Citi offers two cash back credit cards which are the Citi® Double Cash Card and Citi Custom Cash℠ Card.
The Citi Double Cash earns 2% cash back in which you'll earn 1% at the time of purchase and 1% when you pay off those purchases while the Citi Custom Cash earns 5% cash back on your top eligible spend category (up to $500 per cycle) and 1% back on everything else.
If you spend heavy across any of the eligible 5% categories featured on the Citi Custom Cash, it's more than likely to be the best option. On the other hand, if you plan on using the Citi Double Cash as your main card throughout the year, the overall return will eventually overcome the 5%/1% earnings of the Citi Custom Cash.
The best option will actually be pairing these cards together. Use the Citi Custom Cash for the one eligible category you spend the most in to earn 5% back and use the Citi Double Cash to earn 2% back (1% at time of purchase and 1% when you pay) on all other purchases.
Rewards Rates
*Cash back earned with the Citi Double Cash is displayed as ThankYou Rewards points.
*Cash back earned with the Citi Custom Cash is displayed as ThankYou Rewards points.
Current Intro Bonus
No current 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.
Key Cardholder Benefits
The Citi Double Cash doesn't really feature any standout benefits. It's just a fantastic, easy-to-use flat-rate rewards card.
- No rotating bonus categories to sign up for – as your spending changes each billing cycle, your earn adjusts automatically when you spend in any of the eligible categories.
Rewards Value
| Redemption Option | Average Value (in cents) |
|---|---|
| Cash back redemptions | 1 |
| Redeeming points through Citi ThankYou travel portal | 1 |
| Point redemptions on Amazon.com | 0.8 |
ThankYou Rewards points earned with the Citi Double Cash Card are worth 1 cent each when redeemed for cash back. It has the same redemption options as the Citi Custom Cash.
If you have the Citi Premier® Card, you'll be able to transfer points to all of Citi's airline and hotel partners at the best ratios. This significantly bumps up the value of points earned with the Citi Double Cash Card.
| Redemption Option | Average Value (in cents) |
|---|---|
| Cash back redemptions | 1 |
| Redeeming points through Citi ThankYou travel portal | 1 |
| Point redemptions on Amazon.com | 0.8 |
ThankYou Rewards points earned with the Citi Custom Cash Card are worth 1 cent each when redeemed for cash back. It has the same redemption options as the Citi Double Cash.
If you have the Citi Premier® Card, you'll be able to transfer points to all of Citi's airline and hotel partners at the best ratios. This significantly bumps up the value of points earned with the Citi Custom Cash Card.
Annual Fees
The Citi Double Cash Card has a $0 annual fee. This makes it one of the best flat-rate cash back credit cards available in the market.
The Citi Custom Cash Card has a $0 annual fee. This means you can earn $300 in cash back every year if you max out the $500 in spend each month for the 5% back category.
Card Value Calculator
Calculate how much ThankYou Rewards points you can earn with the Citi Double Cash versus the Citi Custom Cash per $1 spent. You'll also be able to calculate the average cash value of the points earned, the transfer of points to partners, and the cash value of each card.
