Citibank - NEVER GIVE UP

[Plutonus]

Alright I need help not giving up.

Applied for Signature card, checked online status few days later 'in progress'. Checked yesterday had changed to decline. Called up got the usual script no one factor etc...

Is it worth calling again to try and get info? Sending additional documents? Ask what my employer said?

 

[cove]

Can you think of anything in your application that could cause this like recent credit card applications or recent job change?
Time to review your application to see that it should qualify. You could send them further details but you must include your name and Citi number that they gave you with your application.

 

[Plutonus]

Can you think of anything in your application that could cause this like recent credit card applications or recent job change?
Time to review your application to see that it should qualify. You could send them further details but you must include your name and Citi number that they gave you with your application.

Well I guess qualify is subjective

Min requirements from Citi's website

• 
  [*=left]Have a good credit rating.
  [*=left]Earn taxable income of $75,000 per year or more.
  [*=left]Are a permanent Australian resident.
  [*=left]If you are an existing Citibank Credit Card customer, you must have held your current Citibank account for at least 9 months before you can apply for another credit card

I meet all of these. My last application for credit was in April, nothing bad appears on my credit history, current employment for over one year. In anticipation of getting a new card, I lowered combined limits of my other cards (only one half with Citi - Virgin Money) to ~$10k.

 

[Franko Costa]

Well I guess qualify is subjective

Min requirements from Citi's website


I meet all of these. My last application for credit was in April, nothing bad appears on my credit history, current employment for over one year. In anticipation of getting a new card, I lowered combined limits of my other cards (only one half with Citi - Virgin Money) to ~$10k.

In theory, you could say that you don't have any credit cards or that the limit on each credit card is only 1k to help your chances. Banks have no idea what is the current limit on your credit card

 

[thehound]

I have posted this on the other thread on Select I started last week, but for all the doom and gloom painted by many frustrated Citibank customers, I've fortunately had no problems getting approved for the Select in less than 48 hours!

After getting all my docs ready for the application, I did it online late Tuesday night, so would have been processed starting Wednesday. I then faxed in a covering letter on Wednesday afternoon outlining my sources of income and explanatory notes on my attachments, as well as numbers for both my payroll officer and my accountant (to verify extra income). The attachments I went with included the last 6 months of payslips, the last 3 years of PAYG Payment Summaries, the 10/11 and 09/10 tax return assessments, netbank account printouts from the last 12 months demonstrating additional income received over and above my salary, plus a sheet with my passport, drivers licence and medicare card photocopied on it.

I got called early this morning from a very nice guy called Riaz in Sydney who enquired about my two sources of income, and once explained he just wanted to know what I'd be doing with my current Citibusiness Gold card. Told him I wanted the maximum limit on the Select but that I wanted to hold onto the Gold (don't want to lose the current points on it), so happy to transfer across some of the current $25k balance to the Select.

Riaz called back at lunch and said it was all approved, and asked if I was happy for the Gold card to decrease to $5k (the minimum) and the Select limit to be 35k. No problems Riaz, you're a champion. He said I should get the card in 4-5 working days. Plenty of time before going to Europe at the end of August!

All up, a great success! Thanks for the suggestions for getting to Yes

The next thing will be to try and get the 80,000 reward points. Has anyone got experience on achieving this as a current Citi cardholder? Simply a matter of haggling on the phone, or any other tips and tricks?

 

[Plutonus]

Awesome! Citibank haven't replied to my 'package' I sent last Friday but maybe one day...

 

[wafliron]

Citi have been up to their old tricks for me unfortunately:

Tried to open a CitiBank Plus account back in late June in response to a bonus-points offer (http://www.australianfrequentflyer....ns/10k-citireward-pts-opening-plus-40725.html). Applied online using the links in the e-mail, went through the app and submitted it. Got a "thanks for applying, we'll be in touch" message but no confirmation / application numbers, etc, which I thought was odd.

Hadn't heard anything a week later so I rang them - no one can find any record of my application in their system. Decided to try applying over the phone instead, but they also couldn't locate the promotion (as per link above) despite me giving them the "offer code", etc. Left it with them for two days, during which time they decided the offer actually did exist and I was eligible, but they could only process it manually - they did call me back as promised, at least.

Now that the offer had been "located" I went through the app process again, this time over the phone, sometime around the 10th of July. Hadn't heard a peep from them a week later but was too busy to chase it up, and then headed off overseas until 28th of July.

Still nothing by the time I got back, so I called them on Wednesday - once again, no record of my application anywhere (all they can see is the notes regarding my eligibility for the offer). Just about tore them a new one, eventually ended up with a supervisor who was very apologetic and offered to give me the 10k CitiRewards points regardless of whether I opened the Plus account or not.

I accepted that, and then tried to apply one last time, online using the normal channels - I wanted the account anyway, the bonus-points offer was just a well-timed bonus. Went through the online app process again, and lo-and-behold this time it actually gave me an application number at the end. Two days later (today), received an e-mail saying the account had been opened!

Seems that "never giving up" really does pay off - eventually - with Citi

 

[Plutonus]

Oh Citibank how you vex me...

So three weeks pass since sending my letter, so I decide to call up and see what's happening. Get transferred around a bit until I reach someone who tells me my application has been conditionally approved and I will be contacted the following day to confirm my details.

The next day passes, no call (surprise), so I phone up this evening. Give my reference number, on hold for a few minutes, comes back "I'm sorry for the time it has taken to process your application but we need to process your information and this takes time. I also apologise no one has called you as promised, but unfortunately your application has been denied". So I ask what they were doing for three weeks, and what changed between it being conditionally approved and now being declined. The usual 'does not meet our criteria, cannot disclose Citibank's lending criteria'. I asked if it was pure coincidence I hear nothing for three weeks but after I call something gets done. Silence. So I ask what it means to be conditionally approved and what would have changed - says I need to call back during business hours as she cannot access the definition of the term. I ask if my employer was contacted to verify my details. Unfortunately cannot access credit approval area notes and I need to call back...

Honestly Citibank it gets tiring

 

[Pukka]

Seems to be a luck of the draw thing with Citibank, some bad some good.

I had a really good experience with them applied for a signature select online, emailed them my tax returns and was approved about 3 days later. They also gave me a $50k limit which will be useful when I switch my ATO payments from Amex in October, I'm sure I read the limit was $30k for new accounts so it was a pleasant surprise