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The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express and the Citi® Double Cash Card are both cash rewards cards catering to those with excellent or good credit scores. However, the Blue Cash Preferred Card is the standout card since it lets you earn higher rewards in more common spending categories, and has a stronger welcome offer and overall lower fees.
While the Citi Double Cash Card has fewer frills and less favorable rewards than the Blue Cash Preferred Card, its simplicity may make it the right fit if you’re looking for a no-annual-fee card that earns flat-rate rewards.
Here’s what you need to know about the Blue Cash Preferred and Citi Double Cash to decide which card will work best for you.
Comparing annual fees
Winner: Citi Double Cash
The Blue Cash Preferred Card has a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then charges a $95 annual fee after that. The Citi Double Cash Card, however, has no annual fee. Although the Blue Cash Preferred Card’s annual fee is much lower than many other similar reward cards, we like that the Citi Double Cash lets you earn predictable rewards without an annual fee.
Rewards
Winner: Blue Cash Preferred
The rewards systems for each of these cards are quite different. The Blue Cash Preferred offers a variety of cash rewards that cater to different spending categories. Meanwhile, the Double Cash has a much simpler approach: one straight rewards rate for all purchases, without spending limits. We’ve outlined the cash rewards for each card:
Blue Cash Preferred:
- 6% cash back on U.S. supermarket purchases on the first $6,000 spent in a year (then 1%)
- 6% cash back on select streaming service subscriptions from eligible U.S. providers
- 3% cash back on eligible transit purchases (including trains, taxis, rideshare services, subways and buses)
- 3% cash back on U.S. gas station purchases
- 1% cash back on other purchases
*Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit.
Citi Double Cash:
- 1% cash back on everything at the time of purchase and an additional 1% once you pay your bill
While the Citi Double Cash Card has a straightforward cash-back rate that’s worth 2% for all purchases (as long as you pay your bill), the Blue Cash Preferred Card offers much more lucrative rewards rates in categories like groceries (at eligible U.S. supermarkets) and U.S. gas stations, which can offer a higher return on your dollar.
For example, if you spend $5,000 a year at U.S. supermarkets, you could earn up to $300 in rewards with the Blue Cash Preferred. With the Citi Double Cash, you’d only earn up to $100 for this category. And that’s just for eligible grocery purchases.
Overall, the Blue Cash Preferred is likely to bring in more rewards than the Citi Double Cash -- however, if you don’t want to think about spending categories or don’t spend a lot on groceries, gas, transit or streaming services, then the Citi Double Cash might make more sense.
Welcome offer
Winner: Blue Cash Preferred
The battle between these two cards for the best welcome bonus is easily won by the Blue Cash Preferred Card because the Citi Double Cash Card doesn’t come with a welcome offer. With the Blue Cash Preferred, you can earn a $250 welcome bonus when you spend at least $3,000 in purchases in the first six months of card membership. This is rewarded in the form of a statement credit.
Intro APR
Winner: Tie
An introductory APR offers cardholders a lower interest rate for a period of time when first opening the card. Both of these cards offer 0% introductory APR periods, which can help you potentially avoid interest if you transfer a balance from another credit card to pay down your debt or need more time to pay off a new purchase.
The Blue Cash Preferred Card offers a 0% introductory APR on balance transfers and purchases for the first 12 months from the date of account opening (then 18.74% to 29.74% variable APR). The Citi Double Cash Card gives its new cardholders a 0% introductory APR for the first 18 months of having the card, but it only applies to balance transfers and not new purchases (18.74% to 28.74% variable APR thereafter; balance transfers must be completed within four months of account opening).
Although the Blue Cash Preferred offers a 0% introductory period for balance transfers and new purchases, we like that the Double Cash has a longer 0% balance transfer period, which can help you pay down existing high-interest credit card debt. For this reason, we’re not declaring a winner in this category -- they both offer good introductory rates, but which one is better for you depends on whether you want to finance a new purchase or existing credit card debt.
Other fees
Winner: Blue Cash Preferred
Both cards offer similar additional fees, like balance transfer, cash advance and late payment fees. However, the Blue Cash Preferred Card offers a slightly lower foreign transaction fee and doesn’t increase its balance transfer fee four months into account ownership like the Double Cash. The Blue Cash also has a slightly -- albeit $1 -- lower late payment fee.
| Card | Balance transfer fee | Cash advance fee | Foreign purchase transaction fee | Late payment fee |
| Blue Cash Preferred | $5 or 3% of the transaction amount, whichever is greater | $10 or 5% of the cash advance amount, whichever is greater (see rates and fees) | 2.7% of the transaction amount after converted to U.S. dollars (see rates and fees) | Up to $40 (see rates and fees) |
| Citi Double Cash | Within the first four months of the opening the account, intro balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3%, whichever is greater After four months of the account being open, either $5 or 5%, whichever is greater | Either $10 or 5% of the cash advance, whichever is greater | 3% of the transaction amount after converted to U.S. dollars | Up to $41 |
How Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express and Citi® Double Cash Card compare to other cards
- Intro Offer
-
$250 Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.
- Annual fee
- $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
- APR
- 18.74%-29.74% Variable
- Intro Purchase APR
- 0% on purchases for 12 months
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
- Good – Excellent
- Rewards rate
-
1% – 6% 6% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%); 6% Cash Back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions; 3% Cash Back on transit including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more; 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations; 1% Cash Back on other purchases
- Intro Offer
-
No current offer
- Annual fee
- $0
- APR
- 18.74% – 28.74% (Variable)
- Intro Purchase APR
- N/A
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
- Good – Excellent
- Rewards rate
-
2% Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases.
- Intro Offer
-
$200 Earn a $200 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.
- Annual fee
- $0
- APR
- 18.74%-29.74% Variable
- Intro Purchase APR
- 0% on purchases for 15 months
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
- Good – Excellent
- Rewards rate
-
1% – 3% 3% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%.; 3% Cash Back on U.S. online retail purchases, on up to $6,000 per year, then 1%.; 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations, on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%.; 1% Cash Back on other purchases.
The bottom line
The Blue Cash Preferred Card will offers more value than the Citi Double Cash card for most. It comes with substantially higher rewards rates in top spending categories, a welcome offer, the option to either transfer a balance or fund a new purchase with an introductory APR period and slightly lower additional fees. However, it does also come with a $95 annual fee that kicks in after your first year ($0 intro annual fee for the first year).
If you don’t spend much on groceries or gas purchases to get enough value out of the Blue Cash Preferred, then the no annual fee, flat-rate Double Cash could offer a more straightforward way to earn rewards without worrying about spending categories or thresholds.
Both cards can help you earn rewards on everyday purchases. And the fees for both cards are minimal compared to other higher-end rewards credit cards. Which card is best for you will depend on how you spend your money and whether or not you can earn enough with the Blue Cash Preferred to justify the annual fee.
FAQs
No, cash rewards are not free money. You must spend money to earn cash rewards with a cash rewards credit card. However, if you use a credit card to make purchases you have already planned, a cash rewards card can be a smart way to earn rewards on pre-planned spending.
Some credit cards offer an introductory or welcome offer when you open a new account. Credit card welcome offers typically require that you spend a certain amount of money on the credit card within a certain amount of time to earn the offer. Some, like the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card*, do not require anything other than account approval to earn to earn the offer.
When you transfer a balance from one credit card to another, you’ll typically pay for it in one of two ways -- you’ll either pay a balance transfer fee or avoid this fee and instead pay a lower APR.
For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express, click here.
*All information about the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card has been collected independently by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
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