Free upgrade to Citibank Signature Visa

[one9]

The 'free' Priority Pass offer is misleading. It is NOT free. If you go to http://prioritypass.com/citibankaus and enter the special offer code supplied by Citi with the new Visa card, you find there's an annual fee of US$12, a member visit fee of $27 per visit and a guest visit fee of $27 per visit. So a visit to a Priority Pass lounge with my spouse and 2 teenagers will cost me US$108. A trip to Europe in January, with 4 Priority Pass lounge visits for our little entourage, will cost US$432 - hardly free. It is cheaper (after joining fee) to get a QF Club membership + annual guest card, good for a year, unlimited visits! I called the Priority Pass service centre in Hong Kong on (852) 2866 1964 and queried the charges. The operator stated that Priority Pass does not offer free deals and that the costs of the Citibank Australia deal are as displayed on the website.

I also tried to register for the "complimentary priority pass membership" with the special citibank code and it also advised me of the US$12 annual fee plus no free visits which does not correspond with what citibank says. So I called Citibank and they told me that the website was wrong and it was no longer required to register with Priority pass or to contact them. They said that I would automatically receive a Priority Pass welcome pack within 15 days of my card activation (which was today). Although she sounded confident, I don't have much trust in Citibank, especially when she confirmed my address and it was an address from 5 years ago which has not been used for a long long time (statements, letters, new cards etc have come to my new address for years). When I asked for her to delete the address she said she could not and to call back during business hours to try to have it done.

Has anyone who activated their card 15 days or more ago received a Priority Pass membership in the mail?

 

[SIA1A]

Singapore Airlines Kris Flyer & Citi Select

s

What are the conversion rates for other airlines?

The Citi website makes it hard (impossible?) to find this out - unless you are enrolled in regular Rewards. I'm in the Citi/Qantas sweep program so can't access the bowels of Citi's Frequent Flyer points conversion page.

Before I enrolled in the Qantas points sweep program on my Platinum card the SQ conversion rate was 1 SQ (Kris Flyer) mile = 1.5 Citi Reward points.

Assuming the KF miles conversion rate is still the same and now applies to the Signature card - and we get 1.5 Citi Rewards points per $ spent with the Signature card, it appears that we will now get 1 KF mile per domestic $ spent with the Select card. Do people (especially those who can see the current Citi Rewards / KF conversion rate) agree?

If this is right, I would look very closely at moving to the regular Citi Rewards program rather than the QF sweep. It is far easier to use KF miles for SQ flights (especially J class) than it is to use QF points for QF flights - and the SQ international network is far larger.

 

[SIA1A]

they told me that the website was wrong and it was no longer required to register with Priority pass or to contact them. They said that I would automatically receive a Priority Pass welcome pack within 15 days of my card activation

It seems the Priority Pass info that came with the new Signature card is also wrong - it tells customers to register for PP on a dedicated web page and even supplies a code to enter the site.

This whole card re-issue saga is a schemozzle.

I think it might be easier to document the matters, if any, that are correct in the info that Citi has supplied in its documentation accompanying the card and on its website.

I am really starting to doubt whether I should continue to do business with Citi. If it can't give a consistent line of information concerning its Rewards program, how long will it be before it starts botching credit card and bank account statements (to the detriment of the customer, of course).

 

[SIA1A]

Does anyone know whether the free upgrade card will have access to SPG? If it is then can you opt out from QFF earning, so you can send the points to SPG?

I take it that you are wondering whether Citi Rewards points can be used to acquire SPG points?

If so, the answer is no. There is nothing in the Citi Rewards program docs which indicates that Citi Rewards points can be transferred to SPG or any other hotel points program. The only hotel group that is listed in the Citi Rewards program on the points spend side is Hyatt, for which gift cards are available. ($100 cards sell for about 17,000 points)

Has Citi Rewards ever offered an exchange program for SPG or any other hotel points program?

 

[traveller2504]

I agree the Priority Pass offer is confusing and potentially misleading. The paperwork Citibank sent with the offer clearly states the free "Standard" membership to Priority Pass includes 2 only complimentary lounge entries in 12 months.

Yet on the Citibank website it says:

"Important Information 1. One complimentary Priority Pass™ membership for the primary card holder is a Special Feature of Citi Select. The primary card holder is entitled to unlimited visits to Priority Pass™ lounges and may bring one guest per visit. Any additional guests will be charged directly by the lounge. The membership is subject to the Priority Pass™ Conditions of Use available at xx_xx_xx_. (Link removed) once you have activated your Citi Select card please allow up to 15 working days for your Priority Pass™ card to arrive in the mail."

So which is correct? only 2 entries? Or unlimited entry?

For me this makes a huge difference as I am struggling to see any good reason to upgrade otherwise.

