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Citi AA Plat/Gold/Bus cards. August 2016: 1 personal & 1 business bonus/24 months.

Old Aug 12, 2016, 7:17 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: muji
Please read this wiki before posting questions in the thread.

All PUBLIC Citi AAdvantage personal card links now deny bonus miles for personal card accounts if you have opened or closed any Citi AAdvantage personal (gold, platinum, exec) card in the past 24 months.

All PUBLIC Citi AAdvantage business card links now deny bonus miles for business card accounts if you have opened or closed any Citi AAdvantage business card in the past 24 months.


See FAQ #1 below for additional details.
See FAQ #3 below for a way around the 24-month restriction.
Previous threads (now closed) on this topic are available for 2013-2014, 2015, and the first 7 months of 2016.

For information on the Executive version of this card, see: Citi Executive AA thread

Recommended application procedure:
Clear cache and cookies prior to applying or use an incognito or private browsing session to apply. Opening multiple different apps in different windows or tabs or failing to clear cookies/cache has resulted in people receiving a lesser offer.

Table of Contents
Top personal card offers

Top business card offers

Other personal cards

Other business cards

Citibank contacts/resources

Frequently Asked Questions
  1. Are these AA cards churnable?

  2. Does a product change or card conversion count as a card open/close that resets the 24-month clock?

  3. Is there any way around the 24-month restriction?

  4. What are the most current time-restriction rules in applying for all Citi cards?

  5. Do I need to close existing cards before applying?

  6. When should I close existing Citi accounts?

  7. Can I apply for a business card if I dont have a business?

  8. Can I buy Visa gift cards to meet my minimum spend?

  9. Do I have to use my own AAdvantage number on applications?

  10. There is nothing on the application page stating the bonus miles. How do I know what the associated offer is?

  11. After approval, how can I a) confirm the amount of the bonus I can earn and b) determine the deadline for completing the required spend?

  12. When will my bonus miles post?

  13. Do I get 10% back when redeeming miles for awards?

  14. Can I cancel a card using secure messaging?

  15. Which credit bureau does Citi pull and can I force them to use a different one?

  16. When is the 60K (75K, 100K, etc.) offer going to come back?

  17. Is my card World (W) or World Elite (WE)?

  18. Why and when does Citi convert cards to World Elite? Can I do anything to trigger the conversion?

  19. What's the difference between World and World Elite cards?

  20. Does Citi match bonus offers?

  21. The CSR told me I was not eligible for the bonus, should I cancel the application?

Top personal card offers (currently 60K)

For the sake of continuity, please do not renumber items in this list. Links are listed in chronological order (newest ones last).

Note: except as noted, application pages for offers in this section contain the following (or substantially similar) language:
American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles are not available if you have had any Citi / AAdvantage card (other than a CitiBusiness/AAdvantage card) opened or closed in the past 24 months.
33) Landing page for personal Platinum Select World Elite MC offer for 60K miles after $3000 spend in 3 months, $95 fee waived first year; application page.


Top business card offers (currently 60K)

For the sake of continuity, please do not renumber items in this list. Links are listed in chronological order (newest ones last).

Except as noted below, all offers in this section contain language stating that
This card is not available if the business already has a CitiBusiness/AAdvantage Platinum Select World MasterCard account. Bonus miles and any additional special offer not available if you have had any CitiBusiness/AAdvantage account opened or closed in the past 24 months.
Prior to August 11, 2016, the standard language read as follows:
Bonus miles not available if you have had a CitiBusiness/AAdvantage Platinum Select World MasterCard opened or closed in the past 24 months.
Q) Landing page for business Platinum Select World MC offer for 60K miles after $3000 spend in 3 months, $95 fee waived first year; application page.

R) Landing page for business Platinum Select World MC offer for 60K miles after $3000 spend in 3 months, $95 fee waived first year; application page.


Other personal cards

24) Landing page for personal Platinum Select World Elite MC offer for 50K miles after $3000 spend in 3 months, $95 fee waived first year; a) original application page, b) replacement application page, c) current application page - 4/19/2017.

30) Application page for personal Platinum Select World Elite MC offer for 50K miles after $3000 spend in 3 months, $95 fee waived first year. Application page.

