How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here.The Citi Double Cash® Card is a great option for people who want a simple, flat earning rate on all purchases without having to worry about earning different amounts in different spending categories. While it doesn’t come with a lot of other perks, it does have a $0 annual fee and earns cash back at one of the highest flat rates you can find.
Plus, the cash back that you earn is paid in the form of valuable Citi ThankYou® Points. You can redeem your ThankYou® Points as cash or transfer them to Citi’s hotel and airline transfer partners. The Citi Double Cash® Card also comes with a good balance transfer offer, so it can be a great card for someone looking to pay down a balance on another card.
If you want a card that offers more protections and benefits, then another cash back credit card could be a better option.
| Credit Cards | Our Ratings | Welcome Offer | Rewards Rate | Annual Fee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Citi Double Cash® Card
 Apply Now
on Citibank's secure site Rates & Fees |
$200 cash back
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.
| 2% - 5% cash back
| $0 |
Apply Now
on Citibank's secure site Rates & Fees |
|
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card*
|
$200 cash rewards
Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months
| 2% cash rewards on purchases
Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases
| $0 | ||
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site Rates & Fees |
$200 cash back
Intro Offer: Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening
| 1.5% - 5% cash back
| $0 |
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site Rates & Fees |
|
Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
|
$200 Cash Back
$200 Cash Back after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
| 1% - 8% cash back
| $0 |
Unlike some other credit cards that offer different earning rates in different spending categories, the Citi Double Cash® Card has a flat-rate earning structure. You’ll 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, a special travel offer, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/25. This is one of the highest rates of cash back you can get for a card with no annual fee.
The rewards that you earn with the Citi Double Cash® Card are fairly easy to redeem as well. Although it’s marketed as a cash back card, your rewards are actually paid out as Citi ThankYou® Points, rather than cash back. You can redeem your points for:
There are no minimums when you redeem your rewards for a statement credit or direct deposit.
The rewards that you earn with the Citi Double Cash® Card are actually paid out in Citi’s valuable transferable currency — ThankYou Points. With just the Citi Double Cash® Card, you can transfer your points to Choice Hotels, Wyndham Rewards and JetBlue TrueBlue. But if you also have a premium Citi credit card like the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card, you’ll get a better transfer ratio with these partners and unlock many other hotel and airline transfer partners.
In fact, the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card and Citi Double Cash® Card make a powerful duo, thanks to their complementary earning categories. This makes the Citi Double Cash® Card one of Citi’s best-kept secrets for travel card enthusiasts.
One of the benefits that comes with the Citi Double Cash® Card is its long intro APR on balance transfers. You’ll get a 0% intro APR for 18 months on Balance Transfers. After that, an 18.24% - 28.24% (Variable) APR applies. The long intro period makes the Citi Double Cash® Card one of the best balance transfer cards. It’s an attractive option if you’re looking to save money by transferring a balance from another credit card.
The Citi Double Cash® Card has a recommended credit score of fair / good / excellent to apply. This is good news for people with fair credit, since many credit cards for fair credit come with little to no rewards rate. Although it’s never a guarantee you’ll be approved for a credit card, the Citi Double Cash® Card should be one worth considering applying for because of its valuable rewards rate.
With the Citi Double Cash® Card, you don’t earn the 2% cash back immediately when you make a purchase. Instead, you’ll earn unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. You don’t get the second half of your cash back until you pay what you’ve charged to the card. In comparison, the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card will earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases right away.
While this card has an introductory APR on balance transfers, it lacks a 0% intro APR for new purchases. Many balance transfer credit cards, including the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card, offer an introductory APR on both purchases and balance transfers. In other words, the Citi Double Cash® Card isn’t the best choice if you have a big purchase coming up.
Because the Citi Double Cash® Card charges a foreign transaction fee, you’ll want to leave it at home when traveling outside the United States. Opt for a card with no foreign transaction fee instead.
The Citi Double Cash® Card is light on benefits outside its rewards program, especially compared to similar cards. For example, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a flat-rate cash back card with purchase protection, extended warranty protection, car rental insurance and various trip and travel insurances.
The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card has no annual fee and lets you earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases. It also offers a sign-up bonus and an introductory APR on both balance transfers and new purchases. Plus, it has cellphone protection of up to $600. Not to mention, it pays the full amount of cash back as soon as you make a purchase, rather than making you wait for half of your rewards. This may make the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card an all-around better option for simple, flat-rate cash back.
It also comes with better shopping and travel protections, like auto rental coverage and travel and emergency assistance. Plus, if you have a Chase Ultimate Rewards®-earning card, then you can use this card to earn points instead of cash back — which makes it even more valuable.
If you spend an average amount on dining and groceries, then the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card could be a better card for you than the Citi Double Cash® Card. An elevated rewards rate, even with a cap, can result in bigger earnings than a flat rewards rate depending on your spending.
If you want to earn cash back on new purchases without rotating categories, the Citi Double Cash® Card has one of the best flat-rate cash back programs on the market. Additionally, this card is a good option if you have credit card debt and need a while to pay it off with a balance transfer.
If you’re looking for similar cash back credit cards, you can also consider the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card as another great flat-rate card.
Yes, the Citi Double Cash® Card does have foreign transaction fees. You’ll be charged a foreign transaction fee of 3% for each purchase made in a foreign country. If you’re planning on traveling out of the country, you should use a different credit card to make your purchases.
There are forums that report a starting limit on the Citi Double Cash® Card ranging from $3,000 to $25,000. Your starting credit limit will vary depending on factors like your income and credit score. Even if you start out with a low limit, Citi makes it easy to request a credit limit increase online or in-app. Simply select “Services,” then select “Credit Management” where you’ll find the “Request Credit Limit Increase” option.
Citi Double Cash® Card rewards are issued as Citi ThankYou® Points. Your ThankYou® Points do not expire as long as your account remains open.
No, the Citi Double Cash® Card does not have an annual fee. This can make it a great card to keep for the long term.
No, the Citi Double Cash® Card does not have any sort of rental car or travel insurance. The Citi Double Cash® Card is a very basic card with no annual fee and a high rate of cash back on all purchases, but very few other benefits.
No, there is no extended warranty on purchases made with the Citi Double Cash® Card. If you’re looking for a card that comes with an extended warranty, you’ll want to consider our list of the best cards with extended warranty protection.
Whether you are approved or not for the Citi Double Cash® Card will depend on many different factors, including your credit score, income and other aspects of your overall financial profile. You will likely need fair / good / excellent credit to be approved for the Citi Double Cash® Card.
The Citi Double Cash® Card is issued as a Mastercard. You can use your Citi Double Cash® Card anywhere the Mastercard payment network is accepted.
We use an objective rating and ranking system that compares features across a large set of credit cards (over 200 of them, from over 50 issuers). We use calculations to estimate the value of each card for the average cardholder, based on LendingTree and U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics.
We rank cards based on the following criteria:
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply
The information related to the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card and Citi Rewards+® Card has been independently collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication. Terms apply.
The content above is not provided by any issuer. Any opinions expressed are those of LendingTree alone and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any issuer. The offers and/or promotions mentioned above may have changed, expired, or are no longer available. Check the issuer's website for more details.
