9 Extremely Valuable Citi Double Cash^® Card Benefits That You Don't Want to Miss

Known as one of the best cashback credit cards available, the Citi Double Cash^® Card provides a simple and straightforward rewards structure. You can earn cash back on every purchase you make and the redemption options you have with that cash are plentiful too.

But aside from its rewards, you can find loads of additional value in the long list of Citi Double Cash benefits. This cashback card’s perks alone might help you decide whether it should take a spot in your wallet. So let’s take a look at the Citi Double Cash benefits in more detail.

$0 annual fee

The best no annual fee credit cards provide you with the opportunity to earn big rewards without the stress of an annual cost. With its $0 annual fee, the Citi Double Cash allows you to do just that. As soon as you qualify for this card, you can start earning rewards on all your purchases. And because there’s no annual fee to offset, it’s easy to focus on what you can gain instead of what you have to pay.

Generous rewards

The rewards programs with cashback credit cards can vary. Some may yield extra rewards when you make purchases in specific bonus categories, such as at restaurants or grocery stores. Other credit cards offer simpler rewards, and give you a flat earning rate on any purchases you make.

The Citi Double Cash falls in the latter category, awarding you with 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases; plus, for a limited time, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/24. The amount you can earn at this rewards rate is unlimited, so it’s easy to start building up your rewards pool. Even better, you don’t have to worry about keeping track of any confusing categories or categories that change quarterly. The same rewards rate applies to any purchases you make with the Citi Double Cash.

Note: Many cashback credit cards that offer an unlimited, flat earning rate will typically top out at 1.5% cash back on purchases. With 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases; plus, for a limited time, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/24, the Citi Double Cash is a step above the competition.

Check out our Citi Double Cash^® Card review.

Long intro APR on balance transfers

The Citi Double Cash is one of the longest balance transfer credit cards available. It’s an excellent choice if you’re considering a balance transfer because it comes with an introductory offer of 0% APR for 18 months (then 19.24% - 29.24% (Variable)). This means you could transfer a balance from another credit card onto your Citi Double Cash and pay 0% interest on that balance for 18 months before the regular variable APR kicks in. That could give you the time you need to get out of debt without incurring credit card interest fees.

Keep in mind, the introductory balance transfer offer of 18 months begins on the date of your first balance transfer to this card. And to qualify for the offer, transfers must be completed within four months from the date you opened your Citi Double Cash account. You will also have to pay a balance transfer fee of 3% of each balance transfer ($5 minimum) within 4 months of account opening; then 5% of each transfer ($5 minimum) after the 4 month intro period ends.

Balance transfers work best when you’ve carefully considered the situation and have avoided costly balance transfer mistakes. It only makes sense to pay a balance transfer fee if it’s less than the interest you would have paid if you left the balance on the previous card.

For example, let’s say you want to transfer a $5,000 balance from another credit card to your Citi Double Cash. Your balance transfer fee would be $150, or 3% of the balance being transferred. If $150 is less than the interest you would have paid over 18 months on $5,000, the balance transfer should be worth it.

Convert cash back into Citi ThankYou Points

You can redeem your cashback rewards for a statement credit, a direct deposit to a bank account, or in the form of a check. Or, you can convert them into Citi ThankYou Points. Although statement credits and direct deposits are always useful, using the Double Cash’s ability to transfer to ThankYou Points may provide you with the most flexibility and value.

ThankYou Points are the currency in Citi’s ThankYou Rewards program. Within the program, you can redeem ThankYou Points for gift cards, travel, shopping, statement credits, bill pay, charitable contributions, and points transfers. Your Citi Double Cash rewards convert at a ratio of $1 to 100 ThankYou Points. Having access to ThankYou Points gives you a lot more options than just redeeming for cash back.

Harness the power of the Citi trifecta

If you have some specific Citi credit cards, you can take advantage of the Citi trifecta to get the most value out of your ThankYou Points and earn a lot of travel rewards. The Citi trifecta involves using three Citi cards at the same time to maximize your rewards earning potential.

The rewards credit cards in the Citi trifecta are the:

• Citi Prestige^® Card (no longer available for applications)
• Citi Premier^® Card
• Citi Double Cash^® Card

With these three cards, you can efficiently earn ThankYou Points on all your purchases:

• Use the Citi Premier^® Card for 3X points at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel and hotels; and 1X points on all other purchases
• Use the Citi Double Cash^® Card for 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases; plus, for a limited time, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/24

This strategy can help maximize your earnings by giving you the opportunity to earn bonus points in different categories.

