Citi Diamond Preferred... What's it Worth?

[Stralem]

So I got a pre-approval letter in the mail today for the Citi Diamond Preferred.

I find that hilarious because they denied me for a student card and laughed me off the phone when I tried to recon some three years ago, the f***ers. Anyway...

From what I understand, the Diamond Preferred is mainly a balance transfer card, correct? So given that, how would it match up against a Slate? And were I to get it, what would the PC route be? The Thank You series of cards?

Thanks in advance.

[grinlikechelsea]

It is a good BT card and it has some special concierge service. Other than that, its pretty worthless. 

[snowkitty]

I have it as a balance transfer card. I get offers all the time for 0% interest bt's which I like. They offer good discounts on hotels, shopping, entertainment, etc. It's not the greatest but it's a good bt card in my honest opinion.

[Stralem]

Thanks. I gathered as much from searching the forums, but I wasn't sure if that concensus had changed anytime recently.

I'll have to look into that concierge service, though... I would probably never use it, but hey.

So again, were I to get the Diamond Preferred for a balance transfer (the mailer said 0% for 12 months), what would be an appropriate product to change it to after the promo period?

[drkaje]

I have one and they gave pretty regular CLIs for a while.

Concierge was nothing special and definitely not cheaper than Kayak or other airline sites. They were nice, but no one comes close to Amex.

[Shock_]

Citi is weird. The DP I would assume is primarily supposed to be a BT card. When I got approved, they only gave me a 500 dollar limit. Tell me, what balance do they expect me to transfer over?

Anyways, I did a CLI request and was denied. I called the EO and they approved it. My limit now sits at 3k. I guess they thought it was bogus too..but whatever the case is, the card doesnt really have a rewards structure. 

That having been said, I wouldn't app for it. In order to PC, the card has to be open for a year. In my opinion, most of the Citi cards are less than stellar. I don't want to go so far as to say I regret apping for it. But they trusted me with my first big limit (3k) at the time. So I am forever grateful.

[clocktick]

I've had the card for about 3 years.  I haven't used it in a while and they just gave me a CLI in Nov.  It was a good 0% for a while but I see now they have this for first 12 months:

For the first 12 months you will earn a generous:

• 5 points per dollar at grocery stores
• 5 points per dollar at drug stores
• 5 points per dollar at gas stations
• 1 point per dollar on all other purchases

It goes with their ThankYou Points but I honestly am not familiar with the TY points.

A plus for me though is it's a Mastercard and I recently needed one for Mastercard-exclusive tickets.  I used another one but think I'll keep it just because it's a MC.

[Shock_]

Hows does the Diamond Preferred get Thank You Points?

[Stralem]

Really good info, guys. Thanks.,

I don't plan on getting this card since I have my sights set on a Sapphire Preferred, but should I ever need a balance transfer, I know where to look.

[clocktick]

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@Shock_ wrote:

Hows does the Diamond Preferred get Thank You Points?

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From their site:

How do the rewards work?
The Citi Diamond Preferred Rewards card features the popular Citi ThankYou Points program, which is perhaps the most diverse credit card rewards program in existence.

For the first 12 months you will earn a generous:

• 5 points per dollar at grocery stores
• 5 points per dollar at drug stores
• 5 points per dollar at gas stations
• 1 point per dollar on all other purchases

Then after that you will still be earning 1 point per dollar on all of the above.

What can I redeem my points for?

Practically anything you can think of is available… merchandise, gift cards, charity donations, cash rebates, mortgage payments, student loan payments, statement credits, flights, hotels, music downloads, and the list goes on. If you can think of it, odds are it’s probably in there!

To get the optimal value for your rewards points, it’s best to redeem Citi Diamond Preferred card points for gift cards. Why? Because many of them have an excellent conversion value of a full penny per 1 point – i.e. $100 Bloomingdales gift card for 10,000 points. When you go that route, it’s like getting a whopping 5% rebate on the aforementioned categories for one full year!