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Mostly positive changes coming to Citi ThankYou Premier 4.19.2015

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Old Jan 19, 2015, 5:54 am
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Last edit by: beltway
Major changes coming into effect April 19, 2015:
Effective April 19th, 2015, unless you are participating in a limited-time offer, you will earn:

-- 3 ThankYou Points for every dollar you spend on purchases at airlines, hotels, car rental agencies, travel agencies, gas stations, commuter transportation, taxi/limousines, passenger railways, cruise lines, bridge and road tolls, parking lots/garages, campgrounds and trailer parks, time shares, bus lines, motor home/RV Rental and boat rentals;
-- 2 ThankYou Points for every dollar you spend on purchases at restaurants and on select entertainment merchants, including sports promoters, theatrical promoters, movie theaters, amusement parks, tourist attractions, record stores and video rental stores; and
-- 1 ThankYou Point for every dollar you spend on other purchases.

Airlines are classified as merchants that provide air travel. Hotels are classified as merchants that provide sleeping or meeting room accommodations, and may include goods and services that are on a bill for these accommodations by a hotel, motel or inn. Car rental agencies are classified as merchants that provide short-term or long-term rentals of cars. Travel agencies are classified as merchants that provide travel information and booking services, and include travel aggregators and tour operators. Gas Stations are classified as merchants that sell fuel for consumer use and may or may not be attended. Commuter transportation is classified as merchants that provide suburban and local mass passenger transportation over regular routes and on regular schedules, including ferries, commuter railways and subways. Taxi/limousine are classified as merchants that provide passenger transportation services for hire and includes horse-drawn cabs and carriages, bicycle taxis, aerial tramways, airport shuttles or cable cars. Passenger railways are classified as merchants that primarily provide long-distance transportation and may include overnight accommodations on the train. Cruise lines are classified as merchants that provide passenger transportation on the open sea or inland waters for the purpose of vacation or pleasure and operate predefined and advertised routes. Bridge and tolls are classified as merchants who collect fees associated with toll roads, highways and bridges. Parking lots/garages are classified as merchants that provide temporary parking services for automobiles, usually on an hourly, daily or monthly contract or fee basis. Campgrounds and trailer parks are classified as merchants that provide overnight or short-term campsites for recreational vehicles, trailers, campers, or tents. Timeshares are classified as retailers that sell, lease, and rent timeshare real estate and arrange timeshare condominium exchanges. Bus Lines are classified passenger bus transportation services that operate on a regular schedule over predetermined routes. Motor Home and Recreational Vehicle Rental are classified as merchants that rent motor homes, RVs, pop-up campers, tent trailers, and other recreational vehicles on a daily, short-term, or extended-term basis. Boat Leases and Boat Rentals are classified as merchants that primarily provide boat rental and leasing services, including fishing boats, non-crew houseboats, sail boats, powerboats, jet skis, and yachts. Restaurants are classified as dining establishments that primarily prepare food and drinks for immediate consumption by consumers, either on the merchant’s premises or packaged for takeout, and include bars, cocktail lounges, discotheques, nightclubs, taverns and fast food restaurants. Sports promoters are classified as merchants that operate and promote live sporting events (professional or semi-professional), and may also include sports stadiums. Theatrical promoters are classified as merchants that operate live theatrical productions or concerts, and include ticketing agencies. Movie theaters are classified as establishments that sell tickets and refreshments for movie productions. Amusement parks (including zoos, circuses and aquariums) are classified as establishments that operate parks or carnivals and offer mechanical rides and games and/or live animal shows. Tourist attractions and museums (including art galleries) are classified as establishments that operate attractions and exhibits for tourists.


We do not determine how merchants or establishments are classified, however, they are generally classified based upon the merchant's primary line of business. We reserve the right to determine which purchases qualify for this offer. Purchases not eligible to receive the additional ThankYou Points include, but are not limited to, purchases made at warehouse clubs, discount stores, department stores and convenience stores.


• You may earn ThankYou Points as long as your Card Account is open and current. If your Card Account is closed, you will not be able to earn ThankYou Points and you will lose any accumulated ThankYou Points that have not been transferred to your ThankYou Member Account. Balance transfers, cash advances, convenience checks, returned purchases, disputed or unauthorized purchases/fraudulent transactions, finance charges, Card Account fees, and fees for services and programs you elect to receive through us do not earn ThankYou Points unless otherwise specified.


