Citibank offers two no-annual-fee cards that earn ThankYou Points, the Citi Custom Cash and the Citi Double Cash. Citi stopped new Custom Cash applications on May 28, 2026. Existing Custom Cash cardmembers can keep the card. The Citi Double Cash page still accepts new applications.
Custom Cash pays its higher rate on one eligible category each billing cycle. Double Cash pays 1 point per dollar at purchase and 1 point per dollar when that purchase balance is paid. The rates cover different slices of the same spending.
How do the reward mechanics differ?
The two cards calculate ThankYou Points on different bases.
Custom Cash: Automatic Category Selection
The Citi Custom Cash ThankYou Rewards terms, last updated September 2026, set the earn rate. Each billing cycle, Citi names the highest eligible spend category. That category earns 5 ThankYou Points per $1 on the first $500. Spending above $500 in that category earns 1 point per $1. Other purchases earn 1 point per $1.
Eligible categories are:
- Restaurants
- Gas stations
- Grocery stores
- Select travel
- Select transit
- Select streaming services
- Drugstores
- Home improvement stores
- Fitness clubs
- Live entertainment
The cardholder does not choose the category. Citi totals purchases posted in each category, minus returns posted in that cycle, and selects the highest total. Citi uses the merchant category code on the transaction. A return in a later cycle does not change the category already set for the earlier cycle.
Double Cash: Flat Rate on Everything
As of October 2026, the Citi Double Cash product page states a flat earn rate. The card earns 1 ThankYou Point per $1 on purchases. It earns another point per $1 paid on the purchase balance while the Purchase Tracker still shows that balance. There is no category enrollment and no cap on that rate.
The second point does not post on interest or fees. It also stops once the Purchase Tracker reaches zero.
How do the spending caps compare?
| Card | Bonus Rate | Cap | Other Purchases |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom Cash | 5 points per $1 | First $500 per cycle | 1 point per $1 |
| Double Cash | 2 points per $1, if both points post | No cap | Same 2-point rate |
The Custom Cash 5-point rate covers the first $500 in the highest category. That slice is 2,500 points. Spending past $500 in that category earns 1 point per $1.
Double Cash has no cap. On $5,000 of purchases, the purchase point and the payment point together are 10,000 points, if the payment point posts. The product page’s cash example is 10,000 points for $100.
When does each card earn more?
On $500 in the highest eligible category, Custom Cash earns 2,500 points. Double Cash earns 1,000 points on that same $500 if both points post.
Above $500 in that category, and on purchases outside it, Custom Cash earns 1 point per $1. Double Cash earns 2 points per $1 on those purchases when the payment point posts.
Double Cash on $1,250 of purchases earns 2,500 points if both points post. That equals Custom Cash’s 2,500 points on $500 at 5 points per $1. The match is between those two amounts. A larger monthly total can still produce more points on Custom Cash when the first $500 falls in one eligible category.
What are the annual fee and APR structures?
Citi’s card catalog lists product ID 416 as Custom Cash. The pricing table for that ID lists no annual membership fee. The Double Cash pricing details on the product page also list the annual fee as none.
| Card | Annual Fee | Intro APR (Purchases) | Intro APR (Balance Transfers) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom Cash | $0 | No current new-account offer | No current new-account offer |
| Double Cash | $0 | None | 0% for 18 months |
Citi stopped new Custom Cash applications on May 28, 2026, so the product page no longer publishes a new-account intro APR.
As of October 2026, Double Cash offers 0% intro APR for 18 months on balance transfers. The transfer must be completed within 4 months of account opening. The intro rate does not apply to purchases. After 18 months, the variable APR on the product page is 18.49% to 28.74%. The intro balance transfer fee is 3% of each transfer, with a $5 minimum. After that window, the fee is 5%, with a $5 minimum.
New Double Cash accounts show a $200 cash back bonus after $1,500 in purchases in the first 6 months. The bonus is unavailable if the applicant received a new Double Cash account bonus in the past 48 months, or converted another Citi card that earned a new-account bonus in that period. Custom Cash has no open new-account bonus.
Foreign Transaction Fees
The Custom Cash pricing table for product ID 416 lists a 3% fee on each foreign purchase transaction in U.S. dollars. The Double Cash pricing details list the same 3% fee on foreign purchases.
The fee is charged on the purchase amount. It is separate from the points those purchases earn.
ThankYou Points Integration
Both cards earn ThankYou Points. The Double Cash product page gives a cash example of 10,000 points for $100 as a statement credit, direct deposit, or check. The Custom Cash terms, last updated September 2026, say the value of a point may vary by reward. Those terms also say Citi can change the points-to-dollar rate.
Citi Travel Portal Bonuses
Both cards list extra points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked with Citi Travel.
| Card | Citi Travel Rate |
|---|---|
| Custom Cash | 4 additional ThankYou Points per $1, in the September 2026 terms |
| Double Cash | 3 additional points per $1, added to the purchase point and the payment point, for 5 points per $1 on the product page |
The September 2026 Custom Cash terms and the October 2026 Double Cash page do not state an end date for that rate. Both say a limited-time offer can replace the standing earn list.
Tradeoffs Summary
| Dimension | Custom Cash | Double Cash |
|---|---|---|
| Earning structure | One eligible category per cycle | 1 point on the purchase and 1 point on payment |
| Higher rate | 5 points per $1 on the first $500 | 2 points per $1 with no cap, if payment point posts |
| Cardholder step for the higher rate | None | Pay the purchase balance |
| New-account bonus | None. Applications stopped May 28, 2026 | $200 after $1,500 in the first 6 months |
| Intro APR on purchases | Not a current new-account offer | None |
| Intro APR on balance transfers | Not a current new-account offer | 0% for 18 months |
Use Case Alignment
Spending inside one category
The 5-point rate covers one eligible category per billing cycle, on the first $500. Spending inside that cap is the slice where Custom Cash posts more points than Double Cash’s 2-point rate.
Spending outside the highest category
Purchases outside the highest Custom Cash category, and amounts above the $500 cap, earn 1 point per $1 on Custom Cash. Those same purchases earn 2 points per $1 on Double Cash when the payment point posts.
Common Misconceptions
“The Custom Cash always earns more.” Custom Cash earns more points on the first $500 in the highest eligible category. Purchases outside that category earn 1 point per $1 on Custom Cash and 2 points per $1 on Double Cash when the payment point posts.
“I get 2 points per dollar immediately with the Double Cash.” One point posts on the purchase. The second point posts when the cardholder pays the purchase balance and the Purchase Tracker still has a balance.
“I can pick my 5-point category on Custom Cash.” Citi selects the highest eligible category from posted spending. The cardholder does not override that selection.
“Both cards have the same intro APR.” Double Cash’s 0% intro APR applies to balance transfers, not purchases. Custom Cash is not open to new applications, so Citi is not publishing a new-account intro APR for it.
