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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 Mar 6, 2014, 12:47 pm
  #4351  
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 3,677
Originally Posted by KidA001
I just missed the window for the $3k spend because of a return by $40. My fault for not clearing it up within the first month like I usually do with all my cards.

Have called a few times and the Reps are super nice and want to get me the miles, but they have to get approval through the marketing department and always come back on the phone saying they won't 'extend the offer'.

Has anyone delt with this before? Need some advice. Can't seem to talk to the marketing dept. directly.
Sadly, from what I've read, Citi seems to play hardball on these types of things. I've not read of anyone getting this extended.
Brugge is offline  
Old Mar 6, 2014, 12:56 pm
  #4352  
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 3,677
Originally Posted by StartinSanDiego
This just happened to Mr San Diego too. Data points show that the Business cards can vary wildly. Maybe as more people chime in, we will be able to discern a pattern.
Lots of people have chimed in already. We have discerned the pattern. It is, as you said: Citi Bus card app approvals "vary wildly".

Some people can only get one, no matter what. Some people can get another only after they close out the first one. Some people need to not only close the first one, but also close the master account number for that card. Some people just get card after card every 3 months or so, with no problem at all.

Brugge is offline  
Old Mar 6, 2014, 12:57 pm
  #4353  
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 175
I have a quick clarification question- I just posted in the 100k Citi Exec thread asking if I could apply for the Plat 3 months from now after having just gotten my Citi Exec. They said wait 12-26 months. Is this true?

I thought this was an entirely different product. Is the bonus only for new Citi cardholders? Or just ones who've never had the Plat?
Strawboy1230 is offline  
Old Mar 6, 2014, 1:44 pm
  #4354  
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Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,731
Originally Posted by Strawboy1230
I have a quick clarification question- I just posted in the 100k Citi Exec thread asking if I could apply for the Plat 3 months from now after having just gotten my Citi Exec. They said wait 12-26 months. Is this true?

I thought this was an entirely different product. Is the bonus only for new Citi cardholders? Or just ones who've never had the Plat?
They are correct. You need a lot more reading / learning to do regarding how Citi operates regarding the AAdvantage card. The WIKI is very helpful - have you read that and try to digest that?

Empirical data have been:

The previous Plat cards do not interfere the Exec card.

The Exec card interferes the Plat cards and re-starts the clock of the 18-24 months wait.

Citi is no Chase. The different product concept is Chase's concept, does NOT apply to Citi which considers all AAdvantage cards of any kind are the SAME type.

You can, of course, try to do it your own way and report back. Most likely you would be adding to yet another date point on what we have already found out - hence the advices given in the other thread. But do feel free to reinvent the wheel and may be you would be the first one discovers something has changed. If you do, please report back so the community would benefit.

Last edited by Happy; Mar 6, 2014 at 5:16 pm Reason: typo and grammar
Happy is offline  
Old Mar 6, 2014, 1:48 pm
  #4355  
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 175
Originally Posted by Happy
They are correct. You need a lot more reading / learning to do regarding how Citi operates regarding the AAdvantage card. The WIKI is very helpful - have you read that and digest that?

Empirical data have been:

The previous Plat cards do not interfere the Exec card.

The Exec card interfere the Plat cards and re-start the clock of the 18-24 months wait.

Citi is no Chase. The different product concept is Chase's concept, does NOT apply to Citi which consider all AAdvantage cards of any kind are the SAME type.

You can, of course, try to do it your own way and report back. Most likely you would be adding to yet another date point on what we have already found out - hence the advices given in the other thread. But do feel free to reinvent the wheel and may be you would be the first one discovers something has changed and then please report back so the community would benefit.
Wait as in cancel my citi exec and then wait? or regardless of what happens I just have to wait 1-2 years for it to rest (even though I might still have the Citi Exec?)
Strawboy1230 is offline  
Old Mar 6, 2014, 2:02 pm
  #4356  
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: PHL
Posts: 10,060
Originally Posted by Strawboy1230
Wait as in cancel my citi exec and then wait? or regardless of what happens I just have to wait 1-2 years for it to rest (even though I might still have the Citi Exec?)
Just get another citi Exec if you want more miles.
9Benua is offline  
Old Mar 6, 2014, 2:16 pm
  #4357  
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 4,166
Originally Posted by Strawboy1230
Wait as in cancel my citi exec and then wait? or regardless of what happens I just have to wait 1-2 years for it to rest (even though I might still have the Citi Exec?)
If you get the Exec that resets the clock for the Plat cards, so you'll have to wait the 18-24+ months after getting the Exec before getting another Platinum 50k bonus.
Superorb is offline  
Old Mar 6, 2014, 3:42 pm
  #4358  
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 3,677
Originally Posted by Strawboy1230
Wait as in cancel my citi exec and then wait? or regardless of what happens I just have to wait 1-2 years for it to rest (even though I might still have the Citi Exec?)
You can apply for another 100K Exec 8 days after your last app for a single Citi cc. You most likely will not be approved for an AA Plat card within at least 12 but more probably 18 months after any application for an AA Exec card.

With AMEX and Chase, you have to cancel a card and then wait a year before reapplying for the same card.

