Question
There is a mention on another thread of Travelocity Mastercard's card being discontinued, but I think this deserves its own thread because the most important issue is not the card's discontinuation. It is that on 2/28 Citibank is voiding ALL of your accrued Travelocity certificates if you haven't redeemed them for travel by then! They are NOT rolling existing certificates into their new miles program; they are just taking them away from you even though you have already earned them. This was stated in the letter they just sent to their cardholders. I was sure I must be misreading the letter, so I called Citibank and they confirmed it.
It's worth noting that Travelocity advertised that these certificates "never expire." Citibank is taking the position that they don't expire as long as your Travelocity Mastercard is active, and since as of 2/28 they are discontinuing the card it will no longer be active (by their choice). They further told me that their terms of service allow them to "change" any program terms whenever they want, and that includes simply voiding all of your accrued points unilaterally.
If you have Travelocity certificates, you will probably want to call Citibank and add your two-cents that this is unfair and contrary to Travelocity's claim that the points never expire.
I see a class-action lawsuit on the horizon if Citibank does not reconsider. I am also planning to cancel all of my Citibank cards (having been a Citibank credit card customer for 25 years). I would recommend that everyone do the same, and avoid applying for any rewards cards offered by Citibank. If Citibank can (and does) simply decide to void all of your accrued travel points whenever they want to, how can they be trusted?
Answer
even Citi's own types.
I much prefer those earn airline miles or hotel points directly.