Close Arrival+ and apply for Citi DC?

[Anonymous]

Same as my plan - Go from Arrival+ down to the non-AF Arrival...

One (bad) thing that I have noticed going through the Credit Approval subforum is that Citi is fairly tight about the starting CL for their DC. Some have complained of having to take another HP just to get a workable CL beyond the low starting CL. Not my ideal inquiry situation...

[happypill]

Yeah, you can try to PC the Arrival+ to something with no AF so you don't take a hit on utilization, available credit or AAoA.  The DC will likely have a lower starting CL, even people with excellent credit and long histories seem to often get less than $5k to start.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:
Same as my plan - Go from Arrival+ down to the non-AF Arrival...

One (bad) thing that I have noticed going through the Credit Approval subforum is that Citi is fairly tight about the starting CL for their DC. Some have complained of having to take another HP just to get a workable CL beyond the low starting CL. Not my ideal inquiry situation...

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DC has FTF also

[Anonymous]

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@slvrhwk wrote:

How much is the typical starting limit for DC? I was also thinking, why not PC arrival+ to arrival, apply for Discover IT and enjoy the 2% on everything for a year?

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I don't know if Discover is still offering the 2% for a year thing. I think that offer ended. I still like my Discover though. If you're happy with your Arrival+ limit and Barclays and can PC it to Arrival, you could continue to have that as your 2% card and still get Discover for what it is. It generally has 0% purchase and BT to start and the rotating categories are generally very good. 

I got Arrival+ in April and planned it to be my primary non-category card for the long haul. But there are a few things I don't love about Barclays, my limit isn't as comfy as I'd like for the use I put through the card, and the impending nerfing have made me re-think that. I'd already PC'd a Diamond Preferred that I had with Citi into a DC in May. (I had also inadvertantly taken a HP for an increase on my TY Preferred just before that.) Right around the time of the rumors of the upcoming Arrival+ changes, I decided to take a HP to move my CLs around between those Citi cards to give my DC a usable limit. They actually never did HP me, which was even better. 

I don't know if I'll continue to use the A+ or move to the DC in the short term, but if all else stays the same, I'll move over to the DC in the long term. For the extra .2% I may keep things as they are, but when my AF comes around, I'll likely try to PC and will switch if I haven't already. I think I may move to DC sooner rather than later just for the breathing room in the CL. 

ETA: When my DC went to $15k, I asked if it could also be a WEMC. I was told there wasn't a WE version which from what people have said on here isn't true. When I called the guy on that he tried to explain that it had the designation but not the benefits, which makes no sense at all. If I no longer have another WEMC in the A+, I'll likely try to question Citi again on it. But for now, it doesn't mean anything to me. 

[celluloid17]

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@Anonymous wrote:

ETA: When my DC went to $15k, I asked if it could also be a WEMC. I was told there wasn't a WE version which from what people have said on here isn't true. When I called the guy on that he tried to explain that it had the designation but not the benefits, which makes no sense at all. If I no longer have another WEMC in the A+, I'll likely try to question Citi again on it. But for now, it doesn't mean anything to me. 

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Citi customer service is so maddeningly inconsistent and lackluster.  

[slvrhwk]

Discover still has the 2% cash back offer - https://www.discover.com/credit-cards/. Still wondering if I should opt for that at this point.

[Anonymous]

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@slvrhwk wrote:

Discover still has the 2% cash back offer - https://www.discover.com/credit-cards/. Still wondering if I should opt for that at this point.

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Depends, the Citi card will stay a 2% card forever, and the Discover card will be a 1%/5% cat card after a year. Me, I'd rather get 2% across the board than 1%/5%, as I tend not to spend enough outside of gas/groceries. If you aren't planning to get any more new cards for a long while, get the Citi. Otherwise, go with Discover and get Citi Double Cash in a year from now.

Also, good luck with Barclays customer service getting converted to no-AF. I did the same thing on my Arrival+ to Arrival but had to go through the wringer to do it. YMMV of course.

[Sharingan]

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@slvrhwk wrote:

Discover still has the 2% cash back offer - https://www.discover.com/credit-cards/. Still wondering if I should opt for that at this point.

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That's going to be a personal decision. I managed to get that promotion on my Discover IT before the loophole was closed, and it doesn't change the fact that the card is only useful to me just a few months in the year. By comparison, my Double Cash is useful all the time, and will still be 2% when my Discover bonus expires. As a result, it gets used significantly more than my IT card. Lastly, waiting a year for the full 2% seems absurd to me. It's fine for the double cash back category spend but definitely not for everyday spend, imo.

If starting limit is a criteria for you, I've seen just as many low, if not worse, starting limits for the IT as I have seen for the Double Cash. People love to mention low limits for the Double Cash, but if you look at average approvals for other popular cards (like the Freedom), they're really not all that much better. The pulls database really puts things into perspective. My Double Cash SL was significantly higher than my Discover IT limit.