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Thoughts on Citi?

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ToxikPH
Established Contributor

Thoughts on Citi?

Was thinking of getting into TY points but not sure where to start and some reviews of Citi seem a little low. Do you have any experience with Citi cards and do you recommend them? Also are there any app rules I need to know like 5/24 or inquiry sensitivity (US Bank)?

Message 1 of 20
19 REPLIES 19
Brian_Earl_Spilner
Credit Mentor

Re: Thoughts on Citi?

Citi is the devil. According to their executive office, we're just numbers to them. I canceled my card on the spot with the EO. They didn't bat an eye at losing my 9 year account with them.

    
Message 2 of 20
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Thoughts on Citi?

Citi's app rules:

  • 8/65, i.e. max 1 Citi application (regardless of outcome) in any rolling 8 days, anything more auto deny; max 2 applications in any rolling 65 days
  • Also it's unlikely to get approved if your credit report shows 6 or more inquiries in the most recent 6 months
  • No known restrictions with number of new accounts like Chase, but still see above
  • They pull Equifax and Experian for me, but your experience can be different

 

I have AAdvantage Platinum and two TYP cards (Preferred + Premier) with Citi. They are not a horrible choice to me personally, I use the benefits for AA and if you use their airline transfer partners then the TYP can get handy. They can be lenient with APR reduction and sometimes give you soft pull CLIs. They sometimes give you retention offers. They can still be a PITA sometimes which is why the negative reviews, I don't recommend Citi much compared with Amex or some others but at this point nothing much against them either.

Message 3 of 20
MAZDA3
Frequent Contributor

Re: Thoughts on Citi?

I have a TY Premier and AA Business and haven’t had any issues with Citi. For several of the TY transfer partners, bonus transfer promotions occur from time to time. I was approved for the AA business with nine INQ on EQ.

 

Since they are mastercard, it’s easy to hit the minimum spend if you have a mortgage and pay it via Plastiq. 

 

Once your payment account is verified, payments are usually posted immediately. Purchase alerts are solid - get an email within seconds. 

Message 4 of 20
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Thoughts on Citi?

 


@ToxikPH wrote:

Was thinking of getting into TY points but not sure where to start and some reviews of Citi seem a little low. Do you have any experience with Citi cards and do you recommend them? Also are there any app rules I need to know like 5/24 or inquiry sensitivity (US Bank)?


The reviews sound about right. My personal experiences about Citi:

 

+s:

1. DC is one of the best 2% cards in the industry, auto price match(rewind), 2 year extended warranty, going to get WEMC cell insurance and 'lyft credit' this coming July, all for an AF of $0.

2. Citi has been running one of the easier checking bonus which is quite churn-able ($600 per year for putting $50K in their account for 90 days) in the last few years.

3. Citi used to have some solid credit card offerings (years ago, when prestige's 4th night free was for unlimited use per year and can accumulate stay, night and points of the hotel chain, has a healthy 1.6x bonus for points through their travel portal , easy to qualify $100 AF reduction, and all with a lower default AF to start with, etc).

 

 

- s:

1. Citi's "customer service" is more like customer disservice. You'd likely be more irritated and worse off monetary wise if you choose to contact them, rather than simply be on your own and do nothing (even if something already went wrong).

2. Citi has been making many big (negative) changes to TYP and various TYP cards in the last few years. 

3. TYP is of low value, could expire and difficult to use (no hotels, no demostic airlines not even AA, no travel portal bonus for high tier card). For UR or MR, redeeming at only 1 cent/point is considered "should have known better", but for TYP, redeeming at a whooping 1 cent/point is probably considered "very lucky".

4. Citi's computer systems have many bugs, which could manifest as 'not giving you the promised bonus' or 'charge you fees that should have been waived'. Their 'customer disservice' will in general stand by their buggy systems and can usually make the matter even worse for you (such as, charge you more fees on top of the incorrectly charged fees).

 

All in all, nowadays, despite its huge size, Citi is more like a 'mom and pop' single branch local credit union with a reasonable checking account and good cash back card, and very very far away from travel credit cards heavy weights in the industry.

 

My recommandation for you: Use this "single branch local credit union" named Citi for simple things that it is good at (like, cashback CC, Checking account) and do not think about bothering their incompetent systems, CSRs and 'higher ups' with difficult and complex concept like 'travel credit cards' or 'transfer-able points'. They will inevitably fail and burn you if you force them to attempt things that are beyond them.

Message 5 of 20
Loquat
Moderator Emeritus

Re: Thoughts on Citi?

Citi isn’t any worse than any other lender.  I’ve had Citi products pre and post BK and they’ve been easy to work with.  I have quite a few of their products and their ThankYou rewards program isn’t horrible as long as you find value in them or their transfer partners.  

 

I have the Premier and the Prestige (along with a few other Citi products) and given only one choice I’d take the Prestige over the Amex Platinum any day of the week.  The 4th night benefit is awesome if you travel even if it’s capped at twice a year.  The airline credit is extremely easy to use and if you’ve ever been stuck at an airport due to delays then you’ll really appreciate their 6 hour travel protection window.  The price rewind feature is nice and I’ve hit the cap on it every single year I’ve had the card.  

 

In the few instances I’ve spoken with their customer service they’ve been what I’ve come to expect from any other lender.  They’re very generous with lowering APRs in my dealing with them and they’ll throw TYPs at you for just about any reason you contact them.

 

If you find value in what they have to offer I’d say give them a shot.  The only other card I would consider for travel purposes is the CSR as the Amex Platinum just isn’t a true travel card in my opinion.  

Message 6 of 20
wasCB14
Super Contributor

Re: Thoughts on Citi?


