Why I love the Citi Double Cash Card

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Published on December 12, 2023 | 4 min read

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Key Takeaways

The Citi Double Cash® Card offers unlimited 2 percent cash back on all of your purchases — 1 percent back when you make purchases and another 1 percent back when you pay for them.
Some notable card benefits include no annual fee, access to Citi Entertainment and an intro APR offer.
This card recently added a welcome bonus opportunity, making it an even stronger cash back card option.

Citi is an advertising partner.

Earning credit card rewards can be a great deal if you pay your credit card bill in full each month. If you use a cash back card for purchases and pay off your balance monthly so you never pay a dime in interest, you’ll get the closest thing to “free money” most people can find these days.

Still, some rewards cards are better than others. The Citi Double Cash® Card regularly ranks among Bankrate’s best cash back cards thanks to its generous, flat rewards rate on all purchases, healthy balance transfer offer and option to turn your cash back rewards into travel points. It also features an attainable welcome offer: Earn $200 cash back, in the form of 20,000 ThankYou points, after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first six months.

If you’re looking for a cash back card you can easily love, Citi Double Cash should be on your list. Read on to learn why one cardholder fell in love with this card, how she makes the most of its benefits and how you can do the same.

What to love about Citi Double Cash

Shanté Nicole Harris, financial educator and founder of Financial Common Cents, says she has used the Citi Double Cash Card for a few years now. She originally had the Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card, which she used to consolidate and pay down debt, thanks to the card’s balance transfer offer. However, Citi later upgraded her card to Citi Double Cash. Once she got her new card, she was hooked on the rewards and perks. Here’s why.

Earning double the rewards with no caps

Harris says she loves the double cash back you earn with this card — an unlimited 1 percent as you buy and another 1 percent when you pay for your purchases — and that the same exceptional cash back rate applies to all of her purchases.

“The fact that you get cash rewards for making purchases and cash for making payments is astonishing,” Harris says. “I also love that there is no cap to how much you can earn.”

The amount you can earn with the Citi Double Cash depends on your spending. But the up to 2 percent cash back rate means you’ll earn $2 in rewards for every $100 you charge and pay off. If you use a credit card for everyday spending and bills, your rewards can add up fast.

No annual fee

In addition to its great flat cash back rate, Citi Double Cash doesn’t charge an annual fee. That makes it a smart option for long-term use since you’ll never have to worry about earning enough rewards to make up for the yearly charge for card membership.

Citi Entertainment access

Harris likes that Citi Double Cash comes with numerous benefits, including complimentary Citi Entertainment access. You can use this perk to buy presale tickets to events like concerts, sporting events, cultural events, dining experiences and more. You’ll also get access to exclusive cardholder experiences.

Flexible rewards options

Harris says she likes to redeem her cash back for statement credits to cover regular monthly bills. However, cardholders also have the option to redeem rewards for direct deposits, checks or Citi ThankYou points.

Note that on their own the rewards earned with the Citi Double Cash can only be converted into basic Citi ThankYou points, meaning they can’t be transferred to Citi travel partners the same way that full-fledged ThankYou points can. If you only hold Double Cash or other basic ThankYou points cards, you can redeem points for gift cards, travel through Citi, shopping at Amazon and more. However, if you also have a premium Citi card, including the Citi Premier® Card (No longer available), you can combine your points under your Premier card and convert them into full-fledged Citi ThankYou points.

Generous intro APR offer for balance transfers

Finally, the Citi Double Cash Card comes with a 0 percent intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months, after which you’ll pay a variable APR of 19.24 percent to 29.24 percent. A 3 percent intro balance transfer fee (minimum $5) applies for any balance transfers completed within four months after account opening. After that, a 5 percent balance transfer fee (minimum $5) applies.

Consolidating high interest debt with this card can help you save big on interest over the course of a year and a half. If you need more time to pay off debt, there are other top balance transfer cards with longer intro APR offers, but they may not offer rewards or a welcome bonus.

The bottom line

The Citi Double Cash Card doesn’t have a lot of downsides (other than a 3 percent foreign transaction fee). Ultimately, the Citi Double Cash Card is worth it for those who want to earn generous flat-rate rewards with flexible redemption options — all without paying an annual fee.