This Is My Go-To Credit Card for 5% Back at Hardware Stores

Updated - First published on June 7, 2024

Brittney Myers

By: Brittney Myers

Writer

Many or all of the products here are from our partners that compensate us. It’s how we make money. But our editorial integrity ensures that our product ratings are not influenced by compensation. Citi is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money.

KEY POINTS

  • The Citi Custom Cash® Card earns 5% back on up to $500 a month when the hardware store is my top category.
  • You don't need to activate any bonus categories to earn -- Citi (an advertising partner with Motley Fool Money) does it automatically.

OFFER STATUS

Citi Custom Cash® Card is unavailable on Motley Fool Money. All information was collected independently and not reviewed for accuracy or provided by the credit card issuer. Some items may be out of date.

I love my century-old house, but there's one major side effect of owning it: I've become a regular at the local hardware store. For better or worse, I'm there most weeks -- often multiple times -- as I tackle one project or another.

The one item I take with me every single time? My Citi Custom Cash® Card.

Ratings Methodology

Citi Custom Cash® Card

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Citi Custom Cash® Card
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Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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Credit Score: Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)
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Credit Score Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Good/Excellent (670-850)

Intro APR

Purchases: 0%, 15 months on Purchases

Balance Transfers: 0%, 15 months on Balance Transfers

Regular APR

18.24% - 28.24% (Variable)

Rewards Circle with letter I in it. 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. Also, 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.

1% - 5% cash back

Annual Fee Circle with letter I in it. N/A

$0

Welcome Offer Circle with letter I in it. Earn $200 in cash back after you spend $1500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.

20,000 ThankYou® Points

  • We love this card's easy-to-use yet lucrative cash back program. There aren't many no annual fee cards that earn 5% back, and most of the others have rotating bonus categories that change every quarter. This card automatically adjusts to your spending habits, so getting the most out of it is a breeze.

    • Cash back rewards
    • Sign-up bonus
    • No annual fee
    • 0% intro APR offer
    • Bonus cash back limits
    • Foreign transaction fee
    • Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
    • 0% Intro APR on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months. After that, the variable APR will be 18.24% - 28.24%, based on your creditworthiness.
    • 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. Also, 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.
    • No rotating bonus categories to sign up for – as your spending changes each billing cycle, your earn adjusts automatically when you spend in any of the eligible categories.
    • No Annual Fee
    • Citi will only issue one Citi Custom Cash® Card account per person.
Citi Custom Cash® Card is unavailable on Motley Fool Money. All information was collected independently and not reviewed for accuracy or provided by the credit card issuer. Some items may be out of date.

5% back on every repair and replacement

The Citi Custom Cash® Card is a cash back rewards card that earns up to 5% back on the first $500 you spend in your top spending category every month. (Then you earn 1%.)

The list of eligible categories is very broad and includes tons of popular options:

  • Drugstores
  • Fitness clubs
  • Gas stations
  • Grocery stores
  • Live entertainment
  • Home improvement stores
  • Restaurants
  • Select streaming services
  • Select transit
  • Select travel

So, technically, this may not be your hardware store card. Maybe you'd rather use this as your gas rewards card, or your gym membership card. For me, however, it's the home improvement stores card all the way.

Your top category is set automatically

The neat thing about this card is you don't have to activate anything to get your bonus rewards. Instead, you just use your card to make your purchases. Citi will automatically determine your top spending category at the end of the month and award your bonus cash back accordingly.

However, since non-bonus-category purchases only earn 1% back, you should decide how you want to use the card on your own. For example, since I want to earn 5% back at the hardware store, I only use this card on eligible home improvement purchases.

I simply put purchases that don't fit into my self-selected bonus category on other cards. That way, there's no confusion about what my top spending category will be for the month.

Watch out for the $500 monthly cap

As I briefly noted above, the 5% back isn't unlimited: You only earn that rate on the first $500 in eligible purchases. (That works out to $25 in cash back per month.) Any purchases beyond that cap will earn just 1% back.

So far, I haven't run into any problems. While I've had a few pricier trips, those have been -- thankfully -- spread out enough to not put me over the cap. However, I do know I have some larger projects coming up later in the year that will likely put me over that cap.

Depending on how far over I may be, I have a few options:

  • Put it all on my Citi Custom Cash® Card anyway: I don't like this option, since anything over the $500 cap will only earn 1% back and I'll be losing out on a lot of potential rewards.
  • Put the excess on a flat-rate rewards card: I have a go-to card for anything that doesn't fit into a bonus category. It's not as good as 5% back, but it's definitely better than 1%.
  • Get a second Citi Custom Cash® Card: While I can't apply for a second Citi Custom Cash® Card account, I could product-change one of my existing Citi cards into another Citi Custom Cash® Card. This would effectively double my cap.

I'll have to wait and see how my expenses look before I can decide on the best course of action. At this rate, a second card for even more hardware store rewards probably wouldn't go unused. But that would mean sacrificing a different credit card. It will take some contemplation.

Even if your home is a bit newer than mine, chances are good you spend your fair share of time hitting the hardware store. Consider letting the Citi Custom Cash® Card tag along on your next trip.

Our Research Expert

Brittney Myers
Brittney Myers icon-button-linkedin-2x

Brittney is a data-obsessed finance nerd whose personal credit card collection is in the double digits. She has been sharing personal finance advice with readers since 2016.