Card guide · Cash Back
Citi Double Cash
Card guide overview
A no-annual-fee card that earns 2% cash back on every purchase (1% when you buy + 1% when you pay), with no caps or category enrollment. Earned as ThankYou Points and convertible to transferable points with a Citi Strata Premier or Strata Elite.
Key card attributes
| Issuing bank | Reward currency | Currency type | Network | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citi | Cash Back (ThankYou Points w/ Strata Premier/Strata Elite) | Cash back | Mastercard | $0 |
Closest alternatives
At a glance
The simplest $0 catch-all personal card—2% everywhere, no caps, no categories.
The Citi Double Cash earns unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases—1% at the time of purchase and 1% when you pay your bill. It also earns 5% total on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through the Citi Travel portal. The $200 bonus requires $1,500 in purchases over 6 months. There is no annual fee.
The 2% is earned as ThankYou Points (1 point = 1 cent in cash back). On its own, these points are redeemable for cash back, gift cards, or travel. But when paired with a Citi Strata Premier or Strata Elite, the points become fully transferable to 15+ airline and hotel partners—turning 2% cash back into effectively 2X transferable points on every purchase.
Best fit
Citi Strata Premier or Strata Elite holders who want a 2X catch-all for non-bonus spending
If you hold the Strata Premier or Strata Elite, the Double Cash turns all non-category spending into 2X ThankYou Points—doubling the Premier's 1X base rate on everyday purchases.
Current timing
$200 on $1,500 over 6 months is the standard welcome offer
The $200 bonus has been consistent on the Double Cash. The 6-month window makes this one of the most forgiving timeframes, but the $1,500 spend requirement is three times higher than the Freedom Unlimited's $500—a meaningful difference for light spenders.
Main watchout
You only earn the second 1% when you pay—carry a balance and you lose half your earnings
If you pay only the minimum, you earn 1% instead of 2% on the carried balance. The Double Cash is best used by cardholders who pay in full each month. As a general rule, you should never carry a balance on any rewards credit card—the interest cost always exceeds the value of points or cash back earned. Like the Freedom Unlimited, it is also a possible downgrade path for Strata Premier or Strata Elite holders who want to keep their ThankYou Points alive without paying an annual fee.
Current & historical offer
$200 on $1,500 over 6 months is the standard public offer.
We compare public offers with public offers. Referral, branch, targeted and mixed cash-plus-points offers are outside this ladder.
Timing assessment
$200 on $1,500 is the standard offer. The 2% everywhere is the ongoing value.
The Double Cash has consistently offered $200 as its welcome bonus. At $250/month over 6 months, the spending requirement is among the easiest to meet. The card's real value is the uncapped 2% earning—not the one-time bonus.
Why someone may prefer the Strata Premier or Strata Elite
If you want transferable points without holding two Citi cards, start with the Premier.
On its own, the Double Cash earns cash back. You need a Strata Premier or Strata Elite to unlock transfer partners. If you only want one Citi card, the Premier gives you 3X dining/grocery/gas and native transferable points—no conversion required.
Card benefits
2% everywhere with no caps is the headliner; the pay mechanic is the fine print.
The tiers are a Points Brief editorial assessment of decision importance and rarity among comparable $0 cash-back cards—not labels supplied by Citi.
Tier 1 · Rare differentiators
Benefits uncommon enough at this fee level to influence the card decision.
Unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase—and becomes 2X TYP with Strata Premier or Strata Elite
Earn 1% when you make a purchase and another 1% when you pay for it. There are no spending caps, no rotating categories, and no quarterly activation. When paired with a Citi Strata Premier or Strata Elite, the ThankYou Points can be transferred to 15+ airline and hotel partners—effectively making this a no-fee 2X transferable-points card.
- No caps on 2% earnings—unlimited on all purchases.
- No categories to track, enroll in, or activate.
- With Strata Premier or Strata Elite conversion, 2X TYP is the highest no-fee floor of any transferable-points ecosystem—beating Chase's 1.5X.
