Citi Double Cash Card Review | Bankrate (2024)

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The Citi Double Cash® Card is a practical cash back credit card that makes it easy to earn rewards and practice financial responsibility. It’s light on features and doesn’t have an intro APR offer on purchases, but its biggest merits are its top-tier flat-rate rewards and generous intro APR offer on balance transfers.

The Double Cash is an appealing choice if you’re looking for an easy way to earn rewards on purchases or pay down existingdebt, though it has more competition than it once did.

• Rewards

  • Limited-time offer: 5 percent total cash back on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked via the Citi Travel portal through Dec. 31, 2024
  • Up to 2 percent cash back on all eligible purchases (1 percent when you buy, plus another 1 percent when you pay off purchases)

  Expert Appraisal: Good
  See our expert analysis

• Welcome offer

  • Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first six months of account opening (fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back).

  Expert Appraisal: Typical
  See our expert analysis

• 0% APR offer

  • 0 percent intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months (transfers must be made within the first four months)
  • 19.24 percent to 29.24 percent variable ongoing APR

  Expert Appraisal: Good

  See our expert analysis

• Rates and fees

  • No annual fee
  • 3 percent foreign transaction fee
  • 3 percent intro balance transfer fee ($5 minimum; 5 percent after the first four months)

  Expert Appraisal: Typical

  See our expert analysis

• Other cardholder perks

  • Citi Entertainment access
  • Citi Flex Pay alternative installment payment plans for qualifying cardholders

  Expert Appraisal: Typical
  See our expert analysis

The Citi Double Cash is one of the best no-annual-fee cash back cards available. Whether you’re looking for a standalone card or want to combine it with other cards, the flat rate earned for all purchases makes it a great option. It could also be a top choice if you need to pay off debt thanks to its strong intro APR on balance transfers.

Rewards: Stellar flat cash back rate

Besides being one of the best flat-rate cash back cards on the market with up to 2 percent cash back, the Citi Double Cash can help keep your spending habits in check with its earn-as-you-pay rewards structure. You automatically earn 1 percent cash back when purchasing, but you must pay off that purchase to receive the additional 1 percent back. If you’re new to rewards cards, this structure can incentivize you to pay on time to avoid interest charges and the slippery slope into debt.

The Citi Double Cash is also a great option if you’re looking for a low-maintenance rewards card. You’ll earn the same unlimited rewards rate on any purchase, so you won’t have to track spending categories or juggle multiple cards to maximize rewards. Plus, for a limited time through Dec. 31, 2024, you can earn 5 percent total cash back on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked via the Citi Travel portal.

Although Citi advertises the Double Cash as a cash back card, you actually earn ThankYou points, which you can redeem for cash back in the form of a statement credit, direct deposit or check. You can also use your rewards for gift cards, travel through Citi or Shop with Points on Amazon or PayPal. However, it’s important to note that these are “basic” ThankYou points, so you can’t transfer them to a Citi travel partner. You’ll need to pair this card with a premium Citi travel card for that.

0% APRbalance transfer offer: A lengthy intro APR for a cash back card

The Citi Double Cash is a great balance transfer credit card: The card’s 0 percent introductory APR on balance transfers lasts an impressive 18 months (then 19.24 percent to 29.24 percent variable). That’s one of the longest offers on a no-annual-fee rewards card and is on par with many offers you’ll find on traditional balance transfer cards.

The Double Cash charges a 3 percent introductory fee for balance transfers ($5 minimum; 5 percent for transfers made after the first four months). However, this is a lower fee than you’ll pay with other balance transfer cards. You could save more with a lower fee than a few extra months of 0 percent APR.

For example, if you had $2,000 in credit card debt and transferred it to the Citi Double Cash, you could pay just over $111 a month for 18 months without accruing any new interest. You’d only owe a $60 balance transfer fee, which is modest compared to the amount you would owe in interest over 18 months without an introductory APR.

Welcome offer: Decent bonus

The Citi Double Cash currently boasts a competitive offer of 20,000 ThankYou points after you spend $1,500 in your first six months as a cardholder (worth $200 when you redeem for cash back). This is on par with the bonus offers you'll find on many of the best no-annual-fee cash back and rewards cards, though the spending requirement is a bit high. Some competitors only require a $500 spend to earn the same.

While a sign-up bonus shouldn’t be the main factor when weighing card options, these bonuses can offer substantial value. You’d need to spend $10,000 to earn $200 cash back with the Citi Double Cash without this welcome offer.

