Confirmed: Citi Double Cash Earns ThankYou Points
Last week, we heard rumblings that the Citi Double Cash Card would soon have the ability to earn ThankYou Points. There were even rumors that points earned on the Double Cash card would transfer to ThankYou Points at a 1:1 ratio, effectively giving you the ability to earn a minimum of two points on all spend. However, as is the case with most things Citi, it was best to expect the worst and hope for the best.
What is the Citi Double Cash card?
For those of you that aren’t familiar with the Citi Double Cash Card, it essentially earns 2% cash back on all purchases. You earn 1% when you make a purchase and another 1% when you pay for that purchase.
It’s a great cash back card for the average person with a simple earning structure. From a points and miles perspective though, it didn’t necessarily have a ton of fanfare. However, that may change with the latest news to coming out.
Citi Double Cash now transfers to ThankYou Points
As of this week, Citi Double Cash Reward points will now be transferable to ThankYou points. As first reported by Doctor of Credit, ThankYou Points will be transferable at a 1:1 ratio. Transfers will require a minimum of 100 points, which equates to $1 in cash rewards.
What does this mean?
Singapore A380 Suite (courtesy of SingaporeAir.com)
If you have a card like the Citi Prestige Card or the Citi Premier Card, you’ll be able to transfer your Double Cash Rewards to Citi Thank You points. Now that we know Double Cash Rewards transfer to ThankYou Points at a 1:1 ratio, this has the potential to be a game changer. You’ll now be able to earn a minimum of 2% back on every purchase.
What about the Amex Blue Business Plus?
Several of you may be reading this thinking, “Well what about the American Express Blue Business Plus Card? Doesn’t that earn 2% back on every purchase?”
Yes, it does. However, there are two things that make this different:
- Unlike the Amex Blue Business Plus, the Citi Double Cash is a personal card. Some people aren’t comfortable applying for a business card, so this makes it appealing to a larger audience.
- The American Express Blue Business Plus has a $50,000 limit on the bonus. As far as we know, this doesn’t. While $50,000 isn’t a limit that everyone will be up against, it’s still nice to have the flexibility.
This makes Citi ThankYou Points the only flexible rewards currency that you’ll be able to earn a minimum of 2 points per dollar without a limit.
A word of caution
While Citi allowing Double Cash Rewards to convert to ThankYou Points is fantastic news, it’s still important to consider the big picture. Citi has recently gutted trip protection from all their cards, including the Citi Prestige and Citi Premier cards.
Earning more transferable points is always a positive. However, if you value trip insurance, you may want to consider booking travel with the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Chase Sapphire Preferred cards.
Final Thoughts
With all the negative changes Citi has been making to their cards lately, this is definitely be a welcome change. I’m haven’t been a big fan of Citi ThankYou Points in the past, but this could make me reconsider.
September 24, 2019
It already did. I’ve been hunting for a good card for unbonused spending. I changed one of my two Premiere cards to Double Cash last night through online chat. It’ll reset the 24 month clock to get another, but I think it’ll be worth it.