32) Landing page for personal Platinum Select World Elite MC offer for 40K miles after $1000 spend in 3 months, $95 fee waived first year. Application page.

26) Landing page for personal Platinum Select World Elite MC offer for 30K miles after $1000 spend in 3 months, $95 fee waived first year; a) new 30K application page b) original 50K application page. Expired ~ Apr. 18, 2017.

28) Landing page for personal Platinum Select World Elite MC offer for 30K miles after $1000 spend in 3 months, $95 fee waived first year; a) new 30K/$1K application page, b) original 50K application page. Expired ~ Apr 18, 2017.

Landing page for Citi Gold Mastercard offer for 25,000 miles after $750 spend in 3 months. $50 annual fee, waived first year; current application page, prior application page.
  • Note: offer terms now state that
    American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles are not available if you have had any Citi / AAdvantage card (other than a CitiBusiness/AAdvantage card) opened or closed in the past 24 months.
    Prior to August 11, 2016, the standard language was less restrictive:
    American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles not available if you have had a Citi/AAdvantage Gold MasterCard opened or closed in the past 24 months.


Other business cards

K) Landing page for business Platinum Select World MC offer for 50K miles after $3000 spend in 3 months, $95 fee waived first year. Current (third) application page.

Landing page for CitiBusiness Platinum Select MC offer for 30K miles after $1000 spend in 3 months, $95 fee waived first year; Application page.



Citibank contacts/resources
  • Inquiry form for prequalified offers: https://www.citicards.com/cards/cred...on~BrowseCards
  • Application status: https://www.accountonline.com/cards/...?screenID=3187
  • (800) 695-5171 Personal Application Status and Reconsideration Line with live rep
  • (800) 763-9795 General Personal Application Inquiries with live rep
  • (800) 645-7240 Business Application Status and Reconsideration Line; press 1 for English and then follow prompts
  • (800) 288-4653 Business Application Status and Reconsideration Line; press 1 for English and then follow prompts
  • (866) 606-2787 General Application and Account Questions with live rep
  • (888) 201-4523 Application status
  • (866) 606-2961 Reconsideration Line.
  • Twitter : @AskCiti. Very powerful tool.
  • Executive Office - useful for getting a more empowered agent for reconsideration purposes: CitiBank Executive Review Department, P.O. Box 6000, Sioux Falls, SD 57117


Frequently Asked Questions

The FAQs below will almost certainly answer questions you have about Citi AA Platinum, Gold, and CitiBusiness cards. Do not post in the thread "just to double-check if the wiki is correct"; the wiki is here to avoid having people ask the same questions endlessly. With few exceptions, Citi CSRs and bloggers spread a great deal of misinformation.


1. Are these AA cards churnable?
Yes and no. The general rules are:
  • Personal AA cards: As of August 11, 2016, all public offers require you to wait 24 months from the date of opening or closing any other personal Citi/AAdvantage account, regardless of type (AmEx, Visa, MC) or category (Gold, Platinum, Executive). This includes voluntary and involuntary conversion of an AA Personal card of any type.

If you violate the 24-month rule, Citi may still issue you the card but you will not get the bonus.

Most of the above rules are new for Citi. Prior to December 2015, receiving the card meant receiving the bonus. Prior to August 2016, the card type and category mattered.
  • Business AA cards: As of April 22, 2016, all public business card offers contain a 24-month restriction, as noted above.

Note that beginning in late 2014, new Citi AA business card offers began including the explicit requirement that the applicant not be an existing AA business cardholder. This language has not been uniformly enforced.

When closing a business card, be sure to completely cancel the full account; send an SM or call and request that the account, ending in XXXX and the associated cards, ending in YYYY (etc.) be closed, including the master account. (The master account is the actual line of credit, while the cards are the individual cards associated with each employee of the business.) To find the master account number, go to your online account and select the card you want to close. In the bottom left corner there is a dropdown box next to "Cardholder:" that has the master account and any card accounts listed.


2. Does a product change or card conversion count as a card open/close that resets the 24-month clock?

Yes. Downgrading to a different card (aka a "product change" or PC) counts as closing the AA card. This includes downgrades from AA Platinum to Gold as well as downgrades to non-AA cards. A similar rule has also been true for involuntary, Citi-initiated conversions of legacy, no-longer-issued AA Visa & Amex cards to MasterCards; these events are both a closure (of the old card) and an opening (of the replacement MC).