Can anyone confirm the facts about the priority pass membership?

 

[Baysider]

On this page Citibank Rewards Credit Card - Signature | Credit Cards - Citibank Australia under the Terms & Conditions, it says:

"4. One complimentary Priority Pass™ Standard Membership, with two complimentary lounge visits for the primary cardholder is a special feature of the Signature card. Signature cardholders must enrol for the Priority Pass™ Standard Membership. Once you have enrolled, please allow up to 15 working days for your Priority Pass™ card to arrive in the mail. Standard Membership includes two complimentary visits to a Priority Pass™ lounge. The first two visits within each 12 month membership period are complimentary to the primary cardholder only, after which any additional visits by you and any visits by your guests will be charged directly to you by Priority Pass™ at their ordinary price, currently US$27 per person per visit. Unused visits cannot be carried forward to the following membership year. The total number of complimentary visits will be reset to two at the beginning of each membership year while you remain a Signature cardholder. Please note there is currently no Priority Pass™ lounge at Sydney International Airport. Membership is subject to the Conditions of Use available at www.prioritypass.com."

If the QFF earn drops to 0.5 regardless of the card type, I'm starting to think I will stay with the Platinum Visa and then cancel next year when the earn rate drops.

 

[Danger UXB]

Re: Singapore Airlines Kris Flyer & Citi Select

s

The Citi website makes it hard (impossible?) to find this out - unless you are enrolled in regular Rewards. I'm in the Citi/Qantas sweep program so can't access the bowels of Citi's Frequent Flyer points conversion page.

Before I enrolled in the Qantas points sweep program on my Platinum card the SQ conversion rate was 1 SQ (Kris Flyer) mile = 1.5 Citi Reward points.

Assuming the KF miles conversion rate is still the same and now applies to the Select card - and we get 1.5 Citi Rewards points per $ spent with the Select card, it appears that we will now get 1 KF mile per domestic $ spent with the Select card. Do people (especially those who can see the current Citi Rewards / KF conversion rate) agree?

If this is right, I would look very closely at moving to the regular Citi Rewards program rather than the QF sweep. It is far easier to use KF miles for SQ flights (especially J class) than it is to use QF points for QF flights - and the SQ international network is far larger.

Hi SIA1A
signature card is 1.5 citi rewards /$ therfore $1:1 KFpoint
select card is 2 citi rewards/$ therfore $1:1.333 KF point
If you want the rate for the other airlines just ask.
Cove is the guru when it comes to this stuff with citi I think he has almost completely dropped the use of his Amex cards
Anyhow with a monika like SIA1A what are you doing assoiciating with the direct sweep darkside at Qantas?
Cheers Danger UXB

 

[SIA1A]

Re: Singapore Airlines Kris Flyer & Citi Select

with a monika like SIA1A what are you doing assoiciating with the direct sweep darkside at Qantas?
Cheers Danger UXB

Regretably, there are no SIA flights, let alone SIA seat 1As, available for flights within AU or between AU and the South Pacific. I'm forced to fly the 'roo.

C'est la vie.

 

[serfty]

Regretably, there are no SIA flights, let alone SIA seat 1As, available for flights within AU or between AU and the South Pacific. I'm forced to fly the 'roo.

C'est la vie.

You already have another option - soon you should earn on DJ flights: http://www.australianfrequentflyer....ralia-announces-strategic-alliance-30620.html

Virgin Australia-Singapore Airlines deal approved

 

[SIA1A]

You already have another option - soon you should earn on DJ flights: http://www.australianfrequentflyer....ralia-announces-strategic-alliance-30620.html

Virgin Australia-Singapore Airlines deal approved

But not yet. And probably not for a while.

Things have gone awfully quiet and the word around the traps is that 'cultural issues' are clouding the negotiations over points sharing.

In essence, SIA has a policy of constraining FF miles handounts for discount tickets (and where points are offered, they are based on distance travelled, not the ticket cost) whereas Virgin grants points for all tickets (and calculates the award on the basis of price paid, not miles travelled). SIA hands out nothing on the FF front for deeply discounted tickets whereas Virgin does. SIA wants Virgin to align its points policy with SIA while Virgin seeks the reverse. SIA wants folks with sufficient miles to have ready access to seats (hence is tight with handing our miles), Virgin wants to fly full planes (hence doesn't care too much about handing out points - it constrains its capacity so they are more difficult to use). Virgin (c/- Mr Borghetti?) is following the Qantas approach - making points easy to come by (hence deals with the likes of Woolworths, accessible to anyone in Aus.)

I think I prefer the rarefied atmosphere of KF miles - it's just a pity that KF miles are useless locally.

Depending on how SIA/Virgin negotiations pan out, I fear that using KF miles on DJ flights might not be all that easy.

