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Card vs Card Comparison

Chase Freedom Flex
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.

Chase

Chase Freedom Flex

Annual fee

Free

Points

Ultimate Rewards

Signup bonus

$200 cash back after $500 in 3 months

Top earning rates

  • →5% on rotating quarterly categories (up to $1.5K per quarter, with enrollment)
  • →5% on travel through Chase Travel
  • →3% on dining and drugstores

Top perks

  • →No annual fee
  • →Cell phone protection
  • →Purchase protection and extended warranty
See Chase Freedom Flex 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.

Chase Freedom Flex wins if

Pick this if you do not mind activating quarterly bonus categories for 5% back, and want to pair it with a Sapphire card.

Honest downside: Quarterly categories require enrollment and have a $1.5K cap. Outside them the card earns only 1% on everyday spend.

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.

SpecChase Freedom FlexCiti Custom Cash
Annual feeFreeFree
Points currencyUltimate RewardsCiti ThankYou
Signup bonus$200 cash back$200 cash back
Top earn category5% on rotating quarterly categories (up to $1.5K per quarter, with enrollment)5% on your top spend category each month (up to $500 in spend)
Second earn category5% on travel through Chase TravelCategories include dining, gas, groceries, travel, drugstores, home improvement, fitness clubs, live entertainment, and select streaming
Third earn category3% on dining and drugstores1% on everything else
Signature perkNo annual feeNo annual fee
IssuerChaseCiti

Questions

Frequently asked.

Which is better, Chase Freedom Flex or Citi Custom Cash?

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Chase Freedom Flex wins if you do not mind activating quarterly bonus categories for 5% back, and want to pair it with a Sapphire card. 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 Chase Freedom Flex and the Citi Custom Cash?

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Yes. These are issued by different banks (Chase 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, Chase Freedom Flex or Citi Custom Cash?

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Both cards charge a $0 annual fee. The right pick comes down to which earning categories and perks you'll actually use.