3. Is there any way around the 24-month restriction?
Yes. As of August 2016, there are two ways.
a) Targeted mailer offers Numerous FTers received physical mailers with unique invitation codes since 2015 in which the T&C do not contain the 24-month restriction language. E-mailed mailers do not circumvent the 24-month rules even though the application page does not have 24-month language.

The T&C for these offers will typically say instead that they are "applicable only to new accounts." This is nothing to worry about; all it means is that Citi won't retroactively match you to the offer on an account you already have; it doesn't disqualify someone who has a Citi AA card or has ever had one. Note: not all mailer offers are worded this way; some contain the standard 24-month restriction, so it is important to read closely.

If you would like to get targeted mailers, it is best not to have had a Citi AA card in the recent past. A number of people have gotten mailers by creating an AAdvantage account for a family member with the same last name at their address. Mailers usually start to show up a few months after an AAdvantage account is created, and stop coming once the mailers for that account begin to be used. Frequency of mailers varies widely.

Other noteworthy aspects:
  • In order to access the application page, you must have both the 9-digit or 12-digit invitation code and the surname of the offer recipient.
  • After you authenticate the offer code and are redirected to the application page, you may enter a completely different applicant name and address. (Caution: 12-digit mailers may allow the name change only to deny the application.)
  • Offers do not always expire on the nominal expiration shown on the mailer. Offers with 9-digit codes that direct you to citi.com/applynowAAplatinumselectcard generally last an extra 2 months (i.e., a mailer with a stated May 15 expiration was fully valid through July 14).
  • Invitation codes cannot be re-used by the same individual, you will receive an instant denial for such applications.
  • Mailers can be used repeatedly by different people. the limit is unknown but is at least in the 5-6 range.
  • Use of the mailer by the named individual will cause the mailers to stop coming for that individual.

b) Pre-qualified offers Multiple FTers (ref; ref) have reported receiving pre-qualified offers that do not include the 24-month/card-family restriction.

You can check for pre-qualified offers here. A good results page will have a heading that starts "[NAME], you're Pre-Qualified to apply for the following credit cards offers." A page that starts with "[NAME], we couldn't match your records to a Pre-Qualified credit card offer. See below for [X number] other cards you may like" does NOT contain a prequalified offer even if the page displays more than X offers; the offers presented will almost certainly contain (and Citi will enforce) the 24-month language.

4. What are the most current time-restriction rules in applying for all Citi cards?
  • No more than 2 Citi applications of any kind in 60 days (65 days to be safe).
  • No more than 1 CitiBusiness application in 90 days (95 days to be safe).


Citi has been known to miscount in some cases. As a result, it is inadvisable to apply again exactly on day 60 or 90--thus the advice to wait 65 or 95 days.

For purposes of these rules,
  • count all Citi applications, including denials and/or applications for non-AA cards.
  • the only day that matters is the application date (not approval date, not activation date).
  • count all calendar days, not just business days.

If you get denied for violating any of these rules, you will probably have to wait the full time period (60+/90+ days) before trying again. Use this calculator to establish your dates: http://www.timeanddate.com/date/dateadd.html

In addition, FT lore has evolved into soft guidance that you apply for no more than one Citi card (of any kind) in any 8-day period. This is merely prudential guidance, not clearly established Citi policy; there are examples of people applying for two cards in a single day and being approved for the second. However, multiple Citi applications in a short time frame do appear, at least anecdotally, to increase the odds of the second application being denied. (You may see FTers refer to "the 8/65 rule," which refers to this soft guidance plus the strict 60-day rule noted above.)

