Citi Thank You Preferred - Closed After Receipt of Card

[Anonymous]

To be honest, Thankyou Points with only a Preferred are kind of garbage. You'd get better value out of a Double Cash card from Citi.

This is mostly because redemptions are limited when you have only the Thankyou Preferred, and not a Premier or Prestige. With the higher tiered cards you can transfer points to travel partners which drastically increases their value.

Having said that, I PC'd my useless TYp to a DC the instant Citi finally SP CLI'd it to 5k (was expecting a  WEMC but it's still just WMC). 

Even though closing a new account hurts temporarily, you made the right choice by ditching a really useless card.

[Anonymous]

Any thoughts on Amex Delta cards? I've been with Amex for years. Their connections here are slightly less crappy than American and United.

[Anonymous]

There are a pair (or 3) of really good public bonus offers on the Amex Delta cards that expire on 2/1. You could do a little better with targeted offers but these are the highest ever public offers for these cards. In particular, the Delta Platinum card offers a free companion certificate from the second year onwards, every time you pay the AF again. Sounds like that would work well for you and your wife.

https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/5oal2o/psa_delta_goldplatinum_amex_50k70k_bonus_offers/

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the tip!  BTW, we are husband and husband, 2 kids and a few dogs.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:
Any thoughts on Amex Delta cards? I've been with Amex for years. Their connections here are slightly less crappy than American and United.

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I have a few Amex cards and love them, but I always seem to see lower starting limits on the Delta cards (at least from what I have seen here). Would you and your hubs ever consider the PRG or Platinum from Amex? It's a charge, but if you able to PiF that may be a good way to look....

PS Love that you shared you are a husband and husband. My best friend since childhood "came out" last Spring (although I've known forever) and I know he's struggling with things right now. This gives me such hope for him and a happy future. 

[longtimelurker]

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@Anonymous wrote:

To be honest, Thankyou Points with only a Preferred are kind of garbage. You'd get better value out of a Double Cash card from Citi.

This is mostly because redemptions are limited when you have only the Thankyou Preferred, and not a Premier or Prestige. With the higher tiered cards you can transfer points to travel partners which drastically increases their value.

Having said that, I PC'd my useless TYp to a DC the instant Citi finally SP CLI'd it to 5k (was expecting a  WEMC but it's still just WMC). 

Even though closing a new account hurts temporarily, you made the right choice by ditching a really useless card.

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You can transfer to JetBlie with just the Preferred but not sure that really adds much value since the rate isn't good.

[Anonymous]

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@longtimelurker wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

To be honest, Thankyou Points with only a Preferred are kind of garbage. You'd get better value out of a Double Cash card from Citi.

This is mostly because redemptions are limited when you have only the Thankyou Preferred, and not a Premier or Prestige. With the higher tiered cards you can transfer points to travel partners which drastically increases their value.

Having said that, I PC'd my useless TYp to a DC the instant Citi finally SP CLI'd it to 5k (was expecting a  WEMC but it's still just WMC). 

Even though closing a new account hurts temporarily, you made the right choice by ditching a really useless card.

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You can transfer to JetBlie with just the Preferred but not sure that really adds much value since the rate isn't good.

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Unfortunately, I do not live in a city serviced by JetBlue.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:
Any thoughts on Amex Delta cards? I've been with Amex for years. Their connections here are slightly less crappy than American and United.

---

I have a few Amex cards and love them, but I always seem to see lower starting limits on the Delta cards (at least from what I have seen here). Would you and your hubs ever consider the PRG or Platinum from Amex? It's a charge, but if you able to PiF that may be a good way to look....

PS Love that you shared you are a husband and husband. My best friend since childhood "came out" last Spring (although I've known forever) and I know he's struggling with things right now. This gives me such hope for him and a happy future. 

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We have the platinum card (husband's card, I'm an authorized user).  I've thought about the PRG card and charge cards are fine with me; it does seem charge cards are easier to get from an approval standpoint (which makes sense).  Since I've been with AMEX so long, I was going to wait for an offer that is better than the public offer for rewards (they've come occassionally, almost always at times I am completely uninterested).  My Everyday Preferred is earning tons of points and that can add to the miles coming from a Delta sign up. Somehow my husband earned a 100K sign up bonus on the platinum-crazy!  We now have a summer trip in the planning stages to the NE (New Hampshire and Maine) and Delta is my airline of choice for getting there.  The platinum card gets us lounge access (as does Sapphire Reserve to some extent) for the layovers, but since we are now 4 seats, I would like some of the seats paid for by miles/points, etc.  I can't do much except speculate until we actually set some dates.

