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

Old Jun 13, 2013, 2:57 pm
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Last edit by: mia
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See the new thread & wiki at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/citi-...24-months.html.

* * *


SEE NEW THREAD - 50K AA Cards


As of Sunday August 25, 2013:
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.

Landing page for 50K Business and Personal MC requires $3K spend in 3 months. $95 annual fee, waived first year. This page leads to the following application pages:
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 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. Landing page available here.

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
  1. Are these AA cards churnable?
  2. What are the most current time-restriction rules in applying for all Citi cards?
  3. Do I need to close existing cards before applying?
  4. When should I close existing Citi accounts?
  5. Can I apply for a business card if I dont have a business?
  6. Can I buy Visa gift cards to meet my minimum spend?
  7. Do I get 10% back when redeeming miles for awards?
  8. Do I have to use my own AAdvantage number on applications?
  9. There is nothing on the application page stating the bonus miles. How do I know what I will be getting?
  10. When will my bonus miles post?
  11. I met the minimum spend. Why does my statement say "Miles Reported to AA: 0"?
  12. Can I cancel a card using secure messaging?
  13. I activated the card online and got a message about this card replacing an old card. What does that mean?
  14. 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 dont 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, its 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
It does not apply to the Citi Gold World MasterCard, Citi Executive products, or some of the Citi Business cards.

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."
This is normal and is supposed to be displayed when activating a replacement card but it seems to display even when activating a brand new card. This is nothing to worry about.


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

Old Jun 11, 2013, 5:13 pm
  #181  
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 4,166
So I tried to link my new AAdvantage Business card to my existing Citi AAdvantage personal cards online and it's not letting me. Do I have to create ANOTHER damn Citi account?
Superorb is offline  
Old Jun 11, 2013, 5:46 pm
  #182  
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 55
Originally Posted by Superorb
So I tried to link my new AAdvantage Business card to my existing Citi AAdvantage personal cards online and it's not letting me. Do I have to create ANOTHER damn Citi account?
Yep, Citi is ridiculous. 1 login for personal cards, 1 for biz card, and 1 for Hilton Reserve (co-brand).
hedge is offline  
Old Jun 11, 2013, 7:50 pm
  #183  
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 657
found a 40k visa link with $100 statement credit...sorry if this is already out there, but I thought the links on the main page do not have the statement credit.

http://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/ea...isa_ccpage.jsp

Earn up to 40,000 American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles1
30,000 AAdvantage bonus miles after you make $750 in purchases within the first 4 months of cardmembership1

An additional 10,000 AAdvantage bonus miles after $5,000 in purchases during the first 6 months of cardmembership1

$100 Statement Credit2
Receive a one-time $100 statement credit for the first eligible American Airlines purchase you make within the first 12 months of cardmembership2.


AND a diff link for the business visa with less spending

http://citi.bridgetrack.com/usc/Trav...9899008CC85035

• Earn 40,000 AAdvantage bonus miles after spending $2,000 in purchases within 4 months of becoming a cardmember2
• Receive a one-time $100 statement credit after your first eligible American Airlines purchase made within the first 12 months of cardmembership
drdrew450 is offline  
Old Jun 11, 2013, 8:26 pm
  #184  
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Programs: AA
Posts: 43
Bumming a bit, just got my first personal decline. I have a long time citi visa and have been churning two other citi's for the extra miles. At the 13 month point on the two (visa & AE), I applied for the 50k visa (May 23) and got same day approval through the online chat. On May 29, I requested a 30k AE, which I found a home page doing a google search. Only made it to 3rd level so I knew I was probably in trouble. Got the dreaded letter, which said "You have submitted multiple applications for credit." Called in and they told me I could only have one or the other, but since I had already used the visa, it is too late to get the AE and they can not change the denial. I don't know if the AE is more sensitive than the MC, etc, but since Costco only takes AE, this is why I went that route.

Looks like I'll stop doing two at nearly the same time each year and start pacing them 6 months apart. We'll see if that works better.
codybear is offline  
Old Jun 11, 2013, 10:05 pm
  #185  
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,624
Originally Posted by drdrew450
found a 40k visa link with $100 statement credit...sorry if this is already out there, but I thought the links on the main page do not have the statement credit.

http://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/ea...isa_ccpage.jsp

Earn up to 40,000 American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles1
30,000 AAdvantage bonus miles after you make $750 in purchases within the first 4 months of cardmembership1

An additional 10,000 AAdvantage bonus miles after $5,000 in purchases during the first 6 months of cardmembership1

$100 Statement Credit2
Receive a one-time $100 statement credit for the first eligible American Airlines purchase you make within the first 12 months of cardmembership2.


AND a diff link for the business visa with less spending

http://citi.bridgetrack.com/usc/Trav...9899008CC85035

• Earn 40,000 AAdvantage bonus miles after spending $2,000 in purchases within 4 months of becoming a cardmember2
• Receive a one-time $100 statement credit after your first eligible American Airlines purchase made within the first 12 months of cardmembership
The reason these landing pages are not in the wiki is very simple. Just click on the application links and you'll see.
SeeBuyFly is offline  
Old Jun 12, 2013, 6:06 am
  #186  
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 389
(forgive me if this has been asked before - I searched but couldn't find a similar post)

