How do I use the Citi Double Cash card?

Sean McQuay is Uptonic’s credit card expert and, in many cases, its public face and voice. He appears on television and radio and in print and online publications providing Uptonic advice to consumers. He is also responsible for credit card consumer research and improving consumer education tools at Upton.

So it’s interesting to learn that McQuay’s credit card in everyday life is the Citi® Double Cash Card: BT 18 month offer – and that his experience with the card over the past year involves Legos, a scooter, and the wedding. of his sister.

The Citi® Double Cash Card – 18-month BT offer gives you 1% cashback on all your purchases, then another 1% back when you cancel. It has a $0 annual fee and 0% introductory APR on balance transfers for 18 months, and then the ongoing APR of 13.99% – 23.99% variable APR.

Why is the Citi® Double Cash Card: 18 months BT offer your main card?

“I love how simple the card is to use,” says McQuay. “Honestly, it’s one of the best rewards rates on the market for any card.”

What are your favorite features of the Citi® Double Cash Card: 18 Month BT Offer?

In addition to the great reward rate, McQuay points to three additional advantages:

Sean McQuay

• Like MasterCard, it is accepted almost everywhere. That is important to me. I get impatient when stores tell me they don’t take credit cards.”
• Earning rewards is stress-free as you get the same cashback rate everywhere, which means there are no bonus levels or rotating categories to remember. “I don’t have to think about the stores I use it in.”
• Rewards are easy to redeem. “I never have to feel bad that I’m not getting the best value for my points.”

Come on, you’re one of the country’s leading experts on credit cards. Don’t have a complex strategy to share?

“I would call myself a lazy optimizer,” says McQuay. “I want to make sure I get the most out of my investment, but dollars aren’t the only thing I’m optimizing for. I’m also optimizing time and mental space.”

McQuay adds a more practical consideration: his wife does more daily shopping than he does. And she’s not interested in worrying about which cards to use at which store, he says.

How much have you earned with the card?

McQuay says he earned $376 in cash in his first 10 months with the card. He has used the extra money to help pay for about half of the airfare for a family trip from San Francisco to Houston for his sister’s wedding.

What are some cool things you’ve bought with the card?

• Tickets to see his favorite band, Copeland.
• A Lego base to make a Lego table for your 4-year-old.
• Material and tools to build a new kitchen table from scratch.

How important is it to you that the Citi® Double Cash Card: 18 Month BT Offer Unlimited Rewards?

“Enormously. It fits into the very concept that I hate having to think about what store I’m in and what card to use, she says.

McQuay says it’s pretty hard to keep track of a family budget. He also doesn’t want to keep track of credit card maximums. “I do not want to think about that. That is too much. With the Citi® Double Cash Card: 18-Month BT Offer, I don’t have to think about how close I am to my spending limit when I go shopping.”

Anything not to like about the Citi® Double Cash Card: 18 months BT offer?

I wish they would just say it was 2% late, he says.

But there’s a reason Citi doesn’t say this: The card returns 1% for every dollar you spend, then another 1% for every dollar you pay. But to get the second 1%, you must pay on time and pay at least the minimum amount due. You also don’t get the extra 1% when you “pay” by redeeming cashback for a statement credit.

When don’t you use the Citi® Double Cash Card: 18 months BT offer?

For online purchases on Amazon, McQuay uses the Amazon.com Store Card, which gives 5% back for those with a Prime subscription. That card is the default card in your Amazon account, so using it is painless, but has a higher reward. It’s just as easy, he says.

When you travel, you sometimes use your United℠ Explorer Card. If I fly United, which I do fairly frequently, I’ll use that card to make sure I get the free checked baggage benefit, he says.

And if he were traveling abroad, he’d opt for a card with no foreign transaction fees, he says.

Is the interest rate on the card a factor?

McQuay says it doesn’t spin a balance, so it’s not a problem. “I don’t even know what the interest rate is,” he says. For the record, it’s 0% on balance transfers for 18 months, and then the ongoing APR of 13.99% – 23.99% variable APR.

Overall, McQuay says he’s happy to stick mostly to one card.

“The Citi® Double Cash Card: 18-month BT offer is great because you can be sure from the start that you’re maxing out,” he says. “With a lot of other cards, you sign up and you have to make sure that every time you use them you’re maxing out the right card at the right time in the right store. But with the Citi® Double Cash Card: 18-Month BT Offer, I’ve already maxed out all my future purchases. I don’t need to think about it anymore.”