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Card vs Card Comparison

Chase Freedom Unlimited
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 Unlimited

Annual fee

Free

Points

Ultimate Rewards

Signup bonus

$200 cash back plus 5% on grocery for the first year (up to $12K)

Top earning rates

  • →5% on travel booked through Chase Travel
  • →3% on dining and drugstores
  • →1.5% on everything else

Top perks

  • →No annual fee
  • →Purchase protection and extended warranty
  • →Trip cancellation and delay insurance on travel charged to the card
See Chase Freedom Unlimited 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 Unlimited wins if

Pick this if you want a no-fee everyday earner that can sit alongside a Sapphire card and feed it points.

Honest downside: On its own the points are cashback only. You need a Sapphire to unlock the travel value.

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 UnlimitedCiti Custom Cash
Annual feeFreeFree
Points currencyUltimate RewardsCiti ThankYou
Signup bonus$200 cash back plus 5% on grocery for the first year (up to $12K)$200 cash back
Top earn category5% on travel booked through Chase Travel5% on your top spend category each month (up to $500 in spend)
Second earn category3% on dining and drugstoresCategories include dining, gas, groceries, travel, drugstores, home improvement, fitness clubs, live entertainment, and select streaming
Third earn category1.5% on everything else1% on everything else
Signature perkNo annual feeNo annual fee
IssuerChaseCiti

Questions

Frequently asked.

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

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Chase Freedom Unlimited wins if you want a no-fee everyday earner that can sit alongside a Sapphire card and feed it points. 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 Unlimited 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 Unlimited 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.