Question
there is a promotion with Citibank (promotion code: CC82).
You open a new checking account with minimun deposit $1500. make electronic payment fromt this account 2 times in 60 days, and they give you $100.
So I did, and what a nightmare. They called me multiple times to make sure I am the real person who opened the account, sent a debit card, an account package, a pin, a phone passcode. Plus, I was supposed to activate the account on line and create a new user name and password, while doing this you need to make sure you enter your account number correctly, and this account number has nothing to do with the debit card number...bla, bla, bla. And if you do not make it through the online activation, you get an error message telling you to call citibank online customer support, and your account is blocked. So the online support walks you through the activation process again, just to find out your account is block becouse you did not make it through the first activation process, so he transfer you to the bank security department to unblock the account. Then the security department person tells you that you will be receiving a phone call again to ensure I am the real person who open the account, then I will go on line and activate the account....
In addition, all their representives have heavy foreign accent that makes you wonder if you are dealing with a foreign bank. LOL.
In short, Citibank make you work hard for the $100.
Answer
Visa? Mastercard?
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I had the exact same experience...after taking my current bank info, ssn, passwords, pin #, credit card #, mother's maiden name, security question...they sent me a packet. Why they did not just fund the acct with the bank routing info + acct # I don't know (if they are not going to use it, why the hell did they need/ask for it...and WHY do they need my cc #).
I faxed back the signature/authorization form. A week later I got the big packet, and used the envelope inside to send a $5000 check...plus the authorization form AGAIN, this time snailmail, since they kept sending me emails telling me I need to send it back.
Then the cards and pin# crap. And I got it *twice*. Tried to create acct on line, blocked me. So I called, they told me my acct # is wrong (and that's the acct # from the big packet)...and the acct has been closed b/c I never funded it. Same day I got an account closed letter in the mail
Evidently, they *then* got the check I had sent 2 weeks prior. So they opened a 2nd acct, with a diff acct #--great, now it's no linked with the $150 bonus promotion--and they said I had to wait for that account info to arrive in an envelope.
Another week, now over a month later, it arrived. And I opened the account. Spent 10 minutes to set up online access again, paid two bills. However, it's a different account # not linked with the original $150 promotion code...so now I have to fight with citibank that yes this account was opened in association with that promotion and they owe me $150.
Did I mention citibank's interest rates suck ass?
After taxes...interest I could've made...I would say I'll have spent 3 hours of my life spanned over a month devoted to netting about $100 for this promotion.
not worth it
there is a promotion with Citibank (promotion code: CC82).
You open a new checking account with minimun deposit $1500. make electronic payment fromt this account 2 times in 60 days, and they give you $100.
So I did, and what a nightmare. They called me multiple times to make sure I am the real person who opened the account, sent a debit card, an account package, a pin, a phone passcode. Plus, I was supposed to activate the account on line and create a new user name and password, while doing this you need to make sure you enter your account number correctly, and this account number has nothing to do with the debit card number...bla, bla, bla. And if you do not make it through the online activation, you get an error message telling you to call citibank online customer support, and your account is blocked. So the online support walks you through the activation process again, just to find out your account is block becouse you did not make it through the first activation process, so he transfer you to the bank security department to unblock the account. Then the security department person tells you that you will be receiving a phone call again to ensure I am the real person who open the account, then I will go on line and activate the account....
In addition, all their representives have heavy foreign accent that makes you wonder if you are dealing with a foreign bank. LOL.
In short, Citibank make you work hard for the $100.
Answer
A really long time ago, when I lived in NYC and was young and single, I had a citibank checking account. I moved from Queens to Manhattan and had my account transferred to my local branch in Manhattan. Unfortunately, they transferred my account to a non-existant branch. The very nice branch manager tried about three times (over several months) to get my account transferred from the non-existant branch number to the actual branch number, but it wouldn't go through .. probably because the account was at a non-existant branch. Every now and the branch manager would call and they would send me a bunch of cancelled checks (no statement, of course, since I was banking at a non-existant branch).
