UserMark

If I had a Thankyou Premier card and I downgraded it to the Preferred (and even the account number changed), does that count as closing the Premier for the purposes of churning the bonus?

Irish80

Yes, product changes count as closing the card and restarts the clock. Just so you know, it is no longer an 18 month clock, but a 24 month clock as Citi changed this on April 8

moonwoo

Hey guys, question for whoever might know. I was planning on canceling this card (AA Executive) because my Prestige card gives access to the Admirals Club. However, now that they are planning on discontinuing this benefit as of next June, I am trying to figure out my next move as the annual fee on this card is going to hit soon.

1. Will downgrading this card to the "AA Bronze" card be equal to "canceling" this card in Citi's eyes? I want to have the option to apply again next year when I'm eligible to receive another bonus (60,000 bonus miles or whatever is available then) because I would have met the 24 month wait period policy, but if they see downgrading = canceling, then I would have to wait another 24 months from the day I downgrade.

2. Has anyone had any luck with waiving the annual fee or getting a big chunck of it reduced? As a Barclays Aviator Silver holder, I get my EQM through there, so I've essentially been holding this card for the Admirals Club access.

Thanks all!

slivrflyr

I haven't seen anything in writing but confirmed with a rep that downgrading keeps the account open and points active but the points are now redeemable at a different rate that comes w the new product.

Banking products are different. Downgrading Citigold to basic checking will trigger the 60d clock

sdsearch

Does downgrading from AA Exec to AA Bronze keep the same card number? If so, there's a chance it might not be counted as a close.

But if they give you a new card number, chances are it'll be counted as a "close", even if not as a "cancel".

In other words, you're asking the wrong question, by using the wrong word. Citi cares whether you "open" or "close" the card. "Close" is a little bit different than "cancel". A downgrade to a completely different card (such as DoubleCash) is definitely considered by Citi as "close" of an AA card and an "open" of the DoubleCash card.

I don't know if we have datapoints on the downgrade specifically to AA Bronze yet, especially from AA Exec (ie, I don't know if that's treated the same as from AA Plat). But if so, I would expect them to be in the main AA Executive card thread.

The answer to that should be found in the following thread:
by using Search This Thread with the word "Exec" (that'll find both "Exec" and "Executive", while if you search for "Executive" it won't find reports where people abbreviated it to "Exec").

moonwoo

I appreciate your responses. I'll have to think very hard about downgrading the card since I don't want the 24 month clock to restart now.... No retention offers btw. They told me to call back in 15 days (when they expect the whole Costco issue to be better handled).

hi-guy

My Exec fee was charged in June. Then, due to the Costco fiasco, wasn't able to get any kind of retention offer before the +37 days. I decided to pay the $450 fee, figured I'd gotten more than that in value already (the original bonus plus GE credit plus all my AC visits). Hoping for a good signup bonus offer in 12 months. I'll either get another card and then cancel the one I have or just cancel it outright.

moonwoo

well that is a bummer. You must be in the same boat as I am. I too am eligible for another promotion in 11 months. My AF also hit but it did yesterday, hopefully the retention reps will be back in 36 days. I would have to think real hard to determine if it will be worthwhile keeping this card and applying for another Exec card (450 now + 450 fee next year for what appears to be 60,000 miles right now)... It may not be worth it to me.

osugrad2x

In order to not miss out on a signup bonus. I have the Prestige and Premier coming due in about 3 and 4 months. Can I apply for Preferred card and get bonus and then downgrade both Premier and Prestige to Preferred cards when fees hit? Am I allowed to have 3 preferred cards even though i applied for 1?

This is just to keep my TYP active, eventually I'll upgrade to transfer them out to airline.

AugustWest

AF is about to hit on my Prestige card. Is there a way to convert the card to a no AF version that does not trigger a 24 month reset? I am guessing no, but thought I would check.

garykung

You can try to PC to TY Preferred.

But I am not sure if it will trigger the reset...

mrkymark

It was my understanding that product changes doesn't restart the clock, just cancellation of accounts isn't it?

sdsearch

The wording Citi uses is "close", not "cancel".

And in most cases (certainly when the product coverted to isn't in the same group as the original card, like converting a TYP or AA card to DoubleCash), it's very much certainly counted as a "close" of the original card and an "open" of the new card. That's been discussed and verified in the AA cards thread.

So the only question is whether product converting Prestige to Preferred works differently than product converting to, say, DoubleCash, in terms of whether Citi considers it an "close" of one card and an "open" of another card.

moonwoo

I agree with you. It is pretty clear in the AA CC forum that downgrading = closing, which will reset the clock. If you are close to the 24 month mark and want to apply for another card and signup for the bonus, it may be worthwhile keeping the card open until you apply for the new card.

AugustWest

Thank you.
Very clear.