The Citi Double Cash benefits are impressive — especially as it is a no annual fee credit card. It isn’t as packed with perks as some of the premium rewards credit cards, but that’s to be expected in a card with no annual fee. Here are some of this Citi card’s most notable features:
Rewards
You can earn 2% back on all your spending with this rewards card, which is one of the highest flat rates you’ll find. You’ll get 1% back when you make a purchase and an additional 1% when you pay your bill. If you make at least the minimum payment each billing cycle, you’ll earn 2% in cash back. Paying the minimum is always good practice to avoid unwanted fees and added interest costs, so it’s nice to see the Citi® Double Cash Card rewards this behavior.
The Citi® Double Cash Card – 18-month B.T. offer is a flat rate card rather than a bonus category card. That means you’ll be rewarded for your everyday spending and don’t have to keep track of specific earning categories. It’s a great no-fuss way to earn rewards. Plus, there are no limits on how much cash back you can earn.
You can redeem your cash back rewards in several ways. If your reward balance is at least $25, you can redeem it as a statement credit, check, or credit to a linked Citi savings or checking account. You can also convert your cash back rewards to Citi ThankYou Points, which you can spend through the Citi ThankYou Rewards program. Travel redemptions are great, but you can also use Citi credit card points to buy a gift card, donate to charity, or redeem them as a statement credit.
Intro 0% APR for balance transfers
The other big draw of the Citi® Double Cash Card – 18-month B.T. offer is its 0% intro APR on balance transfers. New cardholders get an 18-month interest-free period on balances they transfer. This is one of the longest introductory balance transfer periods on the market.
If you have a good credit score and want to pay down credit card debt, this could be a good way to reduce your interest costs. As with any balance transfer card, make sure you use that interest-free period to pay down your balance. Once the introductory period ends, your APR will shoot up.
Be aware that you’ll need to pay a balance transfer fee. The fee — 3% of each balance transfer ($5 minimum) — is in line with the best balance transfer credit cards. You’ll also need to complete any balance transfers within four months of account opening.
It’s important to note certain things — like a balance transfer or cash advance — won’t earn rewards. You’ll only earn rewards on new purchases you make with this card. Plus, this card does not offer an intro 0% APR interest on purchases. This promotion only applies to balance transfers.
Choosing a credit card
Don’t you wish you could peek inside a credit card expert’s wallet sometimes? Just to see the cards they carry. Well, you can’t look in anybody’s wallet, but you can check out our experts’ favorite credit cards. Get started here:
Credit card protection
You’ll get several protections with this credit card. Citi offers early warning alerts for fraud on your account. You’ll be notified of any suspicious activity via text, email, phone, or mail. You can then confirm it’s a real transaction or report it as fraud. As we’ll see, the card also provides $0 fraud liability protection, so you wouldn’t have to pay any fraudulent charges.
Your Citi® Double Cash Card – 18-month B.T. offer also protects you in the event of identity theft, lost wallets, or a lost card. For example, if you mislay your card, Citi® Quick Lock lets you block new purchases and cash advances without stopping pending transactions. This way, you can go about your business, and if you find the card, you can unlock it and continue to make new purchases.
$0 fraud liability
You won’t have to pay for any unauthorized transactions with Citi’s $0 fraud liability protection. It applies to purchases made in-store, online, through the phone, through a mobile device, and ATM transactions.
Citi Entertainment®
Citi Entertainment® is an online portal where you can purchase tickets to various events. This includes dining experiences, sporting events, concerts, shows, and other performances. If you’re a Citi credit cardholder or a Citibank debit cardholder, you’ll have access to Citi Entertainment®.
Flat cash back
The Citi Double Cash Card is a flat-rate cash-back card that offers an unlimited 1% cash back on all purchases, along with the opportunity to double your cash back when you make on-time payments on those purchases. This gives you the potential to earn 2% cash back on every purchase you make and pay off.
How does the Citi Double Cash Card stack up against other top cash back credit cards?
If you compare the Citi Double Cash Card versus the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card, keep in mind that the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card offers an unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases – whether you pay off your balances. You can earn more rewards with the Citi Double Cash Card, but only if you make those credit card payments on time.
Another similar credit card to investigate is the Wells Fargo Active Cash℠ Card which earns unlimited 2% cash back. As far as rewards go, the Citi Double Cash and the Wells Fargo Active Cash are almost identical, but unlike the Double Cash, the Active Cash offers a sign-up bonus of $200 when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first three months. This is a relatively low spent requirement, so you may want to give more serious consideration to the Active Cash.
What about a credit card that offers bonus category cash back rewards, like the Chase Freedom Unlimited? When you compare the Chase Freedom Unlimited with the Citi Double Cash Card, keep in mind the Chase Freedom Unlimited card only offers 5% cash back on Lyft purchases (through March 2022), grocery store purchases (not including Target or Walmart purchases) on up to $12,000 spent in the first year, and travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards. You can earn 3% cash back on drugstores and dining, but otherwise, you’re only earning 1.5% cash back on other purchases. Depending on your shopping habits, you might be better off with the Citi Double Cash Card’s 2% (if you’re paying on time to secure that second percent of cash-back).
Easy redemption options
You will have plenty of redemption options with your Citi Double Cash rewards. You can turn your cash back into statement credits, deposit your cash back into a checking or savings account, request to receive your cash back in the form of a mailed check, or even use your cash back to purchase gift cards. (You’ll need $25 minimum cash back before you can access any of these redemption options, so keep that in mind before you get started.)
If you want even more ways to redeem your Citi Double Cash rewards, try turning your cash back into Citi ThankYou Points. Every $1 in cash back is worth 100 ThankYou Points, and those ThankYou Points can be used to book travel, shop online, and more. You can even transfer your ThankYou Points to participating travel loyalty programs, including several loyalty programs with international airlines.
Balance transfer offer
One of the best Citi Double Cash benefits is its 0% intro APR offer – meaning no interest for 18 months on balance transfers, followed by a variable APR of 14.24% to 24.24%. This makes the Citi Double Cash card not only one of the best zero-interest credit cards but also one of the best credit cards for balance transfers.
The Citi Double Cash 0% intro APR offer only applies to balance transfers, not to any new purchases made on your Citi Double Cash card. If you’re looking for a no-annual-fee Citi credit card that offers an intro APR on balance transfers and new purchases, you might want to consider the Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card.
The Citi Diamond Preferred Card offers 0% intro APR for 21 months on balance transfers (must be completed within four months of account opening) and a 0% intro APR on purchases for the first 12 months. A variable APR of 13.99% to 23.99% applies thereafter. However, when you’re comparing the Citi Diamond Preferred Card and the Citi Double Cash Card, keep in mind that the Citi Diamond Preferred doesn’t offer an ongoing rewards program.
CASH BACK CREDIT CARD REWARDS & PROGRAM DETAILS
Earn cash back rewards in every purchase with the Citi® Double Cash Card. You earn unlimited 1% cash back on purchases made with your cash back credit card, plus another 1% cash back as you pay for those purchases, whether you pay in full or over time. Apply now for one of Citi’s best cash-back credit cards, with no caps and no category restrictions.
Cash back credit card rewards & program details
Cash-back is earned in the form of ThankYou® Points. This means each billing cycle; you will earn 1 ThankYou® point per $1 spent on purchases and an additional ThankYou® point for every $1 paid on your purchase balance if there is a corresponding balance in your Purchase Tracker.