An example of the guidance above applied in combination:
Day 1 Apply for 50K HHonors - Starts 60-day and 24-month clocks. No apps of any kind recommended for 8 days.
Day 9 Apply for 50K AA Personal Plat MC - Starts 24-month clock for personal Plat MC & resets 60-day clock.
Day 66 Apply for 50K AA Business - Starts 24-month clock for biz card apps, starts 90-day clock for CitiBusiness cards & resets 60-day clock. No apps of any kind recommended for 8 days.
Day 74 Apply for 50K TYP Card - Starts 24-month clock for TYP & resets 60-day clock. No apps of any kind recommended for 8 days.
Day 161 - Open Costco Business card/Close CitiBusiness AA card - Restarts 24-month clock for CitiBusiness AA apps, restarts 90-day clock for CitiBusiness cards & resets 60-day clock. No apps of any kind recommended for 8 days.
Day 9 plus 24 months Apply for 50K AA personal plat MC - As long as you have not closed the Day 9 card in the previous 24 months (as that would have reset the 24-month personal card clock).
Day 161 plus 24 months - Apply for 50K AA Business . . .
Not sure what day you applied? The date is written year, month, day in the application number: 201702150000 means you applied on February 15, 2017.


5. Do I need to close existing cards before applying?
There is no requirement that you close previous personal accounts. In fact, with the new applications that include 24-month language, closing accounts will increase the time between applications. People have reported having 6 or more of the exact same card.

The rules for Business accounts vary by individual. Some people can only get a single business card in their lifetime. Others can only get a new business card if their previous business cards are closed. This requires the master account and all employee accounts be closed see FAQ #1 above. Still others can have multiple business accounts open. It is unknown why people end up in one pool versus another. The only way to figure out which pool you are in is to test it out. With the new 24-month language, it is safest to completely close business accounts as soon as the bonus is received.


6. When should I close existing Citi accounts?
Citi cards can be closed immediately after receiving a bonus and paying off the balance. There are no verifiable reports of Citi clawing back miles except in cases where charges forming part of the required bonus spend are later reversed (for merchandise return, etc.).

Reasons to keep accounts open:
  • Having large credit lines improves your utilization percentage.
  • Maintaining old cards improves average age of cards.
  • Credit lines can be moved from old cards to new cards.
  • Anecdotal evidence suggests that Citi counts the credit lines of recently-closed accounts for 3-6 months against your total available credit. You can call/SM to reduce credit lines instead or prior to closing to free CL more quickly.
  • You can receive retention offers once every 6 months per card. See this thread for details on the latest retention offers.
  • Closing cards now resets the clock for future applications for the same type and category of card.

Reasons to close accounts:
  • Having a large amount of available credit with Citi will eventually reduce your chances of instant approval. You may end up with 1K/2K credit lines, especially on Business cards. You can also SM and request that your CL be reduced.
  • There is little incentive to pay an annual fee if Citi does not ofset it with a credit.
  • Citi has become stingier with credits to offset annual fee.
  • Having a large number of open Citi cards will show up on your credit report and may affect non-Citi applications as well as the overall age of your accounts.
  • Closing multiple accounts of the same type and category simultaneously resets the clock only once. Doing so shortly after opening a new account minimizes the wait for future churn eligibility.


7. Can I apply for a business card if I dont have a business?
Anyone can apply for a business card. You do not need a registered business with an EIN. If you do not have a business with an EIN or with bills/accounts in the business name, you can apply using your name as the business. The three possibilities are that: 1. You could be approved unconditionally, 2. You could be asked to fax a couple of bills or accounts (water, electricity, gas, cable, or phone bills, bank accounts, etc.) in the name of the business to Citi, or 3. You could be required to fill out and send a 4506-T tax form. Whatever you do do not make up income etc. about the business. Plenty of people have been issued multiple cards for businesses with $0 annual revenue, 1-5 employees, and 0 years in business. While it may seem that your chances are better with an 'actual' business, Citi does not care.


8. Can I buy Visa gift cards to meet my minimum spend?
Purchases from banks are almost always coded as a cash advance regardless of what they are for. Purchases from stores, e.g. CVS, are almost always coded as a purchase. Citi is not very vigilant about policing MS.

If you are concerned about it, its recommended to send a secure message Citi and have them set your Cash Advance limit to zero. Phone CSRs often say they cannot do this.


9. Do I have to use my own AAdvantage number on applications?
Yes. The name on the card application must match the name on the AAdvantage account. You cannot apply for multiple cards for different people and use the same AAdvantage account number. People have reported having as many as 6-7 open Citi AA cards.


