Last edit by: mia
This wiki is no longer being maintained/updated.
See the new thread & wiki at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/citi-...24-months.html.
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See the new thread & wiki at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/citi-...24-months.html.
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SEE NEW THREAD - 50K AA Cards
As of Sunday August 25, 2013:
Reports indicate personal cards can no longer be rapidly churned.
Reports indicate personal cards can no longer be rapidly churned.
Click HERE to review the previous thread on this topic.
Recommended Application Procedure:
Clear cache and cookies prior to applying or use an incognito or private browsing session to apply. Opening multiple different apps in different windows or tabs or failing to clear cookies/cache has resulted in people receiving a lesser offer.
For information on the Executive version of this card, with $450 annual fee, not waived, see: Up to 100k miles Citi Executive AAdvantage offers
MOST CURRENT 50K LINKS:
Citi Personal and Business:50K miles & two Admirals Club one-day passes after $3000 spend in 3 months, $95 fee waived first year.
Citi AA Platinum Personal Mastercard, 50,000 miles after $3k spend in 3 months. $95 annual fee, waived first year. Landing page available here. This is a CHIP and Signature card.
- Citi AA Platinum Personal Mastercard 50,000 miles. This is a CHIP and Signature card.
- Citi AA Business Mastercard 50,000 miles.
- Citi AA Platinum Personal Mastercard 50,000 miles. This is a CHIP and Signature card.
- Citi AA Business Mastercard 50,000 miles.
Landing page for 50K Business and Personal MC after $3K spend in 3 months. $95 annual fee, waived first year. This page leads to the following application pages:
Landing page for 50K Business MC after $3K spend in 3 months. $95 annual fee, waived first year. This page leads to this application page.
OTHER PERSONAL CARDS
Citi Platinum Select Mastercard. 30,000 miles after $1k spend in 3 months. $95 annual fee, waived first year. Up to $100 statement credit for AA purchases. Landing page available here.
Citi Platinum Select Mastercard. 30,000 miles after $1k spend in 3 months. $95 annual fee, waived first year.
Citi Gold Mastercard. 25,000 miles after $750 spend in 3 months. $50 annual fee, waived first year. Landing page available here
If you are already a Citigold customer, read this post from the Miles Professor about another 50K offer from your branch office for the American Airlines credit card.
OTHER BUSINESS CARDS
Citi Business MasterCard. 40,000 miles after $3k spend in 3 months. $95 annual fee, waived first year.
Citi Business Mastercard. 35,000 miles after $1.5k spend in 3 months.
Citi Business Mastercard. 30,000 miles after $1k spend in 3 months. $95 annual fee, waived first year. Landing page available here.
Citi Business Mastercard. 30,000 miles after $1k spend in 3 months. $95 annual fee, waived first year. Up to $100 statement credit for AA purchases. Landing page available here.
Citibank Contacts/Resources (Please add the others that you know)
- Application status: https://www.accountonline.com/cards/...?screenID=3187
- (800) 695-5171 – Personal Application Status and Reconsideration Line with live rep
- (800) 763-9795 – General Personal Application Inquiries with live rep
- (800) 645-7240 – Business Application Status and Reconsideration Line, dial option 3 then option 1 for application status
- (800) 288-4653 – Business Application Status and Reconsideration Line, dial option 3 then option 1 for application status
- (866) 606-2787 – General Application and Account Questions with live rep
- (888) 201-4523 – Application status
- (866) 606-2961 – Reconsideration Line.
- Twitter : @AskCiti. Very powerful tool.
- Executive Office - useful for getting a more empowered agent for reconsideration purposes: CitiBank Executive Review Department, P.O. Box 6000, Sioux Falls, SD 57117
FAQ
- Are these AA cards churnable?
- What are the most current time-restriction rules in applying for all Citi cards?
- Do I need to close existing cards before applying?
- When should I close existing Citi accounts?
- Can I apply for a business card if I don’t have a business?
