Citi did the right thing & charged my deposits for 2 new accounts as 2 purchases via 2 US Bank Visa cards (one for savings & one for checking)! But, it seems that Citi is inconsistent in the way they process these charges because the first US Bank Visa I gave them was declined for insufficient cash limit to cover the deposit even tho my total credit limit would cover it. But, when I gave Citi a different US Bank card with a higher cash limit, Citi processed it as a purchase. Go figure. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that if US Bank Visa processed my Citi deposits as cash advances, it would be trouble & fees galore, but I forgot. Thanks for the wake-up call, thehawk75. Re Happy's warning that card issuers may not accept advance payments, the only way around that is to send a check via mail or an e-check/ACH from your checking account (not via the credit card site) before the statement closes. US Bank (or any card issuer) won't accept payments on-line or by phone until the statement period closes unless you already have an existing outstanding balance. As Happy says, this is just too many hoops to jump through; next time I'll use a Citi card to fund my new accounts, & I'll read all the postings here instead of skipping to the last page. I was lucky this time, but I've learned my lessons.