The Citi Custom Cash Card is a Mastercard issued by Citibank, N.A. As of May 28, 2026, Citi no longer accepts new applications. Existing cardmembers can continue to use the card. The product page names the Citi Double Cash as a cashback card that still accepts applications.
The card tracks ten eligible categories. It applies a 5% earn rate to the eligible category with the highest spend in that billing cycle. Other purchases earn 1%.
How does the automatic category system work?
Each billing cycle, Citi totals posted purchases in the eligible categories. It subtracts returns posted in that same cycle. The category with the highest total earns 5 ThankYou Points per $1. Citi calls that rate 5% cashback. Every other purchase earns 1 point per $1.
The Citi Custom Cash benefit terms give Citi the final say on which category wins. A return posted in a later cycle does not change that choice.
The Spending Threshold
The 5% rate applies to the first $500 spent in the highest eligible category per billing cycle. After $500, purchases in that category earn 1% for the rest of the cycle. All other categories earn 1% as well.
The $500 cap resets at the start of each new billing cycle.
Eligible Categories
Ten categories qualify for the 5% rate.
- Restaurants
- Gas stations
- Grocery stores
- Select travel, including airlines, hotels, cruise lines, and travel agencies
- Select transit, including car rentals, taxis and car services, public transit, tolls, parking, and electric vehicle charging
- Select streaming services
- Drugstores
- Home improvement stores
- Fitness clubs
- Live entertainment
Select streaming is a named provider list in the benefit terms. It is not every streaming merchant. Citi uses the merchant category code on the purchase. A warehouse-club gas purchase is excluded when the merchant does not use the gas station code.
If the highest spending falls outside these categories, all purchases earn 1%.
Automatic Selection Logic
The cardholder does not choose the category. Citi names the highest eligible category from purchases posted in the cycle. The winning category can change from one billing cycle to the next.
How are rewards earned and redeemed?
The Citi Custom Cash earns ThankYou Points. Citi’s Custom Cash pricing module describes 5 points per $1 as 5% cashback. That page states that 20,000 ThankYou Points can be redeemed for $200 cashback.
Redemption Options
That pricing module lists cashback as a statement credit, a direct deposit, or a check. It also lists gift cards, travel, and Shop with Points at Amazon.com.
Point Transferability
Citi’s ThankYou FAQ, dated October 10, 2025, says eligible cards can be combined into one ThankYou account. The Citi Strata Premier can transfer points to participating airline and hotel programs. The ThankYou terms for the combined account control whether Custom Cash points are included in a transfer.
The benefit terms say points can be earned while the card account is open and current.
How does the card generate costs?
The card has no annual fee. Interest and transaction fees are the other costs. The rates below come from the Custom Cash pricing module, retrieved in October 2026. New applications stopped on May 28, 2026, so the introductory rate is not an open offer.
Interest and APR
The variable purchase APR on that module is 17.49% to 27.49%, based on creditworthiness. Balance transfers use the same variable range after any intro period.
The module states a 0% intro APR for 18 months on balance transfers completed within 4 months of account opening. The intro rate does not apply to purchases.
Foreign Transaction Fee
Citi’s Custom Cash pricing module lists a foreign purchase fee as a percentage of each purchase in U.S. dollars.
Balance Transfer Fee
A balance transfer fee is $5 or 5% of the amount, whichever is greater.
How does automatic category selection assign the 5% rate?
Citi assigns the 5% category from the cycle’s posted spend.
No activation step
The card has no quarterly activation. The 5% category follows the purchases that post in the billing cycle.
How the highest-spend rule assigns the category
Citi picks the eligible category with the highest spend. If dining spend exceeds grocery spend in that cycle, dining earns 5%. Grocery spend in that cycle earns 1%.
One category per cycle
Only one category earns 5% per cycle. A cardholder who spends $400 on groceries and $350 on gas receives 5% only on groceries. The gas spending earns 1%.
What the $500 cap pays
The $500 cap limits the 5% rate. Five percent of $500 is $25 in one billing cycle. If that cap is reached in 12 cycles, the bonus portion is $300. The Citi Custom Cash vs Double Cash page sets this cap beside Double Cash’s flat earn rate.
What are the tradeoffs, risks, and limitations?
- $500 cap: The monthly cap limits maximum 5% earnings to $25 per cycle.
- Single category: Only one category earns the bonus, regardless of total spending distribution.
- Category mismatch risk: If highest spending occurs in a non-eligible category, no bonus applies.
- Foreign purchase fee: The pricing module charges a percentage of the U.S. dollar purchase amount.
- Balance transfer fee: The fee is $5 or 5% of the transfer, whichever is greater.
- Automatic logic may surprise: Citi does not name the highest category until the cycle’s purchases are totaled.
Regional and Regulatory Frameworks (United States)
The Citi Custom Cash is a U.S. consumer credit product issued by Citibank, N.A. As of May 28, 2026, Citi no longer accepts new applications. Existing cardmembers can continue to use the card. It operates under federal consumer protection regulations including the CARD Act and the Truth in Lending Act.
The ThankYou Points program is proprietary to Citi. Points earned on the Custom Cash can be combined with points from other Citi cards.
Common Misconceptions
“I can pick which category gets 5%.” The system selects the category automatically. Cardholders cannot override the selection.
“I get 5% on all my spending in the top category.” The 5% rate applies only to the first $500. Spending beyond that earns 1%.
“If I spend equally in two categories, I get 5% on both.” Only the single highest category receives the bonus. Citi decides which category is highest, and that decision is final. The benefit terms do not describe a separate tie rule.
“The category resets every quarter.” The $500 cap and category determination reset every billing cycle, not quarterly.
