Citi Improves the Double Cash Card [Will Earn ThankYou Points]

- UPDATED: January 20, 2022

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The Citi® Double Cash Card has long been a popular card among consumers thanks to its straightforward and unlimited cash-back earnings on all purchases and no annual fee. And now, this popular card is getting even better.

With today’s card, you can convert the cash-back earned from your Double Cash card to ThankYou Points to redeem with hotel partners, with access to airline partners only if you also have a premium Citi ThankYou card.

Coming soon, transferring cash-back to ThankYou Points will no longer be necessary — let’s take a look at what’s changing.

New Double Cash Card Changes

Citi Double Cash Card Changes — Image Credit: Citi

Starting March 28, 2022, all rewards earned from the Double Cash card will be earned in the form of Citi ThankYou Points. This means that by earning 2% cash-back on all purchases (1% when you buy, and 1% when you pay), you’ll be earning 1x ThankYou Points when you buy, and an additional 1x ThankYou Points when you pay. Of course, you’ll still have all of the same redemption options available to you, including being able to redeem your ThankYou Points at a rate of 1 cent per point in cash-back.

Further, for those who wish to keep using the cash-back option on this card moving forward, Citi is removing the $25 minimum for direct deposits and statement credits. This is another excellent change as it will allow cardholders to access their rewards to offset purchases whenever they’d like.

Boost the Value of Your ThankYou Points

On its own, the ThankYou Points earned on the Double Cash card can only transfer to Choice at a 1:1.5 ratio, along with JetBlue and Wyndham at a 1:0.8 ratio.

If you really want to get maximum value out of your Citi ThankYou Points, then your best option is to pair this card alongside a premium ThankYou Rewards card like the Citi Premier® Card or Citi Prestige® Card (no longer available for new applicants). Holding either of those cards will give you access to all of Citi’s travel transfer partners, including airline partners, which is where you’ll get the most value when redeeming your points.

For instance, if you paired your Double Cash card with a Citi Premier card, then you could earn ThankYou Points at the following rates:

3x points per $1 on air travel and hotels (Citi Premier card)
3x points per $1 at restaurants (Citi Premier card)
3x points per $1 at gas stations (Citi Premier card)
3x points per $1 at supermarkets (Citi Premier card)
2x points per $1 on all other purchases (Double Cash card)

Hot Tip: Here’s a look at some of the best ways you can earn lots of Citi ThankYou Points!

Final Thoughts

Previously, those who held the Double Cash card needed to convert their cash-back rewards into ThankYou Points in order to transfer them to Choice or Wyndham, or pool them with one of their premium cards to access all 18 transfer partners.

But now, you’ll be able to save yourself a step as the card will exclusively earn ThankYou Points as of March 28, 2022. Better yet, you’ll no longer have minimum-redemption amounts to worry about either!