Card terms change often — and this card's application status already has. Confirm current details on the issuer's page.
The Citi® Custom Cash Card automated the 5% game: every billing cycle it pays 5% back on your top eligible category — no activation, no calendar, no choices. It's for anyone with one strong monthly category, but note two things: Citi closed it to new applications on May 28, 2026, and its "cash back" accrues as ThankYou points, which become transferable to airlines the moment you also hold a Citi Strata Premier or Strata Elite.
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Quick answer
- Best for: set-and-forget 5% on your top eligible category each billing cycle (on up to $500 spend, then 1%)
- Annual fee: $0 — but closed to new applications since May 28, 2026 (product change from an existing Citi card has still been possible — verify)
- Welcome bonus: none available — applications are closed and product changes earn no sign-up bonus (verify current offer)
- Key benefit: the 5% category is picked automatically — no activation, and existing cardholders lose nothing
- Earning: 5x on your top eligible category (first $500 spend per cycle), 1x on everything else
- Points worth: 1¢ each held alone; ~1.8¢ at our valuation once paired and transferable
- Pair it with: Citi Strata Premier for transfers and the Double Cash for 2x on everything else
- Skip it if: you spend abroad (foreign transaction fee applies) or have no single strong monthly category
Free tool: find the credit card that earns the most for how you spend, and track every statement credit at kritdeals.com/points-path, or in the free KritDeals app for iPhone and Android.
At a glance
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual fee | $0 |
| Sign-up bonus | None — closed to new applications since May 28, 2026; product change from an existing Citi card has still been possible (verify) |
| Best for | Set-and-forget 5% on one category; feeding a Citi Strata setup |
| Points earned | Citi ThankYou Points — 5% on your top eligible category each billing cycle (on up to $500 spend, then 1%); transferable only when paired |
| Points worth | 1¢ held alone; 1.8¢ (our valuation) when paired |
| Foreign transaction fee | Yes — leave it home when you travel abroad |
| Card network (issuer) | Mastercard (Citi) |
What the points are worth
- Held alone, redeem ThankYou points for cash at a flat 1¢ each — a clean 5% cash-back card with a monthly cap.
- Held alongside a Citi Strata Premier or Strata Elite in the same ThankYou account, the pooled points transfer 1:1 to Citi's airline partners, where we value them at 1.8¢ each — making the 5x category an effective 9% back in travel value.
Be clear-eyed about it: without a Strata card, there is no transfer button. You have a very good capped cash-back card, and that is all. The pairing is what turns $25/month into flight currency. If you close your only Strata card, remaining points typically fall back to 1¢ value.
Where your points can go
Only once paired with a Strata Premier or Elite, your pooled points transfer to these programs — tap any partner to see how to use those points, what they're worth, and the best redemptions:
Airline transfer partners Air France/KLM Flying Blue · American AAdvantage · Avianca LifeMiles · British Airways/Qatar Avios · Cathay Asia Miles · Emirates Skywards · Etihad Guest · EVA Air · Qantas Frequent Flyer · Singapore KrisFlyer · Turkish Miles&Smiles · Virgin Atlantic · JetBlue TrueBlue
Hotel transfer partners Wyndham Rewards · Accor Live Limitless · Choice Privileges
For every transfer ratio, transfer time and current bonus, see the complete transfer partners chart.
Earning rates
| Rate | Category |
|---|---|
| 5x | Top eligible category each billing cycle (first $500 spend, then 1x) |
| 1x | Everything else |
Each billing cycle, the card automatically applies 5% (as 5x ThankYou points) to your single highest-spend eligible category, on up to $500 of spend — a maximum of 2,500 points (~$25) per cycle on that category (2,000 of them bonus on top of the base 1x) — then 1% beyond the cap and on everything else. Maximum bonus haul: 30,000 points a year if you hit the cap every cycle — worth $300 as cash or ~$540 transferred at our valuation.
