Citi Double Cash card review: Simple rewards and 2% cash back on everything

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information. Citi is a TPG advertising partner.

Citi® Double Cash Card overview

The Citi® Double Cash Card is one of the simplest and most rewarding cash-back rewards cards. With up to 2% earnings on all purchases — 1% when you make a purchase and another 1% when you pay it off — it’s difficult to beat this no-annual-fee card. Plus, you can convert your rewards to fully-transferable ThankYou points with another card. Card rating*: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

*Card rating is based on the opinion of TPG’s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.

The Citi Double Cash Card is one of the best cash-back cards because it earns up to 2% cash back on all purchases — 1% when you make a purchase, plus 1% as you pay that purchase off — with no annual fee.

Cash back is automatically earned in the form of ThankYou points, allowing for more flexible usage of your hard-earned rewards. Furthermore, if you also hold a Citi Premier® Card or Citi Prestige® Card (no longer available to new applicants), you can convert your cash back to fully transferable ThankYou points for higher value.

Let’s take a closer look at the Citi Double Cash.

The information for the Citi Prestige has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Citi Double Cash welcome offer

There is currently no welcome offer for cash back on the Citi Double Cash.

However, the card is offering an introductory 0% annual percentage rate (APR) for the first 18 months from account opening for balance transfers. Note that you must transfer a balance within the first four months to be eligible for the introductory 0% APR, and you’ll need to pay a balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5). After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).

After the introductory APR period, the variable APR is 18.49%-28.49% based on your creditworthiness.

Note that you won’t earn cash back on balance transfers. If you transfer a balance, interest will be charged on your purchases unless you pay your entire balance (including balance transfers) by the due date each month.

Earning rewards with the Citi Double Cash

Cardmembers earn 1% cash back when they buy and 1% when they pay for their purchases. However, cash back will be automatically earned in the form of ThankYou points (with limited transferability).

This card is popular with many cardholders because its earning rate is consistent. There are no category bonuses and no limit on the cash back you can earn.

Your card account must be current to earn rewards. This means you must pay at least the minimum payment due by the first day of each billing period — although it’s best practice to always pay your statement in full, if possible. Also, your cash rewards balance will expire if you have not earned any cash back on purchases or cash back on payments for 12 months. Note rewards won’t expire as long as the account is open.

Redeeming rewards with the Citi Double Cash

Historically, the Citi Double Cash Card only earned cash-back rewards, with three options to obtain cash back once your cash rewards balance reached at least $25; now, cardmembers don’t need to hit that minimum amount to redeem.

Furthermore, the value of this card increased in March 2022 when Citi announced that it would earn ThankYou points automatically. That opens up a number of options, which are detailed below.

Redeem for cash back

If you want the simplest redemption option, this is the one to go for. Each ThankYou point equals one cent in cash back. You can request this cash back as a statement credit or direct deposit (no minimum). Alternatively, you can receive a check in the mail ($5 minimum).

Transfer to loyalty partners

If you don’t have the Citi Premier or Citi Prestige card, you’ll only have the option to transfer to three loyalty partners — Choice Privileges, JetBlue TrueBlue and Wyndham Rewards — none of which offer very high value.

However, if you also have the Citi Premier or Citi Prestige, you can combine the ThankYou points from your Citi Double Cash Card with the ThankYou points from one of these cards. When you do this, you’ll be able to use your ThankYou points as if they were earned by your Citi Premier or Citi Prestige, including transferring your points to Citi’s slate of airline and hotel transfer partners.

Based on TPG’s valuation of Citi ThankYou points at 1.8 cents each, this means you can earn an effective 3.4% return when you buy and pay with your Citi Double Cash Card. This is the best way to get value out of points earned on this card.

Other redemption options

You can also redeem your ThankYou points for gift cards or use them to shop through Citi’s online shopping and travel portals.

Finally, if you want to share your ThankYou points, you can do so by sharing them with another ThankYou points user or redeeming them for a charitable contribution.

Citi Double Cash benefits

Unfortunately, the Citi Double Cash Card doesn’t offer many other standout benefits or perks. Here’s what you’ll get:

Contactless payment with your contactless-chip-enabled Citi card.
Access to Citi Entertainment, which provides special access to purchase tickets to thousands of events.
ID theft protection that helps eliminate the worry of identity theft by monitoring and alerting cardholders if suspicious activity is found.
Access to Citi Identity Theft Solutions if your personal information has been stolen to commit fraud or theft.

Note that the Citi Double Cash does incur foreign transaction fees when using it abroad, so you’ll want to make sure to have an alternate card to swipe when traveling outside the U.S.

Which cards compete with the Citi Double Cash?

There are a number of no-annual-fee credit cards with cash-back rewards that stack up with the Citi Double Cash.

If you want a welcome offer: Try another no-annual-fee, fixed-rate card like the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card. Although it earns at a lower 1.5% cash-back rate, the Quicksilver comes with a $200 cash bonus after spending $500 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. You can also now convert the cash back you earn with it into Capital One miles if you hold a credit card like the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and then transfer them to that program’s airline and hotel partners. For more information, read our full review of the Quicksilver Cash Rewards.

If you want rewarding bonus categories: The Chase Freedom Unlimited offers 5% back on travel booked through the Chase travel portal, 3% on dining and drugstore purchases and 1.5% on everything else. This card also offers the opportunity to convert your cash-back rewards to transferable points if you also have a Chase Ultimate Rewards-earning credit card. For more information, read our full review of the Chase Freedom Unlimited.

For additional options, check out our full list of the best cash-back cards.

Is the Citi Double cash worth it?

The Citi Double Cash is a great choice if you’re looking for simple cash-back rewards without having to worry about spending categories. However, if you can pair it with another Citi card, you’ll maximize the value of its rewards.

Bottom line

If you’re looking for a cash-back credit card where you don’t have to worry about category bonuses and figuring out the best credit card to use for each purchase, the Citi Double Cash Card may very well be the right card for you. Getting this card is also a great way to round out your earning strategy if you already have the Citi Premier Card, Citi Custom Cash℠ Card or Citi Rewards+® Card to maximize your Citi ThankYou points.

Apply here for the Citi Double Cash Card

Additional reporting by Emily Thompson, Ryan Wilcox, Chris Dong, Stella Shon and Benét J. Wilson.