Eventually we just gave up and closed that account (or maybe we just abandonded it?) after all my checks cleared and opened a new account.
No, this has nothing to do with Visa or MC, but it's a heckuva good story especially if you do software like I do (and my first programming job was for a big NYC bank). They had at least two bugs.
1. The program should not have allowed the account transfer to a non-existant branch.
2. Having allowed (1), there should be a way to correct (1), but apparently the program now would not allow the account transfer from a non-existant branch.
This type of stuff kind of makes you question their quality of their back end systems. But it was a really long time ago. I no longer bank with them, but I do hold several credit cards that they own.
To bring this back on topic, I have an AT&T Universal card, which Citibank purchased many years ago. This is the only account I run a balance on. Why? AT&T was trying to build the portfolio, so they offered very attractive 3.9% life of balance account transfer rates. In those days, the life of balance transfer rates had no strings attached to them, so I used it. Somehow, when Citibank took the account over, my rate dropped to .2% or something like that. There was no reason for the change .. it was just one of those things that was probably a mistake. I didn't do anything to get the lower rate, and I seriously doubt that they would have just given it to me, so it must have been another programming error during a conversion or something like that.
My balance is charged a minimum 50 cent finance charge each month for a several thousand dollar balance. So I just keep slowly paying around $100 a month for as long as they let me do that. Sometimes I wonder if there's really a benefit in being so big for Citibank?
After Citibank, and when I was still living in NY, I moved my business to a small bank. Much better service and they actually got it right and their minimum balance for free + int bearing checking was much lower than the big banks. :) Not sure if interest bearing means much these days, but it did then.
-David
Answer
there is a promotion with Citibank (promotion code: CC82).
You open a new checking account with minimun deposit $1500. make electronic payment fromt this account 2 times in 60 days, and they give you $100.
...
In addition, all their representives have heavy foreign accent that makes you wonder if you are dealing with a foreign bank. LOL.
In short, Citibank make you work hard for the $100.
I've received this offer May 6, and haven't yet responded:
It's easy! Here's all you need to do:
1. Just apply for a Citibank Regular Checking account - it will only take you a few minutes.
2. Fund the account with $1,500.
3. Pay 2 bills at citibankonline.com
within 60 days of funding the account - remember bill pay is FREE at Citibank Online.
4. Get $150 - we'll automatically credit your account.
I looked into it some, and there were service charges that would apply against the $150.
And based on your report it doesn't sound so "easy". Add that to the fact I'm here in Kabul, and it could be a nightmare.
Thanks for the warning.
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Trust me (and the other posters)--it's not that easy! Their account opening procedures are so needlessly complicated and arcane that I gave up the first time I tried it a couple of years ago. I tried it again this past year and decided to stick it out in spite of all the frustration. I was determined to get that $150 and the AA bonus miles! I was successful but I wondered at the end if it was worth it.
FWIW, one of their procedures that might get you is that they insist on calling you at your home phone number (I assume it has to be domestic--not Kabul!) in order to verify your identity. This is in addition to all the forms you have to fill out and sign, credit check, etc. Some online account!
To bring this slightly back to the subject of the forum....now that I have it, I'm glad to have another ATM card with a different affiliation--Citibank uses Mastercard and my other bank uses VISA. I'm outside the US a lot and have found places where one or the other won't work. So while Citibank is definitely my backup bank (my primary account is with First Internet Bank of Indiana--a true online bank with great customer service) it's been beneficial to me to have an account with them.
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Because they screwed up my application process and account #/promotion, so instead of EZ checking with no service fee as long as I maintain 1500, I have plain old checking and got charged $9.50, though I maintained 4000 for a month.
:td: :td: for citibank :mad:
Trust me (and the other posters)--it's not that easy! Their account opening procedures are so needlessly complicated and arcane that I gave up the first time I tried it a couple of years ago. I tried it again this past year and decided to stick it out in spite of all the frustration. I was determined to get that $150 and the AA bonus miles! I was successful but I wondered at the end if it was worth it.
