I’m sure many of you have already heard about this new development. But if you are like my cousin-in-law who only follows this blog, you may find this information relevant. As reported on Onemileatatime, the sign-up bonus on Citi Prestige will change next Tuesday. I trust that info to be reliable based on previous experiences.
What changes are in store? No way to know for sure, but I have a pretty good guess. I have no reason to believe that Citi will increase the sign-up bonus. Remember, it used to be 30,000 points, and within the last year or so they have raised it to current level of 50,000 points. The card is fairly popular, so I can’t imagine that Citi would be desperate to sweeten the pot any further.
I predict that the bonus will be lowered to 40,000 or possibly 30,000 points. I could be completely wrong, of course. Citi may end up increasing it to 60,000 points. But based on what happened to Citi Thank You Premier card, I wouldn’t bet on it. If you are a new reader, Citi Thank You Premier used to come with 50,000 points sign-up bonus. Then it got lowered to 40,000 points and eventually disappeared altogether.
So, based on this history, I tend to think Citi Prestige will undergo similar negative changes. I just wrote a post on this card which you may want to read Is it crazy for an average Joe to consider Citi Prestige? It will hopefully answer your questions on why this bonus is a very good deal even for a regular family.
Should you go for it? Only you can decide. I write for normal folks who (presumably) don’t have a lot in a savings account. I would never tell someone to create a hardship on their family by sinking $450 upfront. That said, if you can swing it, I strongly recommend you at least consider it. If the offer does get decreased to 30,000 points, you will miss out on at least $200 in gift cards or $320 worth of flights on American Airlines.
It’s hard to say when/if the current offer will come back if this new development materializes. I’m not eligible for this bonus, but if I were, I can honestly say that I would apply for it before next Tuesday. Well, if I could meet minimum spending requirements. If Citi ends up increasing the offer, you should have a decent shot at getting them to match it. No guarantees, but most folks have been successful in this regard.
Citi Prestige does pay me commission, so if you are planning on applying, consider supporting this blog. Be aware, you may be able to apply for Citi Prestige and get an annual fee of $350 (instead of $450) if you go to Citi branch. I don’t live near one, but if you do, it’s worth checking out.
Feel free to ask me any questions on this or any other card.
(Hat tip to Doctorofcredit for bringing this to my attention)
Click here to view various credit cards and available sign-up bonuses
Author: Leana
Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.
I can’t find your link to Prestige card. Only me will apply for this card as its benefits are not particular right for us. We don’t golf and I don’t pay hundred of dollars out of pocket to rent a hotel room to get the fourth night free. Also we don’t have plan for travelling within a year.
@Sheila First, thank you so much for your willingness to support my blog! It means a lot. Definitely do what works for you, and one application will give you a nice bonus on its own.
You can find Citi Prestige by clicking this affiliate link first http://www.creditcards.com/airline-miles.php?aid=4429d0b5&bid=299b6a3ded78f630
Then go to the top where it says “Card type” If you hover your mouse over it, you will see the names of banks. Click on “Citi” and Citi Prestige should be at the top of the list. If you can’t find it, comment or email me and I’ll give you more detailed instructions. As long as you don’t click out, your application should register. Thanks!
I’m going to pass on it since we are still working on our minimum spending on the British Airways cards. Hopefully the bonus will come around again!
@Shoesinks Makes sense to me! No need to stress yourself over this new development. It probably will come back, and if not, there are other offers worth pursuing. Plus, who knows, maybe the offer will be increased. Unlikely, but not impossible.
Based on this, I am thinking I might sign my wife up for the card and cancel mine before the annual fee posts next month. That kind of helps resolve my question about whether to keep the card for another year. Out of curiosity, do you always recommend calling to cancel a card, or could I just do it via chat or secure message?
@Doug I think your plan makes sense, but I would wait till Sunday or possibly Monday to apply. We might hear more on this, though last time Citi just decreased the bonus on Premier. It’s hard to say how this Prestige thing will play out. I’ll find out the same way as everyone else on Tuesday. But who knows, maybe a Citi employee will leak the details to DoC guys? I feel strongly that the bonus will be decreased.
Personally, I canceled Citi Prestige via secure message. You could call and see if they give you a retention offer that would make it worth keeping. You could also try to convert it to Citi Thank You Preferred, though many were unsuccessful in doing so. The biggest reason for doing it is to preserve the points, which you can later transfer to your wife’s account. If you don’t have any remaining points, then probably no need to convert the card. I would just cancel it via secure message.