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The Citi Double Cash® Card (Rates & Fees) is incredibly valuable for individuals who want to keep their rewards earning straightforward without an annual fee. This card earns 2% on every purchase: 1% when you buy plus 1% as you pay.
Even better, you can now transfer those rewards to 21 Citi transfer partners — albeit at less than a 1:1 transfer rate. Or pair it with one of Citi’s premium cards — such as the Citi Strata Premier® Card (Rates & Fees) — to transfer ThankYou® Points earned with the Citi Double Cash to transfer partners at the optimal transfer ratio.
And while the Citi Double Cash Card typically hasn't offered a welcome bonus, it has one right now, meaning the card has become even more valuable in the first year. Here's everything you should know about this card.
If you're looking to pay down debt or finance a larger purchase, this card also comes with one of the best available introductory APR offers on balance transfers.
- Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
- Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time.
Plus, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked with Citi Travel. - Balance Transfer Only Offer: 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months. After that, the variable APR will be 17.74% - 27.74%, based on your creditworthiness.
- Balance Transfers do not earn cash back. Intro APR does not apply to purchases.
- 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.
- There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).
- Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time.
Plus, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked with Citi Travel.
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Citi Double Cash Pros
- Earn 2% on every purchase (1% when you buy plus 1% as you pay).
- Cash back on purchases with no caps.
- $0 annual fee.
- No minimum amount for redemptions.
- Citi ThankYou® points don't expire as long as your account is in good standing.
Citi Double Cash Cons
- Points transfer ratio is reduced without another Citi credit card in your wallet.
- 3% foreign transaction fee for each purchase.
- No bonus spending categories apply.
Citi Double Cash Welcome Offer
The Citi Double Cash doesn't typically offer a welcome bonus. However, potential new cardholders are in luck: New applicants can earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back. That's a solid 13.33% return on spending during the introductory period — in addition to your standard earnings.
Citibank Double Cash Benefits
As a no-annual-fee card generally focused on cash back and not travel, the number of perks on the Citi Double Cash is limited. However, some benefits are worth highlighting. You'll enjoy these perks as a cardholder:
Intro APR offer
New cardholders can enjoy introductory annual percentage rate (APR) offers on balance transfers as follows:
0% introductory APR on balance transfers for 18 months. Thereafter, your APR will be 17.74% - 27.74% (Variable). The fee for balance transfers depends on how long your account has been open: There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).
Note that if you transfer a balance, interest will be charged on your purchases unless you pay your entire balance on time each month.
Card protections
You'll enjoy typical $0 liability on unauthorized charges and fraud monitoring with your Citi Double Cash. In addition, Citi reinstated the extended warranty benefit. Beyond these, you won't find protections like travel insurance, as Citi eliminated these benefits from most of its cards in 2019.
Double Cash Card Earning Rates
The Citi Double Cash earns back at the following rate: Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To qualify for cash back, you have to make at least the minimum payment on your Citi credit card bill by the due date. Plus, earn 5% total cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked with Citi Travel
This means the card is excellent for non-bonus spending on categories not covered by your other cards. It is also great for keeping things simple: No matter what, you are earning at least 2% on every purchase, which is tough to beat. That makes this one of the best credit cards for everyday spending.
Redeeming Rewards With the Citi Double Cash Card
With the Citi Double Cash, you earn cash back as Citi ThankYou Points. You can redeem those points in the form of cash back (as a statement credit), direct deposit, or check. Additionally, you can redeem points for gift cards or travel. These redemptions typically offer 1¢ per point for your rewards, which is less than some of the other ways to spend them.
However, starting in July 2025, Citi expanded points transfers to Citi Double Cash cardholders. Now, cardholders can transfer points to 21 — but only at a reduced rate.
If you have a Citi ThankYou Points-earning card with an annual fee, such as the Citi Strata Premier or the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees), you can transfer your points at a better rate to Citi transfer partners. Using the best-available transfer rates, AwardWallet readers get an average of 2.28¢ apiece with these redemptions.
Application Restrictions
Citi has some application restrictions that may limit you from getting approved for the card or being eligible for a signup bonus. For instance, Citi has an 8/65 rule that applicants must abide by to be approved, including:
- No more than one Citi card in an eight-day period
- No more than two Citi cards in a 65-day period
For more details, check out our post covering application restrictions for major credit card providers.
Cards That Compete With the Citi Double Cash
- Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent
- 1% cash back thereafter, plus, you'll earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases
- No rotating bonus categories to sign up for – as your spending changes each billing cycle, your earn adjusts automatically when you spend in any of the eligible categories.
- Eligible spending categories are: Restaurants, Gas Stations, Grocery Stores, Select Travel, Select Transit, Select Streaming Services, Drugstores, Home Improvement Stores, Fitness Clubs and Live Entertainment.
- Special Travel Offer: Earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal.
- Earn 5% on purchases through Chase Travel℠
- Earn 3% on dining at restaurants
- Earn 3% on drugstore purchases
- Earn 1.5% on all purchases
- 5X miles per dollar on purchases through Capital One Entertainment (through 12/31/2025)
- 5X miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per dollar on all other purchases
- If you're looking for bonus spending categories, consider the Citi Custom Cash® Card with a $0 annual fee. This cash-back card can be more valuable if you hold other Citi cards, as described above.
- If you want a card that earns elevated non-bonus spending but also has bonus categories, look into the Chase Freedom Unlimited® (Rates & Fees). This card offers unlimited 1.5% on all other purchases cash back on all purchases and 3% on dining and drugstores. The card also earns 5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠ and does not have an annual fee.
- If you want a card with 2X earnings and (mostly 1:1) transfer partners, check out the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. It earns 2X miles on all purchases with no limits, plus 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked in the travel portal. The miles can be transferred directly to Capital One’s hotel and airline partners with no other card needed.
Bottom Line
The Citi Double Cash is a lucrative cash-back credit card offering 2% on every purchase. This simplicity in earning points is excellent for non-bonus spending and for those who do not want to worry about when to use different cards. This is especially true considering there is no annual fee. Where the card continues to shine is when it is paired with a premium Citi credit card, unlocking 1:1 points transfers with almost 20 partners.
If you're looking to pay down debt or finance a larger purchase, this card also comes with one of the best available introductory APR offers on balance transfers.
- Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
- Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time.
Plus, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked with Citi Travel. - Balance Transfer Only Offer: 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months. After that, the variable APR will be 17.74% - 27.74%, based on your creditworthiness.
- Balance Transfers do not earn cash back. Intro APR does not apply to purchases.
- 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.
- There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).
- Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time.
Plus, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked with Citi Travel.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Citi Double Cash® Card (Rates & Fees), Citi Strata Premier® Card (Rates & Fees), Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees), and Chase Freedom Unlimited® (Rates & Fees)
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