Citi Double Cash vs. Citi Custom Cash: Varying Levels of Flexibility
One offers a solid flat cash-back rate, the other makes it easy to optimize.
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Updated · 1 min read
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Managing Editor If you want to keep your credit card rewards simple, both the Citi Double Cash® Card and Citi Custom Cash® Card have much to offer.
The Citi Double Cash® Card earns the same amount of cash back wherever you use it, which doesn’t get any simpler. The Citi Custom Cash® Card, however, automatically earns a high cash-back rate on purchases in the eligible category where you spend the most money each billing cycle. That’s a foolproof way to maximize without having to memorize which card will earn the most where you shop.
So it comes down to what you want out of your card: ultimate simplicity, or the potential to earn more on certain purchases without much additional effort.
Of course, the cards pair well together, too. You can use the Citi Custom Cash® Card where you spend the most each month (among its eligible spending categories), and then use the Citi Double Cash® Card everywhere else.
How the cards compare
Annual fee
$0
$0
Sign-up bonus
Citi Double Cash® Card
Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
Citi Custom Cash® Card
Earn $200 in cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
Rewards
Citi Double Cash® Card
- 2% cash back on purchases (1% back for every dollar spent, and 1% back for every dollar paid off).
- 5% total cash back on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked through Citi.
Citi Custom Cash® Card
5% cash back on up to $500 spent in your highest spending category per billing cycle in these eligible categories:
- Grocery stores.
- Restaurants.
- Gas stations.
- Streaming services.
- Drugstores.
- Home improvement stores.
- Fitness clubs.
- Select travel.
- Select transit.
- Live entertainment.
All other purchases earn 1% cash back.
APR
Citi Double Cash® Card
0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months, and then the ongoing APR of 17.49%-27.49% Variable APR.
Citi Custom Cash® Card
0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months, and then the ongoing APR of 18.24%-28.24% Variable APR.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
The Citi Double Cash® Card and the Citi Custom Cash® Card technically earn Citi ThankYou points, which can be redeemed for cash back at a value of 1 cent each. But you can also opt to transfer those points to many of Citi's travel partners, which can offer some flexibility. Just be aware that transfer ratios for those partners typically aren't as favorable as they are with some of Citi's more expensive cards. Full list of Citi transfer partners
Transfer ratios will vary depending on which card you have.
Airlines
- Aeromexico (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- American Airlines (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- Air France/KLM (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- Asia Miles (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- Avianca (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- Emirates (1:0.8 or 1:0.56 ratio).
- Etihad (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- Eva Air (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- JetBlue (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- Qantas (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- Qatar Airways (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- Singapore Airlines (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- Thai Airways (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- Turkish Airlines (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- Virgin Atlantic (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
Hotels
- Accor Live Limitless (2:1 or 2:0.7 ratio).
- Choice Hotels (1:2 or 1:1.4 ratio).
- The Leading Hotels of the World (5:1 or 5:0.7 ratio).
- Preferred Hotels & Resorts (1:4 or 1:2.8 ratio).
- Wyndham (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
Events
- Virgin Red (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
Why you might prefer the Citi Double Cash® Card
The $0-annual-fee Citi Double Cash® Card offers the same respectable cash-back rate wherever you use it, making it a rewarding card that’s easy to manage.
Simple rewards
The Citi Double Cash® Card earns 2% cash back on purchases — 1% when you buy, and 1% when you pay it off. There are no spending categories to memorize (although bonus rewards are available on select travel bookings). If you want to carry only one credit card, the Citi Double Cash® Card is a compelling option, because 2% cash back is the rewards rate to beat for flat-rate cards.
The Citi Double Cash® Card also has a bonus offer for new cardholders: Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
Citi ThankYou Points are transferable. So if you also have a higher-tier Citi credit card like the $95-annual-fee Citi Strata Premier® Card — which features better transfer ratios — you can move ThankYou Points to it from your Citi Double Cash® Card or your Citi Custom Cash® Card, giving you even more flexibility. For more details about how this works, see our story about the Citi trifecta. 0% APR for balance transfers
There isn’t a no-interest promotion for new purchases, but there is one for balance transfers: 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months, and then the ongoing APR of 17.49%-27.49% Variable APR.
Pairs well with others
Other credit cards that earn higher rewards rates in certain spending categories (groceries, gas, restaurants and travel, for example) often earn only 1%-1.5% back on all other purchases. That makes the Citi Double Cash® Card an ideal companion to pair with other rewards cards. You can use the card that earns 3% back or more in specific categories, and then earn 2% cash back with the Citi Double Cash® Card on everything else (1% when you buy, and 1% when you pay it off).
Why you might want the Citi Custom Cash® Card instead
Higher rewards in an everyday category
The $0-annual-fee Citi Custom Cash® Card earns 5% cash back in your top eligible spending category on up to $500 in spending each billing cycle. After that, you’ll earn 1% cash back in that category. All other purchases earn 1% cash back.
Eligible spending categories include:
- Restaurants.
- Gas stations.
- Grocery stores.
- Select travel.
- Select transit.
- Select streaming services.
- Drugstores.
- Home improvement stores.
- Fitness clubs.
- Live entertainment.
You don’t have to strategize too much about when to use the card. You’ll automatically earn the higher cash-back rate where you spend the most during each billing cycle. If you know you’ll have a major expense coming up, like a new appliance at a home improvement store or a few plane tickets, you can maximize the card’s benefit. Still, a $500 cap on earning 5% cash back can be on the low side, especially for those really big purchases.
There’s a sign-up bonus for new cardholders, too: Earn $200 in cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
Until June 30, 2026, Citi Custom Cash® Card cardholders will earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked through Citi. So if that's your top spending category, you'll earn a whopping 9% back. If not, you'll still earn 5% back on these purchases. 0% intro APR offer
While the Citi Double Cash® Card has an intro APR offer only for balance transfers, the Citi Custom Cash® Card has one for purchases as well: 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months, and then the ongoing APR of 18.24%-28.24% Variable APR. That makes it an attractive option for a big expense you may need time to pay off.
Which card should you get?
For easy, decent cash back everywhere you use your card, it’s hard to beat the Citi Double Cash® Card. But if your budget tilts heavily toward one of the eligible 5% cash-back categories for the Citi Custom Cash® Card, using that card will help you earn more where you spend the most.
And, of course, you can pair the cards together to maximize your rewards rate with a low level of effort.
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