I applied for, and was approved for, the platinum personal visa through the 50K link that was formerly on this thread. I called back a few days later and was approved. I asked the rep to go over the terms, and she mentioned that it was for 40K... I didn't argue at the time, but when I receive my card, would like to call and state that I applied for 50K. Has this been done? Any success or suggestions? thanks.
katstarr is offline  
Old Jun 12, 2013, 7:45 am
  #187  
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: WAS
Programs: UA GS, AA EXP, WN A+, Hyatt Glob, Marriott Tit, Hertz PC
Posts: 1,120
I was instantly approved for the Citi Platinum World Mastercard (40k miles) 48 hours ago. Is my only option for a second card the Gold AA Visa Signature card for 25k miles? Should I hold off to see if there's a 30k Gold option?
Duke777 is offline  
Old Jun 12, 2013, 7:52 am
  #188  
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Programs: Airline Free Agent, Fairmont Lifetime Platinum, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Honors Diamond
Posts: 3,041
Trying to keep up with the Citi AA links makes my head spin
gpapadop is offline  
Old Jun 12, 2013, 10:56 am
  #189  
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: TPA
Programs: spg gold
Posts: 405
Looks like 18 to 24 months on the personal card, but when can we is it safe for the business card. I think it's been about 6 mos since my last app.
jkoenig51 is offline  
Old Jun 12, 2013, 1:32 pm
  #190  
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: ATL
Posts: 347
Man these Citi apps are difficult to keep up with. I have been reading through this to get a clear picture on what my wife can get next but still a bit unsure. I applied for 2 personals myself Sept last year when the 2 browser trick worked 50K amex and 50K visa with $100 credit on AA purchase for each. I presume that only leaves me open for a business card at this point until I wait 18-24 months out from my personal apps.

For my wife she applied in March for a single Citi Amex 50K with $150 credit on AA purchase. This was after the 2 browser trick died so she only did the one personal app. I think people have since discovered you can get another personal just not on the same day, but I am unclear on which personal versions she could get without a denial.

Knowing which version she got can she only apply for personal gold? platinum MC? Platinum Visa?

Is my understanding on my apps correct? can I get any other personals cards?

I want to max out my AA potential before AA/US merge and potentially issue new products.
aviator8 is offline  
Old Jun 12, 2013, 2:33 pm
  #191  
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 488
Originally Posted by ziwei
so Max platinum cards = 2?
If I have Platinum Visa & Amex, I can not apply for the 40K platinum master card?
Actually, if you got your last plat Visa & Amex >12-18 months ago, you should be able to get another plat. I had a plat Visa still open (they waived the annual fee and offered me a retention bonus) and got another plat Visa with 50k bonus in March (>18 mo's after 1st plat Visa app), then a Gold MC >1 month later. But now, I don't think I can get a plat MC.
Long Islander is offline  
Old Jun 12, 2013, 2:59 pm
  #192  
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 389
Wink

Originally Posted by katstarr
(forgive me if this has been asked before - I searched but couldn't find a similar post)

I applied for, and was approved for, the platinum personal visa through the 50K link that was formerly on this thread. I called back a few days later and was approved. I asked the rep to go over the terms, and she mentioned that it was for 40K... I didn't argue at the time, but when I receive my card, would like to call and state that I applied for 50K. Has this been done? Any success or suggestions? thanks.
so, I just called citiband, and was told that I would be getting 40,000 points. I asked to speak to a specialist saying that my understanding was that the link I used to apply for the card was for 50,000 points. I was left on hold for about ten minutes, and then the same rep came on the line and she said that she had documented that I in fact had applied for a card with a 50K bonus, and gave me a confirmation number to that effect. (once again - thank you flyertalk!!!)
katstarr is offline  
Old Jun 12, 2013, 6:13 pm
  #193  
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: AA Gold, US Silver, Starwood Gold, Starbucks Gold
Posts: 330
Odd issue - I recently moved apartments (~1 month ago), and applied for one of the Citi AA cards with my new address. Citi has asked me to send in proof of address via a residual telephone bill (which I don't have) or a utility/water/cable bill (which is included in my rent). I sent in my rent, which shows the cable portion, but it doesn't look like that suffices for them. I have an existing Citi account (opened a Citi Dividend Select credit card 5+ years ago).

Any ideas on what to do?
midnightinharlem is offline  
Old Jun 12, 2013, 6:31 pm
  #194  
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: New York
Programs: Cutting down :-(
Posts: 604
Originally Posted by midnightinharlem
Odd issue - I recently moved apartments (~1 month ago), and applied for one of the Citi AA cards with my new address. Citi has asked me to send in proof of address via a residual telephone bill (which I don't have) or a utility/water/cable bill (which is included in my rent). I sent in my rent, which shows the cable portion, but it doesn't look like that suffices for them. I have an existing Citi account (opened a Citi Dividend Select credit card 5+ years ago).

Any ideas on what to do?
I had the problem with amex last time I moved. I solved the problem by sending them a copy of a credit card statement showing my new address.
cvarming is offline  
Old Jun 12, 2013, 7:49 pm
  #195  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,927
Originally Posted by midnightinharlem
Odd issue - I recently moved apartments (~1 month ago), and applied for one of the Citi AA cards with my new address. Citi has asked me to send in proof of address via a residual telephone bill (which I don't have) or a utility/water/cable bill (which is included in my rent). I sent in my rent, which shows the cable portion, but it doesn't look like that suffices for them. I have an existing Citi account (opened a Citi Dividend Select credit card 5+ years ago).

Any ideas on what to do?
Obviously this is too late for you, but for anyone else reading, I suggest you do it in the opposite order.

Immediately upon starting my recent apartment move, I changed my address at Citi (in fact, not to my new apartment address, but to my mailbox at a local UPS Store). Once I verified that my Citi bills were all coming to my new address, I applied for a new Citi card using that new address, and they didn't flinch. (Btw, because it was hard to do online, with multiple logins and all, I had changed my address iwth Citi over the phone. I don't know if that helped.)

But the point is, because of all this financial activity, my new mailing address is already in my credit reports. It's that presumably which any bank that doesn't yet know will check.

It's probably because they can't yet see your new address on your credit report that they want all this verification from you.

Did you update the mailing address on your Citi Divident Select account already?
sdsearch is offline  

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