• If you do not already have a ThankYou Rewards Member Account ("ThankYou Member Account"), one will be set up for you. ThankYou Points earned from purchases post to your Card Account at the close of each billing cycle, and at that time we will transfer the ThankYou Points you earned to your ThankYou Member Account. (Bonus ThankYou Points may take one to two additional billing cycles to post to your Card Account.) ThankYou Points are not eligible for redemption until they are transferred to your ThankYou Member Account. ThankYou Points may not be redeemed
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Mostly positive changes coming to Citi ThankYou Premier 4.19.2015

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Old Jan 12, 2015, 5:19 pm
  #1  
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Join Date: Jun 2010
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Mostly positive changes coming to Citi ThankYou Premier 4.19.2015

I called to cancel my Thank you Premier card today and was informed of some upcoming changes to the card from April 19th.

Positive changes

->Fee goes down to $95 from $125
->3X points on travel (up from 2X)

'Enhancements'

-> 2X points on Dining and Entertainment (down from 3X)

Coupled with the ability to transfer miles, this is looking really good.
kyunbit is offline  
Old Jan 12, 2015, 5:57 pm
  #2  
mia
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It sounds as if they are adjusting the bonus category earnings to match the Prestige card. It has been confusing to have them reversed.
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Old Jan 12, 2015, 6:11 pm
  #3  
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
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The annual fee is now a bit more reasonable; keeping the fee at $125 a year after all the benefit changes in October 2014 was a bit much.

Presumably they don't want to create any incentive for folks to keep both the Premier and the Prestige any more?

If the TYP bonus categories are identical, why wouldn't I just put the travel and dining spend on the Prestige (and enjoy its many other benefits)? Or are there benefits to having a Premier Visa vs. a Prestige Mastercard?

I've just brought down my Premier Flight Points balance to <300 and with the loss of the 3x on dining, I'm just going to cancel the Premier and put that spend on the Prestige instead.
progapanda is offline  
Old Jan 12, 2015, 9:06 pm
  #4  
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 39
Originally Posted by kyunbit
'Enhancements'

-> 2X points on Dining and Entertainment (down from 3X)

Coupled with the ability to transfer miles, this is looking really good.
Well that's unfortunate. I was using the premier card for dining to get an extra point :/
anam is offline  
Old Jan 12, 2015, 10:06 pm
  #5  
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
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The decreased earning for dining/entertainment, couple with the fact that you can't transfer TYP to AA or BA (Admirals Club access is not worth very much to me if I don't have the option to bank points at one of those programs) make my interest in TYP go down to pretty much zero.
LETTERBOY is offline  
Old Jan 13, 2015, 7:16 am
  #6  
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 432
So now there's no earning distinction between the two cards? Strictly TYP wise. I think Prestige should get a 3x dining / entertainment buff personally.
Nick92 is offline  
Old Jan 13, 2015, 7:31 am
  #7  
mia
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Originally Posted by LETTERBOY
.... AA or BA (Admirals Club access is not worth very much to me if I don't have the option to bank points at one of those programs)
What is the connection between lounge access and point transfers?
mia is offline  
Old Jan 13, 2015, 9:48 am
  #8  
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
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Originally Posted by mia
What is the connection between lounge access and point transfers?
The expiration policies of CX & QR. If I'm going to fly AA with the Prestige card, I'm going to want the ability to consolidate my miles from every source (flying, CC spending, hotels) into one airline program so I can reach my award goal faster. CX & QR are not options for me due to their short shelf life for miles (and I wouldn't want anything to do with QR regardless, for OT reasons), so if I'm going to fly AA, I'm going to want the ability to transfer my points to AA or BA.
LETTERBOY is offline  
Old Jan 13, 2015, 10:32 am
  #9  
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: LAX
Programs: AA, TY, UR, UA, US, WN, MR, SPG
Posts: 1,453
Originally Posted by LETTERBOY
The expiration policies of CX & QR. If I'm going to fly AA with the Prestige card, I'm going to want the ability to consolidate my miles from every source (flying, CC spending, hotels) into one airline program so I can reach my award goal faster. CX & QR are not options for me due to their short shelf life for miles (and I wouldn't want anything to do with QR regardless, for OT reasons), so if I'm going to fly AA, I'm going to want the ability to transfer my points to AA or BA.
Your points are redeemable on AA at 1.6 cents per point with the Prestige Card. Of course, that's on cash fares, so if you're only looking to book award travel, that doesn't help you there. TY points are still my second favorite point type, but Citi has made a concerted effort to try to increase the value of each point while substantially decreasing the ease and rate at which they are earned. There was a beautiful overlap period last year where you could earn at astounding rates (5x multipliers, monthly banking points) AND book at 1.6x on US/AA. Sad to see that go.
roki is offline  
Old Jan 13, 2015, 4:31 pm
  #10  
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
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Originally Posted by roki
Your points are redeemable on AA at 1.6 cents per point with the Prestige Card. Of course, that's on cash fares, so if you're only looking to book award travel, that doesn't help you there.
I would be looking to redeem for award travel, specifically to LHR in F/J. If I wanted to redeem for cash fares, I'd just get a cash back card.
LETTERBOY is offline  
Old Jan 13, 2015, 6:55 pm
  #11  
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Programs: AA, SPG, MR, UR, Cash Back!
Posts: 606
Originally Posted by roki
Your points are redeemable on AA at 1.6 cents per point with the Prestige Card. Of course, that's on cash fares, so if you're only looking to book award travel, that doesn't help you there. TY points are still my second favorite point type, but Citi has made a concerted effort to try to increase the value of each point while substantially decreasing the ease and rate at which they are earned. There was a beautiful overlap period last year where you could earn at astounding rates (5x multipliers, monthly banking points) AND book at 1.6x on US/AA. Sad to see that go.
I've tried really hard to understand Citi TY points and I don't get it.