- Can I buy Visa gift cards to meet my minimum spend?
- Do I get 10% back when redeeming miles for awards?
- Do I have to use my own AAdvantage number on applications?
- There is nothing on the application page stating the bonus miles. How do I know what I will be getting?
- When will my bonus miles post?
- I met the minimum spend. Why does my statement say "Miles Reported to AA: 0"?
- Can I cancel a card using secure messaging?
- I activated the card online and got a message about this card replacing an old card. What does that mean?
- Which credit bureau does Citi pull and can I force them to use a different one?
1. Are these AA cards churnable?
Yes and No. The general rules are:
- Personal AA cards: As of August 25, 2013 all linked personal AA cards in this thread can be churned only after Citi decides that you are no longer an existing cardmember. This usually occurs between 12 and 26 months after your last successful AA personal card approval of any type including AA Executive card(s). If you want both a Platinum card and an Executive AA card and are eligible under the 12-26 month rule, get the Platinum card first or the Executive card will restart the clock. Although it is not a hard-and-fast rule, 18 months after previous approval is the most common. YMMV. You do not need to cancel old personal cards.
- Note: You cannot circumvent this rule by applying for a card type different from your previous Citi AA card. If your last personal AA card was a Visa, the waiting period for your next personal AA card will be the same regardless of whether you apply for a Visa, MC, or Amex.
- Business AA cards: have been churnable repeatedly by some people without restriction other than the general Citi application rules. Apply once every 91-95 days. For unknown reasons, some other people have been unable to churn business cards at all. Also, some (but not all) people need to completely cancel their previous business card (ie, cancel both the card account and the associated master account) before they can apply for another business card.
Note: If you encounter difficulty in obtaining a Citi AA business card after holding one before, it may because of the unusual way Citi sets up business accounts. The business account per se has its own master number; like a standard MC/Visa, this master account number is 16 digits. In addition, each card on the account has its own 16-digit card number. Each of these numbers, including the number for the primary cardholder, is different from the master account number.
Sometimes, when you call to close your card account, all the card numbers are canceled but the master account remains open. When this happens, subsequent applications for a business card may encounter difficulty. Online, there should be a dropdown of accounts under your business login; the number that match your card number is your card account, the number that does not match your card number is your master account. When cancelling, ask to cancel both accounts, giving the last 4 digts of each (as shown in that dropdown).
2. What are the most current time-restriction rules in applying for all Citi cards?
- Only 1 Citi application of any kind per week (8 days to be safe).
- No more than 2 Citi applications of any kind in 60 days (65 days to be safe).
- No more than 1 Citi business application in 90 days (95 to be safe). This does not override the rules above.
While the day limits are a little flexible by a few days either way and YMMV, the rules themselves are not flexible. Note: In applying the rules above, count all Citi applications, including denials and/or applications for non-AA cards.
Mixed type Example:
Day 1 60K HHonors Visa
Day 9 or later 50K Personal Platinum Visa
Day 66 or later 50K Business #1
Day 74 or later 60K Executive
Day 161 or later 50K Business #2
18 Months, 74 days or later 50K Personal Platinum Visa
Not sure what day you applied? The date is written year, month, day in the application number: 201402280000 means you applied on Feb 28, 2014
3. Do I need to close existing cards before applying?
No. There is no requirement that you close previous personal accounts. People have reported having 4 or more of the exact same card. However, many people have reported problems getting AA Business cards if they have an open Business account.
4. When should I close existing Citi accounts?
This is a matter of personal preference. Citi cards can be closed immediately after receiving a bonus and paying off the balance. There are no verifiable reports of Citi clawing back miles (exception - miles were clawed back for returned merchandise around November 2011).
Reasons to keep accounts open:
- Having large credit lines improves your utilization percentage.
- Maintaining old cards improves average age of cards.
- Credit lines can be moved from old cards to new cards.
- Anecdotal evidence suggests that Citi counts the credit lines of recently-closed accounts for 3-6 months against your total available credit.
