Apple Card vs Citi Double Cash®
Side-by-side comparison
| Apple Card | Citi Double Cash® | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | No annual fee | No annual fee |
| Welcome offer | No current offer | $200 cash back |
| Dining | 2x | 2x |
| Groceries | 2x | 2x |
| Gas | 2x | 2x |
| Travel | 2x | 2x |
| Streaming | 2x | 2x |
| Everything else | 2x | 2x |
| Est. yearly rewards* | $583 | $583 |
| Points type | Cash back only | Pools with Citi → transferable |
| Network | Mastercard | Mastercard |
*Estimated yearly rewards on typical household spending, every point valued at a flat 1 cent. Verified August 2026. See your own numbers in the calculator.
Welcome bonus and value over time
| Over time | Apple Card | Citi Double Cash® |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome bonus | None | $200 cash back |
| To earn it | No minimum spend | $1,500 in 6 months |
| Est. first-year value* | $583 | $783 |
| Est. ongoing value / yr* | $583 | $583 |
This one splits by time horizon. In year one the Citi Double Cash® is ahead by roughly $200, thanks largely to its welcome offer. But the Apple Card earns more every year after, so if you keep it, it overtakes the Citi Double Cash® over the long haul. Chasing the sign-up bonus and open to canceling before the second annual fee? Take the Citi Double Cash®. Planning to keep it for years? The Apple Card pulls ahead.
*First-year value counts the welcome bonus, estimated rewards, and annual credits, minus the annual fee; ongoing value is a typical year after. Every point at a flat 1 cent.
Perks, credits, and redemptions
| Perks | Apple Card | Citi Double Cash® |
|---|---|---|
| Lounge access | None | None |
| Annual credits | None | None |
| Points & redemptions | Cash back only | Transferable (paired with a premium card) |
On perks and redemptions, the Citi Double Cash® earns transferable points with a higher redemption ceiling, while the other is capped nearer a flat cent. Weigh those against the fee, since credits and lounge access only count if you will actually use them.
Transfer partners and point value
Only the Citi Double Cash® earns transferable points. Its Citi ThankYou move to American Airlines, Turkish, Avianca, and Air France-KLM, where a point can be worth several cents on a premium-cabin redemption, far above its cash value. The Apple Card pays flat cash back, worth about a cent, so its ceiling is nearer a penny per point no matter how you redeem.
The verdict
On a typical year of household spending, the Apple Card earns about $583 a year in rewards and the Citi Double Cash® about $583, valuing every point at a flat 1 cent. The Apple Card has no annual fee, so its rewards are all profit. The Citi Double Cash® has no annual fee, so its rewards are all profit. These two are about as close as cards get: both pay a flat 2x on everything, neither charges an annual fee, and on that spending they finish within a few dollars of each other. The choice is not really about the rewards rate. The bigger difference is the ceiling: the Citi Double Cash® earns points you can move to travel partners for outsized value, while the Apple Card pays plain cash back. Favor the Citi Double Cash® if you will use travel transfers, the Apple Card if you want simplicity. One tiebreaker: the Apple Card adds no foreign transaction fees, which the other does not. On the sign-up bonus, the Citi Double Cash® currently has the larger welcome offer. A welcome bonus is a one-time event, so weigh it apart from the ongoing rewards.