For example with Amex MR points transfer to Delta and they have co-branded Amex Delta airline cards. Makes sense to me.

With Citi they have TY points that unless you have prestige can't be redeemed to AA/US Airways at their highest value. TY points don't transfer to AA/US Airways for some unknown reason. But Citi offers co-branded AA Citi cards.
Fuerza is offline  
Old Jan 13, 2015, 7:11 pm
  #12  
mia
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Originally Posted by Fuerza
I....TY points don't transfer to AA/US Airways for some unknown reason. But Citi offers co-branded AA Citi cards.
There is no mystery. This policy prevents ThankYou cards from taking customers away from Citi's own AAdvantage cards. What benefit is there to Citi to dilute their AAdvantage card franchise?
mia is offline  
Old Jan 13, 2015, 7:18 pm
  #13  
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Programs: AA, SPG, MR, UR, Cash Back!
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Originally Posted by mia
There is no mystery. This policy prevents ThankYou cards from taking customers away from Citi's own AAdvantage cards. What benefit is there to Citi to dilute their AAdvantage card franchise?
So it's all about Citi then...

Here is an example.

I have a Citi AA Ex card and I have 60k AA miles.

I have a Citi TY Premier and I have 20k TY points

I'm looking for a flight which cost $1k or 80k AA miles, for example.

What are my options to purchase this flight?
Fuerza is offline  
Old Jan 13, 2015, 10:08 pm
  #14  
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
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Posts: 1,628
Originally Posted by mia
There is no mystery. This policy prevents ThankYou cards from taking customers away from Citi's own AAdvantage cards. What benefit is there to Citi to dilute their AAdvantage card franchise?
Have either Citi or AA said why TYP don't transfer to AA? Has either one of them said that they don't want the co-branded cards to be devalued? Citi would still have to pay AA for the miles, and AA would still get $$.

And in any case, I'm not sure I buy this argument. AmEx MR points transfer to DL, and Chase UR points transfer to UA. DL's attempt to limit MR transfers was rolled back after complaints. If Citi/AA were worried about devaluing their co-branded cards, all they'd need to do is change the benefits on either the co-branded cards or the TYP cards to distinguish them from each other.
LETTERBOY is offline  
Old Jan 13, 2015, 10:18 pm
  #15  
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: MKE
Posts: 56
Originally Posted by anam
Well that's unfortunate. I was using the premier card for dining to get an extra point :/
Exactly. This change takes away my primary use for this card. Even with the reduced fee, it's not worth it for me any more.
erfreulich is offline  


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