategy evolves, the Citi Double Cash deserves a spot in your wallet.
