Do Airline Gift Card Purchases Count Towards $250 Allowance On Citi Prestige?

I’ve written about Citi Prestige on quite a few occasions, like in my post here It is a peculiar product and at first glance, looks like a total misfit when it comes to regular middle-class family. I mean,  $450 annual fee? However, upon further examination, this offer rocks! Which is why I got it in mine and my husband’s names because I just love to double-dip. This card does pay me referral, but there may be a way to apply in-branch and get it with $350 fee instead of $450. I don’t live near one, so it’s not an option.

It’s also not a guarantee as it does  require you to have CitiGold checking account. And incidentally, there is an outstanding offer on the last one going on at the moment. Do make sure to read the comments and follow all the new developments. It’s supposed to be only for those who received direct communication from Citi, but it appears that reps are happy to extend it to anyone over the phone as long as you have “da code.”

Of course, if you apply (or already applied) for an official online offer on Citi Prestige, you should be able to sign up for CitiGold checking account and request a refund of $100. Many have gotten it that way. In fact, that’s what I’m planning on doing myself in a near future.

What makes $450 annual fee palatable is the ability to receive $250 air credit. It is based on calendar year, so you should be able to pocket $500 as long as you sign up within the next month or so. But what if you don’t have any airline ticket purchases coming up in a near future? Flying somewhere just to use up this benefit totally defeats the purpose, doesn’t it? Gift cards to the rescue! I’ve mentioned this as an option before, but  didn’t have any first-hand experience till now. Well, I’m happy to say, airline gift cards definitely qualify.

I decided to purchase  a small amount just to test it out:

So far so good. But will Citi agree?

Yup! Within the next few weeks or so, I plan to buy another $240 Southwest gift card in order to max out my allowance. I’m not yet 100% sure what I’ll do with the gift card. There is always a possibility of reselling it. Checking Giftcardgranny, this option comes up:

I’ve had good success with Gift Card Zen, so clicked the link to find out more:

As you can see, I can get $197, which isn’t too bad. The best part is the fact that you can sell it electronically, no need to mail anything. Phew! I’m not sure if I’ll end up going that route. I might hang on to it, or offer it to my brother-in-law for the same price as I would get from Gift Card Zen. They fly Southwest on a regular basis and would certainly benefit from such a hefty discount. Of course, I could just keep the card and use it for our own travel.

Bottom line

Most airline  gift cards should qualify for Citi Prestige annual airline credit as long as they are purchased directly from airline website. What’s great is that they are not explicitly excluded in “T and C,” so you are not breaking any rules by going that route. If you plan to sign up for Citi Prestige, it would make sense to get it sooner rather than later, so you can qualify for $250 credit for year 2015.

Click here to view various credit cards and available sign-up bonuses