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Citi Custom Cash℠ Card overview
The Citi Custom Cash℠ Card is a stable cash-back card with no annual charge. This card differentiates itself from different choices in the marketplace by offering the distinctive skill to earn as much as 5% again in your prime spending class every billing cycle on as much as the primary $500 spent.
Whether you’re a bank card beginner or need a card that can provide help to maximize purchases that don’t match into different conventional bonus classes, you’ll need to think about including this 0% curiosity card to your pockets. Card score*: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
* Card score relies on the opinion of TPG’s editors and isn’t influenced by the cardboard issuer.
As cash-back playing cards turned extra in style for a lot of customers throughout the pandemic, Citi launched a stable choice price contemplating: the Citi Custom Cash Card.
The Citi Custom Cash Card has no annual charge however takes a special strategy from the issuer’s in style Citi® Double Cash Card (with as much as a 2% cash-back charge on all purchases; 1% whenever you purchase and 1% as you pay). With the Citi Custom Cash Card, you’ll earn 5% money again on purchases in your prime eligible spending class every billing cycle, on as much as the primary $500 spent.
This may probably be a compelling provide for cardholders who need to maximize their purchases with its as much as a terrific 5% cash-back charge.
Let’s overview this card and see who it’s best for.
Who is that this card for?
Many bank cards provide bonus rewards on fastened classes every month reminiscent of journey, eating or groceries. While these purchases take up a large chunk of most customers’ budgets, what about purchases that don’t match below these classes?
That’s the place the Citi Custom Cash is available in. This card comes with a singular rewards charge that adjustments every billing cycle, giving cardholders the pliability to earn a wonderful 5% again on purchases that historically wouldn’t match below the fastened classes supplied by different playing cards.
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This card needs to be particularly engaging for current Citi cardholders. Even although the Custom Cash is branded as a cash-back card, you’ll earn rewards as Citi ThankYou factors. If you already carry one in all Citi’s journey rewards playing cards (such because the Citi Prestige® Card or the Citi Premier® Card), you may mix the factors earned on that card with the factors earned on the Custom Cash. Note that you may additionally mix your rewards when you have the Citi Double Cash or the Citi Rewards+® Card for much more money again.
The info for the Citi Prestige has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or offered by the cardboard issuer.
Finally, this card would even be a wonderful choose in your first cash-back card for the reason that Custom Cash affords 5% routinely in your prime spending class, taking the guesswork out of incomes rewards.
Sign-up bonus
We’re followers of the Citi Custom Cash Card because it comes with an simply attainable sign-up bonus — you’ll earn $200 money again after you spend $1,500 on purchases within the first six months of account opening. This bonus provide will likely be fulfilled as 20,000 factors, which may be redeemed for $200 money again.
This sign-up bonus is corresponding to different no-annual-fee, cash-back playing cards. While it’s definitely not essentially the most excellent provide, the sign-up bonus is a pleasant little incentive to use.
This card can also be one of many greatest 0% curiosity bank cards. You’ll get pleasure from a 0% annual proportion charge (APR) for 15 months on purchases and steadiness transfers; after that, the variable APR will likely be 18.24%-28.24%, primarily based in your creditworthiness.
Main advantages and perks
The Citi Custom Cash is mild on different advantages, which isn’t stunning since there’s no annual charge. However, there are just a few perks and important security measures:
- Access to Citi Entertainment, which helps cardholders discover and buy unique tickets for live shows, sporting occasions and extra.
- Contactless cost.
- A free verify of your FICO credit score rating.
- Identity theft safety that screens and alerts cardholders in case of suspicious exercise.
- Citi Identity Theft Solutions, which can help you for those who’re experiencing id fraud or theft.
How to earn
Each billing cycle (roughly each month or so), you’ll earn 5% money again on the primary $500 of purchases in your prime spending class from the next record:
*Select journey is outlined as airways, lodges, cruise traces and journey businesses.
**Select transit is outlined as automotive leases, ferries, commuter railways, subways, taxis/limousines/automotive providers, passenger railways, bridge and street tolls, parking tons/garages, bus traces and motor house and leisure automobile leases. It additionally contains retailers that promote electrical energy for charging an electrical automobile.
***Select streaming providers are outlined as cable, satellite tv for pc and streaming suppliers reminiscent of 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. (Note that AT&T TV NOW has lately rebranded as DirectTV Stream).
This card actually caters to your way of life, whether or not you’re jet-setting one month or cooking it up within the kitchen the following. If you max out the $500 spending restrict every billing cycle, you’ll earn $25 in cash-back rewards monthly — for a possible most of $300 in rewards yearly.
How to redeem
To put it in easy phrases, 1 ThankYou level equates to 1 cent of cash-back rewards. That means you’ll earn 5% again (or 5 factors per greenback) on the primary $500 spent in your prime eligible spending class.
There’s no minimal steadiness you could attain earlier than accessing your rewards — which isn’t the case for a lot of cash-back playing cards. You can request a press release credit score or direct deposit at any time. However, for those who’re requesting a verify, there’s a minimal rewards steadiness of $5 (or 500 factors).
If you’re including the Citi Custom Cash on prime of your Citi Prestige or Citi Premier playing cards, you may unlock the choice to transform your factors into miles with Citi’s resort and airline switch companions to extract probably better worth from them.
Which playing cards compete with the Citi Custom Cash Card?
There are many choices in the marketplace as we speak for individuals who need to keep away from paying an annual charge altogether.
The first card to contemplate could be the Citi Double Cash. This card is superb for newbies because you’ll earn 1% whenever you purchase and 1% whenever you repay your invoice (for a complete of two% money again on all of your purchases). Plus, you’ll benefit from the uncapped incomes potential on the Double Cash in case your spending exceeds the $500 restrict on the Custom Cash.
Another card with a comparable rewards charge to the Custom Cash is the Chase Freedom Flex. This card additionally has no annual charge and also you’ll earn 5% again on as much as $1,500 in purchases on rotating bonus classes every quarter you activate — which breaks all the way down to roughly $500 in spending every month.
Chase will set the bonus classes every quarter, however previously, we’ve seen frequent distributors reminiscent of Amazon, Walmart, house enchancment shops and gasoline stations included in these rotating classes. The Freedom Flex additionally earns 5% again on Chase Travel booked by Ultimate Rewards, 3% again on eating and drugstore purchases, and 1% again on different eligible purchases.
The Custom Cash nonetheless has a slight leg up on the Flex since your prime spending class adjustments every billing cycle primarily based in your spending habits. You could discover that a few of the quarters on the Flex’s rotating calendar and its common bonus classes could not align along with your way of life.
Bottom line
You could discover that your spending habits change incessantly and need a card custom-made to your way of life.
The Citi Custom Cash Card is a terrific alternative, as you’ll acquire true flexibility to earn rewards relying in your spending habits.
Adding the Custom Cash may be a good suggestion for current Citi cardholders in search of to maximise their rewards by the Citi ThankYou program.
Application hyperlink: Citi Custom Cash Card with $200 money again after you spend $1,500 on purchases within the first six months of account opening. This bonus provide will likely be fulfilled as 20,000 Points, which may be redeemed for $200 money again.
Additional reporting by Ryan Wilcox and Chris Dong.