topic Re: Getting in with Citi in Credit Cards

Getting in with Citi

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:39:14 GMT

I currently don't have any Citi cards in my own name. I am AU on DF's Sears MC, which has a perfect history.

Citi used to send me preapprovals for all kinds of products. For a time, I was getting about one a day from them. Citi Flex LOC, Diamond Preferred, Plat Select, Sunoco, Exxon, Home Depot, etc etc. I never took them up on any of them, and one day the offers stopped showing up.

There are two Citi cards I would like to have. Unfortunately, I've never gotten an offer for either of them, since they're not exactly their entry level cards. They are:

Citi Professional (Cash or TYN)

Citi Platinum Amex

For the Citi veterans out there, what's the best way for me to go about getting these two cards? Should I apply for one of them directly? Should I wait for the preapproved offers to start showing up again and use one of them as a foot in the door, just so I can product change to one of the cards I really want? (Is it even possible to PC to Plat Amex? I kind of wouldn't think so.)

Would it be better for me to get my foot in the door with a different card (one I don't really want), just so I can have a history with them before I apply for one of these higher-end cards?

Scores in my siggy. 10 accounts less than 12 months. Three accounts less than six months. TU and EQ have 0 INQs. EX has 8 INQs. Clean reports other than 3 lates on EQ from 2003.

Re: Getting in with Citi

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:50:49 GMT

i would guess as long as you don't have many inq's on who citi pulls in your neck of the woods you wouldn't have any problem. the plat amex does have tuffer underwriting standards and from what i've read you have to qual well enough to obtain a minimum of an 8k cl to receive the plat amex.

again i think all the other qualifiers are a non-issue for you, so i say go for it.

citi has been good to me and only recently started to decline cli's based on too many recent accounts (something like 30 in the past year!).

good luck! let us know either way.

Re: Getting in with Citi

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:59:23 GMT

imducky wrote:

i would guess as long as you don't have many inq's on who citi pulls in your neck of the woods you wouldn't have any problem.

Yeah, that's my main concern, actually. It's virtually impossible to predict who they will pull around here, so I guess I have about a 1 in 3 chance of being denied for too many inquiries.

Although out of all those EX INQs, only two of them are less than 6 months. Does that help my cause any?

Re: Getting in with Citi

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 21:06:30 GMT

are any of those 8 multiple hits for the same place? if so that would be a good recon point if it came to that. either way 8 really isn't a ton. how long before any hit the year mark?

i've heard it debated that fico scores are hit for a year, but lendors are only concerned with inq's in the last 6 months. i'm not syaing it's accurate or not, i just don't have any personal experience.

Re: Getting in with Citi

smallfry — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 21:16:04 GMT

Cheddar I have been approved for Platinum Select once Citi Pro once and the DP two times. I subsequently combined the PS and the DP original into my Pro. All three were relatively small initial limits like 5K or so.
My BK was a little over 7 years old utilization 2% a few but not many inquiries showing. I would go for both the Pro and the DP if I were you.

Re: Getting in with Citi

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 21:18:58 GMT

Cheddar, I thought the Citi site is blocked at the Concorduser Center where you reside.

I don't know if you know or not, but the Citi Platinum Amex doesn't report CL.

That being said, it's one of the cards I have my eye on. Given my available credit or around 140k, the little bit I might run through that card isn't going to hurt me.

Seems to have a lot of the same perks at the plat Amex, for 25 percent of the fee.

Re: Getting in with Citi

smallfry — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 21:20:47 GMT

Premier Pass doesn't report limits either and back some time ago that card seemed to get some nice lines for applicants. Might be a bit different now though.

Re: Getting in with Citi

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 21:22:20 GMT

If you tried to PC to the Citi Plat Amex, wouldn't you be ineligible for the initial bonus of all of those TY points?

Re: Getting in with Citi

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 21:57:07 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
If you tried to PC to the Citi Plat Amex, wouldn't you be ineligible for the initial bonus of all of those TY points?

Peas I tried to do that and was told that their Plat Amex is not a product changable card at all.

However, she could have been misinformed. But she did change me to the dividend Amex right then.

Re: Getting in with Citi

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 22:00:26 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:

If you tried to PC to the Citi Plat Amex, wouldn't you be ineligible for the initial bonus of all of those TY points?

Peas I tried to do that and was told that their Plat Amex is not a product changable card at all.

However, she could have been misinformed. But she did change me to the dividend Amex right then.

Good to know!~

Re: Getting in with Citi

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 22:56:05 GMT

imducky wrote:

are any of those 8 multiple hits for the same place? if so that would be a good recon point if it came to that. either way 8 really isn't a ton. how long before any hit the year mark?

i've heard it debated that fico scores are hit for a year, but lendors are only concerned with inq's in the last 6 months. i'm not syaing it's accurate or not, i just don't have any personal experience.