Learn more:Best cash rewards credit card welcome offers

Although the Citi Double Cash is a top-tier option among flat-rate cards, it lacks an intro APR period for new purchases and only carries basic perks. These shortcomings may disappoint applicants looking for more first-year value.

Rates and fees: No annual fee, but otherwise typical

As long as you pay off your balance in full each month, the no-annual-fee Citi Double Cash should be a rewarding card. However, fees like the foreign transaction fee can quickly wipeout your earned rewards and then some.

You’ll also have to watch out for a high penalty APR and a late payment fee (see terms). The penalty APR can last indefinitely, which makes the Double Cash card’s terms much harsher than some rival cards. Several competitors don’t charge a penalty APR or remove it after six to 12 months if you make consistent on-time payments. You should do your best to avoid making late payments, as the Double Cash card’s rewards program is only great if you pay on time.

APR: No introductory offer on purchases

Unlike many balance transfer and competing rewards cards, the Citi Double Cash doesn’t offer an intro APR on purchases. That means carrying a balance from new purchases will accrue interest immediately. The Double Cash is still one of the best cash back cards for balance transfers, but others may be worth considering if you want an intro APR on purchases. Many no-annual-fee rewards cards offer an intro APRon purchases and balance transfers and may be a better fit for your needs.

Learn more:Should you get a longer balance transfer offer or a shorter offer with rewards?

Perks: Limited benefits for a rewards card

The Citi Double Cash is light on card benefits compared to competing cash back cards. Like all Citi credit and debit cards, the Double Cash card comes with Citi Entertainment access. Citi Entertainment opens the door to presale tickets, events and experiences. For more information, read Citi Entertainment’s FAQ page.

However, other no-annual-fee cash back cards offer better benefits. For example, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® card provides trip cancellation and interruption insurance as well as partner perks with several delivery and rideshare services. And the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express offersan annual credit for eligible streaming service purchases.

The card that works best for you will have perks that best give you additional value. But if you prefer a flat-rate cash back card, the Citi Double Cash might still be the best option for you despite its thin perks portfolio.

Our credit card expert, Nouri Zarrugh, uses the Double Cash card to maximize rewards on purchases that don’t typically earn boosted rewards.

I love the card’s simplicity. It has come in handy for big but easy-to-forget expenses like insurance bills or car repairs, which typically only earn 1 percent back on other cards. Even though I carry several cards, I have plenty of purchases pop up for which the Double Cash offers the best return on spending.

— Nouri Zarrugh, Editor, Bankrate

The Citi Double Cash card is a solid pick, but doesn’t offer the highest flat cash back rate. It also lacks the top features available on other cash back cards, like an intro APR on new purchases. Here are some comparable flat-rate cash back cards worth considering before committing to the Citi Double Cash.

When pairing credit cards, choosing a card that supplements your existing card or makes up for what your card lacks works best.

In the case of the Citi Double Cash, consider pairing it with a bonus category cash back card that can boost your rewards on your common spending categories. Additionally, if you know you have a big purchase coming up, a low introductory APR on purchases may be helpful. However, any card that earns more than 2 percent back in your most frequent spending categories can pair well with the Double Cash.

The Citi Double Cash is a strong choice if you’re looking for a simple standalone credit card that earns a solid cash back rate on each purchase. You can also benefit from the Citi Double Cash lengthy intro APR on balance transfers if you’re in the market for a balance transfer credit card. The earn-as-you-pay caveatprovides ongoing value and may encourage you to stay out of debt.

That said, the Citi Double Cash is only worth it if you can pay back what you owe and avoid carrying a balance on purchases. If you don’t pay them off, you’ll only earn 1 percent cash back, which is lower than average. If you have a history of skipping credit card payments or paying bills late, it might be best to consider a different cash back card.

We rate credit cards using a proprietary card scoring system that ranks each card’s estimated average rewards rate, estimated annual earnings, welcome bonus value, APR, fees, perks and more against those of other cards in its primary category.

Each card feature is assigned a weighting based on how important it is to people looking for a card in a given category. These features are then scored based on how they rank relative to the features on other cards in the category. Based on these calculations, each card receives an overall rating of 1-5 stars (with 5 being the highest possible score and 1 being the lowest).

We analyzed over 150 of the most popular rewards and cash back cards to determine where each stacked up based on their value, cost, benefits and more. Here are some of the key factors that influenced this card’s overall score and how the score influenced our review:

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