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Cash-back credit cards are a simple way to earn some extra cash on all of your purchases. You can get a generous 5% return on purchases with a number of rewards credit cards.
These cash-back cards typically use rotating categories for what you earn 5% back on. Credit card issuers will release a calendar with the spending categories for each quarter. The cardholder is required to activate each quarter's bonus categories, which is done online or through the card issuer's mobile app.
Citi Custom Cash® Card
The Citi Custom Cash® Card is unique in this respect 一 it automatically determines your top spending category for the billing cycle, applying 5% cash back for purchases in this category up to $500. Unlike most other 5% cash-back cards, which require you to manually activate the categories and alter your spending habits each quarter to maximize your cash back, you can spend like you normally would and 5% cash back will be applied to the category you spend the most in.
After you hit the spending cap of $500 for the billing cycle, you'll earn 1% cash back on purchases in that category. You'll also get 1% cash back on all other spending. That means you can earn up to $25 cash back from your top spending category each month, in addition to 1% cash back on your other purchases.
The benefit of 5% cash-back cards is that they often come with no annual fee and a welcome offer. The Citi Custom Cash card comes with $200 cash back if you spend $1,500 on purchases within the first six months and has no annual fee. It also comes with a 15-month 0% APR introductory offer on balance transfers and purchases (after, 17.49% - 27.49% variable APR, based on your creditworthiness). There is a balance transfer fee of 5% of the amount of each transfer ($5 minimum). Balance transfers must be completed within four months of account opening to qualify for the intro APR.
The Citi Custom Cash® Card is an especially simple and rewarding cash back card because you'll automatically earn bonus rewards where you spend the most.
- Offers a long intro APR on balance transfers
- Easy-to-earn welcome bonus
- No annual fee
- Bonus cash back categories are capped
- Charges a foreign transaction fee
Rewards
- 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
- Earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases
- Special Travel Offer: Earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2026
Balance transfer fee
5% of each balance transfer ($5 minimum)
Foreign transaction fee
3%
Citi Custom Cash Card vs. other 5% cash back cards
But how does the Custom Cash Card compare to other 5% cash-back cards on the market? Select compares three other popular cash-back cards to the Citi Custom Cash Card to help you determine which card is the best fit for you: Discover it® Cash Back, Chase Freedom Flex® and U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature®.
U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card
The U.S. Bank Cash + Visa Signature Card is unique because it allows you to earn 5% cash back on two spending categories, of your choice, on up to $2,000 of spend in each quarter. There are many 5% categories you can choose from such as fast food, department stores, ground transportation and select clothing stores. Furthermore, you get to choose one of three categories 一 such as grocery stores, gas stations, and restaurants 一 where you'll receive 2% cash back with no spending cap. You'll receive 1% on all other purchases.
You could earn up to $100 from two chosen 5% categories, each quarter, in addition to 2% on your everyday categories and 1% on other purchases. Additionally, this card comes with a solid welcome offer. If you spend $500 within the first 90 days, you'll get $200 back. If you're looking for a card with a similar welcome bonus, you might also consider the Chase Freedom Flex credit card.
- Rewarding and versatile quarterly bonus categories
- Generous intro-APR offer
- Quarterly limits on the card's top bonus spending categories
- No statement credit offers or other ongoing benefits outside of the cash rewards
Chase Freedom Flex
The Chase Freedom Flex offers cardholders a generous limited-time welcome bonus: a $250 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
This card also has 5% cash back on different rotating categories each quarter, up to $1,500 (after 1%). The categories change every quarter and activation is required. Some of the recent categories include gas stations, home improvement stores and select streaming services.
Cardholders earn 3% cash back on dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery services) and drug stores and 1% cash back on other purchases. You could earn up to $75 cash back on the 5% categories each quarter, in addition to the 3% and 1% cash back on other purchases.
The Chase Freedom Flex® is an excellent cash-back card with generous rotating quarterly categories. In additional the rewards, you also can take advantage of the intro APRs for purchases and balance transfer for more than a year.
- Long intro APR for purchases and balance transfers
- Rewarding quarterly bonus categories
- No annual fee
- Bonus categories are capped each quarter
- Has a foreign transaction fee
Rewards
- 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate (then 1%)
- 5% cash back on travel booked through Chase Travel℠
- 3% on drugstore purchases and on dining (including takeout and eligible delivery services)
- 1% cash back on all other purchases
Balance transfer fee
Intro fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, on transfers made within 60 days of account opening. After that, either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Foreign transaction fee
3%
Discover cards
There are four Discover cards that offer 5% cash back in rotating categories: Discover it® Cash Back, NHL® Discover it®, Discover it® Balance Transfer and Discover it® Student Cash Back. These cards requires cardholders to activate the categories every quarter.
The card offers 5% cash back on purchases after you activate in these categories up to $1500 (after 1%) each quarter, and 1% cash back on other purchases. This means you can earn up to $75 each quarter in addition to 1% cash back on your other purchases.
Here's the Discover cash-back calendar for 2025:
- January to March (activate now): Restaurants, home improvement stores (online and in-store) and select streaming services
- April to June: Announcing on March 1
- July to September: Announcing on June 1
- October to December: Announcing on September 1
The card has no annual fee and also comes with a unique welcome bonus — Discover matches the amount of cash back that cardholders earn in the first year. So, if you earned $350 in cash back at the end of your first year with the card, Discover would match that and add another $350 to your rewards account.
Bottom line
The Citi Custom Cash card takes a lot of the effort and time out of managing a 5% cash-back card with rotating categories. With the Custom Cash card, you won't have to worry about activating the categories every quarter or changing your spending habits to get the most out of your cash-back card.
However, the Custom Cash Card does only offer 5% cash back on purchases up to $500 for each billing cycle. The U.S. Bank Cash + Visa Signature might be a better option for you if you're willing to activate the categories each quarter since it offers 5% cash back on up to $2,000 of purchases.
Information about the Discover it® Balance Transfer, NHL® Discover it® and U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer prior to publication.
