by Daniel | Last Updated March 2nd, 2022
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With a decent variety of cash-back credit cards available that all offer some pretty reasonable benefits, it can be a challenge finding which one is the best option for you
So I’ve decided to review and compare the Chase Freedom Flex card with the Citi Custom Cash card.
I’ll go over what the cards offer in terms of benefits and user perks, and then I’ll decide which card is better value.
Who Are These Cards Good For?
Both of these cards are well suited to anybody that is new to credit cards as they both have no annual fee and are relatively easy to get approved for.
Along with this they also both offer some pretty decent cash back rewards just for using the card.
APR
So let’s start by comparing the APR for each card.
Starting with the Chase Freedom Flex card it comes with an intro APR of 0% for the first 15 months, and after this, it is a variable APR of 14.99% – 23.74%.
Next up, the Citi Custom Cash card also offers a 0% APR for the first 15 months. After this, the APR will be between 13.99% – 23.99%.
And the rate for either card will depend on what your creditworthiness is.
Sign-up Bonus
So now let’s compare the sign-up bonus of each card and see if there is much difference in value.
Starting with the Chase Freedom Flex card you can earn a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months of card ownership.
And with the Citi Custom Cash card, you can also earn $200 cash-back after you have spent $750 on purchases within the first 3 months of opening the account.
So the bonus for both cards is the same but you will have to spend $250 more if you choose the Citi Custom Cash card.
Earning Cash Back
Next up, let’s see how you can earn cash back with each card and which card offers more value.
So starting with the Chase Freedom Flex card you will have a few different ways that you can earn cash-back.
To begin with, you will receive 5% cash-back for grocery store purchases up to a total of $12,000 in the first year, and if you take full advantage of this offer it is worth up to $600.
Next up you will receive 5% cash-back on travel purchases made through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
There is 3% cash-back on dining at restaurants, including eligible delivery services and takeout, and 3% cash-back on Drugstore purchases.
And finally 1% cash-back on all other purchases.
Now with the Citi Custom Cash card, you will receive 5% cash-back on the first $500 in purchases each month that are in your top spending category, which includes the following categories:
Restaurants, Gas Stations, Grocery Stores, Select Travel, Select Transit, Select Streaming Services, Drugstores, Home Improvement Stores, Fitness Clubs, and Live Entertainment.
And then all other purchases after this will receive unlimited 1% cash-back.
So if you take full advantage of the 5% cash-back offer each month you can earn up to $300 each year.
So for this section, the Chase Freedom Flex card offers twice as much cash-back on an annual basis just from the 5% cash-back on the first $12,000 spent at grocery stores.
Benefits and User Perks
Now from here let’s take a look at what benefits and user perks are offered with each card, And this is where the Chase Freedom Flex card shows its true value.
So starting with the Case Freedom Flex Card you will get a 3-month subscription to DashPass which gives you a $0 delivery fee on all orders that are over $12.
After 3 months you will automatically be enrolled in DashPass for the following 9 months at a 50% discounted rate, which works out to be $4.99 per month.
Next up you will receive 5% cash-back on Lyft Rides through March 2022.
When you take 3 rides with Lyft per month and pay with the card you will earn a $5 Lyft credit.
If you send $20 at Fandango or on Fandango’s streaming service you will receive a $5 Fandango reward.
You will get 5% back when you order a HelloFresh meal kit delivery.
And finally, you will get a complimentary 1-year ShopRunner membership that gives you free 2 days shipping and free returns from over 100 stores in the United States.
So the only benefit that really comes with the Citi Custom Cash card is that you will have access to the Citi Entertainment program, and this gives you access to music, sports, culinary experiences, and more.
And whilst this is nice a benefit to have, it doesn’t really come close to what the Case Freedom Flex Card offers.
Insurance-related Benefits
Now when it comes to insurance-related benefits, the Case Freedom Flex Card again offers a lot more than the Citi Custom Cash card.
Starting with the Chase Freedom Flex you will get cell phone protection that covers up to $800 per claim and $1000 per year in the event of theft or damage to any phones that are listed on your phone bill, and that is paid for with the card.
And with this, you will receive a maximum of 2 claims per 12 month period with each claim incurring a $50 deductible.
Next up you will get extended warranty protection that gives you an extra year of warranty on eligible US manufacturers warranties that are 3 years or less.
There is purchase protection that covers new purchases for up to 120 days in the event of theft or damage, and it covers up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account.
Next up you will receive trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance which covers up to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per trip if the trip is canceled or cut short due to sickness, severe weather, or any other covered situation, and for this to be valid you must pre-pay for a non-refundable passenger fare with your card.
You get an auto rental collision damage waiver that basically covers theft and collision damage for most cars in the U.S. and abroad
And to use this, all you need to do is decline the rental company’s collision insurance, and then pay for the entire trip with your card.
And finally, you are covered by Zero Liability Protection, which basically means that if there are any unauthorized purchases made on your card, you won’t be held responsible.
Now let’s take a look at what the Citi Custom Cash card offers.
So first of all you will be covered for any unauthorized charges that are made to your account with $0 liability, so if there are unusual charges to your card that you didn’t make, you won’t have to pay for it.
You will get Citi Quick Lock which is a safety measure that can be used for your card.
It will give you the option to block any new charges that are made to your card, whilst allowing any recurring charges to continue without any disruption.
There is Mastercard ID Theft Protection which is a service provided by Mastercard, and with this, it will monitor your account for any unusual activity and alert you if anything suspicious does happen.
You will also get Fraud Early Warning, which is similar to Mastercard Theft Protection.
Basically, it will monitor your account and if there are any unusual transactions they will contact you to validate it and make the appropriate action so as to protect your account.
And finally, you will get free access to your FICO score with no impact on your credit score, and it is updated each month.
So for the section, the Chase Freedom Flex card offers a lot more value when it comes to insurance-related benefits.
Final Thoughts
So what are my thoughts about both of these cards?
Whilst the Citi Custom Cash card has a decent sign-up bonus that offers $200 cash-back and the ability to earn 5% cash-back on the first $500 spent each month on your top spending category, The Chase Freedom Flex offers quite a bit more value.
First of all, it offers the same $200 cash-back sign-up bonus, but you won’t have to spend nearly as much as the Citi Custom Cash card to receive it, With the Freedom Flex card, you only have to spend $500 in three months to get the cash-back bonus whereas with the Citi Custom Cash card you will need to spend $750.
Next up you can earn twice as much cash-back with the Freedom Flex card just through the 5% cash-back on the first $12,000 spent at grocery stores, which can be worth up to $600.
You will also have unlimited 5% cash-back on all travel that is booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards, and 3% cash-back on dining and drugstore purchases.
Whereas the Citi Custom Cash card will be limited to 1% cash-back after you have reached the $500 spend limit each month.
And finally, the Chase Freedom Flex card offers way more insurance-related benefits, whether it be cell phone protection, a rental collision damage waiver, or trip cancellation.
So for me, it is an easy choice, I would personally prefer the Chase Freedom Flex card as it clearly offers more value.