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Citi Custom Cash® Credit Card Review

Citi Custom Cash® Card
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Citi Custom Cash® Card
Citi Custom Cash® Card
Kale Havervold
Apr. 11, 2024
4 min read
Kale Havervold
Citi Custom Cash® Card Summary
Citi is an investment bank and financial services company that was founded in 1998. The Custom Cash® Card offers 5% cash back on your top spending category, and 1% on everything else. This cash back is earned in the form of points that never expire, and they can be used on everything from travel, to gift cards, to direct deposit.

Pros

  • No annual fee
  • Generous intro APR period

Cons

  • Cap on bonus earning
  • Low rewards rate outside of top category

Citi Custom Cash® Card at a glance

10
Editorial score

Fees

No annual fee, but has transaction and penalty fees
10.0

APR

19.24%-29.24% (variable)
10.0

Security

FDIC insured, SSL encryption, and two-factor authentication
10.0

Customer service

24/7 customer service on the phone and live chat
10.0

Online experience

User-friendly online platform and app, comprehensive Help Center and FAQ Section on website
10.0

This content is not provided by Citibank. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone and have not been endorsed by Citibank.

Citi Custom Cash® Card Citi Custom Cash® Card Visit Site

Overview

Citi is one of the largest banking institutions in the USA and has over 200,000 employees. It currently controls over $23 trillion worth of assets. The company offers personal banking accounts, investments, credit cards, and more.

The Citi Custom Cash® Card offers cashback benefits with no annual fee. You get 0% APR for the first 15 months and a $200 cashback welcome bonus. Applying is quick and easy, and there’s credit card support available 24/7 over the phone.

Suitable For?

This card is a great choice for single-category spenders, as the 5% cash back is incredibly generous, especially for a card with no annual fee. So if you spent the majority of your monthly credit on one thing (such as grocery stores), this card can earn you a lot of cash back without you having to adjust how you spend.

Interest Rates and Fees 

The interest rate for the Citi Custom Cash® Card is 19.24%-29.24% (variable), depending on your creditworthiness. This card has an intro APR of 0% for the first 15 months for all purchases and balance transfers. The APR for cash advances and penalties is 29.99%.

It has no annual fee, but there are a couple of other fees that cardholders are responsible for.

Balance transfer fee

Either $5 or 5% of the transfer amount, whichever is larger.

Cash advance fee

Either $10 or 5% of the transfer amount, whichever is more.

Foreign purchase transactions

3% of each transaction

Fee for late payment

Up to $41

Returned payment fee

Up to $41

Rewards & Cash Back

The cash back earned by using this card comes in the form of ThankYou® rewards points. Each of these points is equivalent to one cent, so 100 points is equal to one dollar. You get five points per dollar spent each billing cycle on your top spending category. This can be grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, fitness clubs, travel, home improvement stores, and more.

However, you only get this 5% cash back on the first $500 spent in your top category each month. Outside of your top category (and once you’ve reached the $500 spent in your top category per billing cycle), you get one point per dollar spent on everything else.

The rewards points are easy to redeem and can be redeemed for cash back as a statement credit, or direct deposit, as well as for gift cards, travel, and more. There’s also a welcome bonus of $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases within the first six months.

The Application Process

You can apply for this card over the phone or online. Calling to apply is straightforward and the agent you speak to will walk you through the process. If you decide to apply online, begin the process by clicking on Apply Now on the card information page.

The first step is to provide your personal information. This includes name, date of birth, social security number, address, phone number, and email. Next up, the application asks for your financial information, which includes your total annual income and your monthly mortgage or rent payment. You have the option to add an authorized user if you so choose.

The next step is to read through the terms and conditions for the card, and check a few boxes saying you’ve done so and understand them. Then you can finally submit the application. Once you’ve submitted, Citi will process the application, check your credit, and either approve or deny your application.

See Rates and Fees

Citi Custom Cash® Card Citi Custom Cash® Card Visit Site

Help & Support

If you need assistance, you can reach out to Citi customer support over the phone at 1-800-950-5114. The company offers phone support 24/7, and getting in touch with support is easy.

You can also go to @AskCiti on X (formerly Twitter) to chat with support between 9am to 10pm ET. The Citi website has a comprehensive and searchable help center, as well as numerous answers to frequently asked questions.

Security

Citi is trusted by hundreds of millions of people from around the world and takes security seriously. It has SSL encryption on its website, and provides two-factor authentication to further protect private information.

The company has many features to protect credit card customers from fraud and other issues. For example, it offers Citi® Quick Lock, which lets you instantly block new charges if you lost your card, while allowing recurring ones to continue as normal.

There’s also Fraud Early Warning that watches your account for suspicious activity, and you’ll never be responsible for unauthorized charges with Citi.

It has a detailed online security center that goes over more about how the company protects you, how you can protect your account, ways to identify scams, and more. Citi is also a member of the FDIC to protect those who use its deposit products and services.

FAQs

Do rewards points expire?

No, the ThankYou® points you earn never expire as long as your account stays open. If you close your account or switch to a card that isn’t a part of this program, you have 60 days to use the points before they’re lost.

Is there a limit to the amount of cash back you can earn?

No, there’s no limit. You’ll only earn the 5% cash back on your first $500 spent in your chosen category each billing cycle, but will always earn the 1% cash back no matter how much you spend.

Conclusion

The Citi Custom Cash® Card has no annual fee and provides 5% cash back on your favorite type of spending. It has a great welcome bonus and intro APR offer, as well as great customer support and unlimited cash back.

Methodology

This review was created using information from the company website, as well as the privacy policy and disclosures page.

Kale Havervold
Written by
Kale Havervold
Kale Haverold is a freelance writer with over 5 years of experience crafting articles about credit cards, loans, debt, and a raft of other personal finance topics. His work has been featured on Top10.com, BestMoney, Yahoo, Hardbacon, and Loans Canada. Kale’s easy-to-digest, research-driven articles stem from his passion to share knowledge that helps readers make informed financial decisions.
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