Citi Double Cash Card: cash back and no annual fee
How to get the most from the Citi Double Cash® Card
The Citi Double Cash® Card is a no-annual-fee Mastercard from Citi that earns 2% cash back on purchases: 1% when you buy and another 1% as you pay off those purchases. There are no bonus categories to activate and no cap on how much cash back you can earn.
The card also offers a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months, which makes it an option for people who want to move high-interest debt from another card. Below, we explain how the rewards work, what the card costs, and who it makes sense for.
How the 2% cash back works
Citi pays the cash back as ThankYou® Points. Each billing cycle, you earn 1 point per dollar spent on purchases and 1 more point per dollar you pay toward those purchases. You can redeem 10,000 points for $100 as a statement credit, a direct deposit or a check. Points can also go toward gift cards, travel or Shop with Points at Amazon, but Citi notes that redemption values may vary for those options.
To earn cash back, you need to make at least the minimum payment on time each month. Because the second 1% only posts when you pay, carrying a balance delays half of your rewards while interest adds up. Balance transfers don’t earn cash back.
Hotels, car rentals and attractions booked through the Citi Travel® portal earn an extra 3%, for a total of 5% on those bookings.
Pros of the Citi Double Cash® Card
- No annual fee
- 2% cash back on purchases, with no categories or earning cap
- 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months
- Free access to your FICO® Score online and in the app
Cons of the Citi Double Cash® Card
- No intro APR on purchases
- Balance transfers carry a fee, even during the intro period
- 3% foreign transaction fee, so it’s a poor fit for purchases abroad
- Half of the cash back depends on paying off your purchases
Rates and fees
- Annual fee: $0
- Welcome offer: $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening, paid as 20,000 ThankYou® Points
- Intro APR on balance transfers: 0% for 18 months from account opening
- Intro APR on purchases: none
- Purchase APR: variable, based on your creditworthiness
- Balance transfer fee: 3% of each transfer ($5 minimum) in the first 4 months after account opening, then 5% ($5 minimum)
- Foreign transaction fee: 3% of each purchase in U.S. dollars
If you transfer a balance, Citi charges interest on new purchases unless you pay the entire balance, including the transferred amount, by the due date each month.
Terms checked in September 2026. Credit card offers change often, so confirm the current rates, fees and welcome offer on Citi’s official page for the card before you apply.
About Citi
The card is issued by Citibank, part of Citigroup, a multinational financial services company based in New York. Citigroup is one of the largest banks in the United States and is on the list of global systemically important banks, which means regulators hold it to stricter capital requirements.
The Citi Mobile® App
You manage the card through the Citi Mobile® App or at citi.com. The app lets you lock the card with Citi® Quick Lock, which blocks new charges while recurring payments keep going through. You can also set up balance and payment alerts by email or text, choose your payment due date and check your FICO® Score, which is updated monthly. The card works with digital wallets and contactless payment.
Our take on the Citi Double Cash® Card
The Citi Double Cash® Card is a good fit if you pay your balance in full every month and want one card for everyday spending without tracking categories. It can also help you move high-interest debt, as long as you factor in the balance transfer fee and have a plan to pay off the balance within the 18 months.
It’s a weaker choice if you travel abroad often or need 0% interest on new purchases.
Approval depends on your credit profile, and Citi doesn’t publish a minimum credit score. Citi’s website has a pre-qualification tool you can use before you submit a full application.
In the next article, we walk through how to apply for the Citi Double Cash® Card.
*You will remain on this site*
Editorial Notice: All content published on this website is completely independent and aims to provide clear, useful, and up-to-date information about personal finance. We have no ties to banks, financial institutions or credit card companies. We are not affiliates and do not receive commissions or payments to promote products or services. Our website is monetized exclusively through the advertisements displayed on our pages. This content is for informational purposes only and is not financial advice.