topic Citi Costco product change in Credit Cards

Citi Costco product change

boosnark — Sat, 29 Aug 2020 02:37:52 GMT

Does anyone have any experience doing a product change from a Citi Costco card to a different Citibank credit card? My Costco membership is up for renewal soon and I have decided to cancel, since we hardly shop there any more. Canceling the membership will also cancel the card automatically, something I want to avoid.

Thanks for any pointers.

Re: Citi Costco product change

wasCB14 — Sat, 29 Aug 2020 02:48:49 GMT

Many, many people have reported that Costco is a dead end as far as PCs.

As a regular shopper, this does not bother me.

Re: Citi Costco product change

boosnark — Sat, 29 Aug 2020 02:51:29 GMT

Thanks, that is what I feared.

Re: Citi Costco product change

Credit12Fico — Sat, 29 Aug 2020 06:38:35 GMT

Have you tried giving Citi a ring? Don't assume anything. You never know what will happen.

@boosnark wrote:
Thanks, that is what I feared.

Re: Citi Costco product change

boosnark — Sat, 29 Aug 2020 15:03:12 GMT

I did ask today. And the answer was a firm No. Card will cancel automatically after a membership cancellation.

Re: Citi Costco product change

Wavester64 — Sat, 29 Aug 2020 15:57:52 GMT

@boosnark wrote:
Does anyone have any experience doing a product change from a Citi Costco card to a different Citibank credit card? My Costco membership is up for renewal soon and I have decided to cancel, since we hardly shop there any more. Canceling the membership will also cancel the card automatically, something I want to avoid.

Thanks for any pointers.

I am going to be canceling the Citi-Costco card as well next year, but not for the same reasons.

Some DPs concerning PC for Citi-Costco are:

1) You can't product change out of Costco, 2) Cancel Costco membership? You lose the card /credit history associated with it

Re: Citi Costco product change

Aim_High — Sat, 29 Aug 2020 17:59:53 GMT

That stinks that you can't cancel Costco membership without the ability to Product Change your Citi Costco Visa. I had never really thought about whether that would be possible since I continue to get great value from Costco in my estimation.

Can you move any of the credit limit over to another Citi card if you already have one?

Not to turn this into a Costco commercial, but to me, even if you find you don't shop often in the warehouse you can easily get your money's worth for a Costco membership. The $60 for basic Gold Star membership works out to only $5 a month, about what some people spend at Starbucks in one visit. I buy a lot of gas at Costco when it's convenient and I often save anywhere from 5 cents to 30 cents or more per gallon (in a car that takes premium), just on gasoline alone. You can also order at member-only prices through Costco.com, so lots of opportunities for saving there as well. Costco has special pricing on travel, so when coronavirus lifts at least, you could save many times your annual fee on just one vacation package. I don't buy big ticket items there regularly, but I've bought big-screen TVs, cell phones, small appliances, garage shelving, gas bbq grills, kitchen cookware, and other things that you only rarely purchase. As with the travel, savings on just one annual shopping trip for a big ticket item can more than pay for the $60 fee. Plus, Costco offers great value on special services such as optical, photos, and tires. Then, if you add the value you get from the soon-to-be cancelled Costco Visa card, you're saving 4% on gas purchased anywhere (up to $7K = $280) and the 3% on restaurants and travel. If you don't have viable alternatives for cash-back on these categories, there is another loss to factor into the equation.

I've never tried to calculate exactly what the membership is worth to me but I know I'm coming out way ahead to keep mine. YMMV, but I'd suggest reconsidering how much value the membership could offer to you if you included all the opportunities besides weekly warehouse visits.

Thanks for the thread and the discussion about the Costco Visa. It's good info to keep in mind for those of us who have the card.

Re: Citi Costco product change

ridgebackpilot — Sat, 29 Aug 2020 19:11:13 GMT

Several years ago, I PC'd my Citi American Airlines card to the Costco card. I shop at Costco a lot more often than I fly American, so it was a good move for me even if I can't PC out of the Costco card.

I agree that shopping at Costco is a great deal. I've had an Executive membership for years and easily meet the spending requirements to make that worthwhile. Not only is Costco the best place to buy gasoline and groceries, but their tire shop is first-rate as well. Good prices, free installation, periodic deals on tires, and great tire warranties.

Re: Citi Costco product change

kdm31091 — Sun, 30 Aug 2020 01:00:08 GMT

I love Costco and think the savings are often great but I also think it's easy to impulse shop there, so like anything else you need to be careful and stick to your list. A couple impulse buys each trip can wipe out your "savings" easily.

But sometimes, even someone who doesn't shop there regularly may still find the membership worthwhile. For example, a pack of 5 Costco generic Flonase sprays is the same price as maybe 2 of them at say, Walgreens or Target. That right there basically covers my membership since I need to buy Flonase anyway.

If you're not getting your money's worth then there's no sense paying for the membership, but unfortunately you likely cannot PC out of the Costco card from all accounts I've heard. You can call and ask, but otherwise you're probably left with losing the account.

Re: Citi Costco product change

Anonymous — Wed, 04 Nov 2020 22:35:45 GMT

Called in today to convert my Citi Simplicity to Costco Anywhere. No dice, and no conversions available for the Simplicity. I asked for my Diamond Preffered and the requeset was granted. The card should arrive within 10-14 days according to the CSR. No option for expedited delivery on product conversions. It will be nice to get some cash back on my Costco gas purchases finally!

Re: Citi Costco product change

blindambition — Wed, 04 Nov 2020 22:43:04 GMT

@Anonymous The Simplicity is known to be a dead end for pC. Many DP exist for this card.

Re: Citi Costco product change

Anonymous — Wed, 04 Nov 2020 22:45:06 GMT

@blindambition

That was what I understood, asked either way to see if maybe i was special!