June 4th is a sad day for Citibank

[deltatee]

What a bummer.

Sallie, please never abandon me like this.

[kdm31091]

Realistically, it was going to happen. While companies often grandfather people for a time, eventually, this happens, because they discontinued the product for a reason (ostensibly, not wanting to give 5 TYP per dollar).

Looks like now it's basically becoming a Thankyou Preferred, although it still includes "books" at 2x per dollar which ThankYou Preferred doesn't. Of course, 2x isn't that meaningful when there's 2% everywhere cards available.

Sad for Forward users, but it was coming eventually.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the update!

[kdm31091]

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@galahad15 wrote:

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@icyhot wrote:
What the heck??? So it's basically a Thank You Preferred card with the guaranteed APR reduction. That sucks. I wonder if they'll allow PCs

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Very fascinating...sorry, not to go OT, but if Citi ever hypothetically offered the option in the future of a PC to the devalued version of the Forward, I just might be possibly interested, if only for the APR reduction feature alone...

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Unlikely. The Forward isn't coming back for applications (as it seems), it's just being changed for existing users. So doubt PCs would be an option.

Anyway, the guaranteed APR reduction, IIRC, was more of a gimmick than anything substantial. There's a maximum drop of 2% unless that has changed. You can get more than that with Citi by just asking and seeing if you're eligible, so it doesn't seem like a real standout feature.

[icyhot]

Well the "books" feature also features Amazon and TBQH, all the "flat 2%" cards like the DC or Fidelity are uninspiring.

[kdm31091]

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@icyhot wrote:
Well the "books" feature also features Amazon and TBQH, all the "flat 2%" cards like the DC or Fidelity are uninspiring.

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But why care about 2x "books" or Amazon when you can get 2% everything? No matter whether "books" includes Amazon or not, it's still just 2% on that category, whereas a DC is 2% on anything.

There used to be the argument that the 5x forward, paired with a Prestige/Premier, would give great value for travel redemptions. I think with only 2 points per dollar, the combo won't be nearly as enticing.

[SpiceIslander]

Ditto!

[SpiceIslander]

From Thank you! to Thank You?

[Sharingan]

I've been expecting this news for a few years now, so it's definitely no surprise to me. I have no use for a crippled Citi Forward when I have the U.S. Bank Cash+ (5% Fast Food & 5% Bookstores/Amazon), Sallie Mae (5% Bookstores/Amazon), and the AARP (3% Dining). I already have a few Citi cards that are credit sitting until I eventually consolidate them into my Double Cash and/or close them out, and the Citi Forward and Citi Premier will just be added to that group. Nothing in my lineup is irreplaceable, so the Forward won't be missed for long.

Also, I agree, Kdm. I certainly wouldn't care about 2x points on bookstores/Amazon when 2% -everything- cards are available. 

[Revelate]

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@galahad15 wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:
RIP

Hope Sallie Mae lasts as long as that did

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J/c, how long was 5% version of the Forward available in total, also accounting for those who were grandfathered before the earlier nerf to 2%, and the June 3rd cutoff date for the 5% rewards?  Honestly just curious to know how many years the 5% version actually ran for (for datapoint purposes)...

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Don't know how long it was in total, but it was discontined approximately 11/12, 9/12 for non-student applications IIRC and that lasted for like 2 months.  Sad day as I was on fence about taking a flier but figured I'd wait the few more months and hit it in my planned 1/13 app spree. 

Fail.  

Forward was 1 of 2 cards that I missed that I actually wanted (not sure I would've necessarily qualified for the other but with mortgage in flight, picking up a CC was a non-starter hah).  It did last with it's rewards structure for a full 3.5 years or so, which is pretty good compared to other products that went the way of the dinosaur.