FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Dinners Club Alliance with MasterCard
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Old Apr 27, 2004, 11:25 am
  #7  
BearX220
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: ORD/MDW
Programs: BA/AA/AS/B6/WN/ UA/HH/MR and more like 'em but most felicitously & importantly MUCCI
Posts: 19,719
Is there anyone... using it less, you mean? Yeah, me -- I keep it around for car rentals, mainly, and I'll be lucky to break $5k in charges this year.

This MC alliance is the first sign in years that Citibank isn't actively trying to murder Diners Club. They've raised the annual fee, imposed that redemption charge for FF account transfers, dropped most partners from the Miles-to-Points program, introduced a laughable "Carte Blanche" high-end variant and a pointless "Montage" credit card (I think Montage has been snuffed, actually)... the list of value dilutions is endless.

The program's main saving grace in recent years has been a British Airways promotion in the summer months that permitted Club Rewards::BA Executive Club transfers at a straight 1:1 rate (normally it's 2:1). But even that deal is dead for this year -- in its place is a compromise 1.5:1 rate transfer offer that ends in June.

Pathetically, DC keeps publishing little lists of retailers and chain restaurants that allegedly have agreed to accept DC ("Hey, we're in Bennigan's now!" etc.). But most retail people seem to think it's a gas card or something -- many have never seen it before. Other places that display the DC sticker in the window actually reject it when you try to use it. I've never had such trouble trying to use a card.
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