Wells Fargo Active Cash vs. Citi Double Cash – CreditCards.com

Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card is a contender for the crown of the best cashback credit card. It offers an unlimited 2% cash reward on purchases and a $200 welcome bonus when you spend $1,000 on purchases within the first three months of using the card. Citi® Dual Cash Card is another top contender offering a virtual 2% cash back (1% back on purchase and another 1% on checkout). Both cards come with no annual fee, so let’s see how they compare and find out which one might be right for you.

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Wells Fargo Active Cash vs. Citi Double Cash

Refund

Winner: Wells Fargo Active Cash

Both cards offer a 2% reward rate on qualifying purchases, no limits, and no quarterly activations. This makes any card a great addition to your wallet as you know you’ll get a 2% cash reward on purchases no matter where you spend the money. However, with the Citi Double Cash card, your second 1 percent is dependent on being able to pay for your purchases on time. If you fail to pay on time, you can only earn the initial 1 percent cashback.

Another major difference between the two cards is that while there is no welcome bonus with Citi Double Cash, Wells Fargo Active Cash offers a $200 bonus when you spend $1,000 on purchases within the first three months. This is comparable to the welcome offers of other cards with no annual fee. Combined with a secure unlimited 2% cashback, Wells Fargo Active Cash comes out on top.

Use of awards

Winner: Citi Double Cash

Getting a reward with any card is quite simple. Like many cashback cards, Wells Fargo Active Cash allows you to redeem your rewards using the usual methods of check, credit statement or direct deposit. Since there is no minimum redemption requirement, they are easy to redeem and never expire.

Citi Double Cash offers many of the same redemption options, but some, like a check, require a $5 minimum. However, the Citi Double Cash Card shines because its cash is returned in the form of Citi ThankYou points, which quickly become a valuable currency at 1 cent per point. Because the Citi Travel Portal is slightly more robust and flexible than the Wells Fargo Portal, Citi ThankYou Points are more convenient.

Annual fee

Winner: Draw

Annual fees for Wells Fargo Active Cash cards are easily compared to Citi Double Cash cards. Because each card has no annual fee, they are both great long-term options.

0% introductory annual

Winner: Wells Fargo Active Cash

Both cards have initial APR offerings, but Wells Fargo Active Cash comes out on top because its 0 percent initial APR applies to both purchases and qualifying balance transfers (which occur within the first 120 days) for 15 months. The card also has an initial balance transfer fee of 3 percent or $5, whichever is higher. After the first 120 days, the transfer fee increases to 5 percent (or $5, whichever is greater). After the initial annual income has expired, the regular annual interest rate can be 17.24%, 22.24%, or 27.24%.

The annualized Citi Double Cash Card introductory deal isn’t too bad for 18 months, but it only covers balance transfers made within the first four months. You will pay an initial balance transfer fee of $5 or 3 percent, whichever is higher. Its regular annual rate ranges from 16.24 percent to 26.24 percent. The 0 percent APR period for this card does last longer, but since we compare the two cards as cash back cards, the introductory APR for new purchases can be more beneficial as you accumulate purchases to earn rewards.

What card should you get?

In terms of potential rewards, Wells Fargo Active Cash has more to offer you, given its robust 2% rate and welcome bonus. However, Citi Double Cash can offer more value as its cashback is returned in the form of ThankYou Points, which you can use to book travel.

• If you want a simple card with no annual feeA: Wells Fargo Active Cash is better suited for cardholders who want easy use, thanks to its simple reward structure and achievable welcome bonus (you only need to spend $1,000 over three months).
• If you care about getting rewardedA: Since Citi Double Cash does not offer a signup bonus, Wells Fargo Active Cash is the best choice for those who only care about cash rewards. When calculated with a welcome offer of $200 in cash and a flat rate of 2 percent, with an estimated annual cost of $15,900, Wells Fargo Active Cash could return you $518 in the first year.
• If you are new to the Travel Rewards Program: ThankYou Points Cash Reward makes the Citi Double Cash program extremely attractive, especially since you can use these points to book trips through the Citi Travel Portal. To further add value to the card, if you also have a Citi premium card such as Citi Premier® Card and transfer points to Citi Premier, you can transfer accumulated points to Citi airline partners, potentially increasing their value by more than 1 cent per point.

bottom line

Both of these cards have a fixed 2% earning rate on eligible purchases. Wells Fargo Active Cash offers a solid welcome bonus, but the travel potential of Citi Double Cash is undeniable. Which one is right for you will depend on how much you value some of the extra perks like signup bonus, APR starter offer, and the ability to convert your money back into travel rewards.

Dan Miller is a freelance writer and founder of PointsWithACrew.com, a website that helps families travel for free or cheap. His home is in Cincinnati, but he tries to travel the world as much as possible with his wife and six children.