I got the Custom Cash Card - which will referred to as the CCC - last July, just before I did a 5 month tour of Asia. Now, I was excited about the possibilities of the travel portal, Rocket Travel, a division of Booking Holdings. In the previous year I had used Booking.com almost exclusively for my prior trip through Southeast Asia, and occasionally during a two-month long jaunt through Colombia. By using the CCC exclusively for hotel bookings, I was getting 5 points per $ up to the limit of $500. But, the added bonus of an extra 4 points on hotel booking made through the portal? That comes up to 9 points! This looked like a chance to save money on lodging, whereas I'd been using my CSP as my daily driver. And I did!
Granted, the inventory was a bit different from what was available on Booking.com, it wasn't a bad thing as I had read AGODA had a better selection of hotels in Asia. This turned out to be true. I noticed at hotels that my reservation came over with the header of AGODA on the printout. But as I learned, the travel portal doesn't always have the same inventory as the AGODA app. At times, the travel portal had MORE selection at a particular hotel than on the AGODA or Booking.com apps. That is, there was more likelihood that you would have a choice of different room types with different cancellation rules on the travel portal. And yes, I did compare the offerings on the Citi travel portal with what was available on Booking and AGODA, which you should always do. And this is why....
The hotel ratings on Agoda and the travel portal tend to be inflated versus the Booking.com site. I don't have any idea why, but a hotel that would get a mediocre rating on Booking.com would often get a higher rating on the travel portal. And that can lead to some disappointment. Thus, I always tried to compare the ratings on the two sites. If there was significant difference, Booking was usually the more accurate. Finally, I looked on Google.MAPS for the reviews of the hotels if they were listed on that site. Those were also very helpful, and more critical. That seems like a lot of work, but it's not a big deal if you really need to see where the hotel is located and what others have to say about it.
Another important difference was the variance in price. On my last night, I booked a hotel on Booking.com because there was a great deal on a hotel that wasn't on the portal. Other times, you can sometimes do much better on Booking.com Then there were a few times when I couldn't get logged into travel portal ( a constant problem on the Citi app and the website) so I had to book a room on Agoda or Booking, where I got some special discounts on certain properties, which aren't available on the Citi travel site. If you have often booked using the AGODA or Booking.com apps, you will know what I mean.
How much did it save me, by using my CCC on the Citi portal MOST of the time? After 5 months, I found the cashback value of the points saved me $42 to $47 each billing period. That comes up to savings of at least $500 a year for a guy who spends almost every night in a hotel room.
Now, bear in mind that the CCC doesn't exempt you from foreign transaction fees like a travel focused card would. I only used it for lodging and my CSP will continue to be my standard card for everyday use, when I can use a card in the places I travel to. But, the travel portal and the hotel apps I use, as well as AirBnB are US based or at least take payment in USD, like most other e-transactions I make.
Fair disclosure. I'm retired and I spend most weeks outside the US, and for over a year, I've been lodging in a hotel most nights. My lifestyle is a bit unusual. So, your mileage may vary as well as your savings. I know mine will, as I plan to start out 2026 in South America, where hotels aren't always the best value in lodging, but AirBnB is an omnipresent option! I'll likely use the CCC for those transactions, as well. So far, the CCC has been a winner in the travel category, thanks to the bonus in the travel portal, where most of my booking netted me 9% cash back value. My only complaint is the $500 monthly cap, which I almost always exceeded.