Advertiser disclosure: Cards and Points has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Cards and Points and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers. Compensation may affect how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies or all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Terms apply to all credit card benefits.
The Citi Custom Cash℠ Card offers 5% cash back on up to $500 in spending on the category where you spend the most each month. Eligible categories include restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs, live entertainment, select travel, select transit and select streaming services. The Custom Cash carries no annual fee.
The best way to use the Citi Custom Cash℠ Card is to select a bonus category and use the card primarily for that bonus category. The card earns 5% rewards only in the eligible category where you spend the most each month, and only on your first $500 in spending in that category. Other purchases earn 1% rewards.
Citi Custom Cash® Card: bonus_miles_full
Our take on the welcome bonus: Citi doesn’t often offer an increased welcome bonus on the Custom Cash. If you do not yet have a Custom Cash card, there’s no reason to wait for an increased bonus.
The link above is a link directly to the bank’s website. We don’t make money when you use the above link, but we always show you the best offer.
Card highlights:
Annual fee: $0
Rewards: 5% on the first $500 in monthly purchases in your top eligible category; 1% everywhere else
Citi Custom Cash℠ Card at a glance
Where’s what you need to know about the Custom Cash℠ Card.
Rewards
Earn 5% cash back on the first $500 of spending in your top eligible category each statement cycle.
Eligible categories include restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, select travel, select transit, select streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs, and live entertainment.
Earn 1% cash back on all other purchases.
Benefits
The Citi Custom Cash℠ Card offers no additional notable benefits beyond its elevated cash back rewards.
Other important terms
No annual fee
3% foreign transaction fee
Welcome bonus
Citi Custom Cash® Card: bonus_miles_full
Our take on the welcome bonus: Citi doesn’t often offer an increased welcome bonus on the Custom Cash. If you do not yet have a Custom Cash card, there’s no reason to wait for an increased bonus.
The link above is a link directly to the bank’s website. We don’t make money when you use the above link, but we always show you the best offer.
Card highlights:
Annual fee: $0
Rewards: 5% on the first $500 in monthly purchases in your top eligible category; 1% everywhere else
Citi Custom Cash℠ Rewards
With the Citi Custom Cash card, you will earn 5% rewards on your highest eligible spend category each billing cycle on up to $500 in spending. You don’t need to select a category and your bonus category can change month-to-month. Citi automatically awards 5% rewards in the category where you spend the most each month.
5% cash back on up to $500 spent during your statement cycle in your top eligible spending category. Eligible category with the greatest spending during your statement cycle. Eligible categories include: Restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, select travel, select transit, select streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs and live entertainment.
All other purchases: 1% cash back
The Citi Custom Cash card earns it rewards as Citi ThankYou Points. ThankYou Points can be redeemed for a variety of rewards, including cash back, travel rewards and gift cards. See our Guide to ThankYou Points for more details on how to maximize your rewards in the ThankYou Rewards program.
Citi ThankYou Points synergies
When you combine your Citi ThankYou® Rewards accounts, you can take advantage of the benefits of each of your cards across all of the ThankYou® Points that you earn. Cards that earn ThankYou Points include the Citi® Double Cash Card, Citi Rewards+® Card, Citi Custom Cash℠ Card, and Citi Premier® Card.
When you hold the no-annual-fee Citi Rewards+® Card, you earn a 10% rebate on the first 100,000 ThankYou Points you redeem each year. If you redeem 50,000 ThankYou Points for an award, you’ll get 5,000 bonus ThankYou points in your account automatically.
The Citi Rewards+® Card does not allow redemptions for cash back on its own. But if you hold another no-annual-fee ThankYou Points card like the Citi® Double Cash Card or Citi Custom Cash℠ Card, you can redeem your ThankYou Points for cash back. Cash back redemptions are also available when you hold the $95 annual fee Citi Premier® Card.
Holding the $95 annual fee Citi Premier® Card enables you to transfer your points to any of Citi’s ThankYou Points transfer partners, which include several hotels chains and global airline programs. Point transfers to travel partners are one of the best ways to get increased value from your points.
For more on point transfers, see our Guide to ThankYou Points.
How to apply:
Citi Custom Cash® Card: bonus_miles_full
Our take on the welcome bonus: Citi doesn’t often offer an increased welcome bonus on the Custom Cash. If you do not yet have a Custom Cash card, there’s no reason to wait for an increased bonus.
