May 17, 2013, 11:04 pm
Last edit by: beltway
- What are the most current working links?
- Is this card churnable?
- How frequently can I apply for these cards?
- Do I have to close my previous card before reapplying?
- I got the 60K card and bonus but when I finished the spend on my second 60K card I did not get the bonus. What happened?
[1] What are the most current working links?
There is a standard offer for 50K points after $1K spend in 4 months. (No landing page is available for this offer; lnik taken from wiki for http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/citi-...amex-citi.html.)
There are no known 60K offers available. The most recent one expired in late September 2014.
[2] Is this card churnable?
In the past, this card has been easily churnable. However, in December 2014 Citi began inserting language into some applications and landing pages disqualifying current Hilton Visa cardholders & requiring an 18-month wait from the date of the previous card's cancellation. The application link listed above does not include this restriction, and FTers have confirmed that they have been approved through this application despite being current or recent holders of another Citi Hilton card.
[3] How frequently can I apply for these cards?
You can only apply for ONE Citi card in a week or TWO in two months (60 days). To be safe, it is frequently suggested to wait 8+ days between ANY two Citi applications and 65+ days until your third Citi application of ANY kind. These are rolling dates, so you have to wait at least 60 days (65+) from your second application to your 4th applications, and so forth.
If math is not your strong suit, you can use: http://www.timeanddate.com/date/duration.html.
Example:
Day 0 - Citi HHonors Card #1
Day 8 - Citi AA Personal Card
Day 65 - Citi AA Business Card
Day 73 - Citi HHonors Card #2
Day 130 - Citi TY Card
[4] Do I have to close my previous card before reapplying?
Not if you use the application link above. As stated above, in December 2014 Citi began introducing new application pages requiring an 18-month wait since cancellation of the prior card.
Note that when you close an account, Citi may not "free up" the credit limit from that card for as long as 6 months. So if you're going to apply within 6 months, it's better to not cancel beforehand.
[5] I got the 60K card and bonus but when I finished the spend on my second 60K card I did not get the bonus. What happened?
There appears to be a problem with Citi crediting you with both bonuses but Hilton not crediting the second bonus because their system sees it as a duplicate.
You need to open up a case, preferably with Hilton, and explain that you have two separate cards (feel free to explain one is for business and one for personal if they ask why you have multiple cards and you feel like explaining). You also need to diligently check back with them and make sure that they do not close the case as you already got the bonus.
This is very much a YMMV situation. Depending on who you talk to and where, this can be a relatively short process or a particularly unpleasant and long one. Best advice: Be nice to the CSRs and get them on your side or HUACA until you find someone useful.
For some people it may be worth getting the 50K card instead, possibly trying to "bump the bonus" to 60K and getting it as a 10K adjustment instead.
Citi Hilton HHonors Visa [2011-2014]
Oct 24, 2012, 1:08 pm
#991
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,932
In post 468, which is on page 32 if you're set to (the default of) 15 posts per page (but you'll have to figure out the page number on your own if you're set to a different number of posts per page).
(Unlike the AA cards thread, post #1 here does not get constantly updated with the latest links. I agree that it would much simpler if it were.)
It could be that the differences between all the links don't matter. To figure that out for sure, though, someone would have to delete the parts (at the end of each link) that are different, clear cookies, apply using that "simplified" link, and then report back on whether they earned the 50k bonus or not. (And if they did, they could then post the "simplified" link they'd used successfully.)
But I was not willing to be the guinea pig for that theory
, so I just used the links in post 468 "as is" for my pair of apps about a month ago.
Oct 24, 2012, 1:22 pm
#992
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,932
the Amex HHonors Surpass card has changed the bonus points you get using their card staying at Hiltons beginning Nov. 1st. see here
Hilton stays: was 9 points, now 12 points per dollar
Still only 1st year as Gold Card member. But with $20K spend you can stay a Gold Card member.
Not sure I'm going to stay with Amex though if I don't make Gold next year... I do like the benefits. May switch to this Citi card (and get the points too).
Hilton stays: was 9 points, now 12 points per dollar
Still only 1st year as Gold Card member. But with $20K spend you can stay a Gold Card member.