(By way of illustration, I flew from ADL to AKL last year, return, using KF points on NZ. This flight is always full and it is often hard to get seats. I booked the flight 5 days prior to departure via the SQ/KF call centre and received confirmed bookings both ways a few hours later. Amazing, actually. I suspect SQ wants to be able to maintain that kind of service if it takes DJ's FF program on board - and probably doesn't want DJ's FF customers flooding SQ flights.)

That all said, we desperately need competition on the local FF scene - long may it rise and plunder!

 

[oz_mark]

But not yet. And probably not for a while.

Things have gone awfully quiet and the word around the traps is that 'cultural issues' are clouding the negotiations over points sharing.

In essence, SIA has a policy of constraining FF miles handounts for discount tickets (and where points are offered, they are based on distance travelled, not the ticket cost) whereas Virgin grants points for all tickets (and calculates the award on the basis of price paid, not miles travelled).

I'd be surprised if this was a huge problem. The Virgin calculation using dollars paid only affects its own flights in its own program. All other partners are based on mile, and even when the credit is to a partner it is based on miles.

SIA hands out nothing on the FF front for deeply discounted tickets whereas Virgin does. SIA wants Virgin to align its points policy with SIA while Virgin seeks the reverse. SIA wants folks with sufficient miles to have ready access to seats (hence is tight with handing our miles), Virgin wants to fly full planes (hence doesn't care too much about handing out points - it constrains its capacity so they are more difficult to use). Virgin (c/- Mr Borghetti?) is following the Qantas approach - making points easy to come by (hence deals with the likes of Woolworths, accessible to anyone in Aus.)

Current partners are quite tight on giving points on discounted tickets to Virgin, so again I don't see this as a big problem.

It may well be that the actual acrrual rates are up for debate (is it 0, 25%, 50%, 100%, whatever) but they do this with current partners.

The negotiations may be a bit convoluted, but nothing seems much different from their other partners.

 

[jaztech99]

I'm in Adelaide and received this offer today (22 Nov) with the letter dated 8 Nov 2011. I have had multiple problems with Citibank since February this year when my wallet got stolen in Hawaii and I had to cancel my card. I don't trust them anymore and will wait and see what new way they find to stuff me around with this new dodgy looking Rewards card.

 

[orac]

If the QFF earn drops to 0.5 regardless of the card type, I'm starting to think I will stay with the Platinum Visa and then cancel next year when the earn rate drops.

I am of the same view. I received my upgrade card on the 22nd with a Nov 4 date.

My call to Citibank has not cleared up the issue about points and I am not convinced that by the middle of 2012 the new card will not be reduced to a ratio of 2;1

I am in the same position as most of you after having called them. The conversation and paperwork is not clear at all - perhaps intentionally

 

[RAM]

Like many others I also got the upgrade offer.

The difference though is despite a spend over 60K a year we still get charged an annual fee (paid for with some of the rewards points admittedly).

Interested in how the "free" Citi cards were come by.

Have turned down the Plat upgrade many times as still required to pay the "gold fee" but can't use points to pay the "gold fee" on a Plat card.

As we have well over a dozen direct debits set up - it would require a lot of paper work to reset them all if changed to the Signature Visa. Also Gold card has a photo heat sealed in the card as a fraud prevention measure (Citi own that patent or rather dozen or so on it) where as the new card has no photo - so a decrease in fraud prevention.

Interesting story - be warned on Plat upgrades (fee issue) and SECURITY LOSS. Even more problem as I hate mobiles - had one in 1986 and people just called me instead of thinking for themselves - so gave it up at end of 1986.

IN 2008 took up 4th Plat upgrade offer (for me & the boss) just before annual fee due. Used card 3 times & "the boss" did not use at all. Tried to pay fee - told impossible to pay gold rate fee on Plat using points.

So said to cancel Plats and reissue gold. Being a pedant, at the end of call I asked the operator to confirm that both Plat cards had been cancelled and the numbers were now inoperable. She said yes.

Fast forward to Mar 28, 2010 on holiday in Aust (DAY 2 of 10) and get email from "the boss" (TB) to contact ASAP as FRAUD happened. Did so. Day before card balance paid off in full. That morning TB went to pick up car from servicing and pay with Citi Gold card -rejected. Try again - rejected. What's going on...

Got Citi Version 1 - of fraud story - 22 transactions for just under total credit limit put on "Gold" card the evening of/ day after monthly pay in full went through. All internet transactions (virtually never done an internet transaction on Citi - so what happened to their much vaunted security systems - of real time unusual behaviour?).

Asked TB for story. It sounded odd what she relayed from Citi. Asked her to call Citi and verify their story. Yes, now for Citi story version 2. TB does not make mistakes with details. Story sounds worse then Vn 1. I point out inconsistencies. TB calls again and asks for every transaction to be detailed. Gets them all.

