Citi AA credit cards, except Executive. (2013-2014)
 

It is not working and seems to be dead like other 50 K offers.

All good things come to an end :(.

I just clicked on the 50k personal visa link and it sent me to the app page. I am using Firefox. I am not applying for it right now, but it seems to be working for me.

That link has a lot of problem with cookies.
Go into your browser settings, and inside the cookies, do a selective search for "CITI", and then delete all of those cookies.

Restart the browser, and the link should work.

Many thanks to you, jatink129, for maintaining and updating the details. Very helpful to many of us.

Thank you very much jatink129,

My AoR tomorrow will go smoothly because of you =]

Interesting data point I just noticed as I was going back and looking at some statements: I signed up last fall for the 50k Visa with $100 statement credit and 50k personal Amex using the 2BM, and my first charge with AA was only $30 on the Visa (stupid, I know). The following month, I made another booking on AA with the Amex to meet the required spend -- and received a statement credit for the remaining $70 that was applied to the Amex. Seems Citi's systems are programmed to check across all cards.

One is glad to be of service. :)

P.S- Your real thanks should be directed towards people like sdsearch...it was only by reading their posts, that I learnt so much.

Applied with link #1. App went through with message: We have received your application and further processing is required at this time. We will contact you within a week via email regarding our decision.

I hardily agree about learning so much from Sdsearch. She's very generous with her time and knowledge.

Yes, it works. I have tried that method across 3 cards in the last 6 months to get $100 credit.

Been trying everything I can think off. 2 computers, 3 different browsers, deleted all cookies/browsing history, restarted browsers no luck. Still that same error message :( Was able to click through link yesterday. Anyone still having luck? Will try again in the morning.

Looks dead to me. Think the last remaining 50k AA link is gone...

Looks like the link is gone. I am glad i did the 2BM last week. Got two Plat Visas approved...

Two Citi Cards, One Credit Pull
 

Data Points

Citi Accounts
2 AADV Platinum opened > 24 months prior to current apps, closed
Multiple ThankYou most recent opened Q3 2011
1 AADV Business opened Q1 2013, not reported to bureau

Credit
IdentityMonitor FAKOs
Before: Equifax – 769, Experian – 752, Trans Union – 785
After: Equifax – 759, Experian – 749, Trans Union - 782
Citi pulls Experian on me

Apps this Churn
Citi AADV Platinum Select - Experian
Citi ThankYou Preferred - Experian
Amex personal - Experian
Barclays business - Trans Union
US Bank business - Experian

This churn was Experian heavy.

Objective
My objective specific to Citi was to see whether I could get two applications to approval from a single credit pull. This was successful.

Method
I had three theories I wanted to test but only ended up testing the first.

1. Close but Not Same Day Apps
As I outlined in a couple prior posts Citi’s post Feb 1 declines broke down into declines for same product and same day. I questioned whether we could play with the cutoff of the Citi day to have apps far enough apart to count as different days but close enough together to report to the bureau as a single pull.

2. Attempt Multiple Browser User Agents
I was going to attempt this by simply using different browsers to make each of the Citi applications. I forget whether I followed through with this or not but I may have.

3. Attempt Multiple IP Addresses
I was going to do one application from my network and then login to a neighbor’s open wifi to do the second application so the same IP was not registered by Citi. I never did this due to being half asleep at the time of my second application.

Execution
I’d no idea when Citi stops one day and begins another for the purpose of applications. I applied at 11:45 PM Eastern for the AADV app and about 3:30 AM Eastern for the ThankYou app. I figured those constitute different days on any of the US continental time zones.

This was, eventually, successful.

Citi’s applications have a reference number which begins with the date. By applying with a specific time gap I forced them into separate days with the objective of avoiding the same day app decline reason.

App 1 20130505……. AADV Platinum Select
App 2 20130506…… ThankYou Preferred

These dates are made up but it was a Sunday evening if that makes a difference in other’s tests.

Results
App 1 – American Advantage
This app did not go to instant approval but did get to step 5 in the application process so I was fairly confident of approval. I tried chat but it dropped so I called and was approved on the phone. I was surprised they were there that late. I never received an approval email but did get a FedEx shipping notification the next day.

