New Citi Lifetime Language
Yesterday, Citi ThankYou Points got more valuable with the addition of Japan Airlines Mileage Bank as the program's newest transfer partner. Now, it looks like Citi has also made a big change that may impact how you can earn some of those points. Its application rules for its Strata family of credit cards have been updated to introduce more restrictive language. Is there new Citi lifetime language for cards like the Citi Strata Premier® and Citi Strata Elite®? Let's take a look.
H/T: DoC
What Is Changing With Citi Strata Application Rules?
New eligibility wording just appeared in the application terms for the Citi Strata℠ Card, Citi Strata Premier® Card and Citi Strata Elite® Card. Previously, Citi restricted welcome offers on these cards based on when you last earned a bonus. The old terms stated that the welcome offers were unavailable if you had received a new account bonus for those cards within the past 48 months.
Now, those time-based restrictions have been replaced with what may turn out to be new Citi lifetime language. The new terms for the Citi Strata Premier® Card state: “New account bonus offer is not available if you currently have or previously had a Citi Strata Premier® or a Citi Premier® account.” Similar language has appeared on the Citi Strata Elite® Card and Citi Strata℠ Card. Citi also says you “may not be eligible” based on other factors, including your history of opening, closing and using credit cards.
What About Other Citi Cards?
For now, this change appears to just be a Strata family thing. Cards like the Citi Double Cash® are still showing the 48-month rule. And if you’re worried about Citi's American Airlines co-branded cards, don’t panic. (At least not yet!) Those are still displaying the usual 48-month language. Here’s a screenshot of today's terms for the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®. Similar 48-month language is still showing on other Citi AA personal cards and the Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ card. If there is new Citi lifetime language, it is limited to the Strata cards for now.
What Does This Change Mean?
What should we expect from these new application rules? Is this like the lifetime language we know from American Express? It’s too soon to say. Amex’s restrictions, for example, have historically not always meant someone's literal lifetime. Its rules are pretty loosely defined, and our DPs show that, in practice, it can be possible to get the welcome offer 5-7 years after you last held the card.
While possible new Citi lifetime language isn’t great news, we don't yet know how Citi will (or won’t) enforce these terms. It comes at a time when the value in Citi ThankYou Points continues to grow. As we mentioned, Japan Airlines Mileage Bank joined Citi's transfer-partner lineup on September 20, with an excellent 1:1 standard transfer ratio (plus a 30% transfer bonus at launch) for eligible annual-fee cardholders. And Citi has some other powerful transfer partners like American Airlines. It has some rarer partners like EVA Air, Thai Airways and Leading Hotels of the World. Plus, its overlap with popular programs available through other banks makes it useful for ToPping off redemptions to partners like Flying Blue, Singapore Airlines and Virgin Atlantic.
Citi Adds Lifetime Language: ToP Thoughts
While this news does not sound good, