Citi Premier downgrade

[enharu]

Hmmm. Between the prestige and Amex plat, which do you think is better?

[longtimelurker]

Probably depends on travel and spending! 

But I would guess most people would prefer Amex, as the MR points are worth more than TY points, and probably more than the magic 2.66TY points (if your spending and miles flown matched perfectly).   I think the inability to transfer points will put most people off.  But things like the 15% discount on  flights could be attractive to some.

[CreditScholar]

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@longtimelurker wrote:

I think for a while they have "matched" some of the platinum features, Global Entry credit, Lounge access (Airport Angel), airline credit etc.

Double points on a few things, and then their complex anniversary points (if that stays), minimum of 5% up to a $50K spend, with additional bonuses for Citigold or Private Bank, and more for more spending.

As this still has the 15% discount, (international) companion travel and flight points, it seems OK (better the Premier now!) but still no transfer of points to FF programs.  And at a $400 AF, that is quite a gap.

And yes, worth $400 to talk to a knowledgable Citi rep?   Hard to know as I haven't had such an experience yet!

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Not quite. TY points can be transferred to HH points at a ratio of 1.5:1, so 10 TY points will get you 15 Hilton points. They started that within the past year or so.

Also it's essentially $200 AF after the airline credits are used up. Not great, but not horrible either.

[enharu]

CS, which card do you think is better in your opinion as well? I'm trying to gather more info and opinions about these 2 cards.

To get the 15% discount on flights, do I have to book it through citi as well?

[longtimelurker]

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CreditScholar wrote

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Not quite. TY points can be transferred to HH points at a ratio of 1.5:1, so 10 TY points will get you 15 Hilton points. They started that within the past year or so.

Also it's essentially $200 AF after the airline credits are used up. Not great, but not horrible either.

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Yes, forgot about Hilton transfer.  But that was hoped to be the beginning of more partners, and that hasn't happened! 

[longtimelurker]

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@enharu wrote:
CS, which card do you think is better in your opinion as well? I'm trying to gather more info and opinions about these 2 cards.

To get the 15% discount on flights, do I have to book it through citi as well?

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The 15% discount has to be booked through Spirit, and it's just 15% off the non-tax part.   For some flights, that is most of it, for others (bos-lhr for example, tax is most!)

Flight points (at least on the Premier today) apply when you buy with the card from anywhere.

[enharu]

Ah I see. Thanks a lot!

I'm assuming that flight points for prestige are still going to apply for flights booked from anywhere, right? Or is it restricted to spirit as well now?

[CreditScholar]

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@longtimelurker wrote:

Probably depends on travel and spending! 

But I would guess most people would prefer Amex, as the MR points are worth more than TY points, and probably more than the magic 2.66TY points (if your spending and miles flown matched perfectly).   I think the inability to transfer points will put most people off.  But things like the 15% discount on  flights could be attractive to some.

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If you're high-spending, frequent-flying and have a Citigold or PB relationship, the Prestige may likely pull ahead.

For example if you have Citigold, an annual spend over 100k, and you have sufficient flight-miles to match, you'll be getting 2.66x1.35 = 3.59% return on general spending. 2x categories will return 5.32x1.35 = 7.18%.

This is a very niche product, but for the right people it can be extremely lucrative.

[CreditScholar]

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@longtimelurker wrote:

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@enharu wrote:
CS, which card do you think is better in your opinion as well? I'm trying to gather more info and opinions about these 2 cards.

To get the 15% discount on flights, do I have to book it through citi as well?

---

The 15% discount has to be booked through Spirit, and it's just 15% off the non-tax part.   For some flights, that is most of it, for others (bos-lhr for example, tax is most!)

Flight points (at least on the Premier today) apply when you buy with the card from anywhere.

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+1. Looks like he beat me to it.

[Laugh]

Thanks for the info.

I was actually encouraging my brother to switch over from chase checking to citibank checking just a few days ago since his only credit card is the citiforward for college students.

Basically, I think its wiser to focus your spending in one rewards program than to have it scattered and about. Now I might just reconsider. Well, I might have him reconsider since its his decision. Haha