Citi Premier strategy - will this work?

[whirlaway]

I want to know from the experts here if this Citi Premier strategy can work:

1. Apply for Citi Premier when the SUB is 80K points

2. Meet the spending criteria and get the 80K points

3. After a year (or maybe even sooner?), product change the card to Citi Rewards+
4. Combine the Citi Rewards+ with an existing Citi Custom Cash card that has, say 20K points

5. Convert the total 100K points to cash - which would turn it into $1111.11 (because of the 10% bonus)

Will it work this way?   Or am I missing something?   Please let me know, experts!

Thank you.

[coldfusion]

When you say "Combine the Citi Rewards+ with an existing Citi Custom Cash card that has, say 20K points" are you thinking along the lines of transferring CL to the Custom Cash and then closing the Rewards+ card or was your thinking to just merge the 2 different TYP accounts into a single TYP account and then cash out?

[whirlaway]

No, I would keep both Rewards+ and the Custom Cash cards going forward, since they are both no AF cards.   I would continue to occasionally use the Rewards+ card for charges below $3 or so, and continue to use the Custom Cash for groceries - like I do now.   That way I can get the 10% bonus on points that I earn with the Custom Cash.

Thanks!

[coldfusion]

OK.  No 100% guarantee as to when or even if Citi would let you PC from a Premier to a Rewards+ card especially if you were looking to do so less than a year after the Premier approval.

You'd have to call in and merge the TYP accounts under a single TYP account,  and that process does roll in TYP from the account being rolled in then closed.  Where you would need to take care is in which card to list as the primary on the remaining account such that you remain entitled to redeem at the base rate $0.01 per TYP - some cards only redeem at $0.005/TYP.  As I understand it, you just need to have the Rewards+ linked in, not be listed as the primary, to get the 10% back on 100,000 point perk (I don't have a Rewards+) but someone else with personal experience can confirm.

[Lou-natic]

---

@whirlaway wrote:

I want to know from the experts here if this Citi Premier strategy can work:

1. Apply for Citi Premier when the SUB is 80K points

2. Meet the spending criteria and get the 80K points

3. After a year (or maybe even sooner?), product change the card to Citi Rewards+
4. Combine the Citi Rewards+ with an existing Citi Custom Cash card that has, say 20K points

5. Convert the total 100K points to cash - which would turn it into $1111.11 (because of the 10% bonus)

Will it work this way?   Or am I missing something?   Please let me know, experts!

Thank you.

---

All of the cards will need to be linked into the same TYP account. Make sure you do this before you use each one the first time. Now then, unlike in times past Citi has removed the language around "If you have had a Rewards+, Premier, etc card in the last 48 months you will not get the bonus points" from their cards. Now the language clearly states the intro bonus is card specific.

1) I would apply Rewards+ now. You can do that anytime. The card isn't a bad one to have anyway. It's on my list too.

2) When the bonus for Premier hits that 80k mark you should be primed and ready to apply for that. When you do make sure you call in and link the TYP accounts before you use the Premier the first time.

3) ???

4) PROFIT!

Your way precludes getting the Rewards+ bonus points...

[whirlaway]

---

@Lou-natic wrote:

---

@whirlaway wrote:

I want to know from the experts here if this Citi Premier strategy can work:

1. Apply for Citi Premier when the SUB is 80K points

2. Meet the spending criteria and get the 80K points

3. After a year (or maybe even sooner?), product change the card to Citi Rewards+
4. Combine the Citi Rewards+ with an existing Citi Custom Cash card that has, say 20K points

5. Convert the total 100K points to cash - which would turn it into $1111.11 (because of the 10% bonus)

Will it work this way?   Or am I missing something?   Please let me know, experts!

Thank you.

---

All of the cards will need to be linked into the same TYP account. Make sure you do this before you use each one the first time. Now then, unlike in times past Citi has removed the language around "If you have had a Rewards+, Premier, etc card in the last 48 months you will not get the bonus points" from their cards. Now the language clearly states the intro bonus is card specific.

1) I would apply Rewards+ now. You can do that anytime. The card isn't a bad one to have anyway. It's on my list too.

2) When the bonus for Premier hits that 80k mark you should be primed and ready to apply for that. When you do make sure you call in and link the TYP accounts before you use the Premier the first time.

3) ???

4) PROFIT!

Your way precludes getting the Rewards+ bonus points...

