Citi® Double Cash Card vs. Chase Freedom Flex℠

The Citi® Double Cash Card and Chase Freedom Flex℠ are both household names in the cashback card space, but they fundamentally differ in one important way. The Citi® Double Cash Card is a flat-rate cashback card, offering 1% cash back on all purchases and another 1% as you pay them off. Meanwhile, the Chase Freedom Flex℠ is a rotating-bonus-category card, offering 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined bonus spending in different categories each quarter, then 1%.

Other differences: Citi’s card is superior for balance transfers, offering 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months, then 13.99% to 23.99% variable. Meanwhile, Chase’s card offers a signup bonus with an additional 5% cashback category for your first year as well as an intro APR on purchases.

The winner: it depends on your spending

If you want the highest flat rewards on the market and you value simplicity, its tough to do better than the Citi® Double Cash Card. But if you enjoy the hustle of keeping up with rotating cashback categories and maximizing your reward value, the Chase Freedom Flex℠ might be more your style.

Citi® Double Cash Card vs. Chase Freedom Flex℠ breakdown

When choosing a card that’s right for you, it’s important to compare the benefits and determine which card comes out on top and which benefits you prioritize most for your spending needs. Let’s have a look at how each card performs in a few categories.

Best signup bonus: Chase Freedom Flex℠

There’s no contest here: the Chase Freedom Flex℠ offers a $200 signup bonus after you spend $500 in your first 3 months of account opening, plus your earn 5% cash back at grocery stores on up to $12,000 in the first year. Combine the two and you get a $800 back during the first year. The Citi® Double Cash Card, on the other hand, offers no signup bonus at all.

When it comes to cashback cards, a signup bonus typically isn’t as important as the long-term value produced by the card’s earning categories. So let’s move on and get to the meat of this face-off: the cash back.

Best cash back: Tie

Unfortunately, picking a clear winner between the two of these cards is tough. That’s because which card you pick ultimately comes down to your spending. The Citi® Double Cash Card is a flat-rate card, with one of the highest rates on the market at that. This means so long as you keep up on your payments, you’ll earn a cool 2% back on all purchases with no cap. This makes the card great for everyday spending throughout the year for your standard consumer — no need to juggle timing windows or earning caps to maximize your rewards.

The Chase Freedom Flex℠, on the other hand, is a rotating category cashback card. It earns a higher cash back rate at 5%, but only on certain categories that rotate out throughout the year. You’ll also only be able to earn this larger rate up to a spending cap, about $1,500 in combined purchases for that quarter. Add the 5% cashback at grocery stores during your first year and the 5% back on Lyft rides until March 31, 2022, and you’re looking at bigger returns on your spending.

Best intro APR: Tie

We’ve got another tie here, as each card offers a different type of introductory APR offer. The Citi® Double Cash Card sports a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months, reverting to 13.99% to 23.99% variable. The Chase Freedom Flex℠ instead offers a 0% intro APR on purchases for 15 months, reverting to 14.99% to 23.74% variable.

We almost gave the nod to the Chase Freedom Flex℠ for one reason: Its intro APR offer fits in rather naturally with what you’ll be doing with the card anyway – making purchases and shooting for your signup bonus.

Citi’s conundrum is you really shouldn’t use a card that’s received a balance transfer to make purchases until you pay off your transferred debt. That means if you use your Citi® Double Cash Card for a balance transfer, you won’t be earning any cash back with the card until you pay off your balance (and balance transfer payments don’t earn you cash back.) But another way to frame the Citi® Double Cash Card is as a solid balance transfer card with excellent ongoing cash back. And that’s a rarity when it comes to balance transfer cards.

Best additional perks and features: Tie

One thing not necessarily apparent when you’re looking at the Chase Freedom Flex℠ features is that it actually earns Ultimate Reward points. You can trade these in for a statement credit, but you can also redeem them on travel, gift cards, or transfer them to another Chase card. If you transfer them to a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, you can then transfer them to Chase travel partner, which can significantly boost the value of your rewards with the Chase Freedom Flex℠. The downside: you need to invest in another Chase card and put in some research and work to take full advantage.

The Citi® Double Cash Card comes with Citi Entertainment, which grants access to presale tickets or VIP packages for sports, concerts and more. This is a nice, simplistic perk that can offer some value if you enjoy concerts and dining. And of course, you get this value with just one card.

Compare cashback credit cards

Not sure about either product? Select your credit score below and click “Show cards” to start comparing other cashback cards on the market.