- You can receive retention offers once every 6 months per card. See this thread for details on the latest retention offers.
Reasons to close accounts:
- Having a large amount of available credit with Citi will eventually reduce your chances of instant approval. Your application will automatically be reviewed if your CL's total 75K or more. This may also result in a large disparity between existing account CL's and new CL's, such as 20K, 20K and 1K for a new card, as an example.
- There is little incentive to pay an annual fee if it is not waived.
- The annual fee on Business cards is rarely waived.
- Having a large number of open Citi cards will show up on your credit report and may affect non-Citi applications as well as the overall age of your accounts.
5. Can I apply for a business card if I don’t have a business?
Anyone can apply for a business card. You do not need a registered business with an EIN. If you do not have a business with an EIN or with bills/accounts in the business name, you can apply using your name as the business. The three possibilities are that: 1. You could be approved unconditionally, 2. You could be asked to fax a couple of bills or accounts (water, electricity, gas, cable, or phone bills, bank accounts, etc.) in the name of the business to Citi, or 3. You could be required to fill out and send a 4506-T tax form. Whatever you do do not make up income etc. about the business. Plenty of people have been issued cards for businesses with $0 annual revenue, 1-5 employees, and 0 years in business.
6. Can I buy Visa gift cards to meet my minimum spend?
Purchases from banks are almost always coded as a cash advance regardless of what they are for. Purchases from stores, e.g. CVS, are almost always coded as a purchase.
If you are concerned about it, it’s recommended to send a secure message Citi and have them set your Cash Advance limit to zero. Phone CSRs often say they can not do this.
7. Do I get 10% back when redeeming miles for awards?
It depends. First, the rebate program (which began in April 2012) applies only to holders of these cards:
- Citi Platinum Select AAdvantage Visa Signature
- Citi Platinum Select AAdvantage World MasterCard
- Citi Platinum Select AAdvantage World Elite MasterCard
- Citi Select AAdvantage American Express
Also, the maximum rebate for any cardholder in a single calendar year is 10,000 miles. Having more than one qualifying Citi AA card will not allow you to receive a larger rebate; the restriction applies per AAdvantage account.
For more on the 10% rebate benefit, see Citi 10% miles back / rebate for reward redemption.
8. Do I have to use my own AAdvantage number on applications?
Yes. The name on the card application must match the name on the AAdvantage account. You cannot apply for multiple cards for different people and use the same AAdvantage account number. AA does not care or even know how many Citi accounts you have so there is no harm in having your AAdvantage account number associated with multiple cards in your name. If you forget to add your AAdvantage account number to your application, an AAdvantage account in your name will be created and can later be merged with your existing account by calling AA.
9. There is nothing on the application page stating the bonus miles. How do I know what I will be getting?
You need to have faith in the people here if you want to maximize your miles. The people on this board constantly apply for these cards and report back what they are told are the benefits and what they actually receive. The way Citi works is that if you are approved for a card, you will get the bonus associated with the link you applied under as long as you make the minimum spend. It does not matter if you already had the card or anything else. If you are approved - then you get the bonus. The two exceptions to this are: 1. If you fail to clear your cache and accidentally load a cached application, you get the miles associated with that application and 2. Some people have recently succeeded in 'bumping the bonus' by contacting Citi and requesting a match to a 50K offer after applying for a 40K card. If you don't feel like trusting in the experiences of others, then apply for an offer with a landing page.
10. When will my bonus miles post?
Two working days after the date of the statement containing the charge that takes you across the spend threshold. It posts overnight, it'll be there when you check your AAdvantage account in the morning.
11. I met the minimum spend. Why does my statement say "Miles Reported to AA: 0"?
No one knows exactly why this is happening to some people (Citi blames AA, AA blames Citi, and both blame the merger). It supposedly has something to do with the time it takes them to properly link your AAdvantage number to your card. There are two ways to deal with this:
- Wait 1-2 statement periods, and see if the points post on their own. Per Citi, it can take this long for the accounts to link.