10. There is nothing on the application page stating the bonus miles. How do I know what the associated offer is?
You need to have faith in the readers of this thread if you want to maximize your miles. FTers constantly apply for these cards and report back to confirm bonus amounts. If you don't feel like trusting in the experiences of others, then apply for an offer with a landing page.


11. After approval, how can I a) confirm the amount of the bonus I can earn and b) determine the deadline for completing the required spend?
For personal and business cards, you can always send Citi a secure message through your online account to confirm your bonus amount and deadline. (You must first activate the card and set up online access, either by creating an online account or by linking your new card to your existing online account. Unlike some other banks, Citi does not automatically add your new card to your existing online account.)

Note for for Business cards only: Approval letters for business cards do not confirm the bonus.


In addition, for personal cards only (and perhaps only for online applications), there are two additional indicators:
  1. The approval letter for a personal card will confirm the amount of the bonus for which you are eligible, but not the spend deadline. (As noted in FAQ #1 above, Citi may approve you for a personal card even if you do not qualify for a bonus. No bonus language in the letter means no bonus.)
  2. In many cases, your online account for a personal card also provides information on eligible bonus and spend deadline. Log into your Citi account and select the applicable card. On the Account Details page you'll see a "My Miles Summary" link; click that link, scroll down, and you will see a pie-chart graphic showing the spend deadline and your progress as of your last statement. (Charges made since your last statement are not included in this total.)

    Starting in autumn 2016, some users reported that they had no tracker in their accounts despite being bonus-eligible. If your welcome letter confirmed the bonus, you will receive it regardless of the presence/absence of the online tracker. (In other words, the presence of the tracker reaffirms what was conveyed in your approval letter, but its absence proves nothing either way.)
Note that these are the only reliable indicators. Asking a Citi phone CSR immediately after you are approved is NOT a sound approach. Such CSRs can only tell you what the bonus offer terms were, not whether you are eligible. (This is because Citi will issue you a card even if you are ineligible for the signup bonus.)


12. When will my bonus miles post?
Roughly 2-3 days after the date of the statement containing the charge that takes you across the spend threshold.


13. Do I get 10% back when redeeming miles for awards?
It depends. First, the rebate program (which began in April 2012) applies only to holders of these cards:
  • Citi Platinum Select AAdvantage Visa Signature
  • Citi Platinum Select AAdvantage World MasterCard
  • Citi Platinum Select AAdvantage World Elite MasterCard
  • Citi Select AAdvantage American Express
It does not apply to the Citi Gold World MasterCard, Citi Executive products, or some of the Citi Business cards.

Also, the maximum rebate for any cardholder in a single calendar year is 10,000 miles. Having more than one qualifying Citi AA card will not allow you to receive a larger rebate; the restriction applies per AAdvantage account.

For more on the 10% rebate benefit, see AAdvantage Citi / Barclays 10% miles / mileage rebate (consolidated).


14. Can I cancel a card using secure messaging?
Yes, assuming you have set up the credit card in your Citi account. Quick and easy.


15. Which credit bureau does Citi pull and can I force them to use a different one?
Citi appears to use Experian most frequently, followed by Equifax. For some people they pull both. It depends on where you are located. You can check the Credit Boards database to see where card issuers have pulled recently.

For the most part, freezing Experian, or another bureau, will not cause Citi to pull a different bureau. They will almost certainly require you to unfreeze the bureau they wish to pull or deny your application. Some people have been successful providing the PIN but others have not. Mostly, freezing a credit bureau in an attempt to force Citi to pull a different one seems to waste time, money, and effort for little result. But YMMV.

For one person's experiences with various card issuers, check here.


16. When is the 60K (75K, 100K, etc.) offer going to come back?
Nobody knows except Citi & they don't announce these things in advance. If we knew, we'd be talking about it non-stop. Please don't ask about it periodically in the thread.

If you want to make yourself useful, you can easily look for new offers by testing the URLs
  • away*.citicards.com
  • fly*.citicards.com
  • travel*.citicards.com
  • miles*.citicards.com
  • go*.citicards.com
  • aadvantagecards*.citicards.com
where * is any digit in the range 1-9.