You can also pool together your ThankYou Points from all your Citi cards in your online account for even more value, and you may want to do this to take advantage of the many available Citi transfer partners. Although you can always redeem ThankYou Points for flights directly through Citi, you have the opportunity to get more value if you transfer your points to a partner airline, such as Emirates, JetBlue, Singapore Airlines, or Virgin Atlantic.

Note: ThankYou Points converted from Citi Double Cash rewards can be transferred only to JetBlue. However, if you pool your points onto the Citi Prestige or Citi Premier cards, you’ll gain access to all Citi transfer partners. This is another reason the Citi trifecta can be so valuable.

Citi Entertainment

Citi Entertainment is a program provided for Citi cardholders that gives members special access to tickets to thousands of events. This may include music concerts, film festivals, cooking events, sporting events, conventions, and more. Special access to events may include presale tickets and exclusive experiences.

Lost Wallet Service

Losing your wallet, or having it stolen, can dramatically change the course of your day, or even worse, your vacation. With Citi’s Lost Wallet Service, you can count on some support during an inconvenient time.

If you lose your card, Citi can usually replace it within 24 hours. And as an added benefit, Citi will provide you with emergency cash, up to your available cash advance limit. There may be a service fee for a 24-hour card replacement, and emergency cash would be subject to a cash advance fee (5% of each cash advance ($10 minimum)).

Contactless pay and digital wallets

As the world changes and our lifestyles adapt, our payment technologies need to adapt too. Contactless credit cards are becoming more popular within the U.S. because of their ease of use and advanced safety features.

With a contactless card, you don’t have to swipe or insert your card into a payment terminal. All it takes is holding the card near a contactless payment terminal for a few seconds until the payment goes through. It’s simple and efficient, and the technology is included with the Double Cash card.

Contactless-enabled devices, such as certain phones and smartwatches, can also act as a digital wallet for even easier payments. If you use a digital wallet, you don’t have to carry your physical card with you at all, which limits the risk of it being lost or stolen. You just digitally store your credit card’s information within an app on your device and then use your device to pay for purchases at any contactless payment terminal.

The Citi Double Cash is enabled for use with digital wallet payments. You can use your Citi Double Cash with Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, and PayPal.

Citi Identity Theft Solutions

Citi Identity Theft Solutions is a free service that helps Citi customers navigate the process of recovering from identity theft. This service is available to all Citi customers, even if the identity theft issue occurred from using a non-Citi credit card.

Citi Identity Theft Solution specialists can help in many ways, including:

• Working with you to apply an extended fraud alert to your TransUnion credit file
• Monitoring your TransUnion report for the duration of the case
• Advising you on how to complete required forms, such as a police report
• Helping you identify compromised accounts
• Providing you with a step-by-step guide for dealing with identity theft

Identity theft may seem like an unlikely scenario, but according to a study from Javelin Strategy & Research, more than 14 million consumers were victims of identity fraud in 2018. Although you hope you never have to use the Citi Identity Theft Solutions benefit, it could be extremely useful to have.

FAQs about the Citi Double Cash

Bottom line

If you’re looking for one of the best credit cards when it comes to flat-rate rewards on everyday purchases, the Citi Double Cash from Citibank could be a perfect fit. Your cashback earnings aren’t capped and you also get the added benefit of this rewards card’s many built-in perks. With a $0 annual fee and access to Citi transfer partners, there’s a lot going for this offering from Citi.

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Rates and fees

Current Offer

Earn $200 in 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

Annual Fee

$0

Rewards Rate

2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases; plus, for a limited time, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/24

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases; plus, for a limited time, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/24
• 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months, then 19.24% - 29.24% (Variable) APR
• No annual fee

Drawbacks

• Foreign transaction fee

Card Details

• 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.
• 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, for a limited time, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/24.
• Balance Transfer Only Offer: 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months. After that, the variable APR will be 19.24% - 29.24%, based on your creditworthiness.
• Balance Transfers do not earn cash back. Intro APR does not apply to purchases.
• 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.
• There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).