Citi Double Money card evaluate: Easy rewards and a pair of% money again on every part

The Citi® Double Cash Card is one of the simplest and most rewarding cash-back rewards cards. With up to 2% earnings on all purchases — 1% when you make a purchase and another 1% when you pay it off — it’s difficult to beat this no-annual-fee card. Plus, you can convert your rewards to fully-transferable ThankYou points with another card. Card rating*: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

*Card rating is based on the opinion of TPG’s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.

The Citi Double Cash Card is one of the best cash-back cards because it earns up to 2% cash back on all purchases — 1% when you make a purchase, plus 1% as you pay that purchase off — with no annual fee.

Cash back is automatically earned in the form of ThankYou points, allowing for more flexible usage of your hard-earned rewards. Furthermore, if you also hold a Citi Premier® Card or Citi Prestige® Card (no longer available to new applicants), you can convert your cash back to fully transferable ThankYou points for higher value.

Let’s take a closer look at the Citi Double Cash.

The information for the Citi Prestige has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

However, the card is offering an introductory 0% annual percentage rate (APR) for the first 18 months from account opening for balance transfers. Note that you must transfer a balance within the first four months to be eligible for the introductory 0% APR, and you’ll need to pay a balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5). After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).

After the introductory APR period, the variable APR is 18.49%-28.49% based on your creditworthiness.

Note that you won’t earn cash back on balance transfers. If you transfer a balance, interest will be charged on your purchases unless you pay your entire balance (including balance transfers) by the due date each month.

Related: The best 0% interest credit cards

Your card account must be current to earn rewards. This means you must pay at least the minimum payment due by the first day of each billing period — although it’s best practice to always pay your statement in full, if possible. Also, your cash rewards balance will expire if you have not earned any cash back on purchases or cash back on payments for 12 months. Note rewards won’t expire as long as the account is open.

Related: The best cash-back credit cards

Historically, the Citi Double Cash Card only earned cash-back rewards, with three options to obtain cash back once your cash rewards balance reached at least $25; now, cardmembers don’t need to hit that minimum amount to redeem.

Furthermore, the value of this card increased in March 2022 when Citi announced that it would earn ThankYou points automatically. That opens up a number of options, which are detailed below.

Redeem for cash back

If you want the simplest redemption option, this is the one to go for. Each ThankYou point equals one cent in cash back. You can request this cash back as a statement credit or direct deposit (no minimum). Alternatively, you can receive a check in the mail ($5 minimum).

Transfer to loyalty partners

If you don’t have the Citi Premier or Citi Prestige card, you’ll only have the option to transfer to three loyalty partners — Choice Privileges, JetBlue TrueBlue and Wyndham Rewards — none of which offer very high value.

However, if you also have the Citi Premier or Citi Prestige, you can combine the ThankYou points from your Citi Double Cash Card with the ThankYou points from one of these cards. When you do this, you’ll be able to use your ThankYou points as if they were earned by your Citi Premier or Citi Prestige, including transferring your points to Citi’s slate of airline and hotel transfer partners.

Based on TPG’s valuation of Citi ThankYou points at 1.8 cents each, this means you can earn an effective 3.4% return when you buy and pay with your Citi Double Cash Card. This is the best way to get value out of points earned on this card.

Related: Redeeming Citi ThankYou Points for maximum value

Other redemption options

You can also redeem your ThankYou points for gift cards or use them to shop through Citi’s online shopping and travel portals.

Finally, if you want to share your ThankYou points, you can do so by sharing them with another ThankYou points user or redeeming them for a charitable contribution.

• Contactless payment with your contactless-chip-enabled Citi card.
• Access to Citi Entertainment, which provides special access to purchase tickets to thousands of events.
• ID theft protection that helps eliminate the worry of identity theft by monitoring and alerting cardholders if suspicious activity is found.
• Access to Citi Identity Theft Solutions if your personal information has been stolen to commit fraud or theft.

Note that the Citi Double Cash does incur foreign transaction fees when using it abroad, so you’ll want to make sure to have an alternate card to swipe when traveling outside the U.S.

There are a number of no-annual-fee credit cards with cash-back rewards that stack up with the Citi Double Cash.

For additional options, check out our full list of the best cash-back cards.

Read more: Credit card showdown: Citi Double Cash vs. Chase Freedom Unlimited

Is the Citi Double cash worth it?

The Citi Double Cash is a great choice if you’re looking for simple cash-back rewards without having to worry about spending categories. However, if you can pair it with another Citi card, you’ll maximize the value of its rewards.

If you’re looking for a cash-back credit card where you don’t have to worry about category bonuses and figuring out the best credit card to use for each purchase, the Citi Double Cash Card may very well be the right card for you. Getting this card is also a great way to round out your earning strategy if you already have the Citi Premier Card, Citi Custom Cash℠ Card or Citi Rewards+® Card to maximize your Citi ThankYou points.

Apply here for the Citi Double Cash Card

Additional reporting by Emily Thompson, Ryan Wilcox, Chris Dong, Stella Shon and Benét J. Wilson.