17. Is my card World (W) or World Elite (WE)?
It was once useful to know if your card is World (W) or World Elite (WE) because of a loophole that previously allowed applicants to open new accounts and earn signup bonuses less than 24 months since the last open/close of the same card type. That loophole has been closed. (See FAQ #1 above for more information.)
Physical card
  • If your card is W the back of the card will say "World" and have a red and yellow MasterCard logo.
  • If your card is WE the back of the card will say "World Elite" and have a silver MasterCard logo.
Online account
  • If your card has been converted, the summary for that card (on the home Accounts page) will include, at the bottom, a line with a green flag and the legend "We've mailed your new Citi card. After it arrives, activate it for use. Learn more Activate"

In the alternative,
  • Log into your online account.
  • Select "Account Management"
  • Select "Profile & Settings"
  • Select "Set Default Credit Card"
Platinum
  • If the card is listed as "Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World MasterCard" it is W.
  • If the card is listed as "Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select" it is WE.
Gold
  • If the card is listed as "Citi / AAdvantage Gold World MasterCard" it is W.
  • If the card is listed as "Citi / AAdvantage Gold" it is WE.

18. Why and when does Citi convert cards to World Elite? Can I do anything to trigger the conversion?
Citi appears to convert recently opened World MCs to World Elite en masse at periodic intervals once every few months. For most new cardholders, this will occur in the second or third full billing cycle; for holders of legacy Citi AA VISA or Amex cards, the conversion may occur at any time.

There is nothing you can do as a cardholder to trigger the conversion.


19. What's the difference between World and World Elite cards?
See the wiki at Difference in MasterCard World and World Elite?.


20. Does Citi match bonus offers?
Yes. After you activate and link your new card to your online account, send an SM explaining that you heard about a XXK bonus and ask if they can match that bonus to your new card. You have to have a bonus on the existing card. You do not need to explain where you saw the bonus. You do not need to lie, simply read about current bonuses in this thread.

The bonus miles normally appear two days after the end of the billing cycle.

Some examples that make no sense:
  • Offer: 40,000 miles for spending $3000 in 3 months and an additional 10,000 miles for spending a total of $5000 in 12 months. Request: Match to 60K for $3K in 3 months offer. Receive: Additional 20K miles.
  • Offer: 30,000 miles for spending $1000 in 3 months. Request: Match to 50K miles for $3K spend in 3 months. Receive: Additional 20K miles.

As with all things Citi, YMMV but both of the above have been done.


21. The CSR told me I was not eligible for the bonus, should I cancel the application??
No. Citi CSRs do not always have complete information. When applying for a card, the CSR can tell that the link is associated with a bonus and that you opened or closed a card within 24 months. However, they cannot tell you whether or not you are eligible for the bonus. Wait for the welcome letter for personal cards or SM after activating a business card if you are unsure.
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Citi AA Plat/Gold/Bus cards. August 2016: 1 personal & 1 business bonus/24 months.

Old Aug 15, 2016, 12:49 pm
  #76  
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Teaneck, NJ
Programs: SPG Gold, HHonors Gold, IHG Platinum, Marriott Silver
Posts: 699
Originally Posted by SeeBuyFly
Did you read the wiki? Specifically, FAQ #4.
Saw it, but wanted to know if that was still the case or if anyone knows any workaround. According to that, she should just cancel the card now so it starts her 2 year clock.
yoshapman is offline  
Old Aug 15, 2016, 1:32 pm
  #77  
Suspended
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 8,135
Originally Posted by yoshapman
Saw it, but wanted to know if that was still the case or if anyone knows any workaround. According to that, she should just cancel the card now so it starts her 2 year clock.
Here's another useful passage from the wiki:
Do not post in the thread "just to double-check if the wiki is correct"; the wiki is here to avoid having people ask the same questions endlessly.
beltway is offline  
Old Aug 15, 2016, 2:09 pm
  #78  
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 95
Originally Posted by bobert24
Told by who? The online application results? The general application phone number CSRs? Or recon? If it wasn't recon, it's worth giving them a call.
The website told me "unable". Thanks for the advise -- called the rep and she was gracious enough to explain that I violated the 60 days rule since I applied for Platinum Select in June and for Hilton HHonors in July. Yeah, I'm that stupid...

