Citi Double Cash® Card review

This is the only card that earns 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy and 1% cash back as you pay for those purchases, whether in full or over time. Simply make a minimum payment to earn your rewards.

Written by
Jennifer Doss
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Cash Back Card

Citi Double Cash® Card

  • Rewards
  • 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, for a limited time, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/24.
  • Welcome Bonus
  • 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.
  • Annual Fee
  • $0
card_name
Sponsored card
5.0
Credit Score: Excellent, Good, Fair
on Citi's secure website
Terms and Limitations Apply

Key Features

Editor Analysis:

Pros
  • Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first six months of account opening.

  • Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, and an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time.

  • Take advantage of an 18-month, 0% APR offer on balance transfers (then, RegAPR.
Cons
  • Savvy shoppers willing to employ a little more strategy might prefer cards with rotating bonus categories.
ALTERNATE CARD TO CONSIDER

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Credit Score: credit_score_needed
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card_name

card_name benefits

Are you good about paying off your credit card balance each month? If so, CardName might be appealing to you. If you have fair, good, or excellent credit, this 2024 CardRatings Editor’s Choice winner among the best cash-back credit cards could change the way you think about earning rewards. Citi is a CardRatings.com advertiser

Some of the top card_name benefits include:

  • $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first six months
  • Double 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 (just make sure to pay at least the minimum due on time)
  • No annual fees
  • 0% intro APR on balance transfers for the first 18 months (then, RegAPR)

Often times 0% APR introductory offers are limited to one year or less. The card_name balance transfer offer, however, is a generous 18-months. This is a great perk if you’re carrying a large balance and need some extra time to pay it off.

card_name is also the only card that earns you 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy and 1% cash back as you pay for those purchases (whether you pay your balance in full or over time, though you must make the minimum payment on time to earn cash back). The double cash angle is a different structure than most rewards cards on the market, which makes cardholders think differently about the way points can be accumulated. Plus, for a limited time, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/24.

Citi Double Cash® rewards

With the CardName you can earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first six months of account opening. The bonus categories for this card are not restricted, and rebates have no caps, which is somewhat of a bonus in and of itself. Furthermore, this cash-back rewards card is good for high value ongoing rewards – the more you spend, the more you earn. The categories aren’t rotating either, so knowing exactly how your rewards are being accumulated, at all times, is subjectively an important feature.

Receiving rewards points for purchases and payment on accounts is a great incentive to pay off your balance each month. Any time a credit card company can promote smart credit card habits, it’s a win.

Really though, the true card_name bonus is the long intro 0% balance transfer APR offer. Like we mentioned above, most credit cards within the cash-back category have, usually at most, a 12-month introductory offer— card_name offers 18 months on balance transfers, which is one of the longest intro periods we’ve seen. If you have a major purchase on the horizon that would be easier to pay off in smaller increments, this extended balance transfer intro might be an appealing feature.

Citi Double Cash® credit score

Although Citi® doesn’t share what credit score is needed to receive the CardName, this card is reserved for those with excellent, good, or fair scores. The credit scoring agency Experian considers scores of at least 580 to be “fair," 670 and above to be “good" and anything above 800 as “exceptional." Please note, however, that these numbers can vary between different bureaus.

Citi Double Cash® foreign transaction fee and other potential downsides

No credit card is perfect, and one of downside of the CardName is its foreign transaction fees. The card_name foreign transaction fee is equal to foreign_transaction_fee of the U.S. dollar amount for purchases made in a foreign currency. For instance, you’ll pay a $3 fee if you buy $100 worth of items from an overseas website that charges in a foreign currency. Doesn’t sound terrible, but think of it this way: If you take a vacation in another country and make $3,000 worth of foreign purchases, you’ll pay $90 in fees. Since the card_name pays out a maximum of 2% cash back, the foreign transaction fee wipes out any rewards you may earn on those purchases.

While the card_name is a solid choice for everyday purchases, be sure you have a different card that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees if you plan to frequently travel internationally.

Another fee to keep in mind is the balance transfer fee: BalanceTransferFees Furthermore, you must pay at least your minimum due each month in order to earn cash back; that isn’t a downside, per se, as we like a card that encourages responsible use, but if you’re someone who sometimes misses a due date, you’ll be disappointed when those rewards don’t add up.

How do cardholders rate the card_name?

CardRatings conducts a survey annually to learn what actual cardholders think of their cards. Here are the results for the card_name:

  Current Scores Past Scores
Overall Score 77.2 84.7
Features Satisfaction 7.9 8.5
Customer Service 7.5 8.4
Website/App Usability 6.9 8.3
Likelihood of Continuing to Use 8.2 8.8
Recommend to a Friend/Colleague 7.7 8.4
Scores above reflect the results of surveys with actual cardholders. Full methodology below.

How the card_name compares to other cards

card_name vs. card_name

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The no-annual-fee CardName earns a bit less than the card_name, but the additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) can be worth up to $300 cash back! Additionally, you can earn 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, Chase’s premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service; and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year). After your first year or $20,000 spent, enjoy 5% cash back on Chase Travel; 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining; and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases. Lastly, it offers 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months (then RegAPR).

card_name vs. card_name

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For those who want a no-annual-fee cash back card without the hassle of rotating categories, the CardName and CardName are both great options. One of the largest differences between the cards is their introductory bonus offers. The Quicksilver card has a one-time introductory bonus offer of $200 after spending $500 on purchases during the first three months of card membership. The CardName has a welcome bonus of $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first six months of account opening.

These cards also differ in their cash back earnings rates. The Citi Double Cash® Card earns unlimited 1% cash back when you make a purchase plus 1% cash back as you pay for those purchases for a possible total of 2% cash back on all your purchases, while the Quicksilver card earns a flat-rate 1.5% cash back on all purchases made.

Is the CardName a good card?

CardName is best for consumers with excellent, good or fair credit who are interested in earning cash-back rewards, but don’t want to keep up with rotating categories or spending caps. As with any rewards card, the ideal cardholder is someone who will pay their balance in full each month so that interest charges don’t eat into the rewards you’re earning.

Lastly, it’s also important to remember that this card does charge foreign transaction fees, so you should plan to carry a different card along when you travel abroad.

Frequently asked questions

No, car rental insurance is not a complimentary perk included with the CardName.
Yes, the CardName offers 0% intro APR on balance transfers for the first 18 months before regular RegAPR applies.
Yes, the CardName charges a foreign_transaction_fee fee on all purchases made in a foreign currency

Our Methodology

Survey methodology: CardRatings commissioned Op4G in September 2023 to conduct surveys among 1,869 cardholders nationwide. CardRatings website analytics from Jan. 1, 2023-Aug. 31, 2023 were used to determine a selection of the most popular cards and additional cards were included to add survey breadth. Responses to each of nine questions were given on a scale of 1-10 and respondents’ scores were then averaged under broad topics. To determine the overall score, responses from questions 1-8 were summed and the answer to “How likely are you to recommend this card to a friend, coworker or family member?" was double weighted. Current Scores reflect scores from the most recent survey (2023); “Past Scores” reflect scores from the 2022 survey.

Disclaimer:The information in this article is believed to be accurate as of the date it was written. Please keep in mind that credit card offers change frequently. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this article. Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accurate information. See the online credit card application for full terms and conditions on offers and rewards. Please verify all terms and conditions of any credit card prior to applying.


This content is not provided by any company mentioned in this article. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed here are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any such company. CardRatings.com does not review every company or every offer available on the market.


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