Denial for First Time User – avoided with > 18 mths between apps
Denial for Same Product – avoided with a single American Platinum app
Denial for Same Day – avoided by spacing applications close but not on same day

App 2 – ThankYou Preferred
The app only went to step 3 initially so it didn’t look too good. This was the 3:30 AM app so I didn’t chat or call anyone but let it play out. About a week later I received a letter denying the application on the basis of:

Too many recent credit inquiries are recorded on your credit bureau

Unsuccessful? Not quite. I’d avoided several decline reasons:

Denial for First Time User – avoided with > 18 mths between TY Pref apps
Denial for Same Product – avoided with a single TY Preferred app
Denial for Same Day – avoided by spacing applications close but not on same day

I can hear you. Still it’s a denial, right? Yes but not all denials are the same. Some denials can be overcome by following the instructions in the letter to make your case and some cannot. The Executive Offices can also be utilized but I’ve never done this and have only responded to the credit department on the denial letter.

I have only ever had two card apps denied. Both were Citi. Both were for too many inquiries. Both, including this one, were later approved by pulling a free copy of my Experian bureau and writing them back a nice note asking for reconsideration within the 30 days allotted. I didn’t change anything on my bureau. All the inquiries the system saw were still on there. Both resulted in approved applications without additional bureau pulls when reviewed by a credit specialist.

Full Disclosure
In case others experiment with this timing I want to give full disclosure. Beyond my applications I also secure messaged Citi for credit line increases on all my Citi cards. This is something I haven’t done in the past few years but used to do with the objective of all the bureau pulls from the line increases and apps would be merged by the bureaus at the same time. I stopped the past few years as sign up bonus’ were my focus not spend but with the ease of manufactured spend I’ve begun paying more attention to my lines again.

I had multiple Citi bureau pulls doing this. One for the two new apps and one for EACH of the line increase requests. The bureau pulls were distinguishable by their IDs. The applications merged but the line increases did not. This was the source of the initial denial for the second app.

I also did an account conversion into another Citi product at the same time. This did not seem to trigger a bureau pull.

Next Steps
Hopefully others will test and refine this method. Separating the submission date of the application seems solid after this test. Merging the apps into one bureau pull probably relies on when Citi reports inquiries to the credit bureaus. It doesn’t seem to be live or it would be impossible to have two apps from one pull. However there is likely a time that they send over a file and everything up to that time would merge but everything after would not.

So if they sent a file at 6AM, applications in the 24 hours prior that would merge including those in the six hours of the new day. That would be our target for the second application.

I am uncertain if Citi merges or the bureaus do. But they did merge as confirmed on a new 3-bureau IdentityMonitor pull and a separate Experian pull direct from Experian.

Conclusions
Timing the apps close but not same day did effectively and eventually produce two approved applications with one bureau pull. If it proves out with others test it has the potential to restore half the 2BM incentive: two cards with one pull. Unfortunately the days of two of the same 50,000 AADV Platinum cards appear to be gone.

How strict is AA refund policy? If I buy a refundable ticket, would I get a full refund if I cancel the ticket 1 week after the purchase date?

@CVG_Kid, Very good experiments. I very much like that systematic approach and thank you for sharing the details.

Observation:

1) the merger of pulls is done by bureau, not by bank.
2) weekend helps. speculate that the bureau's system does not operate 24/7 - there is down time for system maintenance.

Can anyone confirm they have been able to get it to work in the last 24 hours?

I just attempted on two different devices using chrome and firefox on all devices and delating all of my cookies.

It is dead and we probably can thank the bloggers for that.

Really? We think the 2BR was dead as citi doesn't allow 2 applications in the same day.

Just curious... How long was that deal up for?

Guess I will wait until tomorrow to make sure the 50K deal is dead.

Looks like the 40K deal is still up so that looks like the best deal now.

This is the two broswer trick right, ya I thought citi killed this earlier this year.

Of course this is dead today!! It's my AoR day :(

I guess I'll end up waiting until tomorrow also to follow up on this also. Let us know if you are able to get into the page!

I was waiting till June 1 to reapply on the 50K link. I had a feeling it might not last that long... :(

The link still worked yesterday. I filled out the application but was not able to submit it.

I did read in the forum before that folks who applied through expired links were told to apply again using a valid link. Somehow the expired link also worked and a new card showed up at their door a week or two down the line.

