If you're on a Galaxy Fold, consider unfolding your phone or viewing it in full screen to best optimize your experience.
With a high cash back rate, the Citi Double Cash® Card is a popular choice. If you're interested in applying, it helps to know what kind of credit score you need to get approved. Fortunately, Citi has gotten much more flexible about this.
Citi suggests a credit score of 580 or higher when applying for the Citi Double Cash® Card. Citi is now more lenient with this card. It has been approving applications for consumers with fair credit, good credit, and excellent credit. It used to be hard to get this card without a credit score of 700 or higher.
When you apply for this or other Citi credit cards, Citi checks your FICO® Score. This is the type of credit score most lenders look at. Before you apply, make sure you know your FICO® Score to confirm that you're in the recommended range.
Your credit score isn't the only thing that Citi reviews during the application process. There are some other important factors that you should know about as well.
Fair to Excellent (580-850)
Intro APR N/A
Purchases: N/A
Balance Transfers: 0%, 18 months
Regular APR
19.24% - 29.24% (Variable)
Rewards 2% cash back: 1% when you buy plus 1% as you pay
Up to 2% cash back
Annual Fee
$0
Welcome Offer 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.
20,000 ThankYou® Points
This card combines a top-notch balance transfer offer for 18 months with best-in-class unlimited 2% cash back on purchases. There's no introductory APR for purchases, so if you use that long balance transfer offer you'll be charged interest on all new purchases until the full balance is paid off. However, once you conquer that balance transfer, this may become your go-to card thanks to the high cash back rate.
Here are more key factors that Citi reviews when you apply for the Citi Double Cash® Card:
If you have a credit score of at least 580, you could qualify for the Citi Double Cash® Card. It's one of few top credit cards you can open without good credit. You can learn more about it and decide if you want to apply below.
If your credit score isn't that high, or you don't have any sort of credit history yet, focus on building credit first. Here are a few resources that can help:
Here are some other questions we've answered:
A credit score of at least 580 is recommended to apply for the Citi Double Cash® Card. This card is available to consumers with fair credit, which starts at a FICO® Score of 580. Good credit or excellent credit can help, but they're not required to qualify for this card.
If your application for the Citi Double Cash® Card was denied, you'll receive a letter from Citi in the mail explaining the denial reasons. Common denial reasons include:
No, it's not hard to get the Citi Double Cash® Card. In fact, it's one of the easier top credit cards to open. You can qualify for it with fair credit (a FICO® Score of 580 to 669). Most of the best credit cards require good to excellent credit.
Our Credit Cards Experts
We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.
The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Mastercard.