Citi Custom Cash^® Card Review

Imagine a cashback card that rewards you for those purchases you make most frequently automatically, without you having to opt into a cashback category or trying to remember which card to use that will maximize the amount of cash back you earn.

Citi did just that with its Citi Custom Cash^® Card. The card offers a unique cashback program: Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, 1% cash back thereafter. Also, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. Special Travel Offer: Earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2026. Those categories include restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs, live entertainment and select streaming services, travel and transit purchases.

With its intro APR on purchases and balance transfers, sign-up bonus and $0 annual fee, the Citi Custom Cash^® Card is definitely a game-changer in the world of cash back credit cards.

• Cashback tailored to your spending

  Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, 1% cash back thereafter. Also, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. Special Travel Offer: Earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2026.

  The 5% cashback categories and what purchases qualify within those categories are as follows:

  Restaurant purchases include those made at cafes, bars, lounges and fast food restaurants. Excludes purchases at bakeries, caterers, restaurants located inside another business (such as hotels, stores, stadiums, grocery stores, or warehouse clubs) and third party dining delivery services.

  Gas purchases excludes those made at  warehouse clubs, discount stores, convenience stores or other merchants that do not use the gas station merchant category code.

  Grocery store purchases include supermarkets, meat/seafood stores, dairy stores, bakeries, and miscellaneous food/convenience stores. Excludes purchases at general merchandise/discount superstores; wholesale/warehouse clubs; candy, nut and confectionery stores. Purchases made at online supermarkets or with grocery delivery services also do not qualify if the merchant does not classify itself as a supermarket by using the supermarket merchant category code.

  Travel purchases only include airline, hotel, cruise line and travel agency charges.

  Transit includes car rentals, ferries, commuter railways, subways, taxis/limousines/car services, passenger railways, bridge and road tolls, parking lots/garages, bus lines, and motor home and recreational vehicle rentals. Excludes bike/scooter rentals, auto clubs and insurance companies.

  Select streaming services includes the following cable, satellite, and streaming providers: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Music, Apple Music, CBS All Access, Disney+, AT&T TV NOW, ESPN+, fuboTV, HBO Max, NBA League Pass, Netflix, Pandora, Showtime, Sling TV, Spotify, Starz, SiriusXM, Vudu, YouTube Red, YouTube TV, and Tidal.

  Drugstores include pharmacies in grocery stores, general merchandise/discount superstores, and wholesale/warehouse clubs if those merchants submit purchases made in their pharmacy with the drug store and pharmacy merchant category code.

  Home improvement stores include home supply warehouse stores, lumber and building materials stores, paint and wallpaper stores, hardware stores, nurseries – lawn and garden supply stores and paints, varnishes and supplies stores.

  Fitness clubs include membership fee and other purchases at athletic, sports and recreation facilities requiring membership such as health, tennis, and swimming clubs. Excludes fees associated with virtual services for home exercise equipment, personal monitoring devices, or fitness streaming classes.

  Live entertainment includes ticket purchases for live entertainment, such as: concerts, live sporting events, live theatrical productions, amusement parks, and orchestras.

• Intro APR on purchases and balance transfers

  The Citi Custom Cash^® Card offers the following intro APR promotions:

  • 0% intro APR for 15 months on Purchases, then an APR of 18.49% - 28.49% (variable)
  • 0% intro APR for 15 months on Balance Transfers, then an APR of 18.49% - 28.49% (variable)

  If you choose to do a balance transfer, know that there is a fee involved: Balance transfer fee applies with this offer; 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.

• Sign-up bonus

  While the spending you’ll need to do on the card to qualify for the sign-up bonus is a bit higher than other cash back cards, know that the timeframe you have to reach the spend requirement is much longer: 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.

• Easy cashback redemption options

  The cash back you earn will be in the form of ThankYou^® Points. That means during each billing cycle, you will earn 5 points per $1 on purchases in your top eligible spend category up to the first $500 spent, and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases.

  Points can be redeemed as cash back in the form of a direct deposit or statement credit or for gift cards, travel or Shop With Points at Amazon.com.

• $500 limit on higher cashback rate each billing cycle

  Citi Custom Cash^® Card cardholders are limited to earning the higher cashback rate on only $500 in purchases each billing cycle. After hitting that cap, spending will be reduced to the lower 1% cashback rate. So, the most you can earn at the higher rate each month is $25, or $300 a year, not including what you earn at the unlimited 1% cashback rate on all other purchases.

• Potentially high APR

  The APR range for the Citi Custom Cash^® Card is 18.49% - 28.49% (variable). Depending on your creditworthiness and additional factors, such as income and debt load, you may find yourself approved at the higher rate. Either way, you can avoid interest charges if you pay off your entire balance in full every month.

• Fees

  The Citi Custom Cash^® Card may have a $0 annual fee, but know it’s not fee-free.

  You’ll pay 3% when using the card for overseas purchases and if you choose to do a balance transfer with the card, you’ll incur a fee of Balance transfer fee applies with this offer; 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.

• Limited benefits

  While many cards tout a wide array of benefits, such as cellphone and rental car insurance, and purchase and extended warranty protection, the Citi Custom Cash^® Card does not currently offer much in the way of card benefits.

Compare it to the Chase Freedom Flex℠

While the Chase Freedom Flex℠ does require cardholders to opt into quarterly cashback categories to earn the higher 5% rate, it has a more generous ongoing rewards program for travel, dining and drugstores: 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Enjoy new 5% categories each quarter. Plus, earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3% on dining and drugstores, and 1% on all other purchases.

The Chase Freedom Flex℠ offers 0% intro APR on purchases for 15 months, after which an APR of 19.74% - 28.49% variable will apply.

There is also a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 15 months. After, the regular APR will be 19.74% - 28.49% variable. The balance transfer fee is intro fee: $5 or 3%. After 60 days: $5 or 5%.

The Chase Freedom Flex℠ comes with a $0 annual fee and an easier-to-earn sign-up bonus: Earn a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

What makes the Chase Freedom Flex℠ a cut above the Citi Custom Cash^® Card is its more expansive benefits, including:

• Auto rental collision damage waiver (secondary coverage)
• Trip cancellation/trip interruption insurance
• Travel and emergency assistance services
• Extended warranty
• Purchase protection

As with the Citi Custom Cash^® Card, the Chase Freedom Flex℠ also charges a foreign transaction fee of 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars on purchases made abroad.

But given the more enhanced rewards structure, you may find you can earn more cash back with the Chase Freedom Flex℠ than the Citi Custom Cash^® Card, but it does involve a little more effort to keep track of opting into the higher cashback categories each quarter.

The Citi Custom Cash^® Card is designed for consumers who are looking for a cashback card that doesn’t require a lot of maintenance or forethought as it automatically adjusts to your spending habits — as long as that spending fits within the card’s 10 categories.

Citi will determine your highest spend for purchases posted to your account during each billing cycle and assign the cashback amount according to the type of purchases you make. However, know that the max you will reap from spending in the 5% categories is limited to $25 a month, or $300 a year.

However, when combining the intro APR purchase deal and the sign-up bonus, this could be a great card to make a large purchase with and pay it off over time.