Citi Rewards+ Card vs. Citi Double Cash Card

The winner for you will depend on whether you’re interested in straight cash back or earning ThankYou points to redeem for travel or other options.

That said, given the simplicity and unlimited earning potential of Citi Double Cash, we’re inclined to name it the winner in this category. Cardholders effectively earn 2 percent cash back on every purchase in the form of 1 percent when you buy and another 1 percent when you pay for your purchases.

Officially, Double Cash rewards accumulate as Citi ThankYou points, but on their own they don’t have the same redemption power as ThankYou points earned with Citi’s premium travel rewards cards, such as the Citi Premier® or the Citi Prestige® Credit Card (both of which are no longer available to new applicants), as well as the new Citi Strata Premier℠ Card. Double Cash cardholders can only transfer ThankYou points to a handful of travel partners, which depresses their potential value. However, if you also have one of the premium cards, you can bucket your Double Cash rewards under that card to unlock top value.

The Citi Rewards+ also earns ThankYou points — but if you’re looking to redeem for cash back or statement credits, your points will be worth less than 1 cent each with this card.

The Citi Rewards+ does have its perks, though, that help you maximize its value. There’s an annual redemption bonus which gives you 10 percent points back for the first 100,000 points redeemed each year. There’s also a round-up feature, which rounds all your purchases up to the nearest 10 points. A gas station purchase for $1.71, for example, would fetch you 10 ThankYou points instead of 1.71 points.