- Call AA (1-800-882-8880) and open a case about it. Most people have had their miles post within 2 weeks of doing this.
For ongoing discussion, see Some AA Citi Card miles not transferred to AAdvantage accounts [Q3 2013 - Q1 2014]
12. Can I cancel a card using secure messaging?
Yes, assuming you have set up the credit card in your Citi account. Quick and easy.
13. I activated the card online and got a message about this card replacing an old card. What does that mean?
When activating cards online, Citi normally displays the text:
"This account replaces your old account, which is now closed. Statements for your old account will be available for up to 6 months. Your current account summary and unbilled transactions are now listed under your new account number."
14. Which credit bureau does Citi pull and can I force them to use a different one?
Citi appears to use Experian most frequently, followed by Equifax. For some people they pull both. It depends on where you are located. You can check the Credit Boards database to see where card issuers have pulled recently.
For the most part, freezing Experian, or another bureau, will not cause Citi to pull a different bureau. They will almost certainly require you to unfreeze the bureau they wish to pull or deny your application. Some people have been successful providing the PIN but others have not. Mostly, freezing a credit bureau in an attempt to force Citi to pull a different one seems to waste time, money, and effort for little result. But YMMV.
For one person's experiences with various card issuers, check here.
For rules and info on any offers that include Admirals club passes or statement credits, see here.
Citi AA credit cards, except Executive. (2013-2014)
#256
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: fort worth, texas
Posts: 946
Hi everyone,
I asked similar questions in the newbie thread, but this seems like a better place.
I got approved for a Citi Platinum Select/AAdavantage card (woo) with what I believe is the 40,000/$3,000 offer (not 50,000, alas).
Firstly, I have received the little information packet (here's the interest rates, congrats, etc). The card should be in the mail this week, hopefully. There has been nothing stated about the offer, though they did say that my fee was waived for the first year. Will they ever come out and say that I'm a part of the 40,000/3000/4 offer, or do I have to confirm on the phone with somebody?
Secondly, for those of you with the card, can you give me any idea of how much spending and flying I have to do to make next years fee worth it? Has anyone done any calculating on this?
Thanks. Seems to be a pretty friendly bunch here, I'm excited to become a part of the forums.
I asked similar questions in the newbie thread, but this seems like a better place.
I got approved for a Citi Platinum Select/AAdavantage card (woo) with what I believe is the 40,000/$3,000 offer (not 50,000, alas).
Firstly, I have received the little information packet (here's the interest rates, congrats, etc). The card should be in the mail this week, hopefully. There has been nothing stated about the offer, though they did say that my fee was waived for the first year. Will they ever come out and say that I'm a part of the 40,000/3000/4 offer, or do I have to confirm on the phone with somebody?
Secondly, for those of you with the card, can you give me any idea of how much spending and flying I have to do to make next years fee worth it? Has anyone done any calculating on this?
Thanks. Seems to be a pretty friendly bunch here, I'm excited to become a part of the forums.
1. You will never receive anything "in writing" from Citi, but you should be able to confirm by phone with a CSR when you receive the card or send a SM when you have the online account set-up. IF you get an answer that seems wrong, try again since some of the CSRs are clueless (and when you ask, have them tell you the miles and spend-- don't ask and have them say "yes" b/c a dumb one may just do that without checking for sure). BUT, you are probably fine. I can't remember hearing any "glitch" with Citi where what you applied for didn't actually come through. The rule with Citi is if you get the card, you will get the offer.
2. There's no set answer. If you fly a lot, a couple of times with the bag fee-waiver would cancel out the fee, but you have yo decide how much you value AA miles in general and whether you want to make it a main card for spend. However, the simple solution is to meet the spend, and 9-12 months in threaten to cancel the card and you'll more than likely get a fee waiver AND a bonus offer. Head over to check out the "Citibank Retention Offer" thread over in the main Credit Card forum to learn the in's-and-out's as well as what number to call and what to say when the time comes.