@Brian_Earl_Spilner wrote:

Citi is the devil. According to their executive office, we're just numbers to them. I canceled my card on the spot with the EO. They didn't bat an eye at losing my 9 year account with them.


9 years...but how much spend over that period?

 

With very few exceptions (high assets under management, Centurion-level spend, officer on a corporate account, etc.) we're all just "numbers" to any bank. Even then, a customer is a source of profit - just one that may merit special care.

 

Part of "professionalism" in a CS rep may be staying calm and not reminding the customer of that, but that doesn't mean it's not true, or that a CS rep isn't thinking it behind a patient facade.

Personal spend: Amex Gold, Amex Schwab Plat., BofA PR+CCR(x2), Costco
Business use: Amex Bus. Plat., BBP, Lowes Amex AU, CFU AU
Perks: Delta Plat., United Explorer, IHG49, Hyatt, "Old SPG"
Mostly SD: Freedom Flex, Freedom, Arrival
Upgrade/Downgrade games: ED, BCE
SUB chasing: AA Platinum Select
Message 7 of 20
wasCB14
Super Contributor

Re: Thoughts on Citi?


@Anonymous wrote:

 


@ToxikPH wrote:

Was thinking of getting into TY points but not sure where to start and some reviews of Citi seem a little low. Do you have any experience with Citi cards and do you recommend them? Also are there any app rules I need to know like 5/24 or inquiry sensitivity (US Bank)?


The reviews sound about right. My personal experiences about Citi:

 

+s:

1. DC is one of the best 2% cards in the industry, auto price match(rewind), 2 year extended warranty, going to get WEMC cell insurance and 'lyft credit' this coming July, all for an AF of $0. I tested my WE DC, as did a few others. While not definitive, evidence suggests DC is not eligible for WEMC cell protection. By contrast, the site worked for my Aviator Red. See: https://www.mycardbenefits.com/Home/AboutCellPhoneProtection?cd=en&prog=cel

2. Citi has been running one of the easier checking bonus which is quite churn-able ($600 per year for putting $50K in their account for 90 days) in the last few years. Not bad, but the fact you could easily get an APR 2% higher elsewhere roughly cuts that $600 in half as far as net gain.

3. Citi used to have some solid credit card offerings (years ago, when prestige's 4th night free was for unlimited use per year and can accumulate stay, night and points of the hotel chain, has a healthy 1.6x bonus for points through their travel portal , easy to qualify $100 AF reduction, and all with a lower default AF to start with, etc). 1.6 cpp on AA was nice, along with free guests at Admirals Clubs. I'd have happily paid a higher AF to keep the features, rather than have them gut it.

 

 

- s:

1. Citi's "customer service" is more like customer disservice. You'd likely be more irritated and worse off monetary wise if you choose to contact them, rather than simply be on your own and do nothing (even if something already went wrong). A coin flip, in my experience. Someone great or someone totally incompetent. Taking advantage off the great protections (except for the mostly-automated price rewind process, but even that has problems now and then) can be a hassle.

2. Citi has been making many big (negative) changes to TYP and various TYP cards in the last few years. 

3. TYP is of low value, could expire and difficult to use (no hotels, no demostic airlines not even AA, no travel portal bonus for high tier card). For UR or MR, redeeming at only 1 cent/point is considered "should have known better", but for TYP, redeeming at a whooping 1 cent/point is probably considered "very lucky".

4. Citi's computer systems have many bugs, which could manifest as 'not giving you the promised bonus' or 'charge you fees that should have been waived'. Their 'customer disservice' will in general stand by their buggy systems and can usually make the matter even worse for you (such as, charge you more fees on top of the incorrectly charged fees). The bad reps can definitely make things worse. One managed to totally disable my online access.

 

All in all, nowadays, despite its huge size, Citi is more like a 'mom and pop' single branch local credit union with a reasonable checking account and good cash back card, and very very far away from travel credit cards heavy weights in the industry.

 

My recommandation for you: Use this "single branch local credit union" named Citi for simple things that it is good at (like, cashback CC, Checking account) and do not think about bothering their incompetent systems, CSRs and 'higher ups' with difficult and complex concept like 'travel credit cards' or 'transfer-able points'. They will inevitably fail and burn you if you force them to attempt things that are beyond them.


 

Personal spend: Amex Gold, Amex Schwab Plat., BofA PR+CCR(x2), Costco
Business use: Amex Bus. Plat., BBP, Lowes Amex AU, CFU AU
Perks: Delta Plat., United Explorer, IHG49, Hyatt, "Old SPG"
Mostly SD: Freedom Flex, Freedom, Arrival
Upgrade/Downgrade games: ED, BCE
SUB chasing: AA Platinum Select
Message 8 of 20
kdm31091
Super Contributor

Re: Thoughts on Citi?

Most accounts are that Double Cash cards are not eligible for WEMC benefits so I would be careful assuming that. I don't think it will have the cell phone protection.

 

Citi has some positives and negatives like any bank. As someone else mentioned, we're just numbers to any big bank, so that is not unique to Citi in any way. No bank really cares about "relationship" unless you are spending ridiculously high levels through them. Otherwise it's really all the same with the big banks.

 

Citi is generally not that hard to get approved with, as long as you follow the various application restrictions (8/65, 24 month bonus rule etc). TY points are not the best points out there, but they can be exchange at full value for gift cards if you don't find the travel redemption you're looking for.

Message 9 of 20
pinkandgrey
Senior Contributor

Re: Thoughts on Citi?

The hate on Citi is surprising to me lol. I have a DC and I love it. The card is great, the customer service has always been great, and the app is very user-friendly. I’ve had literally no issues with Citi. It’s my favorite card honestly. 

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Message 10 of 20
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