Citi Custom Cash Card Review 2025 Highlights, Rewards, Benefits, Pros and Cons

Citi Custom Cash Card The Citi Custom Cash® Card competes strongly in the 5% cash back category by offering 5% back on one eligible spending category, up to $500 per billing cycle, and 1% back on all other purchases. What distinguishes this $0-annual-fee card from other 5% back cards is its automatic and personalized rewards adjustment based on your spending habits each month. Unlike similar cards, where users need to activate bonus categories every quarter, the Citi Custom Cash® Card’s automated rewards system appeals to those seeking high earnings with minimal effort, though it may not suit individuals aiming to maximize rewards on all purchases. While the card offers attractive 5% cash back options like dining and groceries, the $500 cap on rewards limits potential earnings. For those with fluctuating spending patterns, a more adaptable and potentially more rewarding 5% cash back card may be a better fit.

Citi Custom Cash Card 2025 Highlights

Get $200 cash back by spending $1,500 on purchases within 6 months of opening your account. This reward will be given as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, equivalent to $200 cash back. Enjoy a 0% Intro APR on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months, with a variable APR of 19.24% – 29.24% afterward, based on your creditworthiness. Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the initial $500 spent, followed by 1% cash back. Additionally, receive unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. Take advantage of a special travel offer and earn an extra 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through the Citi Travel℠ portal until 6/30/2025. No need to sign up for rotating bonus categories – your earnings adjust automatically based on your spending in eligible categories each billing cycle. Benefit from no annual fee, and remember that Citi only allows one Citi Custom Cash® Card account per individual.

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Pros and Cons

Pros

  • No registration required to earn bonus rewards
  • Cash-back categories are unique categories that other cards may not offer bonus rewards for
  • Introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers
  • No annual fee

Cons

  • High balance transfer fee
  • High foreign transaction fee
  • Some everyday rewards categories are neglected

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Citi Custom Cash Card Review 2025

For people who enjoy concerts, home projects, and fitness or streaming services, this card offers unique rewards. The best thing about the Citi Custom Cash® Card is its special 5% cash back categories. Finding another card that gives bonuses in these areas is challenging. Also, unlike some other 5% cards, this one doesn’t require extra steps to opt-in every quarter. This makes it a convenient choice to use for expenses like restaurants, gas stations, groceries, travel, transit, streaming services, drugstores, home stores, gyms, and entertainment.

For those who want to get the most out of their initial $500 in certain categories such as restaurants, gas stations, and grocery stores, a 5% reward is great. However, this high rate only applies to the first $500 spent in these categories each month, resulting in a maximum monthly cash-back of $25. While getting $25 back from $500 spent is good, users need to decide if the extra $25 each month is worth managing another credit card and having an additional account on their credit report.

Many users might find a 2% cash-back card like the Citi Double Cash® Card more convenient. This card gives 2% cash back on all purchases – 1% when you make a purchase and another 1% when you pay it off. With 2% cash back, spending $2,000 monthly gets the same cashback as $500 at 5% and $1,500 at 1%. A 2% cash-back card is a better choice between cards. Pairing both cards can give an extra 3% cash back on $500 spend. The Custom Cash includes a 0% APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers within 4 months. Afterward, the APR ranges from 19.24% – 29.24%, based on creditworthiness. It has a balance transfer fee of 5% per transfer with a minimum of $5. If you aim to pay off substantial purchases over time, this card could still be beneficial.

Citi Custom Cash Quick Facts

  • Get 5% cash back on eligible purchases up to $500 each billing cycle, 4% cash back on bookings through Citi Travel℠ portal, and 1% cash back on all other purchases until 6/30/2025.
  • Unique eligible categories for cash-back earning
  • 0% introductory APR for 15 months on purchases starting from account opening, and on balance transfers made within 4 months of account opening. Following this period, the variable APR will range from 19.24% to 29.24%, depending on creditworthiness. Additionally, a balance transfer fee of 5% per transfer applies, with a minimum of $5.
  • No annual fee
  • Balance transfer fee: 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.
  • Welcome bonus: Receive $200 cash back by spending $1,500 on purchases within the initial 6 months of opening the account. This reward is equivalent to 20,000 ThankYou® Points which can be exchanged for $200 cash back.

Citi Custom Cash Rewards

Earning Rewards

Rewards can be automatically earned with the Citi Custom Cash® Card. The card offers 5% cash back on purchases in a specific category up to the first $500 spent each billing cycle, 4% cash back on certain bookings made on Citi Travel℠ portal until 6/30/2025, and 1% cash back on all other purchases. The eligible 5% cash-back categories include restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, select travel, select transit, select streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs, and live entertainment. Additionally, the Citi Custom Cash provides a first-year welcome bonus: $200 in cash back upon spending $1,500 on purchases within the initial 6 months of opening the account. The bonus points are equivalent to 20,000 ThankYou® Points which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.

Redeeming Rewards

Cash back is acquired in the form of Citi ThankYou Points, which can be exchanged for cash back at a rate of 1 cent per point, for gift cards, or for booking travel through Citi. You can redeem cash-back in the form of a direct deposit to a bank account, a statement credit, or for charitable donations. Additionally, points can be used for purchases with select merchants through Shop With Points. It is important to note that you are unable to transfer your rewards to Citi’s travel transfer partners with this card unless you combine the points from this card with another qualifying Citi card.

Rewards Potential

In order to assess the rewards potential of the Citi Custom Cash® Card, it is necessary to analyze the typical annual credit card expenditure of an average American household. Forbes Advisor utilizes data from various government sources to establish the average income and spending patterns across different categories. Among households in the 70th percentile of income earners, the average annual income is $116,000, with an estimated credit card expenditure of $36,177. For a sample cardholder using the Citi Custom Cash, spending $500 monthly in their chosen category would result in $300 cash back per year. With 1% cash back on the remaining $30,177 of expenses, an additional $301.77 cash back can be earned annually, bringing the total yearly earnings to $601.77, excluding the first year’s welcome bonus.

0% Introductory Rates

The card provides a 0% introductory APR for 15 months on purchases starting from the account opening date, and for balance transfers made within 4 months of opening the account. Following this period, the variable APR will range from 19.24% to 29.24%, depending on creditworthiness. Additionally, a balance transfer fee of 5% for each transfer applies, with a minimum of $5.

Other Citi Custom Cash Card Benefits

  • Customer service available 24/7 for continuous support.
  • Digital wallets allow contactless payments on compatible mobile devices.
  • Cardholders are not responsible for unauthorized transactions with $0 liability.
  • Fraud protection operates 24 hours a day, alerting cardholders to suspicious activity.
  • Enrollment is necessary for assistance in monitoring and resolving identity theft issues with Mastercard ID theft protection.

Fine Print

Interest Rates

  • Regular APR: 19.24% – 29.24% (Variable)
  • Purchase intro APR: 0% for 15 months on purchases
  • Balance transfer intro APR: 0% for 15 months on balance transfers

Fees

  • Annual fee: $0
  • Balance transfer fee: 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.
  • Foreign purchase transaction fee: 3%

Citi Custom Cash Card Images

Citi Custom Cash Card

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