If the idea of an unlimited 2% cash back card is on your mind, this is the comparison you’re likely here to see.
As mentioned previously, the Citi Double Cash is one of our favorite credit cards because it offers a straightforward 2% cash back. You earn 1% cash back as you purchase, followed by an additional 1% cash back earned when you pay your bill.
This PayPal Cashback Mastercard can match that 2% cash back, but does it stack up with the Double Cash in other areas? One card that is not mentioned is one that is better than both of these the Discover IT Match Card where you get double cashback with an additional 2% and 5% on quarterly bonuses.
Here’s a quick comparison of the cards to help you understand the main differences between the two:
Credit Card Perk
PayPal Cashback Mastercard
Citi Double Cash
Annual Fee
$0
$0
Intro Period for 0% APR on Balance Transfers
None
18 months
Cash Back Rewards
Unlimited 2%
Up to 2% unlimited (1% when you purchase, 1% when you pay your bill)
Cash Back Balance Redemption Minimum
No minimum
$25
Cash Back Redemption Method
Via linked PayPal account: Debit card or bank account credit
Check, statement credit, credit to linked bank account, or credit card points
Intro Period for 0% APR on New Purchases
None
None
Welcome Bonus Opportunity
None
None
Foreign Transaction Fees
None
3%
When trying to decide which is the better fit for your wallet, consider things like your preferred cash back redemption method and whether or not you’d have a use for the Double Cash’s introductory balance transfer offer.
The Citi Double Cash is possibly the most versatile no annual fee credit card out there. It’s the credit card I use for everyday spending, and it’s one I recommend regardless of whether you want to earn cash back or travel rewards.
Here are the four reasons that the Citi Double Cash should be in your wallet:
Earn a higher cash back on all spending
The Citi Double Cash has a phenomenal rewards structure if you’re looking to earn cash back. At this point that’s understandably what lots of people are looking to earn, as getting cash towards your daily expenses may be preferable to earning travel rewards.
The card offers:
1% cash back when you make a purchase
1% cash back when you pay for that purchase
By the time you’ve paid for your purchase you’ll get two cents back on every dollar spent. This is more rewarding than a vast majority of cash back credit cards, and is in line with the best cash back return you’ll find on a credit card.
There’s not a single card I can think of that offers a return of better than 2% cash back unless its a business card such as the Capital One Spark Visa and you have to pay a $59 annual fee.
The Citi® Double Cash Card used to just be an excellent cash back credit card, but nowadays it’s also an exceptional credit card for those looking to earn rewards points. So in this post I wanted to provide an updated review of this amazing card.
As far as were concerned, this card has ushered in a new era of credit cards, where you can earn 2x transferable points on all purchases with no caps. So not only is this a great card for those looking for a simple credit card strategy, but it’s also a great card for those who go great lengths to maximize their points.
No Annual Fee The Citi Double Cash has no annual fee, which you can’t beat. A lot of people sacrifice credit card rewards because they don’t want a card with an annual fee, so here you’re getting a valuable card that won’t cost you anything.
0% Intro APR The Citi Double Cash has an offer for 0% intro APR for 18 months on balance transfers from date of first transfer when transfers are completed within 4 months from date of account opening. After that, your APR will be 13.99% to 23.99%, based on your creditworthiness.
This won’t be for everyone, but I know that this is something that some people take advantage of. While some cards offer 12 months 0% APR, 18 months is quite a long time.
Mastercard Benefits The Citi Double Cash is a Mastercard, which is worth mentioning because Mastercard has excellent acceptance with merchants.
The same is true of Visa, though this is an area where American Express is still improving. So there is something to be said for getting a Mastercard that will be accepted virtually everywhere.
Citi is among the most generous issuers in letting people product change between cards:
You can downgrade any personal Citi credit card to the Citi Double Cash; this even includes co-branded cards You can generally only product change if you’ve had a card for at least 12 months, so you can’t do this with a new card You’ll want to call Citi to see all the options available to you The benefit of product-changing rather than applying new is that you can maintain your credit line, and also that it won’t count as a further inquiry on your credit report.
Whether you apply for the card outright or product change to it, you have options.
Earning Rewards With The Citi Double Cash This is where the Citi Double Cash gets truly incredible, especially with the changes that were made to the card recently. When you spend a dollar on the card (and pay the bill) you’re potentially looking at earning two cents of rewards, and those rewards can even be transferred to Citi ThankYou points at a ratio of one cent per point.
Earning Cash Back With The Citi Double Cash The Citi Double Cash offers 1% cash back when you make a purchase, and 1% cash back when you pay for that purchase.
So after paying for your purchase, you’ll earn rewards worth two cents back on every dollar spent, which is great. A lot of people earn 1-1.5% cash back on their credit cards, so this is much better.
HOW TO REDEEM CITI DOUBLE CASH REWARDS AS CASH As explained above, the Citi Double Cash offers a return of two cents on the dollar for your spending (after paying your bill), but how does the actual process of earning cash back work?
