The wiki states:

Getting around the $450 annual fee: Many people have been able to meet the spending requirement before the first statement posts and then cancel and have the fee refunded after the miles post. Details and datapoints include starting at post 74. T&C state that the card must be cancelled within 30 days of the fee posting to get it refunded; in practice you have 37 days. Potential problems with this plans include a very short (1 week or less) first "month" as well as delays in miles posting which have been reported by several FTers.

Once you cancel the card (within the 37 day window of AF posting) the refund will post on the account between 1-3 business days. Leave a $450 balance and it will be zeroed out.


I'm attempting to do this. However, I have a small problem:

My statement closing day was 10/21. I made my final purchases to reach $7,500 on this day. However, now that my statement has posted, it only reflects my balance as of 10/20...plus the annual fee, assessed on the closing day, 10/21.

I think this might be because a few of my 10/21 charges are still pending. When those charges are no longer pending, will my statement balance change?

If not, I'm in a situation where I've met the minimum spending ONE day after the first statement posts. In this scenario, do you think I can still cancel, get my miles, and get the fee refunded?

I could wait until all of my charges are no longer pending, pay the balance in full, and then cancel. Wondering if that would work.

Any thoughts from people who have been in a similar situation. Would it be worth a call to Citi to see if my charges from 10/21 could be included on my initial statement, thus awarding me the bonus?