Here comes the 2 year dry spell!
abcpp is offline  
Old Aug 15, 2016, 2:14 pm
  #79  
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Teaneck, NJ
Programs: SPG Gold, HHonors Gold, IHG Platinum, Marriott Silver
Posts: 699
Originally Posted by beltway
Here's another useful passage from the wiki:
Strange since I found a couple people in another forum who were able to get 2. So please tell me again the answer...
yoshapman is offline  
Old Aug 15, 2016, 2:35 pm
  #80  
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 557
I have received my 5th personal platinum card, welcome letter confirming the bonus, have activated the card, and I can confirm that I have the Bonus Tracker online.

Below is a current record of my Platinum cards:

CP: Citi Personal Platinum
CB: CitiBusiness Platinum

  • CP1: Opened 10/1/15 using public link 4c on FlyerTalk, 50k/$3k (matched to 60k), converted to WE 11/15/15, closed on 3/17/16
  • CP2: Opened 12/22/15 using public link 4c on FlyerTalk, 50k/$3k (matched to 60k), converted to WE 11/15/15, still open
  • CP3: Opened 1/28/16 using Citi "Pre-Qualified" link, 50k/$3k (matched to 60k), converted to WE 3/5/16, closed on 4/21/16
  • CP4: Opened 4/12/16 using Citi "Other cards you may be interested in..." link, 30k/$1k (matched to 50k), no bonus attached to the welcome letter/tracker, never converted to WE, closed on 4/21/16
  • CB1: Opened 4/21/16 using link on AA.com, 30k/$1k (matched to 50k), closed on 8/6/16
  • CP5: Opened 8/8/16 using Citi "Pre-Qualified" link, 30k/$1k, bonus confirmed in the welcome letter and Bonus Tracker

This is a good datapoint for me, since it means you should be able to churn one of these cards that has no 24-month language in the terms even after closing a World card in recent times. I'm not sure I can recall anybody being able to do this using the "Pre-Qualified" link on Citi's pre-qualified website; this has been mainly a targeted deal.
NTP9766 is offline  
Old Aug 15, 2016, 6:47 pm
  #81  
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 138
Approved AA card 40,000 miles (maybe)

Within last 2 years had 50,000 personal and business. As a possible data point I never had the 40,000 bonus card so trusting the credit doctor I applied and was approved on the 40,000 mile offer If approved the bonus is OK or do I get a form letter saying here is your card but no bonus under 24 month rule? I will update.
gregillinois is offline  
Old Aug 15, 2016, 6:50 pm
  #82  
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Originally Posted by yoshapman
Strange since I found a couple people in another forum who were able to get 2. So please tell me again the answer...
Ok, here's the answer. There is a small minority of people who have in the past been able to get multiple CIti AA Business cards. I don't know if anyone can get them anymore, though. Most people always had to close both card itself and the associated master account (which is explained in a FAQ above that).

The problem is, these days to find out if you're in the tiny minority who can open a 2nd Citi AA Business card without closing first one, you have to try it, and if you're not in that tiny minority, you've just reset your 24-month clock by doing that experiment.

So it really it worth worrying about?

The people who figured out that they were in the tiny minority did that before there were any 18- or 24-month clocks on the business card, just a 90-day clock. So back then, experiments of that sort were relatively "painless". The risks of experimentation shot up tremendously with the introduction of the 24-month clock.

Last edited by sdsearch; Aug 15, 2016 at 6:58 pm
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Old Aug 16, 2016, 7:26 am
  #83  
 
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Originally Posted by sdsearch
Ok, here's the answer. There is a small minority of people who have in the past been able to get multiple CIti AA Business cards. I don't know if anyone can get them anymore, though. Most people always had to close both card itself and the associated master account (which is explained in a FAQ above that).

The problem is, these days to find out if you're in the tiny minority who can open a 2nd Citi AA Business card without closing first one, you have to try it, and if you're not in that tiny minority, you've just reset your 24-month clock by doing that experiment.

So it really it worth worrying about?