PS-Thanks.  I've been "out" for 20+ years.  It hasn't always been easy, and at some points I wondered if it would ever get better or even less horrible, but I live a much more fulfilling life overall.  Thank you for supporting your childhood friend.  One of the issues with coming out is the deep-seeded feelings of lonliness/dread.  I had to go at it alone (partly bu choice, partly not, in hindsight).  We are in a time where these issues are discussed openly and in some cases with great holstility.  Something to always remember...it is never wrong to live and honest, open and out life.

[sillykitty1]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Definitely need to research more.  The only other type of card we are considering is an American, Delta or United card.  All have mostly crappy connections out of San Antonio, but do serve cities/countries Southwest does not, plus we have LOTS of SWA points....no real need to build there.  Hard to decide.  We have some friends that travel quite a bit...all of them at one point bit the bullet and decided on one of those 3 airlines (AA, DL, United) and just build with them, virtually ignoring the others.

 I have AMEX Everyday Preferred, AMEX SPG and Sapphire Reserve, and my husband has AMEX platinum and SWA card (each authorized users on the other)

Any thoughts on Amex Delta cards? I've been with Amex for years. Their connections here are slightly less crappy than American and United.

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Weighing in as a frequent traveler, and as someone focused on reward travel earnings and redemptions.  I'd suggest you really research both the earning potential and redemption potentials of each travel program.  You have great travel cards already, IMO, if you add any do it for the sign up bonus only.  You also have cards in at least 3 programs, UR, MR & SPG, and by spreading the earnings out, it makes it hard to redeem for anything worthwhile.

The problem with airline specific cards is they only earn double points on that airline spend and 1 pt on everything else.  Do some dummy bookings and see how much spend you'd have to put on these cards in order to to take some trips you'd like.  Then look at the $ cost of them and see how that compares, and if dedicating all that spend makes sense. 

Here are my thoughts

United - only valuable for the sign up bonus, the CSR out earns the United cobranded

AA - Can be worthwhile for bonus if you get both the Citi and Barclays cards, but miles don't have a high enough value to put your spend here vs. your other cards (CSR & SPG)

SWA - Unless you fly enough for a companion pass to be worthwhile, then ditch this, as the CSR out earns the cobranded

Delta - only valuable for the sign up bonus, Skymiles have a low value and can be harder to use then AA or United.  The companion pass is similarly hard to find flights with eligible fare classes available.  But Delta travel pairs well with the Amex Plat for Delta lounge access, and IMO Delta has a better product than SWA, United or AA.

Also, too late now, but you can recon Citi SL.  It might take an extra HP, but I went from $10K auto approval to $25K on recon.  Not sure about if APR could be recon'd though.

[Anonymous]

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@sillykitty1 wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

Definitely need to research more.  The only other type of card we are considering is an American, Delta or United card.  All have mostly crappy connections out of San Antonio, but do serve cities/countries Southwest does not, plus we have LOTS of SWA points....no real need to build there.  Hard to decide.  We have some friends that travel quite a bit...all of them at one point bit the bullet and decided on one of those 3 airlines (AA, DL, United) and just build with them, virtually ignoring the others.

 I have AMEX Everyday Preferred, AMEX SPG and Sapphire Reserve, and my husband has AMEX platinum and SWA card (each authorized users on the other)

Any thoughts on Amex Delta cards? I've been with Amex for years. Their connections here are slightly less crappy than American and United.

---

Weighing in as a frequent traveler, and as someone focused on reward travel earnings and redemptions.  I'd suggest you really research both the earning potential and redemption potentials of each travel program.  You have great travel cards already, IMO, if you add any do it for the sign up bonus only.  You also have cards in at least 3 programs, UR, MR & SPG, and by spreading the earnings out, it makes it hard to redeem for anything worthwhile.

The problem with airline specific cards is they only earn double points on that airline spend and 1 pt on everything else.  Do some dummy bookings and see how much spend you'd have to put on these cards in order to to take some trips you'd like.  Then look at the $ cost of them and see how that compares, and if dedicating all that spend makes sense. 

Here are my thoughts

United - only valuable for the sign up bonus, the CSR out earns the United cobranded

AA - Can be worthwhile for bonus if you get both the Citi and Barclays cards, but miles don't have a high enough value to put your spend here vs. your other cards (CSR & SPG)

SWA - Unless you fly enough for a companion pass to be worthwhile, then ditch this, as the CSR out earns the cobranded

Delta - only valuable for the sign up bonus, Skymiles have a low value and can be harder to use then AA or United.  The companion pass is similarly hard to find flights with eligible fare classes available.  But Delta travel pairs well with the Amex Plat for Delta lounge access, and IMO Delta has a better product than SWA, United or AA.

Also, too late now, but you can recon Citi SL.  It might take an extra HP, but I went from $10K auto approval to $25K on recon.  Not sure about if APR could be recon'd though.

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Excellent advice.  Thank you!