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With the Citi Custom Cash® Card, the category where you spend the most is also where you earn the most. Every billing cycle, it earns 5% cash back on up to $500 spent in one eligible category from a list of 10, which includes grocery stores, restaurants, and gas stations. In addition to one of the highest cash back rates you'll find, it also offers a valuable sign-up bonus. Read our detailed Citi Custom Cash® Card review to find out if you should apply.
Fair to Excellent (580-850)
Intro APR
Purchases: 0%, 15 months
Balance Transfers: 0%, 15 months
Regular APR
19.24% - 29.24% (Variable)
Rewards 5% cash back in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle (up to the first $500 spent), 1% cash back on other purchases. Earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2025.
1% - 5% cash back
Annual Fee
$0
Welcome Offer Earn $200 in cash back after you spend $1500 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.
20,000 ThankYou® Points
We love this card’s easy-to-use yet lucrative cash back program. Each billing cycle, cardholders earn 5% cash back in their top spend category (up to $500 spent in eligible categories). Eligible categories include grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, select travel and more. The card automatically adjusts to your spending habits, which makes it easy to maximize your rewards.
We recommend comparing options to ensure the card you're selecting is the best fit for you. To make your search easier, here's a short list of standout credit cards.
Offer | Our Rating | Welcome Offer | Rewards Program | APR | Learn More |
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Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor |
Discover will match all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year. N/A | 1% - 5% Cashback Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases—automatically. |
Intro: Purchases: 0%, 15 months Balance Transfers: 0%, 15 months Regular: 18.24% - 28.24% Variable APR |
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Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor |
Up to $300 cash back 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. That's 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases. | 1.5% - 5% cash back Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 1.5% on all other purchases |
Intro: 0% Intro APR on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months Purchases: 0% Intro APR on Purchases, 15 months Balance Transfers: 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers, 15 months Regular: 20.49% - 29.24% Variable |
Apply Now for Chase Freedom Unlimited®
On Chase's Secure Website. |
|
Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor |
75,000 Miles 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening | 2X-5X miles Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options. |
Intro: Purchases: N/A Balance Transfers: N/A Regular: 19.99% - 29.99% (Variable) |
Brittney Myers, Personal Finance Expert for The Motley Fool Ascent
The Citi Custom Cash's flexibility is what I love most. It's there for me in months when I have a big home improvement project, like redoing the garden for summer. But it's also great as my go-to gas card the rest of the year.
This credit card is a good fit for: Consumers who want to maximize cash back in one spending category. This card also works well in combination with a flat-rate rewards card.
A few key benefits make the Citi Custom Cash® Card a great value.
The Citi Custom Cash® Card earns 5% cash back in your top eligible spending category every billing cycle, up to a spending cap of $500. Other purchases earn 1% cash back, including bonus category purchases beyond that $500 spending cap. Here are the categories that are eligible to earn 5% back:
That high cash back rate is the card's most valuable perk. Not many cash back credit cards offer 5% back, and to make it even better, you get it in whichever category you spend the most. If you max it out by always spending $500 in your top bonus category, that's $25 cash back per billing cycle, which can add up to $300 per year.
You can also earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2025.
OTHER OPTIONS: Best Gas and Groceries Credit Cards
You'll earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. The bonus offer is fulfilled as 20,000 Citi ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back. If you have a Citi travel card, such as the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card, you can also transfer points to Citi's travel partners.
This is one of the better credit card sign-up bonuses. It offers a large bonus amount, and you don't need to spend too much to get it. If you put at least $250 in purchases per month on the card, you'll spend enough to get the welcome bonus.
If you're looking to avoid extra credit card fees, the Citi Custom Cash® Card will work for you. It's a no annual fee card, so you can carry it free of charge.
SEE MORE: Best No Annual Fee Credit Cards
The Citi Custom Cash® Card packs in a long 0% intro APR offer for 15 months on both purchases and balance transfers. Balance transfers must be completed within the first four months of account opening to qualify for the 0% intro APR. The go-to 19.24% - 29.24% (Variable) APR applies after the intro period is over.
A 0% intro APR can help you finance the cost of large purchases or get out of debt faster. This perk gives you another way to save money with the Citi Custom Cash® Card.
MORE OPTIONS: Best 0% APR Credit Cards
One of the nice things about Citi credit cards is that they provide free access to your FICO® Score. This is the most widely used type of credit score by lenders. You'll be able to monitor it every month, see the factors that are affecting it, and learn how to improve your credit.
There are a couple of areas where this Citi credit card could be better.
This Citi card charges a foreign transaction fee of 3%, so it's not a good card to use abroad. If you travel outside the United States much, you may want to check out credit card reviews for travel cards or cash back cards that don't charge this fee.
RELATED: Best Credit Cards With No Foreign Transaction Fee
You earn a high cash back rate with the Citi Custom Cash® Card -- but only in one category, and only on up to $500 in spending per billing cycle. Some of the other top credit cards offer multiple bonus categories or have bonus categories without spending caps. Make sure you compare credit cards to see how much you could earn with different card products.
It'd be great to see Citi offer more bonus cash back, such as 3% back on your second-highest spending category each billing cycle. Another option would be bumping up the spending cap to $1,000 per billing cycle. Either of those would help consumers maximize credit card rewards even more.
Compare credit card rewards, fees, APRs, and more using our side-by-side comparison tool.
It helps to have a FICO® Score of 580 or higher when applying for the Citi Custom Cash® Card. It's intended for consumers who have fair to excellent credit. Your credit score isn't the only factor Citi considers, so that alone doesn't guarantee an approval or a denial. But it is one of the most important factors.
You want to earn cash back and you have high spending in one of its bonus categories. The best thing about the Citi Custom Cash® Card is that just about anyone can get good value from it. If you spend anywhere from about $200 to $500 per billing cycle in one of its 5% eligible categories, you'll collect plenty of cash back with this Citi card.
At The Motley Fool Ascent, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.
We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how The Ascent rates credit cards.
The credit limit for the Citi Custom Cash® Card can range from $500 to over $5,000. Your credit limit depends on several factors, including your income, credit score, and payment history.
The Citi Custom Cash® Card is a Mastercard.
It's not hard to get the Citi Custom Cash® Card, although this depends on your credit score. A FICO® Score of 580 or higher is recommended to qualify, as this Citi card is intended for consumers with fair, good, or excellent credit.
We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent, a Motley Fool service, does not cover all offers on the market. The Ascent has a dedicated team of editors and analysts focused on personal finance, and they follow the same set of publishing standards and editorial integrity while maintaining professional separation from the analysts and editors on other Motley Fool brands.
The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of the offers mentioned may have expired.
The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Mastercard.