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Card vs Card Comparison

Amex Gold
vs
Citi Custom Cash.

Updated

Two cards, head-to-head. We break down earning rates, perks, transfer partners, and the real scenarios where each one wins.

American Express

Amex Gold

Annual fee

$325

Points

Membership Rewards

Signup bonus

Currently around 60K to 100K points after spend, see issuer for the current offer

Top earning rates

  • →4x on restaurants worldwide
  • →4x on US supermarkets (up to $25K per year)
  • →3x on flights booked direct or on Amex Travel

Top perks

  • →$120 Uber Cash ($10 per month)
  • →$120 dining credit ($10 per month at select partners)
  • →$84 Dunkin' credit
See Amex Gold detailsarrow_forward

Citi

Citi Custom Cash

Annual fee

Free

Points

Citi ThankYou

Signup bonus

$200 cash back after $1.5K in 6 months

Top earning rates

  • →5% on your top spend category each month (up to $500 in spend)
  • →Categories include dining, gas, groceries, travel, drugstores, home improvement, fitness clubs, live entertainment, and select streaming
  • →1% on everything else

Top perks

  • →No annual fee
  • →No category enrollment, the top one auto-selects each month
  • →Points convert to ThankYou Points when paired with a Strata Premier
See Citi Custom Cash detailsarrow_forward

The verdict

When each card wins.

Amex Gold wins if

Pick this if you spend heavily on restaurants and US groceries and will use the monthly credits as they drop.

Honest downside: Credits split into monthly buckets that you forfeit if you miss a month.

Citi Custom Cash wins if

Pick this if one category dominates your monthly spend (like groceries or gas) and you want 5% with zero effort.

Honest downside: The $500 monthly cap on the 5% means heavy spenders top out quickly. Outside the top category it is just a 1% card.

At a glance

Side-by-side spec sheet.

SpecAmex GoldCiti Custom Cash
Annual fee$325Free
Points currencyMembership RewardsCiti ThankYou
Signup bonusCurrently around 60K to 100K points$200 cash back
Top earn category4x on restaurants worldwide5% on your top spend category each month (up to $500 in spend)
Second earn category4x on US supermarkets (up to $25K per year)Categories include dining, gas, groceries, travel, drugstores, home improvement, fitness clubs, live entertainment, and select streaming
Third earn category3x on flights booked direct or on Amex Travel1% on everything else
Signature perk$120 Uber Cash ($10 per month)No annual fee
IssuerAmerican ExpressCiti

Questions

Frequently asked.

Which is better, Amex Gold or Citi Custom Cash?

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Amex Gold wins if you spend heavily on restaurants and US groceries and will use the monthly credits as they drop. Citi Custom Cash wins if one category dominates your monthly spend (like groceries or gas) and you want 5% with zero effort.

Can I have both the Amex Gold and the Citi Custom Cash?

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Yes. These are issued by different banks (American Express and Citi), so they don't conflict on application rules. Many travelers carry both to stack the strongest benefits from each card's ecosystem.

Which has the higher annual fee, Amex Gold or Citi Custom Cash?

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Amex Gold has the higher annual fee at $325, compared to $0 for Citi Custom Cash. Whether the pricier card is worth the difference depends on which credits and perks you use each year.