Citi Credit Cards - Worth it?

[raisemysc0re]

Since I rebuilt my credit I have been working on getting back in with Citi.

I have a decent amount of Good cards that fill most of my needs.

I got their My BestBuy Visa card not too long ago, even though I rarely shop there, just to start a relationship with them.

Now that I am close to 800 scores and I think I am probably ready to get a non-branded Citi card... I don't see any real benefit.

Diamond is great for long term BT but I would never pay the 5% fee and even if I did the card is then basically useless with no rewards.

Premier card has a decent SUB but besides that I don't see the rewards as being worth the AF compared to other cards out there.

Double Cash is basically a 2% card and there are a ton of those around without the extra verification of making sure you get all of your rewards.

Custom Cash is kind of cool but the low monthly limit kinda limits its usefulness. I guess this would work for any low spenders in a single category.

Just seems like there are much better offerings out there for people with good-excellent credit...

Am I missing anything?

[SDMarik]

Sounds like you answered your own question here, seems like there is no reason for you to get a core Citi card.

[Jeffster1]

I remember in my "previous life" before my CH13, Citi seemed at one time, especially in the early 2000s, to be the "Holy Grail" of issuers. Now it just seems like the bloom is off the rose with Citi. 

Nothing really compelling to me as opposed to before. I had a number of Citicards...perfect payment history from opening all the way to the CH13, but I still can't forget the day in 2009 they jacked all my cards to 29.99% interest with no triggering event on my part. My debt really didn't begin to accumulate until after that. Left a bad taste in my mouth but I'd still apply for one if they managed to come up with anything good. 

[longtimelurker]

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@Jeffster1 wrote:

I remember in my "previous life" before my CH13, Citi seemed at one time, especially in the early 2000s, to be the "Holy Grail" of issuers. Now it just seems like the bloom is off the rose with Citi. 

Nothing really compelling to me as opposed to before. I had a number of Citicards...perfect payment history from opening all the way to the CH13, but I still can't forget the day in 2009 they jacked all my cards to 29.99% interest with no triggering event on my part. My debt really didn't begin to accumulate until after that. Left a bad taste in my mouth. I'd still apply for one if they managed to come up with anything good. 

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@Jeffster1 wrote:

I remember in my "previous life" before my CH13, Citi seemed at one time, especially in the early 2000s, to be the "Holy Grail" of issuers. Now it just seems like the bloom is off the rose with Citi. 

Nothing really compelling to me as opposed to before. I had a number of Citicards...perfect payment history from opening all the way to the CH13, but I still can't forget the day in 2009 they jacked all my cards to 29.99% interest with no triggering event on my part. My debt really didn't begin to accumulate until after that. Left a bad taste in my mouth. I'd still apply for one if they managed to come up with anything good. 

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I think like many issuers, Citi has had some good/great cards in the past.  Pre-nerf versions of the Presige was very good, and there were some interesting incarnations of the Premier.   And then there was the Citi Forward <respectful moment of silence>

Also, before Barclays also got involved, their AA cards were the only game in town for that airline, and had their moments.

[ptatohed]

You're right that DC is not that exclusive anymore with its 2% CB but you do need to give citi credit for being one of the big bank firsts with 2%.  I appreciate my years of using DC.  

I love the CC.  The concept of you being able to select from a generous list of 5% CB cat's and choosing for yourself.  I love it as a gap filler.  In fact this quarter, I didn't really have grocery at 5%.  Thus, CC it is.

I'm not a Cosco member but I know a lot of people who like their citi Cosco card.  

And, sure, it's a different animal, but I am liking my SYW card a lot.  The 5% / 3% back structure is generous and even before my $225 intro bonus spend period was over, they threw another bonus at me for $50 statement credit.  Looking forward to more bonuses.  The statement credits are true CB obviously but the % back isn't quite.  The closest you can come to CB  is using your % back points to buy gift cards.  They have an offering of gift cards so large that I don't think there is anyone who couldn't find gift cards they like.  

[calisig]

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@raisemysc0re wrote:

Now that I am close to 800 scores and I think I am probably ready to get a non-branded Citi card... I don't see any real benefit.

Diamond is great for long term BT but I would never pay the 5% fee and even if I did the card is then basically useless with no rewards.

Premier card has a decent SUB but besides that I don't see the rewards as being worth the AF compared to other cards out there.

Double Cash is basically a 2% card and there are a ton of those around without the extra verification of making sure you get all of your rewards.

Custom Cash is kind of cool but the low monthly limit kinda limits its usefulness. I guess this would work for any low spenders in a single category.

Just seems like there are much better offerings out there for people with good-excellent credit...

Am I missing anything?

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I think Double Cash is probably their best non-branded card, and is a pretty solid contender in the 2% card market. As far as I know, it is the ONLY 2% card that doesn't require a deposit / membership relationship, AND doesn't require $25 redemption increments! I like their Costco card, but other than that, I don't think you are missing anything.

[wasCB14]

I used to be a big Citi fan and used the protections so much I probably contributed to the nerfing.

But now Citi's process of filing disputes and making extended warranty claims is a hassle. I wouldn't use my Costco Visa anywhere outside of Costco or a gas station.

I might get an AA MC for the SUB and pay utility bills or make a tax payment. But lately I fly Delta and United more.

[notmyrealname23]

I turn SUBs and ongoing spend on cards like the Premier or their AA cards into intercontinental business and first class award flights.

But yeah, if that's not your thing definitely stick with cash back, and I don't think you miss out by skipping Citi.

(I'm only holding one Citi card, I might go for the Premier and Custom Cash at some point, my problem is their cards outside of the Costco card don't have rental car insurance, which is a killer for me making them a primary earning ecosystem.)

[SouthJamaica]

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@raisemysc0re wrote:

Since I rebuilt my credit I have been working on getting back in with Citi.

I have a decent amount of Good cards that fill most of my needs.

I got their My BestBuy Visa card not too long ago, even though I rarely shop there, just to start a relationship with them.

Now that I am close to 800 scores and I think I am probably ready to get a non-branded Citi card... I don't see any real benefit.

Diamond is great for long term BT but I would never pay the 5% fee and even if I did the card is then basically useless with no rewards.

Premier card has a decent SUB but besides that I don't see the rewards as being worth the AF compared to other cards out there.

Double Cash is basically a 2% card and there are a ton of those around without the extra verification of making sure you get all of your rewards.

Custom Cash is kind of cool but the low monthly limit kinda limits its usefulness. I guess this would work for any low spenders in a single category.

Just seems like there are much better offerings out there for people with good-excellent credit...

Am I missing anything?

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Personally I like the Premier and DoubleCash, and I like having them in tandem so I can combine their point production.

The ThankYou points are worth a minimum of a penny each and can be worth significantly more if used for travel. To have 1 card giving you a return of 3 TYP's on gas, groceries, dining, hotel, and air, and another giving you 2 TYP's on everything else, is, to me, a pretty sweet combo.

[calisig]

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@wasCB14 wrote:

But now Citi's process of filing disputes and making extended warranty claims is a hassle. I wouldn't use my Costco Visa anywhere outside of Costco or a gas station.

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Are you saying you have found Costco Visa warranty claims to be any more difficult than other cards? I have been buying all my warranty items with the Costco Visa, but haven't needed to use thier warranty extension - yet. On paper, the Costco Visa warranty is better than almost every other card I've seen, but if you can't exercise it, then it's useless. Could you please expand on this issue?