Wells Fargo Active Cash^® Card vs. Citi Double Cash^® Card [2024]: Which Offers More Cash Back?

CREDIT CARDS - CASH BACK CREDIT CARDS

The Wells Fargo Active Cash and Citi Double Cash offer similar earning rates, but the Active Cash benefits could provide more value. (Citi is a FinanceBuzz partner.)

By Ben Walker, CEPF, CFEI®

Edited by Mindy Woodall

Updated Dec. 17, 2024

Cashback cards are common, but the best credit cards typically stand out from the rest. The Wells Fargo Active Cash^® Card(Rates and fees) and Citi Double Cash^® Card both offer big earning potential, but is one better than the other?

See how both cards measure up in this Wells Fargo Active Cash vs. Citi Double Cash card review and comparison. (Hint: Active Cash benefits such as cell phone protection might just have what it takes to unseat one of the cashback kings.)

In this Wells Fargo Active Cash versus Citi Double Cash comparison

Wells Fargo Active Cash vs. Citi Double Cash
What both cards excel at
5 important differences between Wells Fargo Active Cash and Citi Double Cash
Which card should you choose?
FAQs
Bottom line

Wells Fargo Active Cash vs. Citi Double Cash

The Citi Double Cash is a popular cashback credit card because of its excellent earning potential. But the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card has similar earning potential and adds some additional benefits to sweeten the deal.

Take a look at this table to quickly compare the primary benefits of both cards. Important areas to consider include the welcome bonus, intro APR offers, and card perks.

	Wells Fargo Active Cash^® Card	Citi Double Cash^® Card
Card type	Cash back	Cash back
Credit card issuer	Wells Fargo	Citibank
Credit card network	Visa	Mastercard
Annual fee	$0	$0
Welcome bonus	$200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months	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
Earning rate	Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases	Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases; 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
Redemption methods	Statement credits ATM cash withdrawal with eligible Wells Fargo ATM or debit card Gift cards PayPal checkout Charitable donations Merchandise Travel	Statement credits Direct deposit Mailed check Student loans Mortgage payments Gift cards Shop with Points at Amazon Charitable donations Travel
Intro APR	0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers, then 19.49%, 24.49%, or 29.49% Variable APR; 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from account opening, then 19.49%, 24.49%, or 29.49% Variable APR	0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months, then 18.49% - 28.49% (Variable) APR
Travel perks	Roadside dispatch Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection 24/7 Visa Signature Concierge service	None
Other benefits	Cell phone protection (subject to $25 deductible)	Mastercard ID Theft Protection Citi Entertainment
Foreign transaction fee	3%	3%
Credit needed	Excellent, Good	Excellent, Good, Fair
	Learn more	Learn more

What both cards excel at

Both the Wells Fargo Active Cash and Citi Double Cash are considered “cashback credit cards.” This means they both can earn cash rewards on eligible purchases and they also share other similarities.

Here’s where both cards excel:

Annual fee: The Wells Fargo Active Cash has a $0 annual fee and the Citi Double Cash also has a $0 annual fee. So there’s no annual cost to worry about, leaving you more room to focus on earning rewards.
High earning rate: Both cards offer similar earning rates. The Active Cash allows you to earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases and the Double Cash offers 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases; 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. These rewards rates are higher compared to similar cards that might only offer 1.5% flat-rate cash back.
Cashback rewards: Rewards credit cards typically offer rewards in the form of cash back, points, or miles. The Wells Fargo Active Cash and Citi Double Cash cards offer simple cash rewards for eligible purchases, which many cardholders prefer over complicated points or miles. Cash rewards can often be redeemed for statement credits, gift cards, and more. Note that specific redemption options for each card are discussed below.
No tricky bonus categories: Both cards offer opportunities to earn cash rewards on eligible purchases. There are no bonus or spending categories to monitor, so you could earn the same rate on any qualifying purchase. This is different from rewards cards that offer bonus rewards in certain categories such as groceries, gas, or dining. Many people find having a flat rewards rate is more straightforward and less stressful.
Contactless payments: The Active Cash and Double Cash cards both take advantage of contactless technology to help keep your in-person payments simple and secure. Use your contactless card wherever your card network (Visa or Mastercard) is accepted and you see the contactless symbol.
Wide card acceptance: The Wells Fargo Active Cash uses the Visa payment network and the Citi Double Cash uses the Mastercard payment network. Both networks are used worldwide and accepted at most places that accept credit cards. But keep in mind that the Active Cash and Double Cash cards both charge foreign transaction fees and wouldn’t likely be great options for using abroad. Check out our list of the best travel credit cards for cards with better perks for globetrotters.

5 important differences between Wells Fargo Active Cash and Citi Double Cash

The Wells Fargo Active Cash and Citi Double Cash cards have similar earning rates and redemption options, but that likely won’t help you decide which one is better. Here are five important differences between the Wells Fargo Active Cash and Citi Double Cash that could help you choose the best option:

1. Welcome bonuses

A credit card welcome bonus, sometimes called a welcome offer, is typically a reward a card issuer offers to new cardholders soon after account opening.

For example, the Wells Fargo Active Cash offers a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months. For spending a certain amount of money on the credit card within the specified time frame, you receive a valuable bonus.

In most cases, welcome bonuses offer valuable opportunities that entice new customers. But not every credit card, or even every rewards card, provides a welcome offer.

With the Citi Double Cash card, you can 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.

Since it has a lower spending threshold, the Wells Fargo Active Cash is likely the better choice for new cardmembers. Learn more about this card in our Wells Fargo Active Cash review.

