Citi^® Double Cash Card Review

In this article we'll review the Citi^® Double Cash Card, from our partner Citibank. We’ll highlight who the card is for, its credit score requirements, fees, key characteristics, and more. 

This Article Contains: 

(Click on a link to jump to the specific section) 

• Who is the Citi Double Cash Card for?
• Citi Double Cash Credit Score Requirements
• Citi Double Cash Fees 
• Citi Double Cash APR
• Citi Double Cash Benefits
• Key Characteristics of the Citi Double Cash Card
• Alternatives to the Citi Double Cash Card

Let’s dive in.

Who is the Citi Double Cash Card for?

The Citi^® Double Cash Card, from our partner Citibank, is perfect for the everyday shopper looking to make money back, not once, but twice. With this cash back card, you receive rewards for making your payments on time.

Specifically, you earn 1% cash back when making an eligible purchase and another 1% when you pay it off. This, in essence, results in a 2% total cash back on an eligible purchase.

In addition to those generous cashback rewards, the Citi Double Cash Card offer stands out with one of the longest 0% intro APR periods on balance transfers - 18 months.

This is an ideal card for people who stay on top of their payments and want a simple rewards structure. Savvy cardholders can select the automatic payment option in the Citi Mobile^® app to ensure they receive the cashback every month. 

Lastly, this card keeps rewards simple by putting money in your pocket without having to worry about any bonus spending categories.

Citi Double Cash Credit Score Requirements

To qualify for the Citi Double Cash card, you’ll need a good to excellent credit score. That means having a minimum credit score of around 700. 

While this won’t be the only factor the credit card company considers, applying with a higher credit score will increase the likelihood of receiving better rates and a higher credit limit.

Next, we’ll look at the kind of fees associated with this credit card. 

Citi Double Cash Fees 

First and foremost, the Citi Double Cash card comes with a $0 annual fee. 

Aside from that, the card issuer is offering an introductory balance transfer fee. For the first four months, cardholders enjoy a reduced balance transfer fee -- 3% of the amount of each balance transfer, $5 minimum. Once this introductory period ends, this fee goes up to 5%, $5 minimum.

Foreign transactions on the Double Cash are subject to a fee equaling 3% of the amount of each transaction in US dollars.

Both late payments and returned payments are subject to a penalty fee of up to $41 each.

Citi Double Cash APR

Citi is offering a 0% introductory APR on balance transfers for the first 18 months from account opening. After that, the ongoing APR for balance transfers is between 16.24% - 26.24% (Variable), based on your creditworthiness. The ongoing APR for purchases is the same, 16.24% - 26.24% (Variable). Note that this intro APR only applies to balance transfers, not purchases.

Also, balance transfers are subject to interest and penalty charges unless you pay your balance in full and on time.

Finally, if you make a late payment or have a returned payment, there’s a variable penalty APR of up to 29.99%. If applied, Citi states the penalty APR will remain in effect indefinitely. 

Citi Double Cash Benefits

The Citi Double Cash Card comes with several valuable benefits, including: 

• The Lost Wallet^® Service - If you’ve lost your card, Citi will replace it, usually within 24 hours. They’ll also send you emergency cash subject to your available cash advance limit. 
  
  
• Citi Entertainment^® portal - Citi’s entertainment portal offers the cardholder exclusive opportunities to thousands of events, concerts, sports games, restaurants, and more. 
  
  
• 24-hour fraud protection - If the card issuer notices any unusual activity on your account, they’ll notify you immediately.
  
  
• Citi Identity Theft Solutions - If you fall victim to identity theft, Citi will help you sort the situation out as soon as possible.
  
  
• $0 liability on unauthorized transactions - As a cardholder, you’re protected against unauthorized transactions charged to your credit card. Citi won’t hold you liable for transactions you aren’t responsible for or didn’t authorize. 
  
  

Next, let’s take a look at the card’s defining characteristics. 

Key Characteristics of the Citi Double Cash Card

Below are some of the noteworthy features of this Citi card: 

• Long introductory APR - With a remarkably long introductory APR of 18 months on balance transfers, the Citi Double Cash Card stands out from many other cards.
  
  
• Foreign transaction fee - Some may find the addition of a 3% fee on foreign transactions to be a disadvantage. However, as a cash back card, a foreign transaction fee isn’t out of the ordinary. To get around this fee, you could pair the Double Cash with another Citi card, such as the Citi Premier^®, which includes no foreign transaction fee and several bonus cash back categories. 
  
  
• Solid rewards rate - Cardholders receive a solid 2% cash back when using the Citi Double Cash. Many competing cards offer bonus categories that can quickly become complicated. With the Double Cash card, you earn the first 1% cash back when you make an eligible purchase and receive an extra 1% back once you pay it off.
  
  There are no limits to how much cash back you can earn, and your cash back will only expire if you have not earned any rewards for over a year. Making the minimum payment on time each billing cycle is the least you have to do to earn that additional 1% cash back.
  
  Note that you won’t earn cash back when making a balance transfer, cash advance, account fees, interest, or returned items.
  
  Tip: Citi’s other cash back reward card, the Citi Custom Cash^℠ card is naturally one of the best cards to pair with the Double Cash card. By combining your points, you can boost your ThankYou^® rewards. Alternatively, the Citi Premier^® Card is another solid option. 
  
  
• Flexible redemption options - Citi provides several means of redeeming your cash back rewards: 
  • Redeem your cash rewards to shop online: You can put your accumulated Citi ThankYou^® Points towards your next purchase with select retailers.
  • Redeem for a gift card: Redeem your rewards for a gift card from a variety of popular department stores, marketplaces, hotels, retail shops, and more.
  • Receive statement credit: If you’d prefer, you could use your cash rewards to pay down the balance on your card account. You can redeem your points for a statement credit of up to $250 at a time instead of paying off your credit card entirely out of pocket.
  • Donate your points to charity: You have the option of redeeming your points to make a charitable contribution directly through Citi’s rewards redemption platform.
  • No annual fee - All of these benefits come at no cost to the owner. You don’t have to research categories to figure out the best ways to earn, and you don’t have to pay to receive these rewards. Instead, the credit card company designed this card for everyday use with a flat 1-2% cash back rate and no annual costs. 
    
    

• Rewards expire - Citi discloses that if you don’t earn any cash back from purchases or payments for more than 12 months, your points will expire. However, those using this cash back card frequently don’t need to worry about their points expiring. 
  
  

Alternatives to the Citi Double Cash Card

• Blue Cash Everyday^® Card from American Express
• Chase Freedom Unlimited^®
• Petal^® 2 “Cash Back, No Fees” Visa^® Credit Card

Wrapping Up

The Citi^® Double Cash Card is an excellent rewards card for everyday shopping. With a robust earning rate of 1% on your eligible purchases and then another 1% back when you pay it off, it’s hard to find a card with a better cash back rate. 

However, the key to making the most of the Citi Double Cash credit card is making at least the minimum payment on time to earn that extra cash back for purchases in that billing cycle. 

Although there is a foreign transaction fee, you can get around this by pairing it with a travel credit card. The prolonged introductory 0% APR for balance transfers, excellent cash back potential, access to Citi Entertainment, and the variety of other services make this an excellent card for all shoppers.

You can apply for this card here.