The link above is a link directly to the bank’s website. We don’t make money when you use the above link, but we always show you the best offer.
Card highlights:
Annual fee: $0
Rewards: 5% on the first $500 in monthly purchases in your top eligible category; 1% everywhere else
A few notes on applying for Citi credit cards
- Citi has limits on the number of applications you can submit. You can only apply for one personal card every eight days and no more than two cards every rolling 65 days. Business cards are subject to the same eight-day limitation, but you can apply for no more than one business card every 95 days.
- You can get a new customer welcome bonus on Citi cards multiple times, but Citi has rules on how often you can earn a welcome bonus.
- ThankYou Point welcome offers are typically not available if you’ve received a new account bonus on the same card in the past 48 months.
- Welcome bonuses on AAdvantage cards are only available if you have not received a welcome bonus for the same card within the past 48 months.
- There is no limit to the number of Citi cards you can hold.
- You can check your application status on the Citi website or by calling 1-866-606-2787.
Good cards to pair with the Citi Custom Cash℠ Card
The Citi Custom Cash℠ Card offers a great way to add an additional bonus category to your wallet, but we don’t recommend holding the Custom Cash as your only card. Usually in this part of our card overview, we’ll give you a few cards to look at instead of the featured card. But since the Custom Cash is so unique, here are a few ideas of cards that pair well with the Citi Custom Cash.
Citi Double Cash Card – 2% in the Citi ecosystem
Most consumers would be best served by having a 2% cash back card as their default credit card. Fortunately, Citi offers such a card: The Citi Double Cash. The Citi Double Cash offers 2% cash back on all purchases and you can combine your points with the Citi Custom Cash card.
The Citi Double Cash carries no annual fee.
Get the Citi® Double Cash Card: Welcome bonus
Citi Double Cash® Card: bonus_miles_full
Our take on the welcome bonus: The Citi Double Cash card hasn’t offered a welcome bonus in a while, so if you are considering getting this card, now is a good time to apply.
The link above is a link directly to the bank’s website. We don’t make money when you use the above link, but we always show you the best offer.
Card highlights:
Annual fee: $0
Rewards: 2% – 1% when you buy and 1% when you pay
Citi Rewards+® Card – The best extended warranty, plus a redemption bonus
If you buy a cell phone, laptop, or other expensive electronics device with a warranty, getting a free extended warranty through your credit card is probably worth more than an extra percent or two of cash back. Unfortunately, the Citi Custom Cash℠ Card doesn’t offer an extended warranty.
But Citi has a card that not only offers the best extended warranty available on a credit card, but also gives you an extra 10% point bonus when you redeem your ThankYou points. And the card comes with no annual fee. That’s the Citi Rewards+® Card. If you’re building out a wallet of Citi cards, the Rewards+ card is an essential part of the picture.
Get the Citi Rewards+® Card welcome bonus
Citi Rewards+® Card: bonus_miles_full
Our take on the welcome bonus: We don’t know of Citi offering a larger welcome bonus on this card. If you’re in the ThankYou Points ecosystem, so there’s no reason to wait if you’re considering this card.
The link above is a link directly to the bank’s website. We don’t make money when you use the above link, but we always show you the best offer.
Card highlights:
Annual fee: $0
Rewards: 5x on hotels and car rentals booked through Citi Travel through June 30, 2024. 2x at supermarkets and gas stations for the first $6,000 per year, then 1x. 1x on other purchases.
Should you keep the card after the first year?
The Citi Custom Cash card carries no annual fee and can be a great way to earn a high level of rewards on limited spending in a category of your choice each month. Unless you have a specific reason to close the card, it’s a good idea to keep this card after the first year as keeping accounts open longer can help you improve your credit score.
Benefits of the Citi Custom Cash℠ Card
The Citi Custom Cash card offers no significant benefits beyond its reward structure.
Frequently asked questions
Only the Citi Premier card and the no-longer-available Citi Prestige Card offer the ability to transfer your points to travel partners.
The Custom Cash is marketed as a cash back card, but behind the scenes, it awards ThankYou Points. This is great because it gives you the flexibility to either use your points for cash back or transfer them to another one of your cards and use them for the rewards available on the other card.
Advertiser disclosure: Cards and Points has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Cards and Points and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers. Compensation may affect how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies or all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Terms apply to all credit card benefits.