That's what I did. I applied through an expired link first. I was told by Citi to apply again using a valid link; valid link was approved the same day after calling recon..
The expired link application was valid in the system as well. Few days later, Citi sent an email to call back regarding the app. I called and moved around some credit and behold, the second card was approved too..

2 cards, 1 pull.

I had the same plan, but as soon as I noticed that the Biz 50K link was taken down, I went for the cards. I knew that the personal links would be taken down soooooooon...

sigh....really?
i guess i'm waiting till tomorrow like others are doing
why didn't i do it yesterday.....

I am too busy (or lazy) to add this to the wiki, but there is also a 40K Platinum Mastercard (3K spend) that may make sense for anyone who has and is keeping an old AA Visa, especially since Citi seems to be clamping down some on churning. It also says it has a chip, YMMV. http://creditcards.citicards.com/usc...TRAVEL&BT_TX=1 landing page

My in-laws are going to apply for a few credit cards. Something like one of the AA cards, Ink Bold (the plus one), USAir, and maybe one other.

I understand that you can only do one AA per day. So they would wait a few days and get the second AA card.

Is there a thought as to doing Personal and then another personal a few days later or should they do a Personal then biz a few days later. Surely they will do the 40k offer.

Furthermore, should they apply for a bunch of cards first (incl. one AA) and then the second AA card a few days later OR should they apply for one AA card and then a few days later apply for a bunch (incl. the 2nd AA card)

Thanks!

Well, I may have the first counter to that. I applied through the "50k miles after $2500 spend in 4 months" personal AA visa link on 5/18. I just received the cards and sent a secure message to confirm the promotion terms.

Their reply was that I was enrolled in a promotion for 45,000 miles after $5000 spend in 4 months. That sound familiar to anyone? The doubled spending requirement is not a welcome detail...

They invited me to submit a copy of the "front and back of the offer you were solicited" in order to review it. Anyone have a screen shot of the 50k offer landing page?

Though (from what I've read) CITI won't let you apply for another similar card, for example, applying for the 50k (now dead) Visa and then later applying for the Amex.
BUT, from the most recent reports, going back a page or two, it seems a few people were successful in doing just that...so there really isn't any sure answer. It is YMMV. You could try the Platinum select then the World Mastercard and then 65-70 days later, the Business.

As for your other question, the whole point of applying for multiple cards together is so that the respective CC companies won't see the other pulls, because they don't happen in real time(for the better part).
Applying for one card on Day 1 and then doing an AOR on Day 2, would reduce your chances of approval.

Stick to the rules.

Day 1- AOR with a personal platinum card.
Day 3- 2nd citi card.
Day 75- Citi business card.

Interesting...
Try calling again, I guess...Speak to a CSR and see what they say? Or speak the agent when you call the number to activate the card.

The point I was trying to get across was that there haven't been any reports of applying for the card and then being denied the points by Citi...Even in your case, they've changed the amount and the min. spend, but you're still getting points.

I think you didn't or failed to clear the cookies before you applied for the 50/2.5k offer.
It seems typical newbie mistake.

I applied last Tuesday for the 50k after $2500 spend in 4 months and confirmed it with the CSR today.

Certainly could be. EDIT: My memory could be going...maybe I need to double check I didn't use link #2 instead of link #1 and maybe I'll end up with the AC passes...

Fair point, my apologies if it seemed I was impugning your statement... :D

It's all good! ;)

Let us know of the outcome, either way.

Well.... Citi Gold Mastercard 30K link is now dead too.

1) It seems to be unclear whether you can apply for two Platinum Select cards within approximately 18 months. Is there any harm in trying? In other words, if you try and they say no because you applied for another in the time period, do they just ignore the app or does it count for purposes of the 65 day rule, etc.?

2) I recently got the 45,000 miles Plat Select with two AC passes. Citi says I get the passes 10-12 weeks after holding the card for one year and paying the annual fee. I thought it was about 3 months after getting the card. If I want the passes, how best to proceed?

:confused: because I applied for this Visa using this link about a week ago. I activated the card yesterday and was told 50K miles after 3K spend in 4 months with up to $150 statement credit for AA purchase

Here is the application page for 30K gold card. I had the landing page open in my browser from yesterday :D