Know the limits: You must pay your bill to get the second 1%. If you carry a balance, the unpaid portion earns only 1%. Pay in full to maximize earnings. on any rewards card—interest erases every point or cash-back advantage.
Tier 2 · Solid add-ons
Benefits that add value but should not drive the decision alone.
5% Citi Travel portal bookings at 5% total
5% total cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through the Citi Travel portal—3% bonus on top of the base 2%.
The 5% rate requires booking through Citi Travel. The base 2% applies regardless of how you book, so the portal bonus adds 3%.
Tier 3 · Expected protections and services
Useful benefits that should not drive the decision alone.
No minimum redemption for cash back Card baseline
Redeem ThankYou Points as a statement credit, direct deposit, or check. No minimum for direct deposit or statement credit; $5 minimum for checks.
$0 liability on unauthorized charges Protection
You are not held responsible for unauthorized charges.
Extended warranty and Citi Merchant Offers Protection
Extended warranty protection on eligible purchases and access to Citi Merchant Offers for additional savings.
Comparison method: No-fee cash-back cards including Chase Freedom Unlimited, Wells Fargo Active Cash, and Capital One Savor; public positioning reviewed in July 2026. Tiering is editorial.
Earning rates
2% on everything—simple, uncapped, no exceptions.
Cash back is earned as ThankYou Points (1 point = 1 cent). The 2% structure is straightforward: 1% when you buy, 1% when you pay. With a Citi Strata Premier or Strata Elite, points become transferable to 15+ partners.
Citi Travel portal (hotels, car rentals, attractions)
5% total on eligible travel booked through the Citi Travel portal—3% bonus on top of the standard 2%.
All other purchases
Every purchase earns 2% with no limits. The 1%+1% structure is automatic—no activation required.
Citi Trifecta context: ThankYou Points are estimated at 1.5–1.8 cents when transferred through the Strata Premier or Strata Elite. At 2X TYP on all purchases, the effective return is roughly 3.0–3.6%—exceeding the best flat-rate cash-back cards. Combined with the Strata Premier or Strata Elite's 3X categories and a Citi Custom Cash for 5X on a top category, the Citi Trifecta offers competitive earning across all spending types.
The Citi Trifecta
Double Cash + Strata Premier or Strata Elite = 2X ThankYou Points on everything.
The Double Cash is the catch-all spending card in a Citi multi-card setup. On its own, it earns cash back at 2%. Pair it with a Strata Premier or Strata Elite and those ThankYou Points become transferable to 15+ airline and hotel partners—making 2X the highest no-fee floor of any transferable-points ecosystem.
Trifecta strategy
2Xcatch-all TYP
Convert Double Cash points to transferable ThankYou Points through the Strata Premier or Strata Elite.
Log in to your Citi account, select "Combine Points," and move ThankYou Points from the Double Cash to your Strata Premier or Strata Elite account. Once in the Premier, points transfer to 15+ airline and hotel partners. The conversion is instant and free.
How the Citi Trifecta earning works
Which card to use for each spending category in a Citi setup.
- Double Cash: 2% → 2X TYP on all non-bonus spending
- Strata Premier or Strata Elite: 3X TYP on dining, grocery, gas, air travel, and hotels
- Custom Cash: 5X TYP on your top eligible category each billing cycle (up to $500)
- Combine all points into Strata Premier or Strata Elite for transfer to 15+ airline and hotel partners
Transfer partners available through Strata Premier or Strata Elite
ThankYou Points transfer to these partners when held in a Strata Premier or Strata Elite account. Most at 1:1.
- Aeromexico Rewards
- Air France–KLM Flying Blue
- American Airlines AAdvantage
- Avianca LifeMiles
- Cathay Pacific
- Emirates Skywards
- Etihad Guest
- EVA Air
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Singapore KrisFlyer
- Thai Royal Orchid Plus
- Turkish Miles&Smiles
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- ALL – Accor
- Choice Privileges
- Leading Hotels of the World
- Preferred Hotels I Prefer
- Wyndham Rewards
Sources and methodology
Sources for this page
- Last checked: July 24, 2026
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