Citi Custom Cash^® Card – Full Review [2024]

Great Card If

• You want a cash-back credit card that offers a capped 5% back on the category you spend the most on each month.
• You want to pool the points you earn with your premium Citi ThankYou Rewards card like the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card.
• You want a card with no annual fee.

Don’t Get If

• You want a card that earns travel rewards.
• You want a card that offers set bonus categories.

Citi Custom Cash Card — Is It Worth It?

The Citi Custom Cash card is perfectly suited for anyone who is looking for a cash-back credit card that rewards the categories they spend the most on each month. With 5% cash-back on 10 different categories to choose from, you’ll have the opportunity to rack up the rewards.

Better yet, you have the option of changing your 5% cash-back category each month to ensure you still receive 5% back on any large upcoming purchases. If you hit the $500 threshold each month on one of the eligible categories, then you will be able to earn $25 each month — amounting to $300 over the year!

Citi Custom Cash Card Top Benefits and Perks

Like many no-annual-fee credit cards, the Citi Custom Cash card offers limited benefits beyond the cash-back rewards it earns.

That said, it does come with a solid welcome bonus offer, a 0% Intro APR offer, and the ability to choose your own payment due date.

Best Ways To Earn and Redeem Your Cash-Back

Without a doubt, the best way to earn as much cash-back as possible with your Citi Custom Cash card is to use it as your primary card for whatever your top spend item will be each month from these categories:

Of course, you’ll still earn 1% cash-back on all other purchases, but you might want to opt for an alternative card with a higher rewards rate for these purchases.

When it comes to redeeming your cash-back, Citi offers the option to redeem it for a statement credit, direct deposit, check, gift card, or even as a payment option with select merchants like Amazon.

However, a little-known fact is that those who pair their Citi Custom Cash card with a premium Citi card that earns ThankYou Rewards Points like the Citi Strata Premier card, can pool their rewards together from the 2 cards to take advantage of the Citi travel transfer partners offered with the Citi Strata Premier card.

This significantly increases the potential redemption value by allowing you to redeem your Citi ThankYou Points for luxury flights and hotel stays for a fraction of what the cash price would normally be.

Alternative Cards to the Citi Custom Cash Card

Citi Strata Premier℠ Card

If you want a travel-focused credit card then you should consider the Citi Strata Premier card. The card offers 3x points per $1 spent at restaurants, gas stations, EV charging stations, supermarkets, air travel, and hotels.

It also offers perks like an annual hotel savings benefit, no foreign transaction fees, and access to all of Citi’s transfer partners. With a reasonable annual fee, the Citi Strata Premier card is an excellent option for people starting their points journey.

Read more in our comparison of the Citi Custom Cash card vs. Citi Strata Premier card.

Chase Freedom Flex℠ Card

If you’re mainly interested in earning cash-back, but like the rewards setup of the Citi Custom Cash card, then you’ll also like the Chase Freedom Flex card.

The Freedom Flex card earns 5% back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases on rotating quarterly bonus categories like gas, grocery stores, and dining. Plus, it earns 5% back on travel purchased through Chase Travel and 3% back on dining and drugstore purchases.

There is a $0 annual fee, and cardholders get benefits like cell phone protection, purchase protection, and extended warranty protection.

We’ve compared the Citi Custom Cash card to other popular cards:

• Citi Custom Cash card vs. Chase Freedom Unlimited^®