The cash back will show in your Citi account after logging in, and will appear in two columns — the 1% cash back you earn from spending, and then the 1% cash back you earn from paying for your purchase.
You’ll need a minimum of a $25 cash back balance to redeem your Citi Double Cash rewards, which is earned after $1,250 of spending. You have four redemption options for Citi Double Cash rewards:
You can redeem for a gift card from a variety of retailers
You can redeem for a statement credit, which will post to your account within 2-3 days
You can redeem for a direct deposit, which can be to a Citi account, or an account with another bank
You can redeem for a check, which will be mailed to you within 7-10 days
Personally, I wouldn’t redeem for a gift card (why limit yourself?), but rather would choose either a direct deposit or check, which gives you the most flexibility.
Earning ThankYou Points With The Citi Double Cash In September 2019, Citi added the functionality to convert Citi Cash Rewards into Citi ThankYou points at the rate of 100 ThankYou points per $1 of Cash Rewards. In other words, 100 cents cashback converts into 100 ThankYou points.
There are lots of ways you can redeem your Citi ThankYou points. You can redeem them for one cent each towards gift cards and other purchases, though that isn’t worth it. At that rate you’re just better off earning cash back outright rather than gift cards.
Where this gets really valuable is if you have the Citi Double Cash in conjunction with either the Citi Premier or Citi Prestige. If that’s the case then you can also transfer these points to Citi’s airline transfer partners, including Etihad Guest, Singapore KrisFlyer, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, and more. This is a fantastic way to redeem for international first & business class experiences.
Points potentially transfer at the following rates to the following programs:
Citi ThankYou Transfer Partner Transfer Ratio Aeroméxico Club Premier 1000 : 1000 Air France KLM Flying Blue 1000 : 1000 Avianca LifeMiles 1000 : 1000 Cathay Pacific Asia Miles 1000 : 1000 Etihad Guest 1000 : 1000 EVA Air Infinity MileageLands 1000 : 1000 Jet Airways JetPrivilege 1000 : 1000 JetBlue TrueBlue 1000 : 1000 Malaysia Airlines Enrich 1000 : 1000 Qantas Frequent Flyer 1000 : 1000 Qatar Privilege Club 1000 : 1000 Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer 1000 : 1000 Thai Royal Orchid Plus 1000 : 1000 Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles 1000 : 1000 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club 1000 : 1000 This is the first credit card out there to offer an uncapped return of 2x transferable points per dollar spent. I value ThankYou points at 1.7 cents each, so to me that’s like a return of 3.4% on spending.
In some cases, you can do even better than that. Citi frequently has transfer bonuses, so you can potentially take advantage of those while earning 2x points on this card.
Is The Citi Double Cash Right For You? The Citi Double Cash has long been lucrative. However, historically I’ve thought this card was ideal for those looking to earn simple cash back rewards, rather than true points hobbyists. That’s no longer the case, since major changes were made several months back.
After you spend a dollar on the card and pay the bill you’ll have your choice of earning:
Two cents cash back Two transferable points, assuming you have the card in conjunction with the Citi Premier or Citi Prestige Earning 2x transferable points per dollar spent with no caps on earnings is unrivaled.
Citi Double Cash Card Alternatives The Citi Double Cash is now industry leading when it comes to the return it offers on transferable points, though there are still some other cards that may be worth considering:
If you want a card that has among the best cash back rates in the industry, the Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card (review) has a $95 annual fee, a welcome bonus worth $500 of travel, provides great perks, and potentially offers up to 2.625% cash back If you’re looking to earn flexible travel rewards, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card (review) and Chase Freedom Unlimited® (review) are an incredible duo that offer a great return on spending and valuable perks If you want a cash back card and spend a lot on dining, the Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card (review) has a $95 annual fee that’s waived for the first year, offers a welcome bonus worth $300 cash back, has no foreign transaction fees, and offers 4% cash back on dining and entertainment If you want a travel rewards card that offers flexible points, the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card (review) has a $95 annual fee that’s waived for the first year, offers a welcome bonus of 50,000 points, offers 2x Venture miles per dollar spent, has no foreign transaction fees, and more
Citi Double Cash Card Summary The Citi Double Cash has gone from a great cash back credit card, to an unrivaled card for those who are into miles & points. Not only can the card potentially earn up to two cents back per dollar spent, but in conjunction with the Citi Premier or Citi Prestige you can potentially earn 2x ThankYou points per dollar spent, which can be transferred to airlines or hotels.
This card is now a must-have. I picked up the card recently, and it’s now the card I use for my everyday, non-bonused spending.
This card is also a no brainer for paying your taxes with, for example, since you can do so for a fee of 1.87% (which is like acquiring ThankYou points for under a penny each). The same is true for payments through Plastiq.
