Our take: The Citi® Double Cash Card is a solid cash back credit card that also has an attractive balance transfer option.
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The Citi® Double Cash Card is a great option for people that want a simple and flat earnings rate on all purchases without having to worry about earning different amounts in different spending categories. While the Citi® Double Cash Card doesn’t come with a lot of other perks, it does have a $0 annual fee and earns cash back at a high rate.
Plus, the cash back that you earn is paid in the form of valuable Citi ThankYou points. You can redeem your ThankYou points as cash or transfer them to Citi’s hotel and airline transfer partners. The Citi® Double Cash Card also comes with a good balance transfer offer, so it can be a great option for someone looking to pay down a balance on another card.
Intro Purchase APR
N/A
Regular Purchase APR
18.49% - 28.49% (Variable)
Intro BT APR
0% for 18 months on Balance Transfers
Regular BT APR
18.49% - 28.49% (Variable)
Annual Fee
$0
Cash Advance Fee
5% of each cash advance; $10 minimum
Foreign Transaction Fee
3%
Balance Transfer Fee
There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. A balance transfer fee of 5% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies if completed after 4 months of account opening.
One of the highest earning, flat-rate rewards cards
Unlike some other credit cards that offer different earning rates in different spending categories, the Citi® Double Cash Card has a flat-rate earning structure, where you will earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. This is one of the highest rates of cash back you can get for a card with no annual fee.
Rewards are easy to redeem
The rewards that you earn with the Citi® Double Cash Card are fairly easy to redeem as well. Although it’s marketed as a cash back card, your rewards are actually paid out as 2 Citi ThankYou points per $1 spent, rather than 2% cash back. You can redeem your ThankYou points for:
There are no minimums when you redeem your rewards for a statement credit or direct deposit.
You can transfer rewards to other Citi cards
The rewards that you earn with the Citi® Double Cash Card are actually paid out in Citi’s valuable transferable currency — ThankYou points. With just the Double Cash card, you can transfer your points to Choice Hotels, Wyndham Rewards and JetBlue TrueBlue. But if you also have a premium Citi credit card like the Citi Premier® Card, you’ll get a better transfer ratio with these partners and unlock many other hotel and airline transfer partners.
In fact, the Citi Premier® Card and Citi® Double Cash Card make a powerful duo thanks to their complementary earning categories. This makes the Citi® Double Cash Card one of Citi’s best kept secrets for travel card enthusiasts.
Long intro APR for balance transfers
One of the benefits that comes with the Citi® Double Cash Card is its long intro APR on balance transfers. You’ll get an intro APR of 0% for 18 months on Balance Transfers. After, a 18.49% - 28.49% (Variable) APR applies. The long intro period makes Citi® Double Cash Card one of the best balance transfer cards. It’s an attractive option if you’re looking to save money by transferring a balance from another credit card.
You don't earn 2% cash back immediately
With the Citi® Double Cash Card , you don’t earn the 2% cash back immediately when you make a purchase. Instead, you’ll earn unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. You don’t get the second half of your cash back until you pay what you’ve charged to the card. You’ll also forfeit the additional 1% when you redeem rewards for statement credits. As a comparison, the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card earns unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases right away.
No sign-up bonus
The Citi® Double Cash Card currently doesn’t offer a sign-up bonus while most cash back cards do (particularly its main competitor, the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card). Because sign-up bonuses on credit cards can be one of the most lucrative ways to earn rewards, the lack of a sign-up bonus is a definite point against the Citi® Double Cash Card .
No intro APR for purchases
While this card has an introductory APR on balance transfers, it lacks a 0% intro APR for new purchases. Many balance transfer credit cards, including the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card, offer an introductory APR on both purchases and balance transfers. In other words, the Citi® Double Cash Card isn’t the best choice if you have a big purchase coming up.
Charges a foreign transaction fee
Because the Citi® Double Cash Card charges a 3% foreign transaction fee, you’ll want to leave it at home when traveling outside the United States. Opt for a card with no foreign transaction fee instead.
