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You are here: Home / Credit Cards / Citi Custom Cash Card vs. Discover It® Cash Back Credit Card

Citi Custom Cash Card vs. Discover It® Cash Back Credit Card

January 10, 2023 by Gail Kellner

Many credit cards offer 5% cash back in select categories. Sometimes these categories rotate quarterly, but some cards just pay you 5% cash back in the category you spend the most money. Two options for 5% cash back are the Citi Custom Cash Card and the Discover It® Cash Back Credit Card. We compare these cards so you can make an informed decision about which one is right for you, or if you want to apply for both.

Citi Custom Cash Card
Citi Custom Cash Card

Overall Rating

4.7

Welcome Bonus

$200 (terms apply)

Rewards Range

1% - 5%

Annual Fee

$0

Regular APR (V)

18.24% - 28.24%

0% Into APR on Purchases

15 months, then a variable rate

0% Intro APR on Transfers

15 months, then a variable rate

Foreign Transaction Fee

3% of each purchase transaction in US dollars.

Read Review
Discover It® Cash Back Credit Card
Discover It® Cash Back Credit Card

Overall Rating

4.4

Welcome Bonus

None (terms apply)

Rewards Range

1% - 5%

Annual Fee

$0

Regular APR (V)

16.24% to 27.24%

0% Into APR on Purchases

15 months, then a variable rate

0% Intro APR on Transfers

15 months, then a variable rate

Foreign Transaction Fee

None

Read Review

Welcome Bonus

Citi Custom Cash Card offers $200 after you spend $1,500 in the first 6 months after account opening.

Discover It® Cash Back Credit Card does not have a welcome bonus at this time, so this is an easy win for Citi.

Cash Back Rewards

Discover It® Cash Back Credit Card offers 5% cash back on quarterly rotating categories. You do need to sign up and activate your category of choice, so if you’re not going to remember to activate anything, this might not be the card for you. The 5% cash back categories for January – March 2023 are grocery stores, drug stores, and select streaming services. Unfortunately, we can’t see a full calendar for rotating categories yet. But you’ll know the categories for April through June on March 1st so you’ll get a month’s notice for the next quarter’s rotating categories.

Discover It® Cash Back Credit Card also offers a unique bonus: cash back match. You get a dollar-for-dollar match of all the cash back you earn through your first year of card membership. You are limited to $1,500 in purchases per quarter for the 5% category, so if you max out your 5% category every quarter, you can earn at least $300 cash back for the year. If you double that, for the cash back match, that’s at least $600 in cash back in your first year. That’s certainly a nice windfall.

Citi Custom Cash Card may appeal more if you’re looking for a no-fuss card. You earn 5% on your top eligible spend category, and you don’t have to sign up or activate anything. Cash back is earned in the form of ThankYou points, which can be redeemed as a statement credit, direct deposit or a check. Categories you can earn cash back on in include: restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, select travel, select streaming, select transit, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs and live entertainment.

Here are the details for each card:

Citi Custom Cash Card 

Rewards:

5% cash back
Select Categories
Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, 1% cash back thereafter.
1% cash back
On all other purchases
Earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.

Discover It® Cash Back Credit Card 

Rewards:

5% cash back
Rotating Categories
Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in purchases when you activate.
1% cash back
On all other purchases
Earn 1% cash back on all other purchases - automatically.

Rates and Fees

Both cards are offering 0% APR as an introductory rate. Discover It® Cash Back Credit Card offers 0% on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months. After this, your rate will be 16.24% to 27.24% variable, depending on your creditworthiness.

Citi Custom Cash Card also offers 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months. After that, your rate will be 18.24% - 28.24% variable, depending on your creditworthiness.

Neither card has an annual fee. Discover It® Cash Back Credit Card does not have a foreign transaction fee, whereas the Citi card does: 3% of each purchase transaction in US dollars. If you’re traveling internationally, the Discover card is a better choice.

Who the Discover It® Cash Back Credit Card is Best For

This is a great card for anyone who wants 5% cash back for no annual fee. The only drawback is that you have to remember to activate the category each quarter. You also get the cash back match for the first year, so even though the card doesn’t have a signup bonus per se, you do get a nice bonus at the end of your first year of membership. And there are no foreign transaction fees, so this card is a great choice for international travel. This is also a great card if you need to make a big purchase or a balance transfer since there’s a 0% intro APR.

Who the Citi Custom Cash Card is Best For

If you’re anything like me, you are going to forget to activate your preferred category each quarter. If you don’t want to fuss with activating a category every three months, the Citi Custom Cash Card makes it very easy. You don’t have to do anything but reap your rewards. And you get a signup bonus as well, which is nice. It’s not the best choice for international travel because of the foreign transaction fees, but this is a great card for most consumers. It’s also a great choice if you need to make a big purchase or a balance transfer.

Does it make sense to get both cards?

Like peanut butter and jelly, the Citi Custom Cash Card and the Discover It® Cash Back Credit Card cards are perfect together. You can sign up for your preferred category to earn 5% with the Discover it card, and use the Citi card to earn 5% on something else. You could use the Citi card for groceries most months, and then switch to Discover when groceries are a 5% earning category and use the Citi card for dining or gas or whatever else you want. Neither card has an annual fee, and these cards complement each other well.

Approval Odds

The credit score data provided for some of the cards listed below comes from publicly available information in several forums. The accuracy of the information cannot be verified. Keep in mind that credit card issuers consider more than an applicant’s credit score and that underwriting standards change over time.

Citi Custom Cash Card 

App StatusDateCredit ScoreBureauCredit Limit
Approved06/10/2021
724
Experian
$7,800
Approved06/10/2021
728
Equifax
$7,800
Approved06/10/2021
792
Experian
$8,000
Approved06/10/2021
813
TransUnion
$6,500
Approved06/12/2021
809
Experian
$11,600
Approved06/10/2021
809
Equifax
$6,500
Approved06/10/2021
783
TransUnion
$3,400
Approved06/14/2021
714
Experian
$3,500
Approved06/13/2021
759
Experian
---
Denied06/10/2021
810
Equifax
---

Discover It® Cash Back Credit Card 

App StatusDateCredit ScoreBureauCredit Limit
Approved09/24/2021
786
Equifax
$3,000
Approved08/06/2021
705
Experian
$9,000
Approved06/21/2022
673
Experian
$11,500
Approved06/21/2022
677
TransUnion
$11,500
Approved06/21/2022
684
Equifax
$11,500
Approved11/24/2021
672
Experian
$1,100
Approved05/01/2021
666
Experian
$6,500
Approved09/24/2021
746
TransUnion
$3,000
Approved09/24/2021
772
Experian
$3,000

The Discover card has more approvals for scores in the 600s than the Citi card, so if you’re working on your credit, apply for the Discover card. But either card is a good choice, so if you have excellent credit, the choice is up to you.

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Rob Berger founded allcards.com in 2008 to help consumers make data-driven decisions about credit cards and banking. A retired trial attorney, he’s written about credit cards, banking and personal finance since 2007, and is the author of Retire Before Mom and Dad.

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