Intro offers and terms change — confirm the current details on the issuer's page before you apply.
The Citi® Double Cash Card looks like a boring 2% cash-back card, but held alongside a Citi Strata card it becomes one of the best no-annual-fee transferable-points earners in the country — a flat 2x ThankYou points on everything. It's the "second card" that makes a Citi setup hum.
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Quick answer
- Best for: a free flat 2x on everything (1% when you buy + 1% when you pay) — all the spend your bonus-category cards don't cover
- Annual fee: $0
- Welcome bonus: $200 cash back after $1,500 spend in 6 months (verify current offer)
- Key benefit: paired with a Strata card, the 2x becomes transferable 1:1 to airline and hotel partners
- Earning: 2x ThankYou points on everything — no bonus categories, no caps, no activation
- Points worth: 1¢ each cashed out alone; ~1.8¢ at our valuation once pooled with a Strata card and transferred
- Pair it with: Citi Strata Premier — the classic two-card Citi combo
- Skip it if: you want a standalone travel card or spend abroad (~3% foreign transaction fee)
Free tool: find the credit card that earns the most for how you spend, and track every statement credit at kritdeals.com/points-path, or in the free KritDeals app for iPhone and Android.
At a glance
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual fee | $0 |
| Sign-up bonus | $200 cash back after $1,500 spend in 6 months (verify current offer) |
| Best for | A free flat 2x earner that feeds the Citi ThankYou transfer program |
| Points earned | Citi ThankYou Points — 2% back = 1% when you buy + 1% when you pay = 2x (transferable when paired) |
| Points worth | 1¢ cashed out alone; 1.8¢ (our valuation) when paired |
| Foreign transaction fee | Yes (typically ~3%) — not a card for overseas spend |
| Card network (issuer) | Mastercard (Citi) |
What the points are worth
On its own, redeem for cash and you get a flat 1¢ per point — a plain 2% card. But hold an eligible Citi Strata Premier or Strata Elite in the same ThankYou account and you can pool the Double Cash points and transfer them 1:1 to Citi's partners, where we value ThankYou points at 1.8¢ each.
Our CPP formula for every award example on the site:
(cash price − taxes/fees) ÷ points × 100 = cents per point (CPP)
So the same $1,000 of spend is either:
- $20 cash (Double Cash alone), or
- 2,000 ThankYou points ≈ $36 in travel value (1.8¢) once paired — an 80% raise on identical spending, for $0 in extra fees.
Expiry: points don't expire while the account is open. If you close every ThankYou-earning premium card, remaining points must generally be used before the account fully closes.
Where your points can go
The Double Cash only unlocks transfers when it's paired with a premium Citi sibling — a Citi Strata Premier or Citi Strata Elite held in the same ThankYou account. Once paired, your pooled points transfer 1:1 to these airline and hotel programs — tap any partner to see how to use those points, what they're worth, and the best redemptions:
Airline transfer partners Air France/KLM Flying Blue · American AAdvantage · Avianca LifeMiles · British Airways/Qatar Avios · Cathay Asia Miles · Emirates Skywards · Etihad Guest · EVA Air · Qantas Frequent Flyer · Singapore KrisFlyer · Turkish Miles&Smiles · Virgin Atlantic · JetBlue TrueBlue
Hotel transfer partners Wyndham Rewards · Accor Live Limitless · Choice Privileges
For every transfer ratio, transfer time and current bonus, see the complete transfer partners chart.
Earning rates
| Rate | Category |
|---|---|
| 2x | Everything (1x at purchase + 1x at payment) |
| — | No bonus categories, no caps, no activation |
You earn in two halves: 1% when you make a purchase, and another 1% when you pay it off — an incentive baked into the card to keep you paying on time. Marketed as "2% cash back," the rewards actually accrue as ThankYou points at 2 points per dollar. That distinction is the whole trick: points are convertible; cash isn't. The appeal is the simplicity: nothing to track, no rotating categories, no spend limits.
Benefits & credits
- $0 annual fee — free to keep forever, which also helps your credit age and utilization.
- Flat 2x on everything, no caps or activation.
- One shared point bucket: ThankYou points from all your Citi cards pool together, then transfer out as one balance.
- Transfers 1:1 to Citi's airline and hotel partners once paired with a Strata Premier or Elite.
Best uses
- Fill the gaps. Put dining, gas, groceries and travel on a 3x card like the Strata Premier; put everything else on the Double Cash at 2x. Nothing earns below 2x.
- Fund a business-class award with "everything else" spend. Say you spend $2,000/month on utilities, insurance, subscriptions and general shopping that earns no bonus elsewhere:
- That's $24,000/year → 48,000 ThankYou points at 2x.
- Cashed out: $480.
- Transferred at 1.8¢: ~$864 in travel — enough, combined with a Strata bonus, to cover a one-way business-class award to Europe via Flying Blue or Turkish.
- ($4,000 lie-flat fare − $250 taxes) ÷ 50,000 miles × 100 = 7.50¢ — the kind of redemption those "boring 2%" points quietly fund.
- The catch: the transfer ability lives with the premium card. If you cancel your Strata card, your Double Cash points typically drop back to 1¢ cash value. Keep at least one Strata card open to preserve transferability.
Who should get it
Get the Double Cash if you're building a Citi setup and want a free, no-think 2x card to catch all your uncategorized spending and feed the transfer program. It's not a standalone travel card — its whole value comes from the pairing. Within the Citi world, the Double Cash + Strata Premier is the classic two-card combo; add the Strata Elite if you want lounges and credits on top.
- Good alternative: Chase Sapphire Preferred — on its own, most people are better served by a card that's transferable by itself.
Fine print worth knowing
- Foreign transaction fees apply (~3%) — leave this one home when you travel abroad; use a no-FTF card overseas.
- The 48-month Citi bonus rule applies across the ThankYou family; a recent Citi bonus can block any intro offer here.
- Points don't expire while the account is open. If you close every ThankYou-earning premium card, remaining points must generally be used before the account fully closes.
- The second 1% only posts as you pay your statement — carrying a balance both costs interest and delays that half of your rewards.
Bottom line
The Double Cash is the unsung glue of a Citi points strategy: $0 fee, flat 2x on everything, and — paired with a Strata card — a real transferable currency instead of plain cash back. Keep one premium Citi card open to unlock transfers, and this becomes one of the highest-value no-fee cards you can carry.
Note: Sign-up bonuses and benefits change. Always confirm current terms on the issuer's site before applying.
FAQ
How does the Citi Double Cash earn 2%? You earn 1% when you make a purchase and another 1% when you pay it off. The rewards actually accrue as ThankYou points at 2 points per dollar.
Can Citi Double Cash points be transferred to airlines? Only when you also hold a Citi Strata Premier or Strata Elite in the same ThankYou account. Pooled that way, the points transfer to Citi's partners; alone they redeem at 1¢ each.
What happens if I cancel my Strata card? Your Double Cash points typically drop back to 1¢ cash value. Keep at least one Strata card open to preserve transferability.
Is the Citi Double Cash good for travel abroad? No — foreign transaction fees apply (~3%). Use a no-FTF card overseas.
What is $1,000 of spend worth on the Double Cash? $20 cash on its own, or 2,000 ThankYou points worth about $36 in travel at our 1.8¢ valuation once paired — an 80% raise on identical spending.
