Citibank Signature Visa card?

 
Old Aug 16, 2004, 11:48 am
  #1  
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Question Citibank Signature Visa card?

An advertisement in yesterday's Chicago Tribune featured the new Visa Signature credit card. Pictured in the ad was a Citibank AAdvantage Visa. This intrigued me since I have still somehow managed to resist all arm-twisting from Citi to switch my old Gold AAdvantage Visa to MasterCard. It was my impression that Citibank was pretty much done with the Visa brand, and from previous discussions here I learned that they made more money from Mastercard anyway.

So, I'm trying to find out more about this new card. A visit to visa.com/signaturehttp://visa.com/signature makes the card sound intriguing, so I clicked "Apply now". Now on that screen, we see a Citibank AAdvantage Signature Visa card... but it is the only card on this screen without an "apply now" link.

I went to citicards.com directly, as well as the AA.com section on affiliate credit cards, and both of those came up empty.

Before I waste my time calling 1-800-FLY-4444, I wanted to see if anyone here had any info on this. It sounds like it could be an interesting upgrade. I really really want to hold on to the Visa-branded card, as Visa seems to be more widely accepted during a lot of my international travel. (And yes, I suppose you could razz me for taking the time to post here but not taking the time to call...it's called multi-tasking )
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Old Aug 16, 2004, 12:03 pm
  #2  
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I've got one. I refused to switch to Mastercard, as well.

All I did was call up Citi and ask for an upgrade. Took a few minutes.

This was at least a year ago, however, so I don't know if Citibank will accomodate you or not.
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Old Aug 16, 2004, 2:53 pm
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Originally Posted by ka9taw
This intrigued me since I have still somehow managed to resist all arm-twisting from Citi to switch my old Gold AAdvantage Visa to MasterCard. It was my impression that Citibank was pretty much done with the Visa brand, and from previous discussions here I learned that they made more money from Mastercard anyway.
Like you, I've also resisted all the overtures over the last couple of years to switch my Citi Visa to a Mastercard. For me, there's no particular reason to switch so I've been quite happy with the status quo.

The latest gambit (received a couple of weeks ago) is that they're going to send me a new Mastercard and close the Visa account unless I tell them not to before the end of the month. The letter (jointly signed by Citi and AA) is gushing in its language about how I've "earned an upgrade to a superior.... card".

From where I sit, the best I can figure out is Citi has stopped issuing Visa cards (for whatever reason) and is (and has been for some time) in the Mastercard 'camp'. Fair enough .... and people like us who still have Visa cards and who have ignored the 'suggestions' to convert must be a bit of a nuisance. What I really object to is the "intellectual dishonesty" demonstrated by letters such as the recent one I received, which is nothing more than a bunch of bs.

Citi - if you want me to convert, at least do me the courtesy of being honest with me about the reasons. Don't dress it up in some disingenous letter about how I've "earned" an "upgrade"..... all that does is ensure that I won't convert.
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Old Aug 16, 2004, 3:38 pm
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Yes, that "upgrade" language is really patronizing.

ooooo.. an "upgrade"... and what does that entitle me to over a Visa? Nothing? Wow, impressive!
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Old Aug 16, 2004, 3:46 pm
  #5  
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I changed from the Visa to Mastercard product. The only reason was that, at the time, they were targeting some bonuses fo purchasing your ticket with a Mastercard...only...no Visa.

They were pushing hard...seem to be pushing even harder now. Seems like they are not providing any real reason, at the moment, to switch.

Cheers.
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Old Aug 16, 2004, 5:46 pm
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I am holding onto my no longer offered Platinum Select VISA, which offers 2x miles on dollars spent on AA tickets (and that they have repeatedly tried to "upgrade" to less favorable cards), but called the customer care number to enquire on the Signature VISA.

The guy who answered was real bad, but it showed that he was trained to discourage me to get the Signature VISA. All he could say is that it would be a bad deal because on the Signature VISA there would be an upper limit on earning miles, which I don't have on the current one. When I asked if that limit is waived for AA Platinum and higher, he was completely confused and started re-reading the script over and over again. Such terrible customer service.

I called 800-FLY-4444 and also got some terrible service. The person on the phone read me a distorted summary description from top to bottom, including saying $1MM as "dollar one em em" as opposed to "one million"! It turned out that it was for the Citi Gold/Platinum cards ONLY, and when I pointed that out she said she had no info on the Signature card and gave me a customer service phone number to call (see above paragraph). She heard nothing of what I asked her.

Next: emailing customer service for the WRITTEN terms & conditions of the Signature card. Let's see...

Last edited by hillrider; Aug 16, 2004 at 5:54 pm Reason: Typos
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Old Aug 16, 2004, 6:28 pm
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Originally Posted by hillrider
I called 800-FLY-4444 and also got some terrible service.
It's becoming quickly apparent that Citibank doesn't want any of these Signature Visa customers. Hmm, I wonder if UA/BankOne are still giving 10K miles for a new Mileage Plus Visa....
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Old Aug 16, 2004, 6:47 pm
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I had a Citibank AA Visa for several years. A few years ago, I was offered 7500 AA miles to exchange it into a Citibank AA Master Card, so I did so. Because I use it extensively, last year they waived half the annual fee and this year they waived the whole fee. I pay in full so they get no interest. MC cards are as widely accepted as Visa and the benefits are similar. If they offered me something to change back to Visa, I would probably do so, as I don't see a dime's worth of difference between MC and Visa.
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Old Aug 16, 2004, 7:02 pm
  #9  
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Originally Posted by srk123
MC cards are as widely accepted as Visa.
You must not travel extensively outside of North America. There is a difference, so I have both. I can't tell which is accepted more widely, but it's a moot point if the establishment you're willing to make a purchase from does not accept the type of card you're offering them.
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Old Aug 16, 2004, 11:28 pm
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Originally Posted by hillrider
Next: emailing customer service for the WRITTEN terms & conditions of the Signature card. Let's see...
Here's the reply: "To better assist you, we need to speak with you directly. Please contact us at 1-800-950-5114. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Outside the U.S., call collect at 605-335-2222."

So are they going to READ the terms and conditions over the phone? Oh, BTW, that's the same number answered by the joker described in my previous post.

Citi is making an @ss of its customer service.
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