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Back in the good old days you were able to open several Citi American Airlines cards every month via 3BM and get the signup bonus for each one. I was doing 3BMs when I started this blog in 2004 before the term MBM or 3BM existed.
Up until a few years ago those miles counted towards lifetime elite status, so I racked up millions of miles and lifetime Platinum status.
Then Citi started approving people for just 1 AA card every 18 months. Occasionally a link would surface on DDF that would grant approval without waiting 18 months, but that was the exception to the rule.
The $450/year AA executive card offering 100K miles earlier this year did not have an 18 month waiting period and I’m sure I’m not the only one who took that as a license to print a million AA miles in the first half of this year.
Until now there was one thing you could count on, if you were approved for a Citi card you would get the bonus.
That no longer appears to be the case.
DDF member ari2955 reports that he was approved for the AA executive card, completed the spending, and was denied the bonus.
Normally I’d be suspect and say to wait until the next statement generates but the app has added language that “American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles not available if you have had a Citi Executive® / AAdvantage® World EliteTM MasterCard® opened or closed in the past 18 months.”
Now there is language like that on cards from other banks that isn’t enforced, but a Citicards employee who is also a DDF member confirmed that this change has been pushed through on the AA Executive card, the Citi Premier® Card card, and the Citi Expedia card. Indeed all of those cards have the new language that if you have had a card, opened the card, or have closed the card within the past 18 months that there won’t be a bonus.
And he reports that Citi will be adding that language to other cards as well…
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27 Comments On "Changes To Citicard Signup Bonuses"
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is this part of a growing trend to stop credit card abusers – I can’t think of a nice word, though I do it too-that we will start to see you with other banks and credit card companies?
same thing happened to me with chase BA card and united card, both weren’t awarded to me after I met the spending bec I had it within 24 months
@steven:
Did you apply with the same BA number or a new one?
Only makes sense…so people can’t game the system anymore. Boo hoo.
That’s crazy! Hey Dan you mentioned the red card yesterday from Amex . There is another prepaid card from Amex for target that u can get on the east coast that has similar benefits as the red card. Also as a side note I just tried loading ink on to serve and they flagged it letting me know it will be considered a cash advance!
I had the Executive card, but never the Citi Platinum Select AAdvantage card.
Their terms say;
“This Citi® / AAdvantage® card offer is only valid for new applicants for a Citi® / AAdvantage® account made pursuant to this offer and is not available to existing cardmembers or recent applicants for a Citi® / AAdvantage® credit card.”
This seems to imply I wouldnt get the bonus since I had an (executive) AAdvantage card before. Is this old term language that’s not being enforced yet Or is the platinum aadvantage card affected as well?
To be clear, those are the terms listed under the current 50K Citi Aadvantage Platinum Select Mastercard (http://www.aa.com/pubcontent/en_US/disclaimers/BP-PLATHV.jsp)
That is plain evil by citi
@DAN
Hi Dan, I never had Citi AA card before. Last Sunday I applied for Citi® Platinum Select® / AAdvantage® World MasterCard® with 40’000 miles, but got an “answer in 30 days”.
According this news should I call them to reconsider or better wait for more miles offer?
And in general about other cards with the “30 days answer” when should I call, ASAP or when I actually receive the denied letter.
yea too bad for the people who don’t have jobs and sit all day thinking of scams to get cc point.. get a REAL JOB
@Shimon why did u apply for 40000 if u can get 50000?????
Agree with eagle and Ben.
gezel of a million AA miles per person? because of you we lose on legit programs and rules are getting harder and harder. its because of abusers who do multiple SB!
Listim. non kosher at all!
@mosh
it was an email offer. I applied for too many cards beside this one so I didn’t check it well
@Dan: why ? I got card last night and loaded $500 it cost $3 to load and it came up as a target purchase. Is it because you cannot transfer money online to your bank? You can still unload it at atm with pin. You can also load $5000 a month
for chase ink if i load my serve card does it count toward the 5k for signup bonus
Dan, doesn’t your religion consider greed to be a significant sin?
@Dan: ok hope you are i am just testing it out i loaded $.50 for today. thanks!
If I opened a specific Citi Card 2 years ago and never closed it can I still apply for that card again since it is outside of the 18 month period?
So glad you bastions of morality peruse these blogs! I feel like i’m a better person just reading your judgmental and superior comments! You provide such a valuable service to Dan and the rest of us when you point out how immoral it is for us to use the banks own rules to our benefit. How ever will Chase, Citi and the like survive?? OH my, oh my…….
Hi Dan, I had the Delta card a long time ago that was closed down. I recently applied for the delta platinum but they wouldn’t give me the bonus point. Is there anyway I can get then to give me the bonus points bu HUCA or SM?.
@Wiz23:
Which card from target are you referring to that’s available on the east coast?
The AA Plat. select application has even more troubling language (hopefully a typo).
“earn 50,000 AAdvantage® bonus miles … that’s enough for a domestic round-trip MileSAAver® award (fees may apply”
When I went to Chase a few wks ago to open a new checking account I asked to see if I qualified for several cards. The agent informed me that Chase’s card policy is changing and that once u receive a signup bonus for a card once, just like Amex if u get rid of the card u cant get the signup bonus twice. She says u will also only b able to have one of each card instead of opening 3 Freedoms as ppl have done in the past. She says those whoe have multiple of a card are grandfathered in but the rules are in place for new applicants. Not sure if the rep is right but i wouldn’t b surprised if getting signup bonuses gets harder with Chase as well
@yitz: Amex for target it’s been around for like 3-4 years but Dan as usual is right not great for MS but can be done.
@grif: not a typo but they have to right something. and you cant always get a domestic roundtrip for mile saver. so 50k will most of the time get you a ticket in coach.
@Dan, I got approved for a Citibank Hilton reserve card on 1/12/15 and received the card yesterday. Per the promo I was promised 2 Hilton weekend certificates with a spend of $2500. When I wrote to customer service to check if I had been correctly coded for the promo, this is the reply I got:
“Bonus weekend night certificate are not available to applicants who have opened or closed a Citi Hilton HHonors Reserve card within the past 18 months. A Hilton Reserve account ending in 5815 was closed on 05/14/14, so the new account offer was not applied”
Dan, can you advise if there is a work around for this? Is there any way I can get the two bonus certificates or am I out of luck?
Appreciate your assistance!
can i apply for a few citi cards at one and what about in one month and about difrent visa master amex