Few other benefits
The Citi® Double Cash Card is light on benefits outside its rewards program, especially when compared to similar cards. For example, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® card also has a flat-rate earning structure and offers purchase protection, extended warranty protection, car rental insurance and various trip and travel insurances.
The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card offers a similar rewards rate to the Citi® Double Cash Card , but exceeds it in almost every way.
The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card has no annual fee and lets you earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases. It also offers a sign-up bonus and an introductory APR on both balance transfers and new purchases. Plus, it has cellphone protection of up to $600. Not to mention, it pays the 2% cash back as soon as you make a purchase, rather than making you wait for half of your rewards. This may make the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card an all-around better option for simple, flat-rate cash back.
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| Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer | Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card | Chase Freedom Unlimited® | Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card |
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Apply Now on Citibank's secure site
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Apply Now on Wells Fargo's secure site
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Apply Now on Chase's secure site
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Apply Now on Capital One's secure site
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| Annual Fee | |||
| $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Welcome Offer | |||
| None | Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months | Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back. That’s 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases. | One-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening |
| Rewards Rate | |||
| Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. | Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases | Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 1.5% on all other purchases | 1.5% Cash Back on every purchase, every day; 5% Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply) |
| Intro Purchase APR | |||
| N/A | 0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening | 0% Intro APR on Purchases for 15 months | 0% intro on purchases for 15 months |
| Regular APR | |||
| 18.49% - 28.49% (Variable) | 19.74%, 24.74%, or 29.74% variable APR | 19.49% - 28.24% Variable | 19.24% - 29.24% (Variable) |
| Intro Balance Transfer APR | |||
| 0% for 18 months on Balance Transfers | 0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers | 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers for 15 months | 0% intro on balance transfers for 15 months |
| Regular Balance Transfer APR | |||
| 18.49% - 28.49% (Variable) | 19.74%, 24.74%, or 29.74% variable APR | 19.49% - 28.24% Variable | 19.24% - 29.24% (Variable) |
| Balance Transfer Fee | |||
| There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. A balance transfer fee of 5% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies if completed after 4 months of account opening. | 3% intro for 120 days from account opening, then up to 5%; min: $5 | Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater. | 3% |
| Recommended Credit | |||
| Excellent/Good | Excellent/Good | Excellent/Good | Excellent/Good |
| Card Details | |||
| Citi® Double Cash Card | |||
If you want to earn cash back on new purchases without rotating categories, the Citi® Double Cash Card has one of the best flat-rate cash back programs on the market. Additionally, this card is a good option if you have credit card debt and need a while to pay it off interest-free by means of a balance transfer. If you’re looking for similar cash back credit cards, you can also consider the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card as another card that earns 2%.
Yes, the Citi® Double Cash Card does have foreign transaction fees. You’ll be charged a foreign transaction fee of 3% for each purchase made in a foreign country. If you’re planning on traveling out of the country, you should use a different credit card to make your purchases.
Citi® Double Cash Card rewards are issued as Citi ThankYou points. Your ThankYou points do not expire as long as your account remains open. If you close your account, or convert it to another Citi card that does not participate in the ThankYou points program, you’ll have 60 days to use your points.
No, the Citi® Double Cash Card does not have an annual fee. This can make it a great card to keep for the long term.
No, the Citi® Double Cash Card does not have any sort of rental car or travel insurance. The Citi® Double Cash Card is a very basic card with no annual fee and a high rate of cash back on all purchases, but very few other benefits.
No, there is no extended warranty that comes from making purchases with the Citi® Double Cash Card . If you’re looking for a card that comes with an extended warranty, you’ll want to consider our list of the best cards with extended warranty protection.
Because the Citi® Double Cash Card is a very basic credit card, it does not come with an extensive list of benefits. So there is no additional credit card purchase protection when making purchases with the Citi® Double Cash Card .
Whether you are approved or not for the Citi® Double Cash Card will depend on many different factors, including your credit score, income and other aspects of your overall financial profile. You are likely to need Excellent/Goodcredit to be approved for the Citi® Double Cash Card .
The Citi® Double Cash Card is issued as a Mastercard. You can use your Citi® Double Cash Card anywhere the Mastercard payment network is accepted.