FWIW, one of their procedures that might get you is that they insist on calling you at your home phone number (I assume it has to be domestic--not Kabul!) in order to verify your identity. This is in addition to all the forms you have to fill out and sign, credit check, etc. Some online account!
To bring this slightly back to the subject of the forum....now that I have it, I'm glad to have another ATM card with a different affiliation--Citibank uses Mastercard and my other bank uses VISA. I'm outside the US a lot and have found places where one or the other won't work. So while Citibank is definitely my backup bank (my primary account is with First Internet Bank of Indiana--a true online bank with great customer service) it's been beneficial to me to have an account with them.
Answer
Wow.. looks like a lot of you weren't as lucky as I was...
Back in Feb. I believe I signed up for the Citibank account with the 1500$ thingie, but the promotion I chose was the 10000 AA miles.
Applied online, received a packet in the mail to sign it and send it back, a week later received my ATM, registered online without any problems whatsoever, paid my two bills online, and about a month later got the 10000 miles deposited to my account.
I've never got charged the 9.50$/mo fee (*knocks on wood*) and I love their 1.50$-non-citibank-atm-fee credit that they give you every time you take money at a non-citi atm and get slammed with the dollar-fifty fee.
So far , so good
They even called me numerous times to make sure everything's going OK, to see if I have any questions/concern for them, etc... it went pretty smooth.
Regards,
Chris
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to be able to even touch your $1500 for 8 weeks after your check clears, wait for the verification call, possibly fax in a copy of DL, dont expect bill pay to properly work UNTIL you verify your account is really open by using the ATM card to w/d any amount of cash from a CitiBank ATM, this is an easy $150.
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service charge the first month, usually b/c they sort of open/initiate the account b4 actually getting your check deposit by main, but call CS as I have always gotten it waived.
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service charge the first month, usually b/c they sort of open/initiate the account b4 actually getting your check deposit by main, but call CS as I have always gotten it waived.
you're implying you've successfully opened multiple accounts... have you succeeded in receiving multiple bonuses in the past?
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I started a thread last fall about a similar Citi promo where you would receive $150, my spouse and I both opened accts and - maybe we got lucky - we received $150 each. After we got the bonuses we closed the accts as they paid absolutely no interest at all, we didn't consider them to be competitive with other products out there.
You can see the earlier thread at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=267270
Answer
Wow.. looks like a lot of you weren't as lucky as I was...
Back in Feb. I believe I signed up for the Citibank account with the 1500$ thingie, but the promotion I chose was the 10000 AA miles.
Applied online, received a packet in the mail to sign it and send it back, a week later received my ATM, registered online without any problems whatsoever, paid my two bills online, and about a month later got the 10000 miles deposited to my account.
I've never got charged the 9.50$/mo fee (*knocks on wood*) and I love their 1.50$-non-citibank-atm-fee credit that they give you every time you take money at a non-citi atm and get slammed with the dollar-fifty fee.
So far , so good
They even called me numerous times to make sure everything's going OK, to see if I have any questions/concern for them, etc... it went pretty smooth.
Regards,
Chris
Just be careful, Chris. If you make more than 4 ATM withdrawals per statement cycle not only will they not reimburse you for the fee the ATM charges you, they will charge you an additional fee for each transaction! This is why I use it as a backup account.
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I just filled out the online application. One of the funding options is with a credit card. Has anyone taken this route and had it charged as a purchase and gotten miles? I plan on using my Citi AAdvantage credit card to fund it.
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I never had a problem when I singed up - everything worked like a charm. I also got a new balance tranfer offer from Citibank - wherein if I transfer more than $5,000.00 they will deposit $50 in my account. Wow, for a $1,500.00 balance - $150.00 "interest" - not a bad deal.
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I signed up for the Citibank checking account promotion and the account application, setup and online billpay went smoothly. Got the bonus as advertised so I am happy.