Advertiser disclosure: Cards and Points has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Cards and Points and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers. Compensation may affect how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies or all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Terms apply to all credit card benefits.
The Citi Double Cash is the credit card that brought 2% cash back rewards into the mainstream. The card earns 1% cash back when you make any purchase, plus 1% additional cash back as you pay for your purchases. The Double Cash carries no annual fee.
The card’s 2% rewards are earned as ThankYou Points. If you hold a premium ThankYou Point-earning credit card like the Citi Premier, you can transfer your ThankYou points to travel partners. Points transfers are one way to get more than 1 cent of value out of each of your points. Additionally, if you hold the Citi Rewards+, the first 100,000 points you redeem in a year will trigger the 10% point refund benefit, getting you 10,000 points back.
Unfortunately, the card offers no notable benefits beyond its cash back earnings. You will earn generous cash rewards on all purchases, but you won’t get any additional perks. Citi removed additional benefits like auto rental collision damage waiver or cell phone protection from this card.
Get the Citi® Double Cash Card: Welcome bonus
Citi Double Cash® Card: bonus_miles_full
Our take on the welcome bonus: The Citi Double Cash card hasn’t offered a welcome bonus in a while, so if you are considering getting this card, now is a good time to apply.
The link above is a link directly to the bank’s website. We don’t make money when you use the above link, but we always show you the best offer.
Card highlights:
Annual fee: $0
Rewards: 2% – 1% when you buy and 1% when you pay
Citi® Double Cash Card at a glance
Here’s what you need to know about the Citi® Double Cash Card.
Rewards
| All purchases: Earn 1% as you buy and 1% as you pay. | 2% |
The Citi Double Cash rewards are earned as ThankYou Points. When you combine your ThankYou Points accounts. Holding a Citi Premier® Card or a card_name can make your Double Cash points more valuable. See our article on The Ultimate Citi ThankYou Points Wallet for more.
Benefits
This card offers no notable benefits beyond its cash back rewards.
Other important terms
- No annual fee
- 3% foreign transaction fee
Citi® Double Cash Card welcome bonus
Get the Citi® Double Cash Card: Welcome bonus
Citi Double Cash® Card: bonus_miles_full
Our take on the welcome bonus: The Citi Double Cash card hasn’t offered a welcome bonus in a while, so if you are considering getting this card, now is a good time to apply.
The link above is a link directly to the bank’s website. We don’t make money when you use the above link, but we always show you the best offer.
Card highlights:
Annual fee: $0
Rewards: 2% – 1% when you buy and 1% when you pay
If you are considering applying for a new card, you might want to compare the current welcome bonuses with what was previously available. Welcome bonuses change frequently. So, if the current welcome offer is among the best ever, it might make sense to apply. However, if the card frequently offers a more generous welcome bonus, you might want to wait for a better offer. See our welcome bonus database for information on previous welcome bonuses.
Citi® Double Cash Card rewards
The Citi® Double Cash Card offers an effective 2% cash back on all purchases, awarded as 1% when you buy, plus 1% when you pay. The card does not offer bonus rewards in spending categories.
The Double Cash earns its rewards as ThankYou Points. If you hold a Citi Premier card that enables point transfers to travel partners, you have access to a handful of ways to increase the value of the points you earn.
Citi ThankYou Points synergies
When you combine your Citi ThankYou® Rewards accounts, you can take advantage of the benefits of each of your cards across all of the ThankYou® Points that you earn. Cards that earn ThankYou Points include the Citi® Double Cash Card, Citi Rewards+® Card, Citi Custom Cash℠ Card, and Citi Premier® Card.
When you hold the no-annual-fee Citi Rewards+® Card, you earn a 10% rebate on the first 100,000 ThankYou Points you redeem each year. If you redeem 50,000 ThankYou Points for an award, you’ll get 5,000 bonus ThankYou points in your account automatically.
The Citi Rewards+® Card does not allow redemptions for cash back on its own. But if you hold another no-annual-fee ThankYou Points card like the Citi® Double Cash Card or Citi Custom Cash℠ Card, you can redeem your ThankYou Points for cash back. Cash back redemptions are also available when you hold the $95 annual fee Citi Premier® Card.
Holding the $95 annual fee Citi Premier® Card enables you to transfer your points to any of Citi’s ThankYou Points transfer partners, which include several hotels chains and global airline programs. Point transfers to travel partners are one of the best ways to get increased value from your points.
For more on point transfers, see our Guide to ThankYou Points.
How to apply:
Get the Citi® Double Cash Card: Welcome bonus
Citi Double Cash® Card: bonus_miles_full
Our take on the welcome bonus: The Citi Double Cash card hasn’t offered a welcome bonus in a while, so if you are considering getting this card, now is a good time to apply.
The link above is a link directly to the bank’s website. We don’t make money when you use the above link, but we always show you the best offer.
Card highlights:
Annual fee: $0
Rewards: 2% – 1% when you buy and 1% when you pay
A few notes on applying for Citi credit cards
- Citi has limits on the number of applications you can submit. You can only apply for one personal card every eight days and no more than two cards every rolling 65 days. Business cards are subject to the same eight-day limitation, but you can apply for no more than one business card every 95 days.
- You can get a new customer welcome bonus on Citi cards multiple times, but Citi has rules on how often you can earn a welcome bonus.
- ThankYou Point welcome offers are typically not available if you’ve received a new account bonus on the same card in the past 48 months.
- Welcome bonuses on AAdvantage cards are only available if you have not received a welcome bonus for the same card within the past 48 months.
- There is no limit to the number of Citi cards you can hold.
- You can check your application status on the Citi website or by calling 1-866-606-2787.
Should you keep the card after the first year?
The Citi Double Cash card carries no annual fee and offers good ongoing rewards for general purchases. Unless you have a specific reason to close the card, it’s a good idea to keep this card after the first year as keeping accounts open longer can help you improve your credit score.
Card Benefits
While the Citi Double Cash card offers generous rewards on all purchases, it doesn’t offer any additional notable benefits.
This card is issued as a Mastercard World Elite card. World Elite cards come with a standard set of benefits from Mastercard. Learn more about Mastercard World Elite benefits at Mastercard’s website.
Frequently asked questions
The Citi Double Cash no longer offers an extended warranty benefit. That benefit is available on the Citi Rewards+® Card, which carries no annual fee.
The Double Cash is marketed as a cash back card. Behind the scenes, it earns ThankYou Points which can be redeemed for cash back at one cent each. The ThankYou Points you earn with the Citi® Double Cash Card can be combines with the ThankYou Points you earn from other Citi cards.
Advertiser disclosure: Cards and Points has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Cards and Points and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers. Compensation may affect how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies or all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Terms apply to all credit card benefits.