Is The Citi Custom Cash Still Worth It In 2023?
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- Опубліковано 26 чер 2024
- The Citi Custom Cash is a very popular credit card, and for good reason. It's super flexible! This credit card provides 5% cash back in your highest spend category each billing cycle, which means most people can get nice value from this card. In today's video, we dive into exactly what the Citi Custom Cash's eligible categories include, how to redeem your ThankYou Points and who this card is good for.
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Chapters:
0:00 What does the Citi Custom Cash get you?
0:53 5% Eligible Spend Categories
01:45 5% Restaurant Category
02:20 5% Gas Station Category
02:32 5% Grocery Category
03:11 5% Select Travel Category
03:46 5% Select Transit Category
04:16 5% Select Streaming Services Category
04:37 5% Drug Stores Category
05:00 5% Home Improvement Stores Category
05:35 5% Fitness Clubs Category
05:57 5% Live Entertainment Category
06:45 Citi Custom Cash Calculator
07:05 Citi ThankYou Points & Welcome Offer
09:24 Who is this card good for?
#creditcards #bestcreditcards #cashback
Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this website are from companies from which Joshua Butler will earn an affiliate commission or referral bonus. The content in this video is accurate as of the posting date. Some of the offers mentioned may no longer be available.
Joshua Butler is not a financial advisor. This video is for entertainment and education purposes only. It is not financial advice.
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Josh! This is the best CCC video I’ve ever seen. Great job on this one!
Heyyy thanks Luke!!!
Dang that's some thorough analysis Josh!
Thanks Eric!!!
Nice overview of the CCC Josh! There's so many categories that this card covers, but I feel like most people just use it for groceries and gas. The Citi Custom Cash is still the darling of NAF credit cards! Rewards+ is a neat find as well!!
Thanks Stan! Agreed, groceries and gas are likely the most used categories... it's nice having access to those other categories in case something pops up, however.
Wonderful video, thanks for the category breakdown! I just picked this card up yesterday to act as our dedicated “grocery card” for the Factor meal prep service and possibly home improvement stuff later down the line. I noticed it was coding as “groceries” instead of shopping on our Sapphire reserve, moved it to our Amex BCP to check and it still coded as groceries, so we’re golden. We spend $496/month there, so this fits perfectly. The BCP gets 6% on groceries for the 1st 6K in spend, but we near that by christmastime and the BCP only offers statement credits (unless you call/chat to get sent a check). This is much more flexible with points earning vs. statement credits. Thanks again!
Oh that's really interesting! This goes to show you how important it is to go in and check to see how charges are coding. Nice job!
Just signed up for this card rn, was on the fence about it for a while, saw this video and another one, and got approved!
Hey, congrats! It's a fantastic card.
Used this card for VRBO in Feb and March 2023 and both the fee and the host charge coded as select travel. Host allowed a split payment, so was able to get back 5% on over $800. 👍
Hell yeah! NICE! 🤑
Great video here Josh! I plan to get the Citi Custom Cash sometime in the next year or so and I think I'll use the Card as my dedicated Gas Station Card.
I’d imagine that’s the most common use for this card. It’s definitely nice!
Great video, Joshua!
Thank you!!!
The Citi Custom Cash is definitely still worth it in 2023! I just got the card in December 2022 and it has been serving as my dedicated gas card, since then. I will probably be switching it to restaurants in the third quarter of this year, since Chase and Discover are offering gas as one of their 5% categories for the quarter. This video is very thorough and goes in depth about the card and all of the 5% categories that it offers. Often times, I do get gas at Sam’s Club and I have seen that I have been earning 5% back on gas there.
Yeah that's a good call about the rotating card gas categories. Thanks for sharing that data point about Sam's Club gas!
great video!
Thank you ☺️
Man I would so get this card if Citi didn’t treat me like I was radioactive lol
I’m sorry Chad ☹️
Yea I have had zero luck with Citi. Even when I had only 1 inquiry. Wild.
it gets rave reviews although i don't know why. you're not missing out on much. i have it. i have a card giving 3% that's rivaling it in returns right now. $39 to $45
I need to get this card to make it my gas card! Great video!
It's a beautiful option for gas. Thanks Tito!
Good Video Josh! for me, the $25 limit on monthly cashback stopped me from wanting this card, especially since I have no other cards that earn Thank You Points. If it was unlimited cash back, it would be different
Yeah, I DO wish the spend limit was a bit more on this card... 🤷♀️
Thanks for the video bro. I have a love hate relationship with this card. I think it is a great card but feels like besides groceries, I can’t get the full value out of it.
Yeah, groceries would be the only category I would be able to max as well...unless I were doing a renovation project or something. Thanks JP!
I want to get this card as my gas card. I have the Savor one which covers most of my expenses even 3% back on my spotify subscription which is awesome.
You really can’t go wrong with either of those cards.