Not sure I'm going to stay with Amex though if I don't make Gold next year... I do like the benefits. May switch to this Citi card (and get the points too).
(1) If you need a credit card to get Gold, you're probably not doing enough paid stays at Hilton HHonors properties for the extra points per dollar on Hilton HHonors stays to be a reason to pay extra for the card.
(2) Why pay an annual fee plus do $20k spend on the Surpass, when you can just pay the annual fee (and not worry about any particular spend) with the new Reserve card from Citi:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...erve-card.html
(3) You don't have to "switch" in the sense of choosing just one of these cards. Nothing says you can't have both an Amex and a Citi Visa (and in fact several Citi Visas at a time!). However, you should probably "switch" from the Surpass only to the fee-free Amex plus one or more Citi cards.
I would suggest going back to the fee-free Amex for actual Hilton stays (it may give you less points per dollar, but it also gives you a 500 points online booking with Amex bonus, which especailly on short stays at inexpensive properties is much more signficant than some extra points per dollar), then getting the Reserve card if you need Gold status and can only get it from a card, and then to churn the fee-free Citi HHonors Visa (the card that the thread you're reading now is about) just for the big number of bonus points each time.
Ie, each HHonors credit card serves a different purpose, and now that the Reserve exists, I'd say the Surpass for most people is probably the least useful of the 4. To summarize:
fee-free Amex: useful for actual stays, plus bonus earnings in gas/grocery/drug/phone/internet
Surpass Amex: not worth the annual fee anymore probably
Reserve Visa (Citi): if you need Gold from a credit card, just get this card and pay the $95 annual fee each year and be done with it. Put your spend toward better uses.
fee-free Visa (Citi): great for churning (you can get 50k per application, you are likely to be able to apply for two at a time, and you are likely to be able to repeat this at least two or three times a year)
Surpass Amex: not worth the annual fee anymore probably
Reserve Visa (Citi): if you need Gold from a credit card, just get this card and pay the $95 annual fee each year and be done with it. Put your spend toward better uses.
fee-free Visa (Citi): great for churning (you can get 50k per application, you are likely to be able to apply for two at a time, and you are likely to be able to repeat this at least two or three times a year)
Oct 24, 2012, 3:55 pm
#993
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: MRY
Posts: 430
sdsearch - great recap. I would add that the #1 benefit (for me at least) of keeping a no fee AMEX would be access to AXON awards.
Oct 24, 2012, 5:23 pm
#994
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: DCA
Programs: SPG, HHonors
Posts: 242
Great recap!
As a practical matter, does gold status do anything over silver? Obviously we can read the stated benefits on Hilton's site, but do people regularly get room upgrades with gold, or does it basically just come down to something like breakfast, a free bottle of water, and free wifi?
As a practical matter, does gold status do anything over silver? Obviously we can read the stated benefits on Hilton's site, but do people regularly get room upgrades with gold, or does it basically just come down to something like breakfast, a free bottle of water, and free wifi?
Oct 24, 2012, 5:43 pm
#995
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: MRY
Posts: 430
Yes, I think there is big difference between Silver and Gold. You should probably read a few threads on it over in the HHonors forum. Breakfast, wifi, more points (25% bonus vs. 15%). Upgrades tend to depend on the property and can be very good (we got upgraded at the Hilton Waikoloa to a 1 bedroom suite for 7 nights), down to just fair (no view of the dumpster and not near an elevator). The conventional wisdom is that there isn't as much difference between Gold and Diamond (I'm not diamond so can't confirm), but a big difference between Silver and Gold. Again, take a few minutes when you have time and read some of the threads over at the Hilton forum to get a better idea. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilton-hhonors-417/
Oct 24, 2012, 6:54 pm
#996
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,932
Great recap!
As a practical matter, does gold status do anything over silver? Obviously we can read the stated benefits on Hilton's site, but do people regularly get room upgrades with gold, or does it basically just come down to something like breakfast, a free bottle of water, and free wifi?
As a practical matter, does gold status do anything over silver? Obviously we can read the stated benefits on Hilton's site, but do people regularly get room upgrades with gold, or does it basically just come down to something like breakfast, a free bottle of water, and free wifi?
