IntFF

I have the Citi-AA Platinum card that supposes to give $125 AA voucher if you spend $20K in a year. I think a relatively new benefit. Citi website says:
"Earn a $125 American Airlines Flight Discount after you spend $20,000 or more in purchases during your cardmembership year and renew your card."

Every 6/6 my acct get charged the AF (annual fee). The AF charge appears in the statement on 6/6.
So - obviously, I assumed that the $20K spend is during 12 months ending on 6/6. I did spend over $20K.

Today, about 11 weeks after 6/6 I decided to investigate what happened to this voucher.
I was told by Citi Customer Service lady that "my year" is Not 6/6/2018 to 6/6/2019, but May-9-18 to May-9-19 and I did not charge $20K.
It turned out that May-9 was the day I applied for the card 4 years ago.
I told the lady HOW could I know it is 5/9 to 5/9 when I am charged AF on 6/6. Who remembers their application date that was years ago.
She suggested (and I thanked her) that she will put a dispute for me, that Citi should look at my spending 6/6 to 6/6. I did not have high hopes.

Then I found on Citi website info that I did not have when I talked with the Customer Service lady. It REALLY should go by Billing Periods:
"Earn a $125 American Airlines Flight Discount (the "Flight Discount") after you spend $20,000 or more in purchases on your Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® credit card during your credit cardmembership year (every 12 months from the billing period after your annual fee bills through the next billing period your annual fee bills). " I made it bold.

I called Citi again and got an agent who said: I see the comment of the lady you talked to before. But she was wrong. Your year is 6/6 to 6/6. But we have another problem: this benefit started 7/21/2018 and from 7/21/18 to 6/6/19 you do Not have $20K spend. I told the guy: BUT it does NOT say anything like this on your website. He said: You are right, I will transfer you to a supervisor. The supervisor said: I understand your side as a customer. I cannot give you $125 voucher, but I can give you 10K AA miles as compensation -- I accepted and said thank you.

BTW - Citi website with misses functionality and agents know nothing.
1st I discovered that it is NOT possible to send a message to Citi from within my online acct. Like possible with Chase.
So, I started a chat of 15+ minutes. 1st the guy wrote we sent it to your addr on file. Then he said, no - we transfer info to AA and I have no access to it. AA sent it via US Mail - call them. It looked Wrong.
But I called AA and obviously they said: we do not handle this, we do not get anything from Citi. Call Citi Customer Service.

MSP_Monopoly

Biggie Fries

One month after AF posts and you get the whole fee back. I just did.

Wait until after 37 days and you turn into a pumpkin: Nothing back.

I heard this from more than one rep, and it conforms with what the authority -- Doctor of Credit -- has posted.

boerne

Hmm. Have the MC Black card for the AC, and do $40000 for the EQM. But our primary card is the CSR. and we only use the miles for flights for the 1.5 to 1 benefits. the Priority Pass has also been useful. I got the AMex Plat for the 100,000 mile bump, but those miles have not been useful. If I was going to keep one card, I would use the CSR, buy the AC membership the cheapest way I could, and will ditch the Amex. The CSR $450 is really only $150, because they pay the $300 travel reimbursement right up front.

MSP_Monopoly

Biggie Fries

I wouldn't go that extreme... I kept using it through what would have been something like Day 32 (or maybe even 33, depending on how you count them). Of course, by then the billing cycle had gone around for the month, so I made sure to put $450 on the card during the month, and paid it. That left me with a $450 new balance on the posting date that followed the posting date on which the AF had hit. A few days later I called, cancelled, and the $450 balance disappeared.

Yeah, I think I read on DoC that after 37 days, Citi has paid AA for the membership, which is why they (Citi) won't give anything further back.

BLG

My old Chase Marriott card, which was grandfathered in, has all the travel insurances (delay, cancellation, baggage, CDW, etc.). It has, for the moment, become my go to card for travel. Don't know what is offered on the new Bonvoy cards but until they come after my good old Marriott card it is covering all the bases. Plus it gives me the certificate for one free night a year which I always end up using at an airport hotel somewhere in the world.

At the very least I will be cancelling two of my three AAdvantage cards. Will keep one for adding miles to the account when I want to. It's a pretty staggering devaluation of the card. Time to look around some at all the options.

Cledaybuck

billgrates3

I got rid of my Citi Exec MCard 3 years ago, and switched to the Citi Prestige MCard. This was primarily as I mostly travel internationally on AA, so get AC access anyway, and the Prestige card has Priority Pass Select that I've used many times (even in DFW).

Mrs. BG3 still has the Citi Plat Select MCard, but she will switch to the Mile Up card when the Plat card reaches its expiration date. I will switch to the cheapest Citi Rewards+ card to keep my Thankyou points active.

Both of us have Hilton Biz or Aspire Amex cards, so we'll use those for most travel purchases, esp. card rentals.

radonc1

If I want AC admission, the cheapest way to do that is with the Citi Exec card, so I see no benefit of ditching this card since I need AC admission. The extra 10K EQM don't hurt either.
However, you should look carefully at what you Amex cards do and don't insure. I have now realized that there is very little trip insurance provided by my Amex plat card. I have been using my Chase Ink card but didn't realize that the old Marriott card (which I have) has similar insurance protection.

I really need to look into the CSR card, but hate to unlock my credit reports to have it approved.

joe_miami

Aside from the emergency evacuation coverage, which covers all cardholders and doesn't require using the CC for the trip, the Amex Plat is all but useless for travel insurance.

Unlocking one credit report to apply for the CSR shouldn't take much longer than it took you to post the above comment.

enviroian

Like you, the AC admission and 10K EQM is why I have my card but also for the travel insurance that is ending in two weeks. Not sure what card to get now for travel insurance.....It would be a card I would only use to buy airline tickets for and nothing else so my coverage would be valid.

What does one do without car rental coverage now that this is vanishing. Does your own car policy cover rentals?

scubadu

Ummm... use a card that still has car rental coverage?!

Citi isn't the only credit card game in town and as far as I know its actually the only card provider that is dropping the coverage.

Regards

enviroian

I only have one other CC and it's a gold AMEX that I don't use.

I want car rental coverage but also want trip delay. cxl, and lost luggage insurance.

Who else is left

joe_miami

Chase.