Which card earns more rewards, the Citi Double Cash Card or Discover it Cash Back?

The Citi Double Cash Card has a higher base earn rate (2X vs 1X), but both cards have different bonus categories where they excel.

Should I get the Citi Double Cash Card or the Discover it Cash Back?

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

Citi Double Cash Card vs Discover it Cash Back

Both cards cost $0/yr. The Citi Double Cash Card leads on hotels; the Discover it Cash Back on rotating quarterly.

Card data as of October 12, 2026.

Credit card comparison
Overview
	Citi Double Cash Card Citi · No annual fee	Discover it Cash Back Discover · No annual fee
Annual fee	$0	$0
Welcome offerCurrent public offer	$200 cash back	—
Rewards	Cash back	Cash back
Foreign transaction fee	3%	None Lowest
Network	Mastercard	Discover
Earn ratesPer $1 spent
Rotating Quarterly	2%	5% Highest
Everything else	2% Highest	1%
Perks & access— means none on record
Other perks	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	Talk to a real person anytime, 24/7 Save 3% on international purchases with no foreign fees
Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record
Purchase & returns	Zero Liability on unauthorized transactions	—
Extended warranty	Extended warranty (secondary coverage)	—
Other protections	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	Freeze your account instantly from your phone FICO score monitoring First late payment fee is waived automatically Free daily monitoring for your credit and Social Security nu Start using your card instantly after approval Zero liability for any unauthorized charges
Pros & cons
Pros	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	Cashback Match doubles ALL rewards earned in first year - unlimited 5% cash back on rotating quarterly categories (up to $1,500 spend/quarter) No annual fee ever No foreign transaction fees (rare for no-AF cards) 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers
Cons	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	Discover network has lower acceptance than Visa/Mastercard, especially internationally Must activate 5% categories each quarter or earn only 1% $1,500 quarterly cap on 5% categories limits high spenders After year one, effective earn rate drops significantly Base rate of 1% on non-bonus spending is below flat-rate alternatives
	Card details	Card details

Citi Double Cash Card
Citi · No annual fee
Discover it Cash Back
Discover · No annual fee

Overview

Annual fee: Citi Double Cash Card
$0
Discover it Cash Back
$0
Welcome offerCurrent public offer: Citi Double Cash Card
$200 cash back
Discover it Cash Back
—
Rewards: Citi Double Cash Card
Cash back
Discover it Cash Back
Cash back
Foreign transaction fee: Citi Double Cash Card
3%
Discover it Cash Back
None
Lowest
Network: Citi Double Cash Card
Mastercard
Discover it Cash Back
Discover

Earn ratesPer $1 spent

Rotating Quarterly: Citi Double Cash Card
2%
Discover it Cash Back
5%
Highest
Everything else: Citi Double Cash Card
2%
Highest
Discover it Cash Back
1%

Perks & access— means none on record

Other perks: 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
Discover it Cash Back
Talk to a real person anytime, 24/7
Save 3% on international purchases with no foreign fees

Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record

Purchase & returns: Citi Double Cash Card
Zero Liability on unauthorized transactions
Discover it Cash Back
—
Extended warranty: Citi Double Cash Card
Extended warranty (secondary coverage)
Discover it Cash Back
—
Other protections: 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
Discover it Cash Back
Freeze your account instantly from your phone
FICO score monitoring
First late payment fee is waived automatically
Free daily monitoring for your credit and Social Security nu
Start using your card instantly after approval
Zero liability for any unauthorized charges

Pros & cons

Pros: 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
Discover it Cash Back
Cashback Match doubles ALL rewards earned in first year - unlimited
5% cash back on rotating quarterly categories (up to $1,500 spend/quarter)
No annual fee ever
No foreign transaction fees (rare for no-AF cards)
0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers
Cons: 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
Discover it Cash Back
Discover network has lower acceptance than Visa/Mastercard, especially internationally
Must activate 5% categories each quarter or earn only 1%
$1,500 quarterly cap on 5% categories limits high spenders
After year one, effective earn rate drops significantly
Base rate of 1% on non-bonus spending is below flat-rate alternatives

Card details

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

Category-by-Category Winner

The Citi Double Cash Card wins in 4 of 4 categories. The Discover it Cash Back leads in 0. 1 more category depend on booking channel or caps.

Hotels

Citi Double Cash Card earns 5X vs 1X

5X via issuer travel portal

Car Rentals

Citi Double Cash Card earns 5X vs 1X

5X via issuer travel portal

Attractions

Citi Double Cash Card earns 5X vs 1X

5X via issuer travel portal

Rotating Quarterly

Depends: up to $1,500/quarter; Must activate each quarter

Discover it Cash Back earns 5X when conditions are met; Citi Double Cash Card earns 2X (2X without restrictions)

Everyday purchases

Citi Double Cash Card earns 2X on all other spending vs 1X

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.

Both scenarios favor the Citi Double Cash Card on net value (rewards, usable credits, fees, and welcome offer).

Scenario	Citi Double Cash Card	Discover it Cash Back	Ongoing winner	Year-one winner
Light spender: $1,000/month	Rewards: $384 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $384 Year one: $584	Rewards: $120 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $120 Year one: $120	Citi Double Cash Card	Citi Double Cash Card
Heavy spender: $4,000/month	Rewards: $1,536 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $1,536 Year one: $1,736	Rewards: $480 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $480 Year one: $480	Citi Double Cash Card	Citi Double Cash Card

Which Card Is Right for You?

Get the Citi Double Cash Card if you:

+Prefer a high flat rate across all spending

The Bottom Line

Both scenarios favor the Citi Double Cash Card on net value (rewards, usable credits, fees, and welcome offer).

Everyday (non-bonus) spend earns 2X on the Citi Double Cash Card vs 1X on the other card.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which card earns more rewards, the Citi Double Cash Card or Discover it Cash Back?: The Citi Double Cash Card has a higher base earn rate (2X vs 1X), but both cards have different bonus categories where they excel.
Should I get the Citi Double Cash Card or the Discover it Cash Back?: 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: Citi cards · Discover 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.