Yep, one of them is de-duped. I had a WaMu denial on July 27 last year, and a WaMu approval on April 2 this year. So as of July 27, I'll only have 7 in the last year, but I won't get any points for it.

Interesting about inquiries in the last six months. I have heard that tidbit before, too, in particular with regard to Citi.

Re: Getting in with Citi

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 22:57:00 GMT

smallfry wrote:
Cheddar I have been approved for Platinum Select once Citi Pro once and the DP two times. I subsequently combined the PS and the DP original into my Pro. All three were relatively small initial limits like 5K or so.
My BK was a little over 7 years old utilization 2% a few but not many inquiries showing. I would go for both the Pro and the DP if I were you.

Thanks for the info. To be clear, I don't want the DP card. I want the Pro and the Plat Amex. Are you suggesting I get Pro and DP now so that I can maybe change the DP to Plat Amex in the future?

Re: Getting in with Citi

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 22:59:23 GMT

FretlessMayhem wrote:
Cheddar, I thought the Citi site is blocked at the Concorduser Center where you reside.

That is a good point. Can't argue with that.

FretlessMayhem wrote:

I don't know if you know or not, but the Citi Platinum Amex doesn't report CL.

Yeah, thanks for mentioning that, but I am aware of that. I'm not worried about it. My util is less than 1% anyway, so even if I got a massive CL it wouldn't really help me if it reported.

FretlessMayhem wrote:

Seems to have a lot of the same perks at the plat Amex, for 25 percent of the fee.

That is exactly why I want the card.

The AF is waived the first year, too. Pretty good deal, IMO.

Re: Getting in with Citi

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 23:01:03 GMT

WhirledPeasPlease wrote:

If you tried to PC to the Citi Plat Amex, wouldn't you be ineligible for the initial bonus of all of those TY points?

Yep, good point, too. Yet another reason to try to app for it directly.

Re: Getting in with Citi

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 23:01:33 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:

If you tried to PC to the Citi Plat Amex, wouldn't you be ineligible for the initial bonus of all of those TY points?

Peas I tried to do that and was told that their Plat Amex is not a product changable card at all.

However, she could have been misinformed. But she did change me to the dividend Amex right then.

I had a feeling this would be the case, even though I've never heard it before. Just seems intuitive.

Re: Getting in with Citi

Anonymous — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:18:11 GMT

Well, I bit the bullet. Thanks to everyone who offered all their input.

Step 3: Approval Status

Approved!

Congratulations, Cheddar. You have been approved for a Citi^® Platinum American Express^® Card.

Your Welcome Kit and card(s) will arrive in the mail within two weeks at the address you provided. Upon arrival, follow the instructions on the security sticker to confirm receipt and activate your card for immediate use.

Re: Getting in with Citi

Anonymous — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:19:41 GMT

nice! you owe me a drink if/when we met in the crown room (which you now have acess to i beleive)!

Re: Getting in with Citi

Anonymous — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:25:09 GMT

imducky wrote:

nice! you owe me a drink if/when we met in the crown room (which you now have acess to i beleive)!

You bet! I'll buy you a couple even.

Now I'm off to take my lumps at the CCU Center.

Re: Getting in with Citi

Anonymous — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:28:45 GMT

just tell them you were seeking liquidity to remodel the center and advice on formin the ccu center credit union. i'm sure all will be forgiven, or at least forgotten.

Re: Getting in with Citi

Anonymous — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:41:49 GMT

You're both cheap. They're free in the Crown Room!

Congrats on the super approval on the giant big-boy Citi card! You have now lost your room at the Concord User Center. Please remove your belongings and leave at once. We don't like your 'kind' here.

(Okay, truth be told, I'm just jealous! Big Congrats Cheddar!)

Message Edited by WhirledPeasPlease on 07-11-2008 08:41 PM

Card Name:	Citi^® Platinum American Express^® Card
Initial Credit Line:	$11,000.00
Purchase APR:	Prime rate + 5.99%, currently 10.99%

topic Re: Getting in with Citi in Credit Cards

Getting in with Citi

Re: Getting in with Citi

Re: Getting in with Citi

Re: Getting in with Citi

Re: Getting in with Citi

Re: Getting in with Citi

Re: Getting in with Citi

Re: Getting in with Citi

Re: Getting in with Citi

Re: Getting in with Citi

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Re: Getting in with Citi

Re: Getting in with Citi

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Re: Getting in with Citi

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Step 3: Approval Status

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