Which card earns more rewards, the Chase Freedom Unlimited or Citi Double Cash Card?

The Citi Double Cash Card has a higher base earn rate (2X vs 1.5X), but both cards have different bonus categories where they excel.

Should I get the Chase Freedom Unlimited or the Citi Double Cash Card?

Both cards have the same $0/yr fee. Choose based on which bonus categories match your spending — check the earn rate comparison above.

Chase Freedom Unlimited vs Citi Double Cash Card

Both cards cost $0/yr. The Chase Freedom Unlimited leads on travel; the Citi Double Cash Card on hotels.

Card data as of October 12, 2026.

Credit card comparison
Overview
	Chase Freedom Unlimited Chase · No annual fee	Citi Double Cash Card Citi · No annual fee
Annual fee	$0	$0
Welcome offerCurrent public offer	$200 cash back	$200 cash back
Rewards	Cash back	Cash back
Foreign transaction fee	3%	3%
Network	Visa Signature	Mastercard
Earn ratesPer $1 spent
Dining	3% Highest	2%
Drugstores	3% Highest	2%
Everything else	1.5%	2% Highest
Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record
Dining & delivery	Free DashPass membership for 6 months · $60 one-time	—
Perks & access— means none on record
Other perks	24/7 travel assistance when you're away from home	Early access to concerts, sports, and theater tickets Tap to pay with contactless and digital wallets Pay no interest on balance transfers for 18 months No annual fee ever on this card
Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record
Trip insurance	Up to $6,000 trip cancellation and interruption coverage · up to $1,500	—
Rental car	Free rental car coverage when you decline counter insurance	—
Purchase & returns	Up to $500 protection for damaged or stolen purchases 24/7 fraud monitoring Zero Liability on unauthorized charges	Zero Liability on unauthorized transactions
Extended warranty	Add an extra year to manufacturer warranties	Extended warranty (secondary coverage)
Other protections	24/7 lost/stolen card assistance worldwide	Check your FICO score free every month 24/7 fraud monitoring with zero liability protection Free help resolving identity theft issues Quick card replacement if your wallet is lost or stolen Free identity monitoring service from Mastercard network Create virtual card numbers for safer online shopping Show 1 more 24/7 lost/stolen card assistance worldwide
Pros & cons
Pros	1.5% cash back on every purchase with no caps or categories 5% on Chase Travel, 3% on dining and drugstores $200 bonus after $500 spend in 3 months 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers $0 annual fee with Visa Signature benefits	2% flat rate on all purchases with no caps No annual fee 0% intro APR for 18 months on balance transfers Simple earning structure - no tracking categories Points can combine with other Citi ThankYou cards
Cons	3% foreign transaction fee 1.5% base rate lower than Freedom Flex's 5% rotating categories Points worth only 1 cent without Sapphire card pairing No premium travel insurance or lounge access Lower welcome bonus than Sapphire cards	3% foreign transaction fee Must pay bill to earn second 1% cash back No travel insurance or trip protection Relatively modest $200 welcome bonus No bonus categories for high spenders
	Card details	Card details

Chase Freedom Unlimited
Chase · No annual fee
Citi Double Cash Card
Citi · No annual fee

Overview

Annual fee: Chase Freedom Unlimited
$0
Citi Double Cash Card
$0
Welcome offerCurrent public offer: Chase Freedom Unlimited
$200 cash back
Citi Double Cash Card
$200 cash back
Rewards: Chase Freedom Unlimited
Cash back
Citi Double Cash Card
Cash back
Foreign transaction fee: Chase Freedom Unlimited
3%
Citi Double Cash Card
3%
Network: Chase Freedom Unlimited
Visa Signature
Citi Double Cash Card
Mastercard

Earn ratesPer $1 spent

Dining: Chase Freedom Unlimited
3%
Highest
Citi Double Cash Card
2%
Drugstores: Chase Freedom Unlimited
3%
Highest
Citi Double Cash Card
2%
Everything else: Chase Freedom Unlimited
1.5%
Citi Double Cash Card
2%
Highest

Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record

Dining & delivery: Chase Freedom Unlimited
Free DashPass membership for 6 months · $60 one-time
Citi Double Cash Card
—

Perks & access— means none on record

Other perks: Chase Freedom Unlimited
24/7 travel assistance when you're away from home
Citi Double Cash Card
Early access to concerts, sports, and theater tickets
Tap to pay with contactless and digital wallets
Pay no interest on balance transfers for 18 months
No annual fee ever on this card

Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record

Trip insurance: Chase Freedom Unlimited
Up to $6,000 trip cancellation and interruption coverage · up to $1,500
Citi Double Cash Card
—
Rental car: Chase Freedom Unlimited
Free rental car coverage when you decline counter insurance
Citi Double Cash Card
—
Purchase & returns: Chase Freedom Unlimited
Up to $500 protection for damaged or stolen purchases
24/7 fraud monitoring
Zero Liability on unauthorized charges
Citi Double Cash Card
Zero Liability on unauthorized transactions
Extended warranty: Chase Freedom Unlimited
Add an extra year to manufacturer warranties
Citi Double Cash Card
Extended warranty (secondary coverage)
Other protections: Chase Freedom Unlimited
24/7 lost/stolen card assistance worldwide
Citi Double Cash Card
Check your FICO score free every month
24/7 fraud monitoring with zero liability protection
Free help resolving identity theft issues
Quick card replacement if your wallet is lost or stolen
Free identity monitoring service from Mastercard network
Create virtual card numbers for safer online shopping
Show 1 more
24/7 lost/stolen card assistance worldwide

Pros & cons

Pros: Chase Freedom Unlimited
1.5% cash back on every purchase with no caps or categories
5% on Chase Travel, 3% on dining and drugstores
$200 bonus after $500 spend in 3 months
0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers
$0 annual fee with Visa Signature benefits
Citi Double Cash Card
2% flat rate on all purchases with no caps
No annual fee
0% intro APR for 18 months on balance transfers
Simple earning structure - no tracking categories
Points can combine with other Citi ThankYou cards
Cons: Chase Freedom Unlimited
3% foreign transaction fee
1.5% base rate lower than Freedom Flex's 5% rotating categories
Points worth only 1 cent without Sapphire card pairing
No premium travel insurance or lounge access
Lower welcome bonus than Sapphire cards
Citi Double Cash Card
3% foreign transaction fee
Must pay bill to earn second 1% cash back
No travel insurance or trip protection
Relatively modest $200 welcome bonus
No bonus categories for high spenders

Card details

Add a 3rd or 4th card to this comparison →

Category-by-Category Winner

The Citi Double Cash Card wins in 4 of 6 categories. The Chase Freedom Unlimited leads in 2. 1 more category depend on booking channel or caps.

Travel

Depends: via issuer travel portal

Chase Freedom Unlimited earns 5X when conditions are met; Citi Double Cash Card earns 2X (2X without restrictions)

Dining

Chase Freedom Unlimited earns 3X vs 2X

Drugstores

Chase Freedom Unlimited earns 3X vs 2X

Hotels

Citi Double Cash Card earns 5X vs 1.5X

5X via issuer travel portal

Car Rentals

Citi Double Cash Card earns 5X vs 1.5X

5X via issuer travel portal

Attractions

Citi Double Cash Card earns 5X vs 1.5X

5X via issuer travel portal

Everyday purchases

Citi Double Cash Card earns 2X on all other spending vs 1.5X

Year One vs Ongoing Value

Modeled net value (bonus categories at unconditional rates, caps applied). Spend mix: dining 15%, groceries 15%, gas 10%, travel 10%, everything else 50%. Statement credits use the same recurring usable estimates as each card's detail page; first-year-only credits count in year one only. Welcome offers valued at each card's program rate shown on this page.

The better card depends on how much you spend.

Scenario	Chase Freedom Unlimited	Citi Double Cash Card	Ongoing winner	Year-one winner
Light spender: $1,000/month	Rewards: $373 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $373 Year one: $603	Rewards: $384 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $384 Year one: $584	Citi Double Cash Card	Chase Freedom Unlimited
Heavy spender: $4,000/month	Rewards: $1,490 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $1,490 Year one: $1,720	Rewards: $1,536 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $1,536 Year one: $1,736	Citi Double Cash Card	Citi Double Cash Card

Which Card Is Right for You?

Get the Chase Freedom Unlimited if you:

+Spend $300+/month on restaurants and dining out

Get the Citi Double Cash Card if you:

+Prefer a high flat rate across all spending

The Bottom Line

The better card depends on how much you spend.

Everyday (non-bonus) spend earns 2X on the Citi Double Cash Card vs 1.5X on the other card.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which card earns more rewards, the Chase Freedom Unlimited or Citi Double Cash Card?: The Citi Double Cash Card has a higher base earn rate (2X vs 1.5X), but both cards have different bonus categories where they excel.
Should I get the Chase Freedom Unlimited or the Citi Double Cash Card?: Both cards have the same $0/yr fee. Choose based on which bonus categories match your spending — check the earn rate comparison above.

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Official issuer pages: Chase cards · Citi cards

Editorial disclosure: CardRewards.ai is an independent comparison service. Card data comes from issuers' published terms; catalog last published October 12, 2026, and each card page shows when its terms were last checked. Card issuers do not influence our rankings or content.