You do not need to cancel anything with Citi. I have 4 regular AA cards {Plat and Signature} open right now. And I still was approved for the Exec card several weeks ago.

Each Citi card has a different set of rules. Right now, as best we know, you have to wait 12 to 24 months after you get any type of AA card before you can get another 50K mile AA card. But you only have to wait 8 days after applying for any type of card from Citi, and 65 days after applying for any two Citi cards of any type, to apply for another 100K Exec card.

I know it's confusing that the rules are not only different from Bank to Bank, but in the case of Citi, the rules vary from card to card. If you want to really succeed at this miles and points game, you have to do your homework.
Brugge is offline  
Old Mar 6, 2014, 3:49 pm
  #4359  
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 175
Originally Posted by Brugge
You can apply for another 100K Exec 8 days after your last app for a single Citi cc. You most likely will not be approved for an AA Plat card within at least 12 but more probably 18 months after any application for an AA Exec card.

With AMEX and Chase, you have to cancel a card and then wait a year before reapplying for the same card.

You do not need to cancel anything with Citi. I have 4 regular AA cards {Plat and Signature} open right now. And I still was approved for the Exec card several weeks ago.

Each Citi card has a different set of rules. Right now, as best we know, you have to wait 12 to 24 months after you get any type of AA card before you can get another 50K mile AA card. But you only have to wait 8 days after applying for any type of card from Citi, and 65 days after applying for any two Citi cards of any type, to apply for another 100K Exec card.

I know it's confusing that the rules are not only different from Bank to Bank, but in the case of Citi, the rules vary from card to card. If you want to really succeed at this miles and points game, you have to do your homework.
I see, gotcha. Sorry about the confusion. Guess I'll just try to apply for a 2nd one before the promotion ends...$20k is a lot though, even with MS. Finding VRs in NYC is near impossible.
Strawboy1230 is offline  
Old Mar 6, 2014, 3:53 pm
  #4360  
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 234
Statement closed 2/28, citi statement shows the points "awarded", but as of 3/6, the miles haven't shown up on my statement (neither the spend or bonus). Should I give it a couple of days or investigate?
TravelingRabbit is offline  
Old Mar 7, 2014, 6:59 am
  #4361  
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SAN
Programs: PR Premier Elite
Posts: 1,950
Originally Posted by TravelingRabbit
Statement closed 2/28, citi statement shows the points "awarded", but as of 3/6, the miles haven't shown up on my statement (neither the spend or bonus). Should I give it a couple of days or investigate?
I had a CitiBusiness 50K card close 2/28. 50k Bonus, plus spend points, posted on my Citi statement but nothing posted on my AA Account for this month or January. Called Citi CS and was told AA has some problem and has not verified ANY AAdvantage numbers for new accounts created after Nov 2013, therefore the miles are "backed up" in the Citi system and cannot post until AA verifies them. However she assured me they are aware of the problem, it is a systemic problem with new accounts, and my miles are all safely being held by Citi until AA verifies the AAdvantage number and I should just wait for now because they are working on getting AA to fix it.

That's what I was told by a nice, seemingly highly competent Citi CS phone rep. Anyone else have any miles post to AA for a CitiBusiness (or just Citi personal) account that was created AFTER Nov 2013?
Mabuk dan gila is offline  
Old Mar 7, 2014, 9:49 am
  #4362  
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SAN
Programs: PR Premier Elite
Posts: 1,950
Additionally, here the response I received from the online Message Center regarding the miles not posting to my AAdvantage account..

"We are in the process of linking your CitiBusiness American Airline World account to your American Airlines AAdvantage Number so we can post American Airlines AAdvantage miles on your American Airlines AAdvantage account.

Some important information:

- Please allow 2 billing periods for your AAdvantage miles to begin posting to your AAdvantage account.
- Your AAdvantage miles for December, January and February will be combined, and the total will appear on your statement within the 2 billing periods.
- Future monthly AAdvantage miles will appear on the statement on which they are earned."
Mabuk dan gila is offline  
Old Mar 7, 2014, 10:10 am
  #4363  
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Midwest
Programs: DL DM
Posts: 401
Citi personal (bonus+spend) posted just fine for an account opened Jan 2014, citi business opened a few days later has had no miles (bonus or spend) post.
thepaul500 is offline  
Old Mar 7, 2014, 11:24 am
  #4364  
 
Join Date: May 2011
Programs: Spg Gold, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 1,578
Originally Posted by Mabuk dan gila
Additionally, here the response I received from the online Message Center regarding the miles not posting to my AAdvantage account..
I am waiting for 50K AA that showed up on my January3rd statement at Citi

Citi has assured me that there is a delay due to merger, and that they sent the 50K over to AA on Dec 30th but the FF account needs to be verified.

This is a FF account that has been opened for over 10 years . I also have 2 other Citi AA cards that posted flawlessly 6 months ago.

Waiting impatiently !
PETERPNYC is offline  
Old Mar 7, 2014, 12:23 pm
  #4365  
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 4,166
I think the agents (both Citi and AA) have no idea what's going on and just make something up on the spot.
Superorb is offline  

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