2. Introductory APR offers

Intro APR offers typically come in two varieties:

0% intro APR on balance transfers
0% intro APR on purchases

The Wells Fargo Active Cash offers 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers, then 19.49%, 24.49%, or 29.49% Variable APR. It also offers 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from account opening, then 19.49%, 24.49%, or 29.49% Variable APR.

The Citi Double Cash offers 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months, then 18.49% - 28.49% (Variable) APR.

Overall, the Double Cash doesn’t currently provide a 0% intro APR offer on purchases. This likely makes the Wells Fargo Active Cash more appealing because it has intro APR offers for purchases and qualifying balance transfers.

These types of offers aren’t available on all credit cards and their terms might change on the cards that provide them. You might want one of these offers if you want to avoid paying interest for a certain period of time on a balance transfer or purchase. Check out our list of the best 0% APR credit cards for our top picks.

3. Redemption options

Earning cash rewards might sound great, but the actual value of rewards could depend on how you’re able to redeem them.

The Wells Fargo Active Cash offers these redemption options:

Statement credits
ATM cash withdrawal with eligible Wells Fargo ATM or debit card
Gift cards
PayPal checkout
Charitable donations
Merchandise
Travel through the Wells Fargo Rewards program

The Citi Double Cash offers these redemption options:

Statement credits
Direct deposit
Mailed check
Gift cards
Shop with Points at Amazon
Charitable donations
Travel through the ThankYou Rewards program

The two sets of redemption options are fairly similar and generally provide the main choices you might want, which could include statement credits, gift cards, and travel. But the Double Cash might have a few different and valuable selections depending on your situation.

If you dig deeper into potential Double Cash travel redemptions, you’d see there are options to transfer rewards to travel partners such as JetBlue TrueBlue, Choice Privileges, and Wyndham Rewards. You could even open up transfer opportunities to all Citi transfer partners if you also have a Citi Prestige or Citi Strata Premier℠ Card.

This might sound a bit complicated, but we break down the details in our Citi Double Cash review.

4. Visa and Mastercard perks

The Wells Fargo Active Cash uses the Visa payment network, whereas the Citi Double Cash uses the Mastercard network. This isn’t typically a big deal because both card networks are accepted worldwide in more than 200 countries and territories.

But there could be specific situations in which one network might be more useful than the other. Certain companies and retailers could have rules in place regarding the card networks they partner with and use in their stores.

A common example is Costco accepting Visa credit cards, but not Mastercard credit cards at its U.S. warehouse locations. In this case, having the Wells Fargo Active Cash would likely be more useful because it’s a Visa card. Costco.com accepts both Visa and Mastercard credit cards.

Neither card is outright better than the other in this comparison because it depends on the situation. But you might prefer the Wells Fargo Active Cash if you’re a Costco member and don’t want to carry around multiple cards.

5. Additional perks and benefits

If you qualify for the Wells Fargo Active Cash, you get access to:

Roadside dispatch
Visa Signature Hotel Collection
24/7 Visa Signature Concierge
Cell phone protection

If you qualify for the Citi Double Cash, you get access to:

Mastercard ID Theft Protection
Citi Entertainment

You get more value from your benefits as you use them. But the benefit that’s likely to prove most valuable for everyday use is the cell phone protection that’s available on the Wells Fargo Active Cash.

Many people have expensive cell phones. This benefit covers your phone if it gets damaged or stolen.

But there’s one big requirement: You must have an eligible cell phone bill, and you have to pay it with your Active Cash card. If you tick all the boxes, you could receive up to $600 (minus a $25 deductible) for a successful phone damage/theft claim. You get up to two paid claims per 12-month period. Learn more about Wells Fargo Active Cash benefits.

Which card should you choose?

The better card for you between the Wells Fargo Active Cash vs. Citi Double Cash depends on your financial goals and preferences. Because both cards offer similar earning potential, choosing a card likely comes down to the value of their benefits — which is where the Active Cash shines.

You might choose the Wells Fargo Active Cash if:

You want a welcome bonus with a lower spending threshold
You want cell phone protection
You want intro APR offers for qualifying balance transfers and purchases

You might choose the Citi Double Cash if:

You want certain redemption options, including student loans, mortgage payments, and transfer partners
You want a long intro APR offer for balance transfers
You already have a relationship with Citibank

Keep in mind that both of these cards are considered top offers. For other high-quality recommendations, check out our list of the best rewards credit cards.

FAQs

Does Wells Fargo Active Cash offer an extended warranty?

No, the Wells Fargo Active Cash doesn’t offer an extended warranty benefit, but it provides cell phone protection. This covers damage to or theft of an eligible cell phone for up to $600 minus a $25 deductible with a maximum of two paid claims in a 12-month period.

Is it hard to get the Citi Double Cash?

It could be hard to get the Citi Double Cash depending on your credit. You typically need fair, good or excellent credit score to qualify. This would be a score of at least 580 or higher according to the FICO scoring model.

Does cash back get taxed?

Cash back earned by credit cards isn’t often taxed, though it could depend on the specific situation. But in most cases, cashback rewards are treated as discounts or rebates rather than income by the IRS, and discounts aren’t typically taxable.

Bottom line

It might be difficult to choose between the Wells Fargo Active Cash and Citi Double Cash if earning cash rewards is your ultimate goal. But although both cards have similar earning rates, the Active Cash might come out on top with its benefits.

The Active Cash often has a lower spending threshold for its welcome bonus than what has been seen on the Double Cash. And you could also take advantage of cell phone protection and Visa Signature benefits on the Active Cash.

But the Double Cash could make sense if you prefer its redemption options or already have a relationship with Citi. Check out our dedicated page of credit card offers to compare credit cards and their benefits.

Lucrative, Flat-Rate Cash Rewards