The people who figured out that they were in the tiny minority did that before there were any 18- or 24-month clocks on the business card, just a 90-day clock. So back then, experiments of that sort were relatively "painless". The risks of experimentation shot up tremendously with the introduction of the 24-month clock.
Thank you for the answer, going to cancel today.
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Old Aug 16, 2016, 8:37 am
  #84  
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,857
Originally Posted by NTP9766
This is a good datapoint for me, since it means you should be able to churn one of these cards that has no 24-month language in the terms even after closing a World card in recent times. I'm not sure I can recall anybody being able to do this using the "Pre-Qualified" link on Citi's pre-qualified website; this has been mainly a targeted deal.
I hope to be able to provide a second data point for this soon, and can expand it on somewhat. The short version: it looks like the pre-qualified links on their website do allow you to bypass the 24-month restrictions, but don't work for multiple people, like mailers would. Also, they appear to look like mailers to Citi CSRs.

Longer version:
I had a pre-approved offer on citicards.com, my wife didn't. We're both well under 24 months since our last openings/closures, but there was no 24-month language. We both applied using my pre-approved link this morning (her first, then me - it lets you change the name, just like mailers). Her application said it needed further review; mine said they just needed a little more info, and to call them.

Mine was processed without a hitch, and approved. Bonus terms confirmed without asking (although we all know that means close to zero).

We called about hers, and the woman immediately saw the problem - she had applied using a "mailer" that wasn't in her name. She was nice as could be, and would have done something to help if it was at all possible, but it obviously wasn't. This experiment did end up costing her a hard pull - I had hoped their system might reject it before getting to that stage, but apparently not.

I found it interesting that the pre-qual offer looked like a mailer to the recon CSR, but it obviously gets processed through their IT system a little differently. The rep even said that since she had used my "mailer code", I wouldn't be able to. This obviously wasn't right, but it was interesting to hear. We, of course, didn't tell her I had also used it and been approved.

I can't say this will always be the exact results of something like this, but that's how it worked out for us. Hopefully a useful datapoint.
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Old Aug 16, 2016, 9:18 am
  #85  
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
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To me, it sounds like they're cracking down on people who change the names on a mailer code, no? That's actually what I was looking to try in the next few weeks, but may hold off and see if we get more datapoints on that practice.
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Old Aug 16, 2016, 12:30 pm
  #86  
 
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Is there still a problem where Citi reports the 50k points to AA and then the points never show up at AA? My wife's Citi statement closed July 28th and it said the 50k points were sent to AA, but nothing has arrived at AA yet. Is this a Citi or AA problem, or nobody knows?

Unrelated: I have an invitation code from a mailer that my friend gave us that expired July 15th, but the application still comes up, and it says that the terms are whatever was mentioned on the mailer. No 24 month language on the mailer, and my wife already got her bonus (see above) and she is under the 24 month rule. Any chance I could apply and get in under the wire or have they closed that loophole?
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Old Aug 16, 2016, 1:10 pm
  #87  
 
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Originally Posted by Superorb
Is there still a problem where Citi reports the 50k points to AA and then the points never show up at AA? My wife's Citi statement closed July 28th and it said the 50k points were sent to AA, but nothing has arrived at AA yet. Is this a Citi or AA problem, or nobody knows?
Was your card converted to World Elite on or around the statement closing date? Back when the WE loophole was alive and well, some people reported having their bonus mile posting delayed by a month when the conversion occurred near the statement closing date with the bonus miles. Even though the loophole seems to be dead, this could still be causing the delayed mile posting. If that is the cause, reports suggest that the miles will automatically post with your next statement with no intervention needed by you or a CSR.
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Old Aug 16, 2016, 1:21 pm
  #88  
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
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The other scenario is that no AA account number was entered during the application, so they opened a new account for you. If that's the case, you might want to take a look at this thread.
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Old Aug 16, 2016, 2:50 pm
  #89  
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
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Citi is still being generous, because they just granted my request for an additional 20k miles to match the 50k offers floating around. My card was of the 30k/$1k variety.
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Old Aug 16, 2016, 3:05 pm
  #90  
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 138
Originally Posted by Superorb

Unrelated: I have an invitation code from a mailer that my friend gave us that expired July 15th, but the application still comes up, and it says that the terms are whatever was mentioned on the mailer. No 24 month language on the mailer, and my wife already got her bonus (see above) and she is under the 24 month rule. Any chance I could apply and get in under the wire or have they closed that loophole?
I just used our July mailer for my wife and I (waiting for her letter). We hope mailers are always a loophole. 😀
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