One thing I learned is the Five Guys Burgers & Fries is NOT a Restaurant. Their MCC code is essentially a "Kwik E Mart", and thus Citi categorizes them as a Grocery store.
That’s ridiculous!
You can transfer thank you points to Choice hotels at a rate of 2:3 BTW
Meter tolls are also qualifying transit purposes. Just FYI.
🤑
Great detailed video Joshua!
Something I’ve wondered and maybe I’m overthinking it, but what happens if non 5% category spend is higher than 5% category spend? Does that affect your 5% on eligible category spend?
No it wouldn't impact it. You would get 1% on that non-category spend and then 5% on your highest spend that falls within one of the 5% categories.
@@joshua.butler gotcha, thank you 🙏
I chose the Bilt card over Custom Cash. for now, I am currently 4/24. Gave up one of those slot for the Bilt
I can definitely get behind that decision!
@@joshua.butler thanks for the vote of confidence
This IS definitely one card I want in my arsenal, but I want to up my score before applying so that I can get a decent credit limit, cause I've heard they are quite stingy.
Yeah I hear that! My Costco Citi card has a pretty low limit
Hi, is it true that Citi no longer allows product change to Custom Cash if you already have a Custom Cash card? That's a bummer, if it is true. I was planning on getting a Citi Premier and then PCing it to my second Custom Cash card..
Can you access citi transfer partners by only having the citi custom cash? Or do you need a citi premier to turn your thankyou points into useable transfer points?
You would need the Citi Premier to access the transfer partners
Airbnb does code as travel, used it twice. There was a promo offer for an additional 5x thank you points so got 10% back.
Thanks for sharing this!
Wow Joshua, this is really neat. So if I had the following Citi Cashback Trifecta: Citi Custom Cash, Citi Double Cash and Citi Rewards+ , I'd be able to redeem for cash at 5.5% and 2.2% respectively? I think i found my new catch all and superior > 5% custom category card. Or is the 10% bonus only for redeeming for travel? I jsut need two cards: the double cash and rewards card, already have the citi custom cash.
It's technically 5.55% and 2.22% since you'll get the 10% point bonus on your redemptions and then a 10% point bonus on those bonus points when you redeem them (lol). You have to make sure your cards are linked with the Rewards+ so all of your ThankYou points are pooled. Since you have the citi custom cash, you can redeem the thankyou points for cash at 1cpp and still get the 10% bonus. The Rewards+ by itself only gets 0.5cpp when redeemed for statement credit. Luckily they make this all really simple to understand (jk 😋). Once you have it all set up and understand how to redeem for max value, you'll be good to go! It's also possible to potentially get multiple custom cash cards through product changes by the way.
@@joshua.butler I read an article that said you can only redeem the Citi Rewards+ extra 10% bonus for travel only? Is this true? Or can I truly get 5.55% and 2.22% cashback only? Do I also need a Citi Premier card? The article said I needed that as well. I just do cashback with Citi. Chase quadfecta covers all my travel needs as I don't fly much and I fly domestically -- 1.25x back on travel portal is nice for domestic flights. I've been trying to decide on which 2% catch all I should get/use and eyeing the citi double cash if I can truly get 2.22% with it with the Rewards card. Already have the Citi Custom Cash.
After transferring to Citi Rewards+ card, do the points still remain convertible to cash (like they can be with the Citi Custom)? Or can they be redeemed only as gift cards, airline tickets etc.?
If you have both of these cards, you'd actually pool your points and then you'd be able to redeem them for cash. You'd automatically get the 10% bonus in this case.
Does walmart gas stations code as gas stations
It probably does, especially if you pay at the pump, but it depends how the individual Walmart sets up their merchant category codes.
Im 18 and Im beginning my journey in opening accounts and saving and all that. Recently June 25 I opened a savings account w ally bank. Im thinking of opening a student cash back account with discover how long should I wait to open the account? Or can I do it anytime like now? I really need advice!!
Discover has a preapproval tool you can use to check your potential eligibility for the student cash back credit card.
@@joshua.butleryes! I did the pre approval test and I was apparently qualified for the card but I read that I had to wait in between opening accounts as opening too many in a short amount of time could make me look reckless. Since I just opened an account with ally bank would that be an issue? Or does it only pertain to opening accounts only with discover and not outside banks?
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One of those is my next video!!! Thank y out sir ☺️
4:55 Do the drugstore purchases include prescription medications?
Yes!
Got denied on this card with a 759, no hard inquiries and only 9% total utilization on current 3 cards. Wish I knew how citi made its decisions cause that felt personal 😆
That sounds really strange. 🤔 how old is your oldest card?
@@joshua.butler A little more than 3 yrs. It may be due to low income because I am a full time student so I can only work part time
I got approved with 663... credit cards are weird. You should've been approved 100%.
@n.r.3463 it definitely could be income. Anything over 40k should help you get it when you start working. Higher income will give you more
What bureau do they pull from?
Usually Experian, but potentially Equifax/Transunion.
