Citi AAdvantage Cards: Major Reductions as of 22 Sep 2019
Jun 26, 2019, 10:21 am
#106
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: west of DFW airport
Programs: AA LT Gold 1.9 MM flying my way to LT PLAT
Posts: 11,074
Most interesting. I’m retired and am flying less, so I use my AA MasterCard to keep some miles coming in. Flying a few times a year is a big change for me. I do various things to keep family members miles alive. Dining, shopping, buying some miles now and then. I hope AA comes up for a sweetener for the credit cards.
Jun 26, 2019, 11:39 am
#107
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Texas
Programs: Hyatt Glob (Barely); Marriott Plat Life; AA Up and Down Now Plat; Hilton, UA, BA, HA Peasant
Posts: 2,669
My big loss in this is rental car insurance when renting a car outside North America. My own car insurance does not cover me, so I depend on the credit card insurance, rather than paying the rental car company high rates.
It's not emotion. It's dollars and cents, big dollars when considering the cost of rental car insurance.
It's not emotion. It's dollars and cents, big dollars when considering the cost of rental car insurance.
American Express provides primary rental car coverage for $19.99 for as I recall for a rental of up to two weeks. I believe offered in in most but not all countries, and the card must be enrolled, and re-enrolled when card renewed. (Automatic coverage once enrolled, but you have to be somewhat careful it takes--meaning you might need to call and have added on travel agent or third-party bookings).
Also, I am under the impression Chase has dropped travel interruption insurance from a number of it's card products as well. At least based on that impression we had shifted hotel use from Chase Hyatt and Chase Marriott cards to Cit for that reason.
Jun 26, 2019, 1:27 pm
#108
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: San Diego
Programs: Plat Pro AAdvantage, but defected to BAEC
Posts: 1,222
If I recall correctly, it more more along the lines of paying for the international travel. If you paid the airfare on the Exec card you were covered. If you were on an award flight and used the card for the taxes and fees, then you were also covered. If the card wasn’t used at all, then you weren’t covered. It might well be that simply using the card for the auto rental only meant you were covered, but I wasn’t going to take that chance, so had always used the card for some part of the airfare.
Jun 26, 2019, 10:18 pm
#109
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP/OWE, Marriott Ambassador
Posts: 880
I remember a few years back when Citi stripped the Citi Prestige of the golf benefits, free hotel stay benefits and Admirals Club benefits. I dumped that card almost immediately. But this...this is moronic.
Jun 26, 2019, 10:51 pm
#110
Join Date: Jun 2019
Posts: 9
I also miss the free golf benefits... hope Prestige can add that back later...
Jun 27, 2019, 12:02 pm
#112
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Chicago
Programs: AAdvantage EXP | United Silver | HH Diamond | Bonvoy Platinum | Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 718
I think people will still apply after hearing the pitch. What Flyertalkers seem to forget is that most people on here are not “the average flyer”. The average flyer isn’t trying to get an AA Citi card for ANY of the benefits being gutted. They are getting it for the bonus miles that they will use to visit grandma twice this year instead of once. They will happily spend 12,500 miles each way to fly MIA to ATL RT when cash prices are less than $200 RT.
Heck, I am a frequent flyer, have multiple AA Citi cards and don’t place much value on any of these benefits. Never even considered them when getting the cards.
Jun 27, 2019, 2:32 pm
#115
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: The Indo Jungle
Programs: AA EXP, IHG Spire
Posts: 1,319
Check in benefits section of website. I didn’t get a pop up either for my AAdvantage exec but it was there.
Jun 27, 2019, 2:40 pm
#116
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 24
Citi AAdvantage Cards: Major Reductions as of 22 Sep 2019
It took going to the FAQ on the Costco Citi consumer card site to find this (Costco Business card site doesn't show any updates (yet):
Card Benefit Changes (Effective 09/22/19) What changes are being made to my card benefits? Effective September 22, 2019, Trip Cancellation & Interruption Protection and Citi® Price Rewind will be discontinued and will no longer be provided for purchases made on or after that date. Coverage for purchases made before that date will continue to be available, and you may continue to file for benefits in accordance with the current benefit terms.
