Citi Custom Cash vs Altitude Go
By Alex Compton · Updated
The Citi Custom Cash and US Bank Altitude Go are the two best free cards for food-heavy spending, solved differently. The Custom Cash pays 5% on your top category, whatever it is, up to $500 a month. The Altitude Go pays a permanent uncapped 4x on dining with useful 2x backups. Ceiling versus floor.
Citi Custom Cash
Citi
- Our rating
- 8.4/10
- Welcome bonus
- 20,000 points
- Bonus value
- ≈$200
- Annual fee
- $0
- Credits, max/yr
- $0
- Foreign txn fee
- 3%
Top earning rates
- 5x Top eligible category each cycle ($500 cap)
- 1x Everything else
U.S. Bank Altitude Go Visa Signature
U.S. Bank
- Our rating
- 8.3/10
- Welcome bonus
- 20,000 points
- Bonus value
- ≈$200
- Annual fee
- $0
- Credits, max/yr
- $15
- Foreign txn fee
- None
Top earning rates
- 4x Dining, takeout and delivery
- 2x Grocery stores, gas and EV charging, streaming
- 1x Everything else
Where Each Wins
Dining rate
TieThe Custom Cash pays 5% on dining if dining is your top category that month, capped at $500 of spend. The Altitude Go pays 4x on dining, takeout, and delivery with no cap. Heavy restaurant spenders blow through $500 and favor the Go; lighter ones take the 5%.
Flexibility
Custom CashThe Custom Cash follows your spending: point it at gas, groceries, travel, or dining and it adapts monthly with no activation. The Altitude Go's categories are fixed.
Backup categories
Altitude GoThe Altitude Go adds 2x on groceries, gas, EV charging, and streaming, plus a small annual streaming credit. The Custom Cash pays 1% on everything outside its top category.
Foreign fees
Altitude GoThe Altitude Go charges no foreign transaction fee, rare for a free card. The Custom Cash charges 3%.
Points ceiling
Custom CashCustom Cash earnings become transferable ThankYou points beside a Citi Strata. Altitude Go points are fixed-value with no transfer partners, ever.
The Compound Verdict
Pick by the shape of your food spending. Restaurant bills over $500 a month favor the Altitude Go's uncapped 4x plus its no-FTF passport utility. Spending that moves between categories, or any ambition toward transferable points, favors the Custom Cash, which is also the better single card in a Citi ecosystem. The two stack neatly for food maximalists: Go on dining uncapped, Custom Cash pointed at groceries.
Our ratings give it to the Citi Custom Cash (8.4 vs 8.3). On current welcome offers, the Custom Cash brings the bigger first-year haul at ≈$200.
Read the full reviews for the complete math: Custom Cash review and Altitude Go review, or put them side by side in the comparison tool.
Common Questions
Which is better for restaurants, the Custom Cash or Altitude Go?
Under $500 a month in dining, the Custom Cash's 5% edges the Go's 4x. Above $500, the Go wins because its 4x has no cap while the Custom Cash drops to 1% past the limit. The break-even is exactly the cap: at $700 of monthly dining, the Go earns $28 to the Custom Cash's $27.
Does the Altitude Go have transfer partners?
No. US Bank points are fixed-value, redeemable at roughly a cent each. The Custom Cash's hidden advantage is that its ThankYou points unlock airline transfers if you ever add a Citi Strata Premier, a ceiling the Go cannot reach.
Which works abroad?
The Altitude Go, which charges no foreign transaction fee. The Custom Cash's 3% FTF disqualifies it for international dining, ironic for a card so good at restaurants at home.