#257
Join Date: Jan 2010
Programs: AA EXP/LT PLT
Posts: 1,467
8. Do I get 10% back when redeeming miles for awards?
It depends. First, the rebate program (which began in April 2012) applies only to holders of these cards:
It depends. First, the rebate program (which began in April 2012) applies only to holders of these cards:
- Citi Platinum Select AAdvantage Visa Signature
- Citi Platinum Select AAdvantage World MasterCard
- Citi Platinum Select AAdvantage World Elite MasterCard
- Citi Select AAdvantage American Express
or is it Citi Executive AAdvantage World Elite MasterCard ?
If it is the executive, it doesn't come with the 10% miles back.
Unbelievable? but it is true.
#258
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: On strike
Posts: 8,135
#259
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 178
FWIW, got Amex and Visa 50k offers back in january, and just got approved for 40k MC offer today. May try getting a business card in a few days.
#261
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 315
Welcome, nubie
They should post within a day or so for the statement cutoff date for the period in which you meet the threshold. Of course, you probably want to not wait until the last day or so of the statement cutoff date, or it'll be the next one.
Oh, and don't panic if they don't show on your Citi statement-- occasionally they will post to AA on time, but a "glitch" prevents them from showing up on the statement until the next period.
They should post within a day or so for the statement cutoff date for the period in which you meet the threshold. Of course, you probably want to not wait until the last day or so of the statement cutoff date, or it'll be the next one.
Oh, and don't panic if they don't show on your Citi statement-- occasionally they will post to AA on time, but a "glitch" prevents them from showing up on the statement until the next period.
#262
Join Date: May 2012
Location: DFW
Programs: Marriott (Titanium); National (Exec); Hilton (Gold)
Posts: 175
50k might be coming back. Just got targeted email for 50k after $3k spend in 3 Months. Email came in around 5:15PM today. Perfect timing because I was going to apply tomorrow for the 40k. Cathay F here I come.
#263
Join Date: Jan 2010
Programs: AA EXP/LT PLT
Posts: 1,467
Not sure but it looks citi eased up their ave-18 months rule.
A few years ago, I got denied for "not a 1st time customer".
If their rule had not been changed, I should have gotten rejected as my last approval for the personal plat CC was just 60+ days ago.
I guess it is possible to get 2 personal plat CCs if applied a few days apart.
#264
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Upstate
Programs: HH Diamond-IHG Plat-AA Gold
Posts: 215
Got the same offer this evening as well. Zombie links might be dead, but 50k isn't entirely gone yet. ^
#265
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Near TEB and KLX
Posts: 76
Here is the main text:
_________________________________________
Change the way you travel with the
Citi® Platinum Select® / AAdvantage® Visa Signature® card!*
Apply now, get the card and earn 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage®bonus miles after making $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of cardmembership1.
Rewarding benefits for rewarding journeys: •Your first checked bag free†
•Group 1 boarding2
•10% of your redeemed AAdvantage® miles back — up to 10,000 AAdvantage® miles each calendar year3
•Earn two AAdvantage® miles per $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases4
What's more, the annual card fee of $95** is waived for the first year!
______________________________________________
The fine print in the email states among other things:
"* This Citi® / AAdvantage® card offer is valid only for a new Citi® / AAdvantage® account applied for by August 31, 2013 pursuant to this offer is not available to existing cardmembers or recent applicants for a Citi® / AAdvantage® credit card."
AND:
"This email was sent to XYZZZZ @ XYZZZZmail.ZZZ because you subscribe to AAdvantage® promotions emails."
So it appears that it is targeted very widely and may be available to anyone as per first quote above.
So it appears that the 50K is back.
Last edited by jimbous; Jun 20, 2013 at 5:17 pm
#266
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: SAN
Posts: 1,396
Got it too this afternoon.