We seem to be getting more amazing free food offers now more than ever with restaurants trying to get you hooked on their food with Free Delivery or other promotions. This one is one of the best we have seen with an easy $10 off using the app. Download the Moe’s App for iOS or Android and register. Then at that bottom click promo code and enter code: 10OFF. This will put $10 off any purchase in your account valid May 8-14. Be sure to enter the code quick, it probably won’t last long but should stay in your account as long as you enter it now.
Moe’s Southwest Grill is offering $10 off with promo code 10OFF
Our Verdict
Doesn’t seem to be any minimum spend requirement so go for it before they run out of freebies.
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic is uphending Americans’ lives and changing how we spend our money. As a result of stay-at-home orders and health concerns, consumers have been canceling vacations and avoiding booking future travel. While travel is in decline, grocery sales have been on the rise.
This may make a travel card you have less valuable, but card issuers are adapting their rewards programs in the meantime due to the changing environment.
Marriott is now offering most co-branded credit cards from Chase and American Express an enhanced 6X Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent on eligible grocery purchases starting tomorrow, May 1, through July 31, 2020. This is great news if you can’t earn points on hotel travel and don’t have a grocery rewards card.
New Chase Marriott Bonvoy rewards
All Chase Marriott credit card members qualify to earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy points on grocery purchases on up to a maximum of $5,000 in eligible purchases. That includes both consumer and business cardholders, as well as cardholders with cards that are no longer open to new applicants.
Here are the eligible Chase cards and the rewards you’d earn on groceries outside of this promotion:
If you do not yet have the card you can go here to apply on our top 5 page. You will also Earn a 3 Free Night Award with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card or 1 Free Night Award with Marriott Bonvoy Bold™ Credit Card.
Existing cardholders (these cards no longer accept new applicants):
Marriott Bonvoy™ Premier Credit Card (previously 1X)
Marriott Bonvoy™ Premier Plus Business Credit Card (previously 2X)
Marriott Bonvoy™ Credit Card (previously 1X)
Marriott Bonvoy™ Business Credit Card (previously 1X)
The Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card from J.P. Morgan (previously 2X)
Chase classifies eligible grocery purchases as transactions made at supermarkets, merchants that offer a full service grocery line of merchandise, including a deli and bakery, as well as smaller grocery stores.
Exclusions include warehouse clubs, discount stores, smaller merchants and more. Learn more about how Chase classifies bonus category purchases.
New Amex Marriott Bonvoy card rewards
All consumer Amex Marriott credit card members qualify to earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy points at U.S. supermarkets on up to a maximum of $7,500 in eligible purchases. This includes new and existing cardholders, plus consumers with cards that are no longer open to new applicants.
Here are the eligible Amex cards and the rewards you’d earn on groceries outside of this promotion:
New and existing cardholders:
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card (previously 2X)
Existing cardholders (since this card no longer accepts new applicants):
Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express® Card (previously 2X)
Take note, Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card holders are excluded from this promotion.
Amex classifies eligible grocery purchases as transactions made at U.S. supermarkets that offer a wide variety of food and household products such as meat, fresh produce, dairy, canned and packaged goods, household cleaners, pharmacy products and pet supplies.
Exclusions include superstores, warehouse clubs, convenience stores, specialty stores and more. Learn more about how Amex classifies bonus category purchases.
While today is Tuesday and everyone who is a customer of Big T is logging into their T Mobile Tuesday accounts to get free gas, kids educational tools and free food they are also offering other great discounts today.
T-Mobile is currently offering a deal where you can get a 50% discount on your existing plan. This is not published on their website nor made public but most likely for people calling in with hardships. Before this they were just giving people a few months longer to pay their bill but no discounts.
The deal is that T-Mobile is giving you 50% off your mobile bill if you commit to a 3 GB data cap. Supposedly this is for 3 months and then you will get normal bill as well as your original data limit. Its worked on 55+ plans so it seems to be stackable.
According to a reddit post T-mobile will simply be adding 50% off code on your account for capping your data usage. In other words, they’re not altering your plan. So, if you’re on a old data plan then you can still participate in this offer without worry. If you’re on a 2G plan then this bumps it up to 3G so even better for three months!
We verified it with T-Mobile by calling 411 today. This is a no-brainer if you use your Wifi at home anyway.
T-Force: We are always looking at ways to make things easier for our customers during these uncertain time and we appreciate you checking on this offer to ensure you are fully setup for success with how this discount works. We are offering customers 50% off their services for 3 months but this would require you to have your data plan switched to the 3GB capped option for the discount to apply. This won’t impact your rate plan itself or any promotions, it’s just in order to get the 50% off the services it would require us to move every line to a capped 3GB data plan. You can revert back to the unlimited at anytime but we wanted to be fully transparent with this offer so you can make the decision that works best for you and your family.
Although, If you use hotspots for other devices from one phone then I would not do this. It will not allow you to use hotspots and some of us that use 25G a month will have to pay for additional usage if it goes over the new lower cap for three months.
So how do you get 50% off? You need to contact T-Mobile on Twitter and ask them for it.
