Originally Posted by
yugi
I have a few other options for foreign catchall, such as USB AR and Priceline 2x (3.33%), both of which has no FTF. You can also get specific card for foreign catchall with no FTF, such as AOD FCU 3% Visa Signature or something similar. There are multiple 2% cashback cards with no FTF as well.
I have 14 Citi cards, and yes, in the beginning there were a few fraud alerts, but after few months, Citi learned my spending patterns and fraud alerts disappeared.
Barclays AA will be transferred to Citi, but we don't know what will happen to Barclays HA, there are no plans right now.
i do not wish to hijack this thread, so this shall be my last response w.r.t to this; we have gotten into a similar discussion on another thread. i know you have a strong preference for CCC, but i think that it is important to tailor to the person's aims, needs and situation.
1) while i agree that CCC has great multipliers, it is not the end all. there are 2 main limitations, it takes alot of time to accumulate a number of CCC, so it will still be useful to use other cards and get other subs as you work towards that, and there are quite a lot of DPs about unsatisfactory citi experience. for the latter, my issues with fraud detection comes after a few years using the card, and the transaction i recalled the most clearly is the pizza joint just opposite my house where i have frequented for many years. all the CS could say was something i did triggered their fraud detection, but all i did was spend at dining places in my city and they are basically places where i have already paid before with my citi cards. now it's all fine again, and i have no issues. there are also catergories not covered by CCC, and it is also limited by a $500 per transaction cap if you want the bonus points.
i also redeemed via aeroplan a number of times. citi is not a transfer partner, so it can also be useful to diversify some of your points
2) yes there are other 2-3% cashback cards with no ftf. but this may not be the best if you are into the miles game. furthermore, you can arguably get more if you redeem at a higher value. vx also offers many benefits that other cards do not offer. why vx works for me is because it has a good sub, and i have a lot of bills to pay overseas; AOD FCU 3% is capped at 1.5k a month which is far from sufficient. furthermore, its af is technically offset by the credit and anniversary miles, meaning i can and will hold on the card; in comparison, i do not think i would want to hold CSR and citi strata at the same time
3) afaik, the barclays card will be gone
Barclays Hawaiian Airlines Cards Will Go Away With Alaska Merger. in fact, it was suggested to sign up the HA card first in other ft thread, as it seems the alaska-hawaiian merger is progressing faster
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/36941095-post170.html