Question
Maybe it's cuz she is not a "valued Citi customer," but you be the judge...
My wife has citicard MC now for 3 years. First year was no fee. On the first year she got the $85 fee, we paid it but then she called to ask to remove it and they did it by crediting her card. She used it to burn up that credit but that's about it. She never uses the card really. I mean never. She like got her bonus miles that first year by making one charge and then in the second year she just burned up that credit and then if she went over she mailed them a check for the dif. So she really uses this thing maybe once a year or so. (She does everything with AMEX for SPG points and I seem to do everything with MY Citi MC for AA miles)
Now the new $85 yearly fee came up again and it's due in a like 8 or so days meaning we had to act fast (she never uses it to the point where we almost missed THAT).
We reluctantly sent the payment (and she had never set up online payments so we mailed a check because the first time you set up online payments it takes 6 days anyway) but is there any way to get out of it a second time? her check will get there on time but once it does we will feel so sick to have had to PAY! OUCH.
CS first line of defense said no when I happened to be on a call with them about something else involving my own citicard--and I use mine soooo much I should own stock in the company, but then of course they told me SHE would have to call about such things anyway. Bummer. Sometimes you get past that, sometimes ya don't. Sometimes they will waive fees, sometimes they don't. Maybe like the first time, they take the payment into account as good faith and listen harder when you threaten to cancel.
Thoughts welcome as we wait for the check to clear.
happy new year either way
:)MM
Answer
I cannot imagine a reason Citi would waive the annual fee for an unused account.
Is there a reason you use the Citi AAdvantage Mastercard, rather than a SPG American Express, to earn AAdvantage miles?
Answer
I cannot imagine a reason Citi would waive the annual fee for an unused account.
Is there a reason you use the Citi AAdvantage Mastercard, rather than a SPG American Express, to earn AAdvantage miles?
your post makes sense. I was just trying to see if there were any ways out of it but didnt think so anyway, so thanks.
as for AA vs SPG, yeah I know you can transfer SPG to AA and get bonus, but not everywhere takes AMEX and with Citi MC you can go like WAYYYYYYYYYY over the 'limit' and then just pay it off. I do some gift card loads and reloads that only take MC and visa and some stores I use it at dont take AMEX either. My wife and I work in different places and it so happens that what she does seems to work fine for AMEX. long story but that's been working for us for a while.
I like the citi MC. Got hers to get the 20k bonus 3 years ago. Oh well, so we pay it.
happy new years!
:)MM
Answer
your post makes sense. I was just trying to see if there were any ways out of it but didnt think so anyway, so thanks.
as for AA vs SPG, yeah I know you can transfer SPG to AA and get bonus, but not everywhere takes AMEX and with Citi MC you can go like WAYYYYYYYYYY over the 'limit' and then just pay it off. I do some gift card loads and reloads that only take MC and visa and some stores I use it at dont take AMEX either. My wife and I work in different places and it so happens that what she does seems to work fine for AMEX. long story but that's been working for us for a while.
I like the citi MC. Got hers to get the 20k bonus 3 years ago. Oh well, so we pay it.
happy new years!
:)MM
If you really want to keep the card, you could convert it to the Citi AA Gold Level WorldMastercard. It is only $50 per year.
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I'm really confused... you mean your wife maxes out the card (and more), pays only the portion over the limit, carries the balance at 18%, and you're worried about a $85 annual fee?
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I'm really confused... you mean your wife maxes out the card (and more), pays only the portion over the limit, carries the balance at 18%, and you're worried about a $85 annual fee?
wha???? Where'd you get THAT mate! :):):)
NO, She never uses it. has a ZERO bal.
Today we decided to just write em a letter asking to cancel the card and send back the $85 in the form of a check from citibank--hopefully not in the same type of junk mail envelopes we get from banks like them that end up in the circular files--and just be done with the account. They may get the payment one day and refund it the next and even if we have to wait a couple weeks, it's fine.
Hey, maybe someday soon, she gets a new AA citicard and grabs a new 20k bonus sign up miles and one year no fee!
Who knows.
:)MM
Answer
OK. I'm not confused anymore. Thanks :)
If the account has been open for a while I wouldn't close it, to preserve the credit history. Just call them and ask to get it changed to a no-fee card, PremierPass base-level for example. They'll refund the annual fee if you just paid it.
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OK. I'm not confused anymore. Thanks :)
If the account has been open for a while I wouldn't close it, to preserve the credit history. Just call them and ask to get it changed to a no-fee card, PremierPass base-level for example. They'll refund the annual fee if you just paid it.
thanks. good tip but i have also found having fewer accts opened will help one's history as well--at least if you show other debt on the 3 bereaus. she does have 3 other mainly used CCs and other stuff like mortgage, which we are both on.
Answer
Credit Card companies often use anual fees and interest rates to nugde people to do something. Citi either wants her to use the card or use a different card. I've found that Citibank has been putting the screws to me on my Dividend card. Something about me collecting the Max cash benifit each year and never paying any interest since it gets paid every month.
Answer
If your wife never uses the mc, and it has an annual fee --- what's the advantage to keeping that particular card? I'd cancel it. For future, even if the fee shows up, I believe you have 30 days (or something like that) after you receive the statement to call and request the cancellation & credit back in one swoop --- ie, you don't have to pay the annual fee up front and then ask for it back. So actually --- I'd call them and verbally request the cancellation and refund of annual fee ASAP. They will receive your annual fee check, and also they will internally credit the $85. Then you will have a credit balance, and then you can call to get the credit balance mailed back to you in the form of a check.
If you don't like to talk to them on the phone to cancel it, then just email them (if you set up online account access) and tell them to close it & you want the annual fee credited back. They might ask you to call -- then politely send another email requesting it again saying you don't want to go through the trouble of being put on hold and given the hard sell not to close when you call. Then they will cancel the card w/ no hassles via email as you request. However, in your case since you already sent in the check, I'd call and cancel immediately, preferably before they receive the check.
If you don't want to lose the "credit limit" for financial purposes, have it transfered to a no-annual-fee type of card (ie 1 mile for every $2, or any other Citi product with no annual fee). That way you can keep it in the drawer and never have to worry about it. For that I'd call and have them give you all the no-fee options, and also make them give you the $85 back since you're "canceling" the annual fee card.
But again, why keep a card that you'll never use and that has no benefits for you?
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This may be helpful to some of those looking for retention again.
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update:
Well, I had said we paid the annual fee (which was the only charge on this account now) but then wrote in to cancel the card after all because she never uses it. So Citi sent back the full $85 fee and noted that they closed the account at customer's request, which is what her credit report will say when next it updates.
Of course, now, while it hadn't actually been the original intent, I will probably try to convince her to reapply for one later on when I explain to her how you could probably churn a citi MC and get a new 20k AA miles... I honestly don't think she will go for that but hey, she's perfect in so many other ways so I guess I'll deal :D
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I feel ... ...
http://www.banamex.com/eng/personal/tarjetas/tarjetas_rewards_aa.html
• Earn miles for all your purchases
• 1.5 miles for every dollar you spend on purchases
• Miles never expire**
• Same benefits as Banamex Gold Card
• Smart Value, automatic discount program
http://www.banamex.com/eng/personal/tarjetas/beneficios/aadvantage.html