FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Citi Hilton Honors Reserve Card [Ends Dec 2017]
Old Jan 28, 2018, 8:19 am
  #541  
Biggie Fries
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: PHL
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, AA Gold, FB Gold, ITA Volare Executive
Posts: 3,293
Called into Citi this am to cancel wife as AU on this card. Seemed like a reasonable thing to do, prophylactically, since who wants another needless strike against 5/24? That is, I am going to see the transition through since as cardholder I need to have card to get my hotel certificate from this past year's spend (see post just above). But what does an AU benefit relative to the risk? Yes, I do know that one can potentially talk back an AU card with Chase, but that is not guaranteed, and who needs that aggravation anyhow?

Okay, a few things gleaned from this interaction, all of which we can take with however many grains of salt suit us:
  • The Citi agent was very professional and seemed very well informed. By this I mean that she would respond in detail to all my points. It was not one of those situations where the CSR is just throwing stuff out only loosely related to what one is saying.
  • She said that the system will no longer let her cancel out cards, AU or otherwise, given that the transition to Amex is so close. Said to talk with Amex about it after 30 Jan.
  • When I pointed out that this would be too late relative to what I am hoping to avoid -- my wife picking up a pointless new card on her credit accounts -- I was told that this would not be a new account. When I pushed back saying that it would be a new card number and a new card provider, and that it was hard to imagine how this would not appear as a new account to the credit bureaus, she insisted that it would not.
  • When I asked about the hotel certificate that I have already earned, she looked into the system, checked out the dates, and -- since my anniversary date is less than six weeks prior to the 30 January changeover, said that the certificate would be honored by Amex 6-8 weeks after this recent anniversary date. That we knew. So I pushed further on my ability to qualify at $10K for another weekend night under Citi terms, given that another credit card year has started. She understood the question and said that it would occur as per Citi terms, certificate to be issued 6-8 weeks after next anniversary data (not after spend met, pace farnorthtrader).
Do I believe all (any) of this? I don't know what to believe. What I know is that on this call I was not allowed to cancel AU card.
Biggie Fries is offline