Citi® Double Cash Card Review- 18 month BT offer

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Our Review

If you’re looking for a credit card with one of the longest 0% intro APR balance transfer offers available among any credit card, you’ll be interested in the Citi^® Double Cash Card - 18 month BT offer. But in addition to the extended introductory offer, this card also provides one of the simplest rewards programs in the industry. It also offers the easiest ways to redeem your rewards–all in cash or cash equivalents.

About the Citi^® Double Cash Card - 18 month BT offer

The Citi^® Double Cash Card - 18 month BT offer is issued by Citibank, which is the third-largest bank in the U.S., with more than $1.9 trillion in assets. It’s also one of the leading issuers of credit cards in the country.

The Citi^® Double Cash Card - 18 month BT offer comes with a long list of generous benefits:

0% intro APR on Balance Transfers: The transfer offer is good for 18 months. If you transfer $10,000 in credit card balances, averaging 19.99% APR, you’ll save nearly $3,000 in interest over the year and a half that the 0% intro APR applies.

The offer applies to balance transfers completed within four months of opening the account. The balance transfer fee reads as follows: Intro fee 3% of each transfer ($5 min) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, 5% of each transfer ($5 min).

That’s at the lower end of the balance transfer fee range of 3% to 5% which credit card issuers typically charge, and another good reason to take advantage of this offer.

Unfortunately, the 0% intro APR applies only to balance transfers, and not to purchases.

Sign Up Bonus: If the Citi^® Double Cash Card - 18 month BT offer has a weak spot, it’s that it doesn’t offer this bonus. But with the 18 months 0% APR introductory offer, you’ll likely save more money on a balance transfer than you can earn with sign-up bonuses for most other credit cards.

Cash Back Rewards: The cash back rewards with Citi^® Double Cash Card - 18 month BT offer are unique in the industry:

For example, if you make $1,000 in eligible purchases in a month, you’ll earn 1%, or $10. But if you pay the balance in full when the statement comes in, you’ll earn an additional 1%, or $10, for the payment.

Not only does that give you effectively a 2% cash back reward, but it also serves as an incentive to pay your balance in full each month. That’s the best way to maximize cash back rewards with this card. But it will also enable you to avoid paying interest on outstanding balances, making the cash back rewards a pure benefit in your favor.

The cash back rewards are unlimited.

Redeeming Your Cash Back Rewards

One of the major advantages of the Citi^® Double Cash Card - 18 month BT offer cash back rewards program is its simplicity. Many credit card rewards programs pay higher rewards for certain purchase categories, than 1% on all other purchases. Still, other cards offer rewards in the form of points or miles, which can be complicated to calculate.

Many cards also restrict how your rewards can be used. For example, cards that offer points or miles often limit redemption to travel-related purchases. Citi^® Double Cash Card - 18 month BT offer has no such purchase category restrictions, and offers several ways to redeem your rewards.

Redemption options include:

• A statement credit toward your card balance
• A check in the amount of your cash reward balance (which could take up to 10 business days to receive)
• Direct deposit into a linked Citi®bank checking or savings account
• Through a gift card (which could take up to three weeks to receive)

Redemption in any form requires a minimum cash-back rewards balance of $25 or more. As you can see from the above list, Citi^® Double Cash Card - 18 month BT offer redemption options are ultimately all in actual cash form, making the redemption process incredibly straightforward.

Recommended strategy: Have a credit card that pays higher rewards, like 6%, at the grocery store. Take a look at the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, which can save you a bundle on your groceries every week.

Then use the Citi^® Double Cash Card - 18 month BT offer to earn 2% cash back on all other purchases. This will work to your advantage because most cards offering higher rewards on revolving categories only provide 1% on general purchases.

Features and Benefits of Citi^® Double Cash Card - 18 month BT offer

Citi^® Double Cash Card - 18 month BT offer provides generous features and benefits, in addition to the 18 months 0% APR introductory offer on balance transfers and 2% cash back rewards. Those features and benefits include:

Citi® Entertainment: You’ll get special access to purchase tickets for thousands of events each year. These include presale tickets for concerts, sporting events, and dining experiences.

Fraud protection: Citi^® Double Cash Card - 18 month BT offer provides 24-hour fraud protection to alert you of any unusual activity on your account. They also offer Identity Theft Protection.

$0 liability for unauthorized charges: If an unauthorized charge shows up in your account, you won’t be responsible for paying for it. The fraud protection service will alert you of possible unauthorized activity, enabling you to act quickly on any suspicious activity.

Customer service: Available by toll-free phone or live chat 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For faster customer service, just say representative when you call, and you’ll get through quicker.

Digital Wallets: Add your credit card to your digital wallet for faster checkout.

Account access: You can access your credit card account using either the Citi® website, or the Citi® Mobile App. It’s available on the App Store for iOS devices, 14.0 and later, including iPhone and iPod touch. It's also available on Google Play, for Android devices.

How to Sign Up for the Citi^® Double Cash Card - 18 month BT offer

You must be at least 18 years old and have both a U.S. mailing address and a Social Security number. The application can be completed entirely online or by phone. You will be required to provide the following information:

• Your name
• Physical address (you must have a U.S. address)
• Date of birth
• Social Security number
• Drivers license number
• Your annual income
• Your bank account (checking, savings, or money market account)
• Monthly house payment

You’ll be given an opportunity to add an authorized user. If so, plan to have that person’s information available for the application.

In addition, have a list of the credit card accounts you want to pay off, if you intend to take advantage of the 0% introductory APR offer on balance transfers.

Citi^® Double Cash Card - 18 month BT offer Pricing

• Annual Fee: $0
• Annual Percentage Rate (APR): 19.24% - 29.24%
• 0% Introductory APR: This applies to balance transfers completed within four months of opening the card, and is effective for 18 months. It does not apply to purchases.
• Balance transfer fee: Intro fee 3% of each transfer ($5 min) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, 5% of each transfer ($5 min).
• Foreign transaction fees: 3%
• Late payment or return payment fee: Up to $41

Citi^® Double Cash Card - 18 month BT offer Pros and Cons

Should You Sign Up for the Citi^® Double Cash Card - 18 month BT offer?

The Citi^® Double Cash Card - 18 month BT offer is the perfect card to sign up for if you have high-interest credit cards and you’re looking to consolidate through a balance transfer. The 0% introductory APR on balance transfers extends to an industry-leading 18 months, and the balance transfer fee is at the low end of the industry range.

This is also an excellent card to have if you’re looking for consistent above-average cash rewards. Citi^® Double Cash Card - 18 month BT offer pays 2% on all purchases, unrestricted. Though this isn’t as high as the 5% offers on some cards on revolving categories, it’s both consistent and easy to manage. There’s no need to worry about matching your card use with the category of the quarter.

The card also offers complete simplicity in redeeming your rewards. They can be redeemed for statement credits against your card balance, checks issued to you personally, gift cards, or even transferred directly into a linked Citibank account. There are no redemption restrictions requiring you to redeem your cash back, points, or miles for select spending categories.

The fact that the Citi^® Double Cash Card - 18 month BT offer also has a annual fee, is just a bonus on an already generous credit card package.