The ten eligible categories:
restaurants · gas stations · grocery stores · select travel · select transit · select streaming services · drugstores · home improvement stores · fitness clubs · live entertainment
Spend $480 on groceries and $200 on gas in a cycle? Groceries get the 5x automatically. Next month your top category can be different — the card adapts on its own. The discipline it rewards is concentration: point one predictable $500/month category at it and it never underperforms.
Benefits & credits
- $0 annual fee.
- Automatic 5% category — no activation, no calendar, no choices.
- Earns ThankYou points, which pool with a Strata Premier or Elite and become transferable 1:1 to Citi's partners.
- Existing cardholders lose nothing after the shutdown: same 5%, same $0 fee, same ThankYou earning.
Best uses
Every example uses the same formula: (cash price − taxes) ÷ points × 100 = cents per point (CPP) — and assumes pairing with a Strata card.
- One dedicated category, maxed monthly. $500/month of groceries = 30,000 points/year. Transfer to Flying Blue toward a ~$4,000 lie-flat seat to Europe at 55,000 miles + ~$250 taxes: (4,000 − 250) ÷ 55,000 × 100 = 6.8¢ per point — your grocery card is funding business class.
- The Citi trifecta. Strata Premier for travel and its own 3x categories · Custom Cash for one 5x category · Double Cash at 2x on everything else. Nothing in your budget earns below 2x, and it all pools into one transferable balance.
- AAdvantage access. Citi is the transferable currency with a live American AAdvantage pipeline — a genuine differentiator when AA has saver space.
- Unpaired fallback. No Strata? $25/month maximum at 5% is still $300/year from one category, fee-free. Good — just half of what the same swipes are worth transferred.
Who should get it
Keep (or product-change into) the Custom Cash if you have one strong monthly category — groceries, gas, dining — and ideally a Strata Premier to give the points somewhere to go. As a trio with the Double Cash, it's the cheapest 5x anywhere in a transferable currency. Map your options in Points Path and track balances in your Rewards Wallet.
- Good alternative: Chase Freedom Flex — the closest live substitute if you can't get the Custom Cash anymore (rotating 5x, activation required); or simply concentrate category spend on a Strata Premier's own 3x categories.
Getting it in 2026 (and keeping it worthwhile)
- New applications are closed. If you don't have the card, the remaining route has been a product change from an existing Citi card (many report chat handles it in minutes). Product changes don't earn a sign-up bonus, and Citi could close this door too — verify before you plan around it.
- Existing cardholders lose nothing: same 5%, same $0 fee, same ThankYou earning.
- The shutdown makes existing Custom Cash cards more valuable, not less — treat yours as a keeper, especially inside a Strata setup.
Fine print worth knowing
- The 5% cap is $500 of spend per billing cycle — it does not roll over, and the category is picked automatically (you can't override it).
- Foreign transaction fee applies — not a card for overseas spend.
- If you close your only Strata card, remaining points typically fall back to 1¢ value — keep the premium card open to preserve transfers.
- Citi's 48-month bonus rules are moot here (product changes and closed applications earn no bonus anyway).
Bottom line
The Custom Cash was the smartest no-fee 5% card ever built — automatic, capped but generous, and secretly a ThankYou-points earner. Closed to new applicants, it's now a card to hold onto and maximize: point one $500/month category at it, pair it with a Strata, and 30,000 transferable points a year show up for spending you were doing anyway.
Note: Sign-up bonuses and benefits change. Always confirm current terms on the issuer's site before applying.
FAQ
Can I still apply for the Citi Custom Cash? No — Citi closed it to new applications on May 28, 2026. The remaining route has been a product change from an existing Citi card, which earns no sign-up bonus; verify before you plan around it.
How does the 5% category get chosen? Automatically. Each billing cycle the card applies 5x to your single highest-spend eligible category on up to $500 of spend, then 1x. You can't override it, and the cap doesn't roll over.
Are Custom Cash points transferable? Only when paired with a Citi Strata Premier or Strata Elite in the same ThankYou account; held alone, points redeem for cash at 1¢ each.
What happens to existing cardholders? They lose nothing — same 5%, same $0 fee, same ThankYou earning.
