Citi Custom Cash Card

[UncleB]

From the looks of things (the fine-print in the bonus) this is a TYP earning card, which one might assume would make a PC from another TYP card easy-peasy. 

Also, sorta related, the text indicates that the 20k TYPs can be cashed-out for $200.  I knew Citi had started allowing the Premier to cash-out at full 1¢/point value, but I had thought that was only for the cards with an AF.  Anyway, I just checked my Rewards+ and it now has the option as well. 

Now if Amex will start letting us cash-out MRs at 1¢ without messing around with gift cards we'll be getting somewhere, LOL.  <off-topic>

Edited to add:  I guess I now finally have motivation to convert my Double Cash to a TYP earning card.

[FormerCollegeDJ]

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@simplynoir wrote:

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@TheBoondocks wrote:

Wow I'm very amazed! How long could this card last tho?

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It's basically a Freedom/Flex/Discover IT/*insert 5% rotating category card* so forever? I don't see this going away at all

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I view this card as being more analogous to the US Bank Cash+ and Elan Financial Services Max Cash Preferred due to the selectable 5% categories which are somewhat limited in some cases.

[Anonymous]

I just applied and was approved.  I posted about it in the approvals section.

[simplynoir]

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@FormerCollegeDJ wrote:

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@simplynoir wrote:

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@TheBoondocks wrote:

Wow I'm very amazed! How long could this card last tho?

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It's basically a Freedom/Flex/Discover IT/*insert 5% rotating category card* so forever? I don't see this going away at all

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I view this card as being more analogous to the US Bank Cash+ and Elan Financial Services Max Cash Preferred due to the selectable 5% categories which are somewhat limited in some cases.

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Eh, semantics. My point was the earning structure of the card at the current 5% with the cap I believe isn't going away based on similar cards out there

[FormerCollegeDJ]

Now I REALLY want Sears/Kmart to go out of business so I might be able to convert my Sears/Thank You Rewards Mastercard into this new Custom Cash Card. 

Between this card, Wells Fargo's impending introduction of the Active Cash card (and announcement of other new cards coming), Capital One's recent upgrades on some of their cards (like the Savor and SavorOne getting groceries and streaming as 3% categories), and Chase's always aggressive offers (such as their upgrade to the Freedom Unlimited and introduction of the Freedom Flex to replace the Freedom card last year), things are good for those of us who like no annual fee cards and pursue mostly cash back rewards.

Hopefully American Express is paying attention.  I know they like to focus with their cards on high spenders who travel a lot, but their no annual fee offerings are gradually becoming less competitive.

[FormerCollegeDJ]

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@simplynoir wrote:

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@FormerCollegeDJ wrote:

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@simplynoir wrote:

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@TheBoondocks wrote:

Wow I'm very amazed! How long could this card last tho?

---

It's basically a Freedom/Flex/Discover IT/*insert 5% rotating category card* so forever? I don't see this going away at all

---

I view this card as being more analogous to the US Bank Cash+ and Elan Financial Services Max Cash Preferred due to the selectable 5% categories which are somewhat limited in some cases.

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Eh, semantics. My point was the earning structure of the card at the current 5% with the cap I believe isn't going away based on similar cards out there

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I concur it also has similarities to the Discover It Cash and Chase Freedom Flex and that this card isn't likely to go away soon, especially considering Citi (IMO) views itself as a major competitor to Chase and American Express as offering the best combination of credit cards.

One thing I don't like about the new Citi card is the $500 monthly limit, which is less flexible than the $1500 quarterly limit all of the other aforementioned cards (CFF, Discover It, US Bank Cash+, Elan MCP) have.  It makes the Citi Custom Cash card less attractive in categories with few purchases but high spend on those purchases that aren't necessarily recurring (such as live entertainment purchases for people who attend more sports events and/or concerts at specific times of the year).

On the other hand, IMO the Custom Cash card is great for say grocery spending if you are in a 1-2 person household, such as me.

[UncleB]

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@FormerCollegeDJ wrote:

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I concur it also has similarities to the Discover It Cash and Chase Freedom Flex and that this card isn't likely to go away soon, especially considering Citi (IMO) views itself as a major competitor to Chase and American Express as offering the best combination of credit cards.

One thing I don't like about the new Citi card is the $500 monthly limit, which is less flexible than the $1500 quarterly limit all of the other aforementioned cards (CFF, Discover It, US Bank Cash+, Elan MCP) have.  It makes the Citi Custom Cash card less attractive in categories with few purchases but high spend on those purchases that aren't necessarily recurring (such as live entertainment purchases for people who attend more sports events and/or concerts at specific times of the year).

On the other hand, IMO the Custom Cash card is great for say grocery spending if you are in a 1-2 person household, such as me.

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Yeah, the $500/month versus $1500/quarter at times isn't as useful, but the trade-off is that you're not locked-in to a single category (or two) for three months.  You could do grocery stores one month, hardware stores the next, then a weekend getaway (travel) for the third.  Actually, the inclusion of travel is notable in itself, since none of the other 5% cards have travel as a category.

I agree that for a single or couple, this card definitely has potential (especially for non-Walmart grocery). If it had a bookstore category it would be darn-near perfect (and this thread would already be at 100 replies, ha). It's also easy to understand why they're limiting this product to one account per person.

[Citylights18]

What about the Thank You points? Can you exchange them 1 to 1 with all of the Citi airline partners?

If you could it might make more sense than a Rewards+

[ficosuave]

Citi, you have my attention.

Wells Fargo, take notes.

[UncleB]

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@Citylights18 wrote:

What about the Thank You points? Can you exchange them 1 to 1 with all of the Citi airline partners?

If you could it might make more sense than a Rewards+

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This is interesting... I didn't think transferring points was possible with a no-AF card, but I poked around on my Rewards+ dashboard a bit and I found what appears to be a transfer option to JetBlue TrueBlue (they don't make it easy to find).  If the Rewards+ has the option, I'll be surprised if the Custom Cash doesn't as well.  (I don't know if other airlines are available to folks with more TYPs.)

I'll leave any further speculation on transfers to our resident travel gurus...