It does also entitle you to upgrades, though what that means depends a lot on the hotel and also to what degree that hotel is booked up on the night you arrive. There's not much differences between rooms at the typical Hilton Garden Inn, so hard to say what an upgrade there could be. When you least need it (traveling by yourself and staying for one night), it could mean upgrade to a huge suite that you get lost in on a slow night at a Hampton Inn & Suites.
You can increase your chances of upgrades by researching (including in the Hilton forum on FlyerTalk) what the experiences of Golds have been at particular hotels you're considering. (But if traveling in the US where there are a lot brands, you also need to understand the different brands and what an upgrade can mean at different ones. For example, since the basic room at an Embassy Suites is already a two-room suite, it's not clear what more you'd get upgraded to.)
In fact, I don't understand your question about whether Gold offers anything above Silver. That's because I don't understand what Silver offers above no status at all, and there's not that much that Diamond offers above Gold (especially if you don't want to pay a lot for your rooms*). So, in fact, it seems to me that Gold is the "sweet spot" in Hilton HHonors' elite structure (you get most of the benefits of Diamond, yet it's a lot easier to attain).
*A big Diamond benefit for some is the Diamond Force, the ability to force availability open at a hotel that doesn't have any. But that requires agreeing to pay rack (or similar) rates, and is no longer available on award stays. Therefore it's only a certain type of traveler who will tend to value this perk, and for other types of travelers it's irrelevant.
**While the Gold free breakfast is at least a contiental buffet at most hotels, there are a small handful of hotels in the US which take the breakfast to new lows: For example, a FS Hilton in San Francisco gives you nothing more than a coupon for the Starbucks next door! So again, I suggest you research the hotel (on FT and/or elsewhere) if it matters to you what kind of breakfast you get as Gold.
*** While it's harder to get Marriott Gold (no credit card takes you there all the way), there is no status level at Marriott, not even if you stay with them 365 nights a year, that gives you lounge access or breakfast on weekends in the USA! Nor is there any status level at Marriott that gives you free breakfast at Courtyards! And don't get me started with IHG's Priority Club, it doesn't guarantee you free breakfast or free internet at any status level, you only it get at hotels that decide to give it status-holders on a per-hotel basis! So you see, compared to several other major hotel brands, the consistency of Hilton HHonors Gold benefits is actually above-average, despite the occasional flaws I noted above.
Oct 24, 2012, 8:22 pm
#997
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 361
Has anyone used AP with this card? I know the Citi AA Visa card shows up as a purchase. Does anyone have experience with the Citi Hilton Visa?
Oct 24, 2012, 9:48 pm
#998
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 8,135
**While the Gold free breakfast is at least a contiental buffet at most hotels, there are a small handful of hotels in the US which take the breakfast to new lows: For example, a FS Hilton in San Francisco gives you nothing more than a coupon for the Starbucks next door! So again, I suggest you research the hotel (on FT and/or elsewhere) if it matters to you what kind of breakfast you get as Gold.
Oct 25, 2012, 5:47 am
#1000
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: RDU
Programs: A few
Posts: 5,499
Golds or diamonds do not get free breakfast at Waldorf Astoria properties
Oct 25, 2012, 10:04 pm
#1001
Oct 26, 2012, 12:33 am
#1002
Suspended
Join Date: May 2012
Location: ORD
Programs: AA, UA, AS, DL, BA, F9, IHG Plat, HH Gold, CC Gold, SPG Gold, MR Silver
Posts: 1,786
Oct 26, 2012, 2:46 pm
#1003
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 61
Cancel other citi cards?
I have been planning on getting 2 of these Hilton Cards but I currently have 2 Citi AA cards up for renewal right now that I am planning on canceling. Should I apply for this card before or after I cancel my 2 Citi AA cards? Does it make a difference?
Oct 26, 2012, 4:11 pm
#1004
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: BOS .. but soon SFO
Programs: UA PLAT, TK GLD, Hilton Diamond, IC PLAT, SPG GLD, Marriott GLD
Posts: 1,528
depends on your credit score .... you may want to consolidate the credit lines and cancel one .. then if they reject you for the HH cards, you can always ask to get some credit line from your AA card to approve the app
Oct 26, 2012, 4:19 pm
#1005
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Long Beach
Programs: HHonors Diamond, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 1,171