---

Thanks.    So should the strategy be to :

1. Apply for Citi Rewards+
2. Link it to the existing TYP account (I already have a Custom Cash).
3. Meet minimum spending on Rewards+ card to get SUB
4. Apply for Citi Premier when SUB is 80K 
5. Link it to the same TYP account
6. Meet minimum spending on Premier card to get SUB 
7. Cash out the points from the TYP account at 1.11x rate 
8. Product change Premier after 1 year (to another Custom Cash?)

[ptatohed]

---

@Lou-natic wrote:

---

@whirlaway wrote:

I want to know from the experts here if this Citi Premier strategy can work:

1. Apply for Citi Premier when the SUB is 80K points

2. Meet the spending criteria and get the 80K points

3. After a year (or maybe even sooner?), product change the card to Citi Rewards+
4. Combine the Citi Rewards+ with an existing Citi Custom Cash card that has, say 20K points

5. Convert the total 100K points to cash - which would turn it into $1111.11 (because of the 10% bonus)

Will it work this way?   Or am I missing something?   Please let me know, experts!

Thank you.

---

All of the cards will need to be linked into the same TYP account. Make sure you do this before you use each one the first time. Now then, unlike in times past Citi has removed the language around "If you have had a Rewards+, Premier, etc card in the last 48 months you will not get the bonus points" from their cards. Now the language clearly states the intro bonus is card specific.

1) I would apply Rewards+ now. You can do that anytime. The card isn't a bad one to have anyway. It's on my list too.

2) When the bonus for Premier hits that 80k mark you should be primed and ready to apply for that. When you do make sure you call in and link the TYP accounts before you use the Premier the first time.

3) ???

4) PROFIT!

Your way precludes getting the Rewards+ bonus points...

---

This is great info, thanks Lou.  I had not noticed that citi changed the wording from types of card to specific individual cards.  In years past, this could be dangerous because if whirl took the R+ bonus first, they'd not be eligible for the Premier bonus.  Good to know. 

FWIW, I really love my merged TYPs between R+, DC, CC.   It made my R+ which was .5cpp cash redemption into a full 1cpp (1.1) and it adds the 10% multiplier to the DC and CC.  And, I used the R+ for sub ~$2.50 purchases all the time.  

whirl, it sounds like you are after CB which I'm all for, trust me, but I thought I would point out that, per reviews, the benefit to the Premier is the ability to transfer TYPs to travel partners at a value of over 1cpp.  Again, not for me but keep it in mind as an option.  

Good luck.

[whirlaway]

_ptatohed:

Thanks!   I will keep that in mind.  I am not a very frequent traveler (about 1 or 2 trips every 3-4 years).   And my strategy is to use the CSP (and later downgrade it to CFF) and Cap One Venture card (and later downgrade it to some other no AF card in their lineup).    That is mainly because their travel protections esp travel accident insurance, are much better.   AFAIK, Citi Premier does not offer travel accident insurance at all.   

Also, does it matter what order I go?    Premier and then Rewards+ ?  Or the other way around?   In either case, I would likely downgrade the Premier to a CC (even though I have a CC that I use for groceries now, I can use the other one for say, restaurants). 

Thanks again for the insights.

[Lou-natic]

---

@whirlaway wrote:

_ptatohed:

Thanks!   I will keep that in mind.  I am not a very frequent traveler (about 1 or 2 trips every 3-4 years).   And my strategy is to use the CSP (and later downgrade it to CFF) and Cap One Venture card (and later downgrade it to some other no AF card in their lineup).    That is mainly because their travel protections esp travel accident insurance, are much better.   AFAIK, Citi Premier does not offer travel accident insurance at all.   

Also, does it matter what order I go?    Premier and then Rewards+ ?  Or the other way around?   In either case, I would likely downgrade the Premier to a CC (even though I have a CC that I use for groceries now, I can use the other one for say, restaurants). 

Thanks again for the insights.

---

If you take the Rewards+ now you are getting the 1.1 multiplier while working towards the SUB and getting all the perks of it while waiting for the SUB on the Premier to go up. I would go ahead and get the Rewards+ if you know it fits your strategy right now.

[ptatohed]

I don't think the order really matters.  For instance, I had a DC and a CC first, before the R+.  After getting the R+ and merging all three cards into one TYP pool, the TYPs I already had sitting there from the DC+CC were redeemable at the 1.11cpp even though they were earned before I got the R+.