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@jsickz32 wrote:i have the foward and the rewards are meh...if you spend 650 in 3 weeks and sign up for online statements you get 10k points but thats only worth 50 in cash money or statement credit. i eat out every single day and lately being only making around 2000-2200 points monthly. not that great to be honest.
Does that evaluation of points only apply to the statement credit or is that how the points are applied in general. The reason I ask is that I have seen others post and mention that the points are $0.01 per point for certain reward categories like gift cards and student loan credits. My primary interest is the student loan credits.
@ccnewcc wrote:
@flowfaster wrote:I would wait for the holidays.
why the holidays? Is this the historically most generous time of the year for sign up bounes?
I'm interested in this as well. It's part of the reason I posted. Citi isn't discussed as much as AMEX, Chase and some others, so I would definitely take any input folks might have regarding potentially greater sign up bonuses near the end of the year.
You can still get $.01/1 point with gift cards via the TY network though right?
@mistabgeez wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:Citi Forward is great for those who eat out often and shop on Amazon (counts as a bookstore). I have not seen an offer higher than $100 but the long term rewards on the card outweigh its modest sign up bonus. My only gripe with Citi is that they have been slowly lowering the value of ThankYou points. As of this month, rewards in bonus categories are roughly 2.5% cash back (statement credit), 4.2% (Amazon gift card), and 5% (student loan credits). The student loan credits are not easy to redeem since you have to do it over the phone. I used to get statement credits when it was closer to 3.3% but now opt for Amazon gift cards.
Truthfully, Citi was not on my radar at all. I heard that their Thank You points were not very valuable and I already have a set of cash back cards. But since the quarters have changed on Freedom purchases, I am not getting 5% on any restaurant visits. The Forward card kept coming up when I looked around, and after learning about the student loan credit it is looking like a better opportunity than anything else out there for me.
Another posted said you give Citi the account number and they send the check directly to the student loan company. Is it more complicated than that? I sure hope not. I'm definitely looking Forward to having my large appetite help reduce my student loan debt.
I have not tried to redeem student loan credits because calling in and having to provide my account #s and demographic info each time seems too much of a hassle. I do a lot of my shopping on Amazon and you can get a $50 Amazon gift card for 6000 TY points, which works out to a little under 5% back which I'm fine with. It's also a code that they email you so you don't have to wait for an actual gift card in the mail.
Another poster mentioned he/she wasn't impressed with the dining rewards on this card. I think it's actually the best one on the market. Amex Costco TrueEarnings gives 2% back in the form of a yearly voucher and Chase Sapphire Preferred gives 2 UR points which I value less than 5 TY points since I usually opt for cash rewards. But I can see how UR points may be more valuable to you if you're using them for FF miles or travel credits.