Here is the main text:
_________________________________________
Change the way you travel with the
Citi® Platinum Select® / AAdvantage® Visa Signature® card!*
Apply now, get the card and earn 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage®bonus miles after making $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of cardmembership1.
Rewarding benefits for rewarding journeys: •Your first checked bag free†
•Group 1 boarding2
•10% of your redeemed AAdvantage® miles back — up to 10,000 AAdvantage® miles each calendar year3
•Earn two AAdvantage® miles per $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases4
What's more, the annual card fee of $95** is waived for the first year!
______________________________________________
The fine print in the email states among other things:
"* This Citi® / AAdvantage® card offer is valid only for a new Citi® / AAdvantage® account applied for by August 31, 2013 pursuant to this offer is not available to existing cardmembers or recent applicants for a Citi® / AAdvantage® credit card."
AND:
"This email was sent to XYZZZZ @ XYZZZZmail.ZZZ because you subscribe to AAdvantage® promotions emails."
So it appears that it is targeted very widely and may be available to anyone as per first quote above.
So it appears that the 50K is back.
Here is the main text:
_________________________________________
Change the way you travel with the
Citi® Platinum Select® / AAdvantage® Visa Signature® card!*
Apply now, get the card and earn 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage®bonus miles after making $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of cardmembership1.
Rewarding benefits for rewarding journeys: •Your first checked bag free†
•Group 1 boarding2
•10% of your redeemed AAdvantage® miles back — up to 10,000 AAdvantage® miles each calendar year3
•Earn two AAdvantage® miles per $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases4
What's more, the annual card fee of $95** is waived for the first year!
______________________________________________
The fine print in the email states among other things:
"* This Citi® / AAdvantage® card offer is valid only for a new Citi® / AAdvantage® account applied for by August 31, 2013 pursuant to this offer is not available to existing cardmembers or recent applicants for a Citi® / AAdvantage® credit card."
AND:
"This email was sent to XYZZZZ @ XYZZZZmail.ZZZ because you subscribe to AAdvantage® promotions emails."
So it appears that it is targeted very widely and may be available to anyone as per first quote above.
So it appears that the 50K is back.
#267
Join Date: May 2012
Location: DFW
Programs: Marriott (Titanium); National (Exec); Hilton (Gold)
Posts: 175
-Get 1-2 "pre approved" Citi AA card direct mail pieces a month (usually for the 40k after $5k in 3 months)
-Recently signed up for Energy Plus AA mileage offer..maybe that triggered it?
#268
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Near TEB and KLX
Posts: 76
* Recently activated the AAdvantage Dining Program and have gotten FF miles thru that.
Irrelevant comment directed at XMS91 above:
I also had registered for the Energy Plus AA mileage program about 7 yrs ago and had to cancel it and return to my local utility because it turned out the E+ rates were more expensive than my local utility!!!
#269
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Near TEB and KLX
Posts: 76
Also, does your AA promo email state this like mine did, or any other reason for the targeting?
"This email was sent to XYZZZZ @ XYZZZZmail.ZZZ because you subscribe to AAdvantage® promotions emails."
Also, see my comment about E+ above.
#270
Join Date: May 2012
Location: DFW
Programs: Marriott (Titanium); National (Exec); Hilton (Gold)
Posts: 175
* Had an AA Citi card that was cancelled by me about 4 yrs ago.
* Recently activated the AAdvantage Dining Program and have gotten FF miles thru that.
Irrelevant comment directed at XMS91 above:
I also had registered for the Energy Plus AA mileage program about 7 yrs ago and had to cancel it and return to my local utility because it turned out the E+ rates were more expensive than my local utility!!!
* Recently activated the AAdvantage Dining Program and have gotten FF miles thru that.
Irrelevant comment directed at XMS91 above:
I also had registered for the Energy Plus AA mileage program about 7 yrs ago and had to cancel it and return to my local utility because it turned out the E+ rates were more expensive than my local utility!!!