The Citi Custom Cash℠ Card offers a unique rewards structure that automatically earns 5x points in your highest spending category each billing cycle, up to $500 in purchases. You’ll maximize your rewards with this flexible no-annual-fee card that adapts to your spending habits across ten useful bonus categories including restaurants, travel, groceries, and gas stations.
This credit card review will cover everything you need to know about this card to determine if you should add this card or a different card to your wallet. Let’s dive right in.
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- 5% Cash Back on Purchases in Your Top Eligible Spend Category Each Billing Cycle up to $500 (1% after that)
- 0% Intro APR for 15 Months on Purchases and Balance Transfers ($5 or 5% fee). After that, reg_apr,reg_apr_type.
- No Annual Fee
Welcome Bonus for Citi Custom Cash
The Citi Custom Cash currently offers the following welcome bonus: bonus_miles_full
Before applying, you’ll want to check if you’re eligible for the bonus. You won’t qualify if you currently have a Citi Custom Cash Card or have received a welcome bonus for this specific card in the past 48 months.
Converting to this card through a product change from another Citi card means you’ll miss out on the welcome bonus opportunity. This matters because other Citi cards don’t impact your eligibility – you could have multiple different Citi cards and still qualify.
Earning Rewards with the Custom Cash
The Citi Custom Cash earns:
This rewards structure offers excellent flexibility since you automatically earn 5x in whichever eligible category you spend the most in each month. The $500 monthly cap on 5x earnings is relatively low compared to other cards, making this better suited for moderate spenders rather than big spenders.
While the card works well for optimizing one specific category of spending each month, the 1x base rate isn’t competitive for general purchases compared to 2x cards like the Citi® Double Cash Card.
When paired with a premium Citi card such as the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card that allows transfers to travel partners, the 5x earnings become significantly more valuable for travel rewards.
No Annual Fee
The Citi Custom Cash doesn’t have an annual fee, which makes it an appealing option for someone looking to maximize rewards without paying yearly costs. You can add authorized users at no additional cost, and they’ll have access to the same earning structure.
While this card doesn’t offer premium perks, its ability to earn up to 5x points (or 5% cash back) on your top spending category each billing cycle makes it a valuable no-fee card.
Benefits of the Citi Custom Cash
The Citi Custom Cash offers the following benefits:
0% Intro APR: Enjoy 0% Intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers. After that, the APR will be reg_apr,reg_apr_type, based on your creditworthiness.
FICO Score: As a Citi account holder, you also get free access to your FICO® score. You can see your FICO Bankcard Score 8, provided by Equifax, online or through the Citi mobile app.
World Elite Benefits: This card is a World Elite Mastercard, which gets you access to these special benefits and discounts: DoorDash ($5 off your first DoorDash order each month), Lyft (Take 3 rides in one month and earn a $5 Lyft credit), Shoprunner (free two-day shipping), and Fandango (spend $20 and get $5 back).
How to Redeem Points with the Citi Custom Cash
This card earns Citi ThankYou points, which can be redeemed in several different ways:
- Statement Credit = 1 cent per point
- Direct Deposit = 1 cent per point
- Check by mail = 1 cent per point with a minimum of $5
- Travel = 1 cent per point when you book travel through Citi.
- Gift Cards = 1 cent per point or above with minimum of 2,500 points
- Charitable Contributions = 1 cent per point
- Shop with Points: Amazon, PayPal, CVS, Best Buy, 1-800 Flowers, BP, Amoco, and Shell
Pros and Cons
Here are the advantages and disadvantages of this card:
Pros:
Flexible Rewards Structure: The automatic 5x points on your highest spending category each billing cycle means you don’t need to track or activate categories. Your rewards automatically adjust to your spending patterns.
Transfer Partner Access: When paired with premium Citi cards, your points become transferable to airline and hotel partners, significantly increasing their potential value for travel rewards.
Category Variety: The broad selection of 10 different bonus categories provides flexibility to maximize various types of spending throughout the year.
No Annual Fee: A no annual fee way to earn up to 5x points makes this card an excellent long-term addition to your wallet. You’ll never need to justify keeping it based on benefits versus cost.
Cons:
Monthly Spending Cap: The $500 monthly limit on 5x earnings restricts your ability to maximize rewards on larger purchases or higher monthly spending in bonus categories.
Low Base Earning Rate: The 1% return on non-bonus purchases falls short of other no-annual-fee cards that offer 1.5% to 2% back on everyday spending.
Foreign Transaction Fees: The 3% foreign transaction fee makes this card impractical for international travel or purchases from foreign merchants.
Basic Card Benefits: The card lacks premium perks like travel insurance, purchase protection, or extended warranty coverage that you might find on other rewards cards.
Two-Card Requirement: To unlock the full value of ThankYou points through transfer partners, you need to pair this with a premium Citi card, adding complexity to your credit card strategy.
Alternatives to the Citi Custom Cash
Now that you know about this credit card’s various benefits and pros and cons, it’s time to see its alternatives.
Citi® Double Cash Card
The Citi® Double Cash Card stands out with its straightforward approach to rewards, offering up to 2% back on every purchase – 1% when you buy and 1% when you pay. This no-nonsense card becomes even more powerful when paired with a premium Citi card, allowing you to transform your cash back into valuable transferable ThankYou points. Welcome Bonus: Earn $200 cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. Earning Rewards: 2% cash back on all eligible purchases (1% cash back when you buy and 1% when you pay for your purchases).
Citi Strata Premier℠ Card
The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card stands out for its impressive 3x points earning on everyday purchases including restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, and travel. While its redemption options might not match competitors like Chase or Amex, you’ll still get solid value through airline transfer partners and travel bookings. Welcome Bonus: 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening. Earning Points: 10x points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through the Citi Travel portal; 3x points on airfare, hotels, gas stations, EV charging, supermarkets, and restaurants. Card Benefits: $100 annual hotel credit on bookings of $500+ through the Citi travel portal, no foreign transaction fees, trip delay insurance, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, secondary rental car insurance, and Mastercard World Elite benefits.
Is the Citi Custom Cash Worth It?
The Citi Custom Cash offers a targeted approach to earning rewards, with 5x points on up to $500 in your highest spending category each billing cycle.
This card works best as a supplementary option in your wallet, specifically for maximizing one spending category like groceries, dining, or travel each month rather than for everyday purchases.
While the automatic category selection is convenient, the $500 monthly cap means you’ll need additional cards to maximize rewards beyond this limit. When paired with the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card, the points become transferable to travel partners, potentially increasing their value beyond basic cash back redemptions.
For those considering this no-annual-fee card, it’s important to evaluate whether your spending patterns align with the $500 monthly category limit and if you’ll consistently use it enough to justify adding another card to your portfolio.
- bonus_miles_full
- 5% Cash Back on Purchases in Your Top Eligible Spend Category Each Billing Cycle up to $500 (1% after that)
- 0% Intro APR for 15 Months on Purchases and Balance Transfers ($5 or 5% fee). After that, reg_apr,reg_apr_type.
- No Annual Fee
