What Credit Score Do You Need to Get the Citi Double Cash?

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The Citi^® Double Cash Card, from our partner Citi, has long been a popular companion to Citi cards that earn ThankYou^® points. But now that Citi has changed the earning structure and the card now earns ThankYou points on its own, it’s become an excellent standalone card for people who want a no-frills, no-annual-fee card. The name is a bit misleading, but you can still opt for converting your rewards to cash back if that’s more your speed. 

Adding a Citi Double Cash card to your wallet could be hugely beneficial, regardless. But you might be wondering whether you qualify for this card. Here’s everything you need to know about what credit score you need for a Citi Double Cash card and what to do if you don’t get approved.

Citi Double Cash Card®

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Secure application on issuer’s website

Rates & Fees

• Our Rating 4.5/5 How our ratings work
• APR18.49% - 28.49% (Variable)
• Annual Fee$0
• Sign-Up Bonus $200Cash Bonus More Info

  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.

The Citi Double Cash® Card, from our partner Citi, is among the top cards on the market for general spending. Forget the cards that offer 1% and 1.5% cash back. The Citi Double Cash Card offers you a whopping 2% cash back for all spending. Earn 1% back when you make a purchase and 1% back when you pay your account balance.

• Overview
• Pros & Cons

Overview

The Citi Double Cash^® Card, from our partner Citi, offers attractive and uncomplicated cash back for people who value a flexible credit card reward program. The Citi Double Cash Card gives you the chance to earn 2% cash back on your purchases. You can receive 1% cash back when you make a purchase and an additional 1% cash back once you pay your bill.

Pros

• No category bonuses to remember, unlimited 2% cash back on everything
• Earns ThankYou Points, which gives the potential to unlock valuable travel rewards

Cons

• Foreign transaction fees are applied
• Limited perks

Overview

The Citi Double Cash card is about as simple as any rewards credit card gets. The card has no annual fee and earns a flat 2% cash back on all spending: 1% when you buy and 1% when you pay it back. These rewards are deposited into your Citi ThankYou account as points. You can then redeem them for cash back at a rate of one cent each or transfer them to one of 16 airline and hotel partners. 

Cardholders also enjoy a 0% intro APR offer on balance transfers for the first 18 months; after this offer concludes, a 18.49% - 28.49% (Variable) APR applies based on creditworthiness. There is a 3% fee ($5 minimum) on balance transfers in the first four months. After that, the fee increases to 5%. 

What Score Do You Need For a Citi Double Cash?

Citi requires a fair to excellent credit score for a Citi Double Cash card, which Experian defines as a range of 580-850. To increase your odds of approval, you’ll want to be at least in the middle with a 700 credit score or higher. If you’re worried about your credit history not being up to par, you can take steps to boost your score before applying for a Citi Double Cash card.

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Who Should (and Who Shouldn’t) Get the Citi Double Cash Card?

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Aside from a solid credit score, Citi also considers your income when evaluating your application. Citi is generous with credit limits and in order to do that, customers need to demonstrate their ability to repay debt. Income is just one of the ways Citi makes that determination. Students and those who are unemployed will have a harder time getting approved for the Citi Double Cash Card. 

One good way to check your eligibility without incurring a credit pull is by using Citi’s pre-qualification tool. After filling out the required information, Citi will match you with credit cards that you’re prequalified for. 

Rules That Can Impact Approval

Citi has several rules that can impact whether you’re approved for a Citi Double Cash card. For starters, you can’t apply for more than one card every eight days. You also won’t be approved for more than two cards every 65 days. So if you’ve taken advantage of the elevated welcome offer from the Citi Premier® card recently, you should time your Citi Double Cash application so it doesn’t fall within the eight or 65-day window.

Citi also won’t approve you for more than one business card every 90 days, but that’s not applicable here. It’s still a rule worth knowing about if you decide you’re in greater need of a new business card than a personal one.

What To Do If Your Application Is Rejected

If your application for a Citi Double Cash card is rejected, you have some recourse, depending on the reason. You should review the letter from Citi and then call the reconsideration line. To make sure you’re well prepared, here are some of the most common rejection reasons and how to get around them:

Your Credit History Isn’t Up To Par

If Citi rejects you for a Citi Double Cash Card because of your credit history, you might want to check your credit and see if there’s anything you can do about it. Sometimes negative marks appear erroneously. If that’s the case, you can dispute them and provide evidence of removal to  Citi for reconsideration. 

You Don’t Qualify For Additional Credit

If you’re rejected because you don’t qualify for additional credit, Citi isn’t comfortable extending more credit to you. But this is probably the easiest rejection to work around, especially if you have an existing Citi card. Simply ask a Citi agent to move some of your existing credit line over to the new card. 