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Name	Product	Filter values	Rewards	Purchase APR	Annual fee
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express			6% on select US streaming services, 3% on transit and US gas stations, 6% at US supermarkets on up to $6,000 annually, then 1% after that and on all other purchases	0% intro for the first 12 months (then 13.99% to 23.99% variable)	$0 intro annual fee for the first year ($95 thereafter)	Apply now View details	Perfect for families: Get up to 6% on everyday purchases and a welcome offer worth $300. This heavy-hitter rewards card has uncontested value. Rates & fees	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express			20% at Amazon.com up to $200 back in the first 6 months, 2% at US gas stations and select US department stores, 3% at US supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year, then 1% after that and on all other purchases	0% intro for the first 15 months (then 13.99% to 23.99% variable)	$0	Apply now View details	This everyday cashback card is ideal for Black Friday and holiday shopping with 20% back at Amazon.com up to $200 back in the first 6 months. Rates & fees	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Chase Freedom Flex℠			5% back in rotating categories up to $1,500 combined each activated quarter (then 1%), 5% on travel purchased through Chase, 3% on dining and drugstores, and 1% on all other purchases	0% intro for the first 15 months (then 14.99% to 23.74% variable)	$0	Apply now View details	Get up to 5% cashback in rotating and newly added everyday categories. The refreshed Freedom Flex card has lots of earning potential.	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Citi® Double Cash Card			Up to 2% cash back on purchases (1% when you buy plus 1% as you pay)	13.99% to 23.99% variable	$0	Apply now View details	Earn up to 2% on every purchase with no annual fee. This is the highest flat-rate cashback card on the market.	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Chase Freedom Unlimited®			5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase, 5% on Lyft, 3% on dining and drugstores and 1.5% on all other purchases	0% intro for the first 15 months (then 14.99% to 23.74% variable)	$0	Apply now View details	This solid 1.5% cashback card gets even better with the addition of up to 5% back in categories like travel, drug stores and dining.	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi			4% at gas stations on up to $7,000 annually (then 1%), 3% at restaurants and on travel, 2% at Costco and 1% on all other purchases	15.24% variable	$0	Apply now View details	An impressive cashback card that offers up to 4% back on everyday purchases like gas, travel and dining all for the cost of a Costco membership.	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
American Express Cash Magnet® Card			1.5% cash back on all purchases	0% intro for the first 15 months (then 13.99% to 23.99% variable)	$0	Apply now View details	With 1.5% back on everything and a 15 months intro APR on purchases, this no-annual-fee rewards card makes it simple to earn more rewards. Rates & fees	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Petal® 2 "Cash Back, No Fees" Visa® Credit Card			Up to 10% cash back from select merchants, on other purchases earn 1% back, 1.25% after six on-time payments and 1.5% after 12 on-time payments	12.99% to 26.99% variable	$0	Apply now View details	Build your credit with rewards and no fees: Apply if you're new to credit or have a fair to good score of 600 or higher. See if you prequalify with no impact to your score.	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
TD Cash Credit Card			3% on dining, 2% at grocery stores and 1% on all other eligible purchases	0% intro for the first 6 months (then 12.99%, 17.99% or 22.99% variable)	$0	Apply now View details	3% on dining and 2% on groceries make this a valuable card for food purchases. Use it while traveling, too, with no foreign transaction fees. Available in: CT, DC, DE, FL, MA, MD, ME, NC, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, SC, VA, VT	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
CardMatch™ from creditcards.com			See terms	See issuer's website	See terms	See offer View details	Use the CardMatch tool to find cards you're likely to qualify for with your credit score, without a hard pull on your credit.	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Credit One Bank® Visa® with Free Credit Score Access			1% cash back on all purchases or in categories based on Credit One Bank’s discretion	17.99% to 23.99% variable	$0 to $99	Apply now View details	Get 1% cash back on all purchases or in categories based on Credit One Bank’s discretion.	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Credit One Bank® Unsecured Visa® with Cash Back Rewards			1% cash back on all purchases or in categories based on Credit One Bank’s discretion	17.99% to 23.99% variable	$0 to $99	Apply now View details	Earn 1% cash back on all purchases or in categories based on Credit One Bank’s discretion.	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa® for Rebuilding Credit			1% cash back on all purchases on eligible purchases	17.99% to 23.99% variable	$0 to $99	Apply now View details	Earn 1% cash back on all purchases or in categories based on Credit One Bank’s discretion.	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Official NASCAR® Credit Card from Credit One Bank®			Up to 1% cash back on eligible purchases determined by Credit One and double cash back at the NASCAR Shop	17.99% to 23.99% variable	$0 to $99	Apply now View details	Get up to 1% cash back rewards on eligible purchases determined by Credit One and double cash back rewards at the NASCAR Shop.	Compare	loading Fetching your data...

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