Place where on holiday no phone in apartments so public phone outside Maccas eating my coins at a ferocious rate. Good job for Ipod touch & Wifi there.

Vn 3 - all transactions ON TB's CANCELLED CLOSED PLAT CARD NUMBER.

Yet, all our current gold cards are blocked. I had my back-up card but AMEX and non-CBD holiday places do not take AMEX as much as I thought they would.

I remembered reading about a data loss at a Citi US used card clearing facility in US (TheRegister.co.uk best source of tech bad news there is). But as Plat card canned in 2008 that couldn't explain it nor that date of Gold card bill pay date used as start date for transactions, code on back of TB's card needed for internet transactions and her only use was supermarket swipe herself - so nobody got it from her.

So clear Citi internal fraud.

Long story - credit limit blocked for 4 more days while I went via Citi Aust CEO (forget credit cards). No apology but forced them to provide travel insurance on purchases made on AMEX (5 to Europe for a month).

End of bad news -NOT LIKELY.

Most of the fraud transactions shipped to FedEx for (you guessed it) shipment paid with Citi PLAT to Eastern Europe.

BUT many trans were for out of stock articles or purpose built items like specialised car repair/panel beating equipment made to order (10 day to several week delays). So did Citi notify any of the companies named in TB's list on Day 1 of fraud? NO. Did they contact them at all? No.

I followed up with Citi a couple of weeks after back from holiday. Procedure (same for all banks alleged) at end of billing cycle notify Visa/Mastercard (one month later). Every company sent purchases to FedEx and lost full value of transaction (OK, cost < transaction value) but they were severely out of pocket). One a WA family company dad, mum & son making the tools lost 4 months profits. No recourse to Citi.

And it even gets worse.

I did a check to ensure every transaction reversed properly (as they all appeared under the PLAT number on our next Gold Statement) no they were not done properly. Some were missed - so complained. Will be fixed next month bill. Yes they were. but 3 months later some transactions were reversed again (of the reversals this time) so we were being charged for the fraud.

Still fighting Citi over it - but remain customer so as not to lose any rights for compensation.

Moral of story - if ever you find any fraud - get a full list of transactions read over the phone - do the right thing and immediately ring those companies/businesses and warn them. Examine every subsequent bill for the next 12 months line by line. I had given up checking TB's side of bill after 3 months unfortunately.

You can see why I want to find out about fee free Gold as a minimum

 

[Bali Belly]

Have just got my upgrade offer today and like many others the offer was dated 3rd of nov i have no problems in taking up the offer as at the end of the day i can try to cancel the card? this i know can be a problem but for me the only change will be lounge pass
i have been very lucky in the fact that i have had the plat card fee free for some time now and have no issues with citi bank and have also made a small claim on travel insurance
this was handled promptly
also i have a very low spend on the plat card ie sub $10.000 as i push all through amex
so i do not expect any favours from citi

 

[Sharp75]

Has anyone who activated their card 15 days or more ago received a Priority Pass membership in the mail?

I activated my card 21 days ago. I was told to same thing about Priority Pass membership. Nothing received yet.

 

[Austman]

I activated my card 21 days ago. I was told to same thing about Priority Pass membership. Nothing received yet.

I activated my card yesterday.

Then went to the Priority Pass website as per the Citibank instructions and entered the code. All was fine. It was a complimentary membership (no $12.00 fee or anything) with 2 free passes/year. Exactly as Citibank stated. The card is mailed from Hong Kong.

 

[Baysider]

I activated my card yesterday.

Then went to the Priority Pass website as per the Citibank instructions and entered the code. All was fine. It was a complimentary membership (no $12.00 fee or anything) with 2 free passes/year. Exactly as Citibank stated. The card is mailed from Hong Kong.

After reading this I tried it myself with exactly the same result. All done. Complimentary membership (no $12.00 fee) with 2 free passes/year.

 

[coolsteps]

After reading this I tried it myself with exactly the same result. All done. Complimentary membership (no $12.00 fee) with 2 free passes/year.

called a couple of weeks ago and asked if i dont take up the free upgrade to platinum what would happen. they said all gold cards will be phased out in 1 year and automatically upgraded to platinum when the gold card expires anyway. I wonder if that will apply to the citibusiness gold card too?

she also said all old platinum card holders would be upgraded to the signature card regardless of their credit limit.

so i wonder apart from the no annual fee for life card holders has anyone with a paid annual fee platinum card or annual fee waived for being a citigold member been offered an upgrade to the signature card yet?

 

[Sharp75]

Could someone please post this code. You'd think it's a secret agent code or something. Everybody calls it "the code", "the special code" etc but no one posts it!!!

I lost my welcome pack and need the code for online registration.

Somebody help me please !!!