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Lyle Daly is a personal finance writer who specializes in credit cards, travel rewards programs, and banking. He writes for The Ascent and The Motley Fool, and his work has appeared in USA Today and Yahoo! Finance. He was born in California but currently lives as a digital nomad with a home base in Colombia.
Ashley Maready is a former history museum professional who made the leap to digital content writing and editing in 2021. She has a BA in History and Philosophy from Hood College and an MA in Applied History from Shippensburg University. Ashley loves creating content for the public and learning new things so she can teach others, whether it's information about salt mining, canal mules, or personal finance.
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With a high cash back rate, the Citi Double Cash® Card is a popular choice. If you're interested in applying, it helps to know what kind of credit score you need to get approved. Fortunately, Citi has gotten much more flexible about this.
What credit score do you need for Citi Double Cash?
Citi suggests a credit score of 580 or higher when applying for the Citi Double Cash® Card. Citi is now more lenient with this card. It has been approving applications for consumers with fair credit, good credit, and excellent credit. It used to be hard to get this card without a credit score of 700 or higher.
4.50/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. = Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. = Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor
Credit Score:
Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Fair to Excellent (580-850)
Credit Score
Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Fair to Excellent (580-850)
Intro APR
N/A
Purchases: N/A
Balance Transfers: 0%, 18 months
Regular APR
19.24% - 29.24% (Variable)
Rewards
2% cash back: 1% when you buy plus 1% as you pay
Up to 2% cash back
Annual Fee
$0
Welcome 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.
20,000 ThankYou® Points
This card combines a top-notch balance transfer offer for 18 months with best-in-class unlimited 2% cash back on purchases. There's no introductory APR for purchases, so you'll need to pay those off in full every month if you want to avoid interest charges.
High cash back
0% intro APR balance transfer offer
No annual fee
Free credit score monitoring
Foreign transaction fee
No 0% intro APR on purchases
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.
Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time. Plus, for a limited time, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/24.
Balance Transfer Only Offer: 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months. After that, the variable APR will be 19.24% - 29.24%, based on your creditworthiness.
Balance Transfers do not earn cash back. Intro APR does not apply to purchases.
If you transfer a balance, interest will be charged on your purchases unless you pay your entire balance (including balance transfers) by the due date each month.
There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).
When you apply for this or other Citi credit cards, Citi checks your FICO® Score. This is the type of credit score most lenders look at. Before you apply, make sure you know your FICO® Score to confirm that you're in the recommended range.
Your credit score isn't the only thing that Citi reviews during the application process. There are some other important factors that you should know about as well.
Key factors when you apply for the Citi Double Cash
Here are more key factors that Citi reviews when you apply for the Citi Double Cash® Card:
The length of time you've been using credit: If you have a short credit file, Citi is more likely to deny your application. It helps to have at least one credit card that's a year or two old.
Recent credit applications: Citi is known for being strict with applicants who have applied for credit recently. You may want to wait on trying to get the Citi Double Cash® Card if you've applied for other credit cards or loans in the last three to six months.
Recent Citi credit cards you've opened: Because of Citi credit card application rules, you can't apply for more than one Citi card in any eight-day period or more than two in any 60-day period.
Credit card debt: You have a higher chance of getting approved with low balances on your other credit cards. It's best to keep your credit utilization ratio below 20% to 30%. That means your credit card balances shouldn't be more than 20% to 30% of your credit limits.
Payment history: A strong record of on-time payments may encourage Citi to approve your application.
Income: You don't need to earn a large salary to get a Citi credit card. But your income does affect credit card applications. In particular, it's a significant part of the credit limit you get if your application is approved.
Can you get the Citi Double Cash® Card?
If you have a credit score of at least 580, you could qualify for the Citi Double Cash® Card. It's one of few top credit cards you can open without good credit. You can learn more about it and decide if you want to apply below.
Credit card comparison
We recommend comparing options to ensure the card you're selecting is the best fit for you. To make your search easier, here's a short list of standout credit cards.
5.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. = Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor
Best for cash back on rotating categories
Discover will match all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year.
N/A
1% - 5% Cashback
Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases—automatically.
5.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. = Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor
Best for cash back
Up to $300 cash back
Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back. That's 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases.
1.5% - 5% cash back
Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 1.5% on all other purchases
Intro:
0% Intro APR on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months
Purchases: 0% Intro APR on Purchases, 15 months
Balance Transfers: 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers, 15 months
5.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. = Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor
Best for earning travel rewards
75,000 Miles
75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
2X-5X miles
Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options.
If your credit score isn't that high, or you don't have any sort of credit history yet, focus on building credit first. Here are a few resources that can help:
A credit score of at least 580 is recommended to apply for the Citi Double Cash® Card. This card is available to consumers with fair credit, which starts at a FICO® Score of 580. Good credit or excellent credit can help, but they're not required to qualify for this card.
If your application for the Citi Double Cash® Card was denied, you'll receive a letter from Citi in the mail explaining the denial reasons. Common denial reasons include:
Insufficient credit score or credit history
Too many recent applications for new credit
Negative items on your credit history, such as late payments or bankruptcy
No, it's not hard to get the Citi Double Cash® Card. In fact, it's one of the easier top credit cards to open. You can qualify for it with fair credit (a FICO® Score of 580 to 669). Most of the best credit cards require good to excellent credit.
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We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent, a Motley Fool service, does not cover all offers on the market. The Ascent has a dedicated team of editors and analysts focused on personal finance, and they follow the same set of publishing standards and editorial integrity while maintaining professional separation from the analysts and editors on other Motley Fool brands.
Discover Financial Services is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. Citigroup is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. Lyle Daly has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends JPMorgan Chase. The Motley Fool recommends Discover Financial Services. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Mastercard.
The Ascent is a Motley Fool service that rates and reviews essential products for your everyday money matters.
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Ashley Maready