For example, if you have a $10,000 credit line on the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®, ask if Citi will allocate $4,000 of it to the Citi Double Cash. In most cases, Citi will accommodate this request and approve you for a new card.

You Have Too Many Recent Inquiries

This one’s a little trickier. If Citi cites too many recent inquiries, you can still try to make your case for approval. For starters, try to find out whether the credit inquiries span across multiple banks or just Citi’s. Remember, Citi won’t approve you for more than one credit card every eight days or more than two every 65 days. 

If this is the reason, then you can still ask them to reconsider if there weren’t that many days left between your last application. If Citi rejects your request, you can wait it out and reapply when you’re outside of that restricted window. 

If Citi is citing too many inquiries across multiple banks, you can try explaining the reason for those applications. Maybe you applied for more credit cards because you’re starting a home renovation project and want to earn rewards on big purchases. Or maybe you’re looking to build your credit history after years of having just 1-2 credit cards in your wallet. 

Be sure to cite your income, good credit history and habit of paying off your debt. If you can assuage fears that you might be taking steps toward accruing debt you may not be able to pay off, then you increase your odds of approval.

Apply for a Different Card

If you can’t get approved for a Citi Double Cash card for one of the aforementioned reasons, all is not lost. There are plenty of other 2% cash back cards offered by other banks. The Fidelity® Rewards Visa Signature® card is a no-annual-fee card that earns the equivalent of 2% cashback. Unfortunately, the card has no welcome bonus. 

If a welcome bonus is important, you should consider the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card. It has no annual fee, earns unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases, and offers a $200 bonus cash when you spend $1,000 within the first three months of account opening.

If you want a 2% cash back card with the added flexibility of converting cash to points, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card might be a better choice. The card earns 2X miles on all purchases and 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. You can redeem miles at one cent each or transfer them to 16 airline and hotel partners for better value.

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has a $95 annual fee. In exchange, you get a 75,000-mile welcome bonus after spending $4,000 within the first three months of account opening. Plus, you get the added flexibility of using points as either cash back or miles. The $95 annual fee is partially offset by two annual lounge passes and a Global Entry or TSA Precheck application credit every four years. The card is also better for travelers since it has no foreign transaction fees on purchases made abroad.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

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Secure application on issuer’s website

Rates & Fees

• Our Rating 4.5/5 How our ratings work
• APR19.99% - 29.74% (Variable)
• Annual Fee$95
• Sign Up Bonus 75,000Capital One Rewards Miles More Info

  Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening - that’s equal to $1,000 in travel Dollar Equivalent: $1,350 (75,000 Capital One Rewards Miles * 0.018 base)

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers a lot of value to both beginner and expert travelers. The upfront bonus and high ongoing rewards rate aren’t easy to beat, making the card a solid option for a large audience. Where it really shines is with the flexibility of the redemption process, though. You can redeem miles to cover past travel expenses, book travel through Capital One or transfer miles to any of Capital One’s airline and hotel loyalty programs.

• Overview
• Perks
• Pros & Cons

Overview

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers a lot of value to beginner and expert travelers alike. The card’s big upfront bonus and high ongoing rewards rate aren’t easy to beat, making it a solid option for a large audience. Where it really shines, though, is with the redemption process. When it comes to travel credit cards, it can be really challenging to find a way to use your rewards in the way you want.

With hotel and airline credit cards, for instance, you’re basically stuck redeeming your points or miles with the co-branded hotel or airline partner. And with some general rewards programs, you might get less value if you use your points or miles to book a flight versus a rental car or hotel.

With the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, though, you’ll get a lot of flexibility. Here are some of the top redemption options that are available: redeem miles to cover past travel expenses, book travel through Capital One or transfer miles to any of Capital One’s multiple airline and hotel loyalty programs.

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Perks

• Receive an application fee credit for TSA Pre✓® or Global Entry every four years
• No foreign transaction fees
• Access to premier culinary events, must-see music events and major sporting events

Pros

• Simple rewards and earning structure
• Ability to earn transferable points to use with travel partners
• Relatively modest $95 annual fee
• Application fee credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry

Cons

• Other travel cards offer higher rewards rates on certain spending categories

Is The Citi Double Cash Card Worth It?

The Citi Double Cash is definitely worth it if you want a no-annual-fee card. The card is a powerhouse when paired with the Citi Premier Card since you’ll earn 3X bonus points in valuable spending categories like groceries, gas, dining, and travel and 2X everywhere else. 

But even if you don’t want to shell out the $95 annual fee for a Citi Premier, you can do very well having a Citi Double Cash card in your wallet. Earning 2X Citi ThankYou points (or 2% cash back) on every dollar spent is a hassle-free way to earn points without worrying about using the right card at any given merchant. If you’re after simplicity, the Citi Double Cash card is well worth it.