What Protection Benefits will I still have on my card? You will continue to have Worldwide Car Rental Insurance, Roadside Assistance Dispatch Service, Travel & Emergency Assistance, Damage & Theft Purchase Protection and Extended Warranty on this account. You can view Your Guide to Protection Benefits on this site under "Quick Links". It contains complete coverage details, including coverage limits, what’s covered and what’s not covered. Coverage details for these remaining benefits are not being changed.
As a cardmember, you will also continue to receive a range of other card benefits including FICO® Credit Score, Citi® Identity Theft Solutions, and Citi Entertainment.
Will other card benefits be impacted by these changes? Only card benefits that are being discontinued are included in these changes.
Last edited by AjFlyer; Jun 27, 2019 at 2:52 pm Reason: legibility
Jun 27, 2019, 2:49 pm
#117
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,315
for a very expensive Citi Exec World Elite card that comes in an impressive box for a big "wow" first impression, i can't imagine they just drop all these travel benefits and replace them wit nothing. I know that the box and everything is just hype to make it "feel" more special than a credit card that gets you in the Admirals Club, but if they want to maintain their market position of something elite, they will have to replace what they're cutting. For a bit I thought maybe it was just their way of announcing a different benefits underwriter, but clearly it hurts their image if they can't announce what's replacing at same time as what's being cut. Clearly they don't have things ironed out. My card expires later this year after the cut off, and this benefit cut is the tipping point for me. Combined with the coming requirement to fly AA to get in the club, I'll definitely drop the card. I spread my travel to whoever's cheapest, and Centurion clubs aren't going to be a good alternative with their locations.
On the other hand, when Barclays devalued their Aviator cards, they waived annual fees for me and I know others posted they got theirs waived too. Perhaps Citi will have to ante up in a strong way to get people to keep this card if they don't replace the travel benefit.
On the other hand, when Barclays devalued their Aviator cards, they waived annual fees for me and I know others posted they got theirs waived too. Perhaps Citi will have to ante up in a strong way to get people to keep this card if they don't replace the travel benefit.
Jun 27, 2019, 11:24 pm
#118
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,763
American Express provides primary rental car coverage for $19.99 for as I recall for a rental of up to two weeks. I believe offered in in most but not all countries, and the card must be enrolled, and re-enrolled when card renewed. (Automatic coverage once enrolled, but you have to be somewhat careful it takes--meaning you might need to call and have added on travel agent or third-party bookings).
Note - these countries the CDW are mandatory by the law, but then South Africa is the same - yet AMEX covers South Africa.
Citi was Worldwide coverage, so as Chase and even the lowly Capital One. What they do is, to cover the "excess", i.e. the deductible that is after the mandatory which is built in the rate of rental, not a separate item, but virtually all would show how much "excess" you are still liable - that is where the Citi/Chase/CapOne benefits would pick up.
We have been using AMEX for rental cars in countries it covers, and Chase Sapphire Reserve in countries AMEX does not cover. Our upcoming trip involves both Italy and Australia - so CSR is it. We can only hope that Chase would not go down this path.
Last edited by Happy; Jun 27, 2019 at 11:31 pm
Jun 28, 2019, 11:00 am
#119
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Somewhere...
Programs: AA PLT/3MM, UA GM/1MM, DL DM/1MM, FB Plat, AS MVP Gold, WN AList+
Posts: 1,588
Than again, this profit model is required to have lots of ‘suckers’ as well willing to take the place of those who give up this ‘suckers game’ in disgust after figuring out it is just one continuing con job.
Jun 29, 2019, 8:33 am
#120
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: San Diego, Ca
Programs: AA 2MM LT PLT; AS MVP Gold75k; HHonors Diamond; IHG PLT
Posts: 3,503
After considering the alternatives, I am applying to Chase Ink preferred for all of my business travel (cell phone coverage), use wife's Sapphire preferred for personal travel.
Only remaining issue is Priority Pass, may add Sapphire Reserve for business travel, once the AF on my Prestige is up on January, but the Prestige 4th night free, any other new benefits may convince me to stay for another year. Either way, Prestige and Premier cards go to the sock drawer, Citi is losing all of our personal and business travel.
Only remaining issue is Priority Pass, may add Sapphire Reserve for business travel, once the AF on my Prestige is up on January, but the Prestige 4th night free, any other new benefits may convince me to stay for another year. Either way, Prestige and Premier cards go to the sock drawer, Citi is losing all of our personal and business travel.
