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The Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer packs in up to 2% cash back on purchases (1% when you buy, 1% when you pay), which is the highest unlimited cash back rate we've come across. Plus, the card includes a long 0% intro APR for 18 months for balance transfers to help you pay off debt faster. This Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer review will take a detailed look at this cash back credit card to help you determine if it is worthy of your wallet.
Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer
Great for: Cash back and balance transfers
On Citi's Secure Website.
On Citi's Secure Website.
Intro APR N/A
Purchases: N/A
Balance Transfers: 0%, 18 months
Regular APR
18.24% - 28.24% (Variable)
Rewards 2% cash back: 1% when you buy plus 1% as you pay
Up to 2% cash back
Annual Fee
$0
Welcome Offer
N/A
Earn up to 2% on purchases - 1% when you buy, and 1% when you pay the minimum each month. Add that to no annual fee and an 18 month 0% intro APR offer on balance transfers and this card is a winner.
This card is a good fit for: Cardholders wanting either a standout, high-earning option for a one-card wallet, or people wanting to pay off debt faster with a long balance transfer offer.
The Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer has the highest potential flat rate for cash back. “Potential" is the operative word here, because you receive 1% cash back when you make a purchase, then receive the other 1% when you pay the bill by its due date (you just need to make the minimum payment). If you pay late, you lose the second half of your cash back. It's an interesting quirk that motivates you to pay your bill on time.
The card has a 0% intro APR for 18 months on balance transfers. That's among the longer intro offers available, even compared to some of the best balance transfer credit cards. That makes this card perfect for paying off debt using balance transfer strategies.
The Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer has a $0 annual fee. Many cash back cards have no annual fee, so this isn't a major advantage for this card. But it's still nice for your budget when you don't have to pay anything for your credit card.
If you also have an eligible Citi travel card, such as the Citi Premier® Card or the Citi Prestige® Card, you can convert all the cash back you earn to Citi ThankYou points. You can then use those points for travel redemptions, including transfers to Citi's many travel partners.
This option makes the credit card a fantastic complement to a Citi travel rewards card. You can use the travel card for any purchases where it will earn you bonus points. For all your non-bonus spending, you can take advantage of the Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer and essentially earn 2 ThankYou points per $1 spent. It's a simple, effective way to maximize your credit card rewards.
This card also offers the flexibility of redeeming cash back rewards for statement credits, direct deposit, and even mailing a check.
Learn more: Best Travel Rewards Credit Cards
The following Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer perks won’t make big headlines like the flagship features listed above, but they do add value for cardholders.
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Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card | Chase Freedom Unlimited® |
Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00 stars
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. |
Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00 stars
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. |
Apply Now for Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card
On Citi's Secure Website. |
Apply Now for Chase Freedom Unlimited®
On Chase's Secure Website. |
Credit Rating Requirement:
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions. |
Credit Rating Requirement:
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions. |
Welcome Offer: — |
Welcome Offer: Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back. That's 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases. Up to $300 cash back |
Rewards Program: N/A |
Rewards Program: Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 1.5% on all other purchases 1.5% - 5% cash back |
Intro APR: Purchases: 0%, 12 months Balance Transfers: 0%, 21 months |
Intro APR: 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers, 15 months Purchases: 0% Intro APR on Purchases, 15 months Balance Transfers: 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers, 15 months |
Regular APR: 17.24% - 27.99% (Variable) |
Regular APR: 19.24% - 27.99% Variable |
Annual Fee: $0 |
Annual Fee: N/A $0 |
Highlights:
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Highlights:
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Apply Now for Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card
On Citi's Secure Website. |
Apply Now for Chase Freedom Unlimited®
On Chase's Secure Website. |
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The Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer includes an introductory 3% ($5 min.) balance transfer fee on transfers made within four months of account opening, 5% ($5 min.) thereafter. Worth noting, while it is a fee we’d rather see not charged, it is a competitive fee that beats many other competing balance transfer cards.
You can only redeem cash back when you have $25 or more. That can be frustrating, especially since so many rewards credit cards have no redemption minimum. To be fair, Citi allows you to convert as little as $1 in cash back to ThankYou points, but that also makes you wonder why it also doesn't lower the minimum for cash back redemptions.
Purchases aren't eligible for that intro APR offer, making other 0% intro cards a better choice if you need to finance anything. Potential applicants will want to consider the Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card or Citi Simplicity® Card if wanting a 0% intro APR for purchases as well.
The Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer charges a 3% foreign transaction fee. While the card certainly isn't alone in charging this fee, it will increase your travel expenses if you go out of the country and don't have another card to use.
Compare credit card rewards, fees, APRs, and more using our side-by-side comparison tool.
Applicants for the Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer should aim for a FICO® Score of at least 670. Citi might approve you with a lower score, as that's not the only criteria the issuer uses when assessing your application. But a score over 670 will be a big help.
The Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer is one of the best credit cards when you want your finances to be as uncomplicated as possible. It doesn't have much in the way of benefits, but the benefits it does have are very good and make it a standout among Citi credit cards. You should consider it if you're looking for any of the following in a cash back card:
Read more: Best No Annual Fee Credit Cards
This cash back credit card earns a total of 2% cash back. But it’s important to understand how the rewards are earned. Cardholders receive 1% back for purchases and another 1% back when those purchases are paid off. We like that this structure gives cardholders a reason to pay off balances fast and before the due date to avoid interest charges. Keep in mind that if you pay late, you lose the second half of your cash back.
Approved Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer applicants will secure a credit limit of at least $500. But there’s no cut and dry credit limit that applies to every cardholder. In fact, many cardholders report approved credit limits upwards of several thousand dollars. Your approved credit limit will differ, based on Citi’s underwriting criteria, your income, your current debt, and other personal financial information.
The Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer is marketed to people with excellent credit, meaning a credit score of at least 700. There are reports of applicants securing approval with lower scores, it just becomes more of a roll of the dice the lower your score. Citi also tightened its accepted credit score range in 2020 for many of its cards, and shifted away from more readily approving applicants with good credit.
The Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT is a Mastercard.
Our Credit Cards Expert
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