Why The Citi Double Cash Card Is Worth It

In the interest of full disclosure, OMAAT earns a referral bonus for anyone that’s approved through some of the below links. Citi is an advertising partner of OMAAT. These are the best publicly available offers (terms apply) that we have found for each product or service. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of the bank, credit card issuer, airline, hotel chain, or product manufacturer/service provider, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Please check out our advertiser policy for further details about our partners, and thanks for your support!

Now is the time to apply for the Citi Double Cash Card.

You can maximize your credit card rewards by taking a variety of strategies. Some people prefer to earn cash back while others prefer to earn travel rewards. Before you apply for a card, you should decide what kind of rewards you want to earn, so that you can be rewarded more efficiently.

The Citi Double Cash Card has an exceptional return on spending, whether you want to earn cash back or travel rewards. With the recent changes that were made to the card and the fact that the card finally has a welcome bonus, this is a great time to look at this card.

Why the Citi Double Cash is so valuable

The Citi Double Cash is one of the most versatile credit cards out there. One of the credit cards that I use most for my everyday, non-bonused spending is one that I recommend regardless of whether you want to earn cash back or travel rewards. The Citi Double Cash should be in your wallet.

Limited time welcome bonus of 20,000 points ($200)

The Citi Double Cash doesn't offer a welcome bonus. We don't know when this offer will be pulled, but it has changed for a short time. You can earn 20,000 ThankYou points if you spend less than $2,500 in the first six months.

You can redeem 20,000 points for $200 back on your no annual fee card. You can potentially do better than that, as the rewards can be converted into Citi ThankYou points that can be used to purchase airline tickets or hotel rooms. The bonus is worth $340 because I value ThankYou points at 1.7 cents.

Eligibility for the bonus is unrelated to having any other Citi cards.

No annual fee

The Citi Double Cash doesn't get better than that because it doesn't have an annual fee. I need to say something more.

Earn cash back at a rewarding rate

If you want to earn cash back, the Citi Double Cash is a great place to start. It is difficult to beat the rewards structure of this card. There are double cash offers from the Citi.

• 1% cash back when you make a purchase
• 1% cash back when you pay for that purchase

The ThankYou points can be used to redeem one cent cash back. You can be rewarded with a statement credit or direct deposit if you redeem in full.

You will get two cents back on every dollar you spend by the time you pay. It is in line with the best cash back return you will find on a credit card, and is more rewarding than a lot of cash back credit cards.

There are only a few cards that offer a return of 2% cash back without any strings attached.

Flexibility to turn cash back into travel rewards

The double cash gives you the best of both worlds. It's possible to earn the equivalent of two cents on the dollar and convert those points into travel rewards points.

Even if you don't have the Citi premier, you can still earn rewards on the double cash. You can pool your ThankYou points and transfer them to partners if you apply for the premier card.

You can convert two cents or two transferrable points into airline miles for every dollar you spend.

0% intro APR for 18 months on balance transfers*

I would recommend avoiding this if possible, but it is something that some people are looking for. The Citi Double Cash is offering a low introductory rate on balance transfers. The variable interest rate will be 26.99% after that. There is an introductory balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer completed within the first 4 months of opening account. Your fee will be 5% after that.

Since interest after that can be high, you will want to pay off the balance as soon as possible. Some cards give 12 months, but 18 months is rare.

How I’ve maximized rewards with the Citi Double Cash

I picked up the Citi Double Cash card in the middle of the year. It is one of the main cards that I use for my personal spending in the U.S., when there is not a bonus category. It's for example:

• I’ve paid my rent with the card through Plastiq
• I’ve paid my taxes with the card
• I’ve used the card for most online shopping

One of my go-to cards for domestic purchases is the Capital One Venture X rewards credit card, which offers 2 points for every dollar spent.

Amazing combo: Citi Premier + Citi Double Cash

If you want to earn travel rewards in the long-term, I think it's worth mentioning the value of having the Citi Double Cash in conjunction with the Citi Premier Card, which is one of the best card combinations out there.

• The Citi Premier offers a massive welcome bonus of 80,000 ThankYou points after spending $4,000 within the first three months of account opening, which will really jumpstart your rewards earnings
• You’re eligible for both of these cards as long as you follow Citi’s general credit card application rules
• The Citi Premier offers 3x points on dining, gas, groceries, air travel, and hotels, and has no foreign transaction fees
• The Citi Premier offers a $100 annual hotel credit, which could cover your annual fee right there
• You can earn all of this with a single $95 annual fee on the Citi Premier, since the Citi Double Cash doesn’t have an annual fee

This is an easy way to maximize credit card rewards as you will earn 2x points on all purchases.

I have spent the most on the Citi Double Cash since the beginning of the year. The card allows me to earn ThankYou points that can be transferred to airline partners.

This card has a lot of flexibility. You can earn the equivalent of two cents or two transferrable points for every dollar you spend on the card. Being able to efficiently earn either cash back or travel rewards is the kind of flexibility that consumers should be looking for nowadays.

One of the best card combinations out there is when you combine the Citi Double Cash with the Citi Premier Card.

The Citi Double Cash is currently offering a welcome bonus for a limited time, so this is a great time to pick it up.

Is anyone else a fan of the combo of the double cash and premier?