While it’s common to look at some of the high-end and luxury cards in the market, there are also some cards on the lower end of the spectrum that can make sense for certain situations. These cards often have no annual fee and can integrate very well with other cards issued by the same bank. Today, let’s take a look at the Citi Custom Cash card and see who this might make sense for.
Citi Custom Cash(SM) Card Review – Earnings Rate and Perks
The Citi Custom Cash card has an earning structure similar to some other cards out there, but with a twist that I don’t think I’ve seen before. You earn 5% cash back on your highest eligible spend category each billing cycle up to the first $500 spent. All purchases over the first $500 in your highest spend category and all purchases in any other category earn 1%. Unlike say the Bank of America Customized Cash card, you don’t have to select your bonus category – you’ll automatically get the 5% back on whichever category you spent the most that month, and it will automatically change each month as your spending changes.
I can see this as useful for 2 groups of people. First is people with relatively low spending that is concentrated in one category. Grocery purchases seem like the most obvious choice but it could be gas stations, dining or any other category. If you are spending $1000 each month and $500 of it is in one category, you’re essentially getting 3% back on all purchases with a single card.
If you don’t mind holding multiple cards (and I’d imagine many people reading this website do not!), the other group of people would be people who can use it as a secondary card. Pick one category where you are spending around $500 each month – again groceries seem like it would work for some people. Then use the Citi Custom Cash card in that category and use your other card or cards for your other purchases. If you max it out each month, that’s basically 30,000 ThankYou points each year, all for a card with no annual fee. Sign me up!
You’ll also get a 0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers with the Citi Custom Cash card, after which your APR will revert to the normal rate. I know most people reading this site aren’t looking for balance transfer cards, but it could be useful depending on your situation.
Citi Custom Cash(SM) Card Review – Welcome Bonus
For a card with no annual fee, the Citi Custom Cash card still has an attractive welcome bonus.
While this is similar to the welcome bonus that some other no annual fee cards give, it certainly destroys the Citi Double Cash in this regard. The Citi Double Cash has no welcome offer, which makes it not a better option to product change. 20,000 ThankYou points is not as great an offer as the welcome offer on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. Still, it’s pretty good for a card with no annual fee.
Combining With Other Citi Cards
The real bonus here would be the fact that, as we mentioned earlier, this doesn’t earn cash back but instead ThankYou points! And you can combine the ThankYou points that you earn here with other Citi travel rewards cards. This still gives you the opportunity to cash out at 1 cent per point if you want, but also transfer to travel partners. You can use the rewards that you earn from the Citi Custom Cash card to fly the Turkish Airlines 7,500 Mile Sweet Spot, for example.
Other Credit Cards to Consider
Here’s a look at how the Citi Custom Cash card compares with some similar cards:
- Citi Custom Cash(SM) Card– $200 welcome bonus, 5% on one category up to $500 in spend each month. Earns ThankYou points
- Citi(R) Double Cash Card– no welcome bonus, 2% cash back on all purchases. Ability to transfer your cash back rewards to ThankYou points
- Wells Fargo Active Cash card – $200 welcome bonus, 2% cash back on all purchases
- Chase Freedom Unlimited® – Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back. Ability to transfer cash back to Ultimate Rewards points
On the other hand again, you can earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, though it’s not really an apples to apples comparison to the Citi Custom Cash card.
The Bottom Line
As always, if you have any questions about the new Citi Custom Cash card or what card might work best for you, feel free to email me at dan at pointswithacrew dot com. I will do my best to help out!
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
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