What means select travel?
I answer that question at 3:11
I shopped at a few places clear cut grocery stores and for some reason they are classifying it as merchandise. I am wondering if using the card through Google pay is messing it up?
It should still give you the 5% multiplier assuming the grocery store is correctly coding as a grocery store. I would try a small transaction at that store with the physical card and see how it codes. That’s frustrating!
@@joshua.butler Thank you for the reply. Turns out it is just the app not displaying it correctly. I looked at it elsewhere and it is correct, but thank you very much. This one really is a great card with great rewards, but only if you pay off the statement balance before the due date every time. Thanks again.
Awesome, glad to hear that ☺️
Can I use this card to pay my health insurance and get 5% cash back?
Unfortunately, insurance isn’t one of the qualifying categories
If you shop and buy your gas at Costco you can't use it, which makes it limited use.
True! I made a video about some great options for Costco if you’re interested:
ua-cam.com/video/-tM4hwLtzpc/v-deo.html
Sounds to me that if I put the Custom Cash on my SeaPass on Royal Caribbean, it would be 5% and no foreign transaction fee as long as it covers purchase on the cruise ship itself. Outside of it, I'm SOL.
I’m curious how the purchases on the cruise ship code. Do they code as travel?
@@joshua.butler i’m yet to try it
What’s a 524 status?
It’s a rule that Chase has where they won’t approve a new credit card application if you’ve opened 5 or more new credit cards with any issuer in the past 24 months.
Would Safeway Gas be considered “Gas Satation” or “Grocery”?
Or neither??!
If you pay at the pump, it’ll more than likely be coded as Gas.
@@joshua.butler thanks a lot! And great vids!
Joshua, if I go to buy something at Home Depot and my total is $700, I can tell the cashier to put $500 on the Custom Cash and the remaining $200 on another card to maximize cash back earnings.
Some vendors will allow you to do this. I don’t know if Home Depot allows it or not.
@@joshua.butler I actually spoke to online chat 2 days ago and told them I wanna change to the custom cash from the double cash and they approved it and it was in my app right away. Now I’m just waiting for the new card. I know I'm not eligible for the signup bonus again.
Thinking about getting this card and strictly using it for gas. But what if i don't spend hundreds on gas a month - maybe like about $130? Is it still worth getting this card?
That comes out to about $78 in cash back per year. Up to you! The one thing I'd recommend is to make sure you can meet the minimum spend requirement to get the welcome offer.
@joshua.butler ok, not bad I guess, thanks! One more question - thinking about applying for the capital one savor one card within the next couple days and I'd like to get this ccc card for my gas. Can I apply for them at the same time? Or does it make sense to maybe get the capital one card first and maybe wait a bit on the ccc? Thanks in advance!
@@JayMol14 Cap1 and Citi are both pretty inquiry sensitive. I'd personally apply for the one I wanted more first (I'd pick SavorOne 1st). It's possible to get approved for both at the same time, but you run the risk of a denial (not the end of the world). Waiting at least 30 days between applications will give you a decent shot at approval. If you want to avoid a denial at all costs, I'd wait 6 months between applications. I lean towards being a bit more risky in my credit card applications, because I don't mind risking a hard pull to get cards faster. Hope this helps, and I wish it were more black and white. 😋
@joshua.butler no this is great info, thanks a lot! I'm actually a teacher and sitting at home not doing much for the summer, so now I'm actually thinking get that savor one now and maybe wait till the beginning of the school year/Sept to apply for the Citi card for gas. Thanks a lot!
So the 5% only applies to the single highest category and nothing else? Say I spend up to the limit in both gas an grocery every month- will I get 5% back on both or just one of them?
You’d get the 5% on your single highest category. This card is effectively a single category card.
The Custom Cash has to be worth it to me, because I extended my time in 5/24 jail until February due to opening this card 2 weeks ago 💀
February isn’t TOO far off 😋
Hopefully it was worth it & you got nice decent Credit limit
So no one gonna talk about his baby face 😂 miss your facial hair bro!
LOL! I go through phases 🤪 plus, I got chubby
1st
Wow…I think you’ve actually done it!!! 🥇🏆🥇
@@joshua.butler”actually”?! I’m always winning bro!
😅
😋
2nd
Woot woot 🥈
Eh, Custom Cash. 😅
What’s up!?!? You’re not a fan of the Custom Cash??? 🤪
@@joshua.butler - Just not a fan of Citi in general. Something that happened in my past with them.
It was never worth it, it's a card that requires you to have multiple setup for it to make sense, it can't compete as a stand alone card
Which cards do you use?
@joshua.butler now i just use us bank reserve and go for dining that doesn't take mobile wallet
@@KingGreen78 nice setup. I’ll probably add the reserve at some point. It’s such a nice card!
@joshua.butler it's a perfect 1 card setup, other than some gas stations and dining restaurants, everywhere takes mobile wallet