TD Double Up Credit Card review: Good flat-rate cash back for East Coast cardholders

The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card is likely the closest alternative to the TD Double Up card. Both of these cards offer unlimited 2 percent cash back on purchases, cellphone protection, potential Visa Signature benefits and an intro APR period on balance transfers. However, the Active Cash card’s stronger features are strong enough to overshadow the Double Up unless the lost luggage protection captivates you or you prefer dealing with TD Bank over Wells Fargo.

The Active Cash comes with a 0 percent intro APR for 12 month on purchases and balance transfers (balance transfers made within the first 120 days qualify for the intro APR and intro balance transfer fee). It also has a lower ongoing APR range (19.49%, 24.49%, or 29.49% Variable APR), slightly better cellphone insurance coverage (up to $600 per claim, minus a $25 deductible, on up to two claims per year) and a $200 welcome offer in exchange for spending just $500 in the first three months.

Although the Chase Freedom Unlimited only earns 1.5 percent cash back on general spending, it could end up being more rewarding in the long run thanks to its additional cash back categories: 3 percent back on dining and drugstore purchases, along with 5 percent on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards. If you’re looking to maximize your flat-rate cash back card in the future, the Freedom Unlimited’s rewards can increase in value toward travel with Chase’s Ultimate Rewards cards.

Granted, the TD Double Up could earn you more cash back depending on your spending habits, but its perks are likely less valuable than the Chase Freedom Unlimited’s stellar benefits. Cellphone and lost luggage insurance can be handy, but many cardholders may get more use from the Freedom Unlimited’s 5 percent cash back on Lyft rides (through March 2025) and partner perks with DoorDash and Instacart+. Not to mention that the Freedom Unlimited provides trip cancellation and interruption insurance, which is often only available with premium travel cards.

The TD Cash Credit Card can help you shore up your category coverage since it earns 3 percent and 2 percent back on your choice of dining, entertainment, gas, grocery store, or travel categories. This pool of categories features some of the most popular categories you’d want on a cash back card, plus the rare entertainment category.

Outside the TD Bank ecosystem, you should choose a cash back card with categories that suit your spending. The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card is a versatile pick that covers a broad range of key everyday purchases. It’s an even lower-maintenance card that earns unlimited 3 percent cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming subscriptions and grocery store purchases (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®), plus a few other higher-rate reward opportunities related to food, travel and entertainment.

If your spending habits revolve around different categories though, cards like the Amex Blue Cash Everyday and the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card can also be flexible options.

Whether you’re a fan of flat-rate cash back because you prefer straightforward rewards or you want a catch-all rewards card to shore up your category-focused rewards strategy, the TD Double Up is a rewarding, easy-to-use and well-rounded option.

Naturally, you’ll only want to consider the TD Double Up if you live in Washington D.C. or one of the 14 states on the East Coast. Otherwise, there are plenty of — potentially better — 2 percent flat-rate cash back cards that are available no matter where you live in the U.S.

The TD Double Up could be a convenient choice if you already have positive banking history with TD Bank, since it can help you qualify for this card and its best terms.

The primary factor in a balance transfer or low-interest card’s rating is the quality of its introductory APR offer and ongoing APR. This includes both the introductory rate itself and the length of the intro APR on both balance transfers and new purchases. 

For cards designed primarily for balance transfers, the intro APR offer on balance transfers has the largest impact on overall score. The quality of these cards’ intro APR on new purchases is also considered, but holds less weight than the intro APR on balance transfers. 

For general low-interest cards, the intro APR offer on new purchases has the largest impact on overall score, followed by the ongoing APR and intro APR offer on balance transfers. This weighting assumes cardholders considering a card in this category will prioritize payment flexibility on new purchases or may need to carry a balance long term, whereas cardholders trying to pay off debt will opt for a dedicated balance transfer card.

The cards that score the highest in these categories tend to offer long 0-percent intro APRs on both balance transfers and new purchases as well as a lower-than-average low-end APR.

Along with evaluating each card’s intro APR offers, we score balance transfer and low-interest cards based on their fees. 

Of primary importance is a card’s balance transfer fee, since this can play a large role in the total cost of a balance transfer. We rate each card’s balance transfer fee based on how it stacks up against the fee you’ll find on competing cards. 

While this fee carries less weight when we assess general low-interest cards than dedicated balance transfer cards, it still factors into our evaluation since cardholders may decide to transfer debt to a low-interest card even if it offers no intro APR or an intro APR higher than 0 percent.

And while a lower balance transfer fee could save you more overall than a few extra months of 0 percent intro APR, this fee carries less weight in our scoring system than a card’s introductory APR and intro APR period. This is because many users prioritize getting as much time as possible to pay off debt while avoiding interest. 

Our ratings also factor in the presence of annual, foreign transaction, cash advance and late payment fees, along with penalty APRs. Annual fees are weighted most heavily since these are the only “unavoidable” fees in the list and tend to be less common on dedicated balance transfer and low-interest credit cards.

While getting a generous intro APR offer and low ongoing APR are likely to be the biggest priorities for someone looking for a low-interest or balance transfer card, we also consider how much value a card can offer after its intro APR comes to an end. 

Balance transfer and low-interest cards receive a higher rating if they also include an ongoing rewards program or unique and valuable perks. Such features make a card more useful long term and make it less likely you’ll need to apply for a new card (and temporarily hurt your credit score) after you pay off debt.

Although the TD Double Up card earns cash back on most purchases, a few expenses outlined by TD Bank do not earn rewards (mainly account- and gambling-related):

• Purchase redemption credits, refunds, rebates and other similar credits
• Account activity like balance transfers, cash advances, interest payments, convenience checks and fees
• Unauthorized charges
• Cash-like transactions like like money orders, foreign currency, cryptocurrency, prepaid cards and wire transfers
• Gambling-related transactions like casino gaming chops, lottery tickets, online wagers, race track wagers and other betting transactions

However, this list is pretty typical since most credit cards don’t earn rewards on these purchases.

You should apply for the TD Double a good to excellent credit score (a FICO score of 670 or higher, or a VantageScore of 661 or higher) for the best approval odds.

TD Bank doesn’t list a specific minimum or maximum credit limit for the TD Double Up card, but the terms specify that you will at least have a $5,000 credit limit if you qualify for the Visa Signature version of the card.

Like most credit card points, the rewards you earn with the TD Double Up card don’t expire while your account is open and in good standing.

Preapproval opportunities are excellent for saving you the hard credit check if you’re not 100 percent sure you’ll qualify. Unfortunately, the TD Double Up card doesn’t feature a preapproval process on their website, and we don’t currently have a prequalified card offer for this card through Bankrate’s CardMatch tool.

Unless you happen to receive a prequalified offer through the mail, it would be safe to hedge your bets and apply when you have a credit score firmly in the good-to-excellent range.