Originally Posted by
onthego15
My understanding is that this has always been Citi's policy. They give statement credits. So, you pay the $85, charge $85 or more and then get your $85 back. Has worked with ease for me two years in a row.
Considering that Citi gives this statement credit (and/or miles) to virtually everyone who gets their retention department, I consider their AA cards to be no fee.
It depends on the retention offers - you DONT need to charge $85 at all. The most common retention offer is the one OP complained about. However, the Ts and Cs are clearly spoken on, and it is a recorded phone call the retention rep told you UPFRONT before going any further. Then the cardholder must EXPLICITLY reply by a YES or a NO to Accept or Decline the offer based on the Ts and Cs being told.
I dont like Citi but in this particular situation, I have to say OP is 100% at fault. I have gone thru at least a doz retention offers in past few years. NEVER once, the retention rep would not clearly spell out the conditions and even REMIND you to PAY the annual fee when it is billed or at least the Minimum payment of the statement before the promotional bonus is posted because they have not fulfilled their spend requirement.
Seriously, Citi only wants you to charge 5 times, regardless the amount, in a 3 months period, to earn the statement credit. How hard that is?
One has to be responsible for one's own action. One's forgetfulness cannot be turned around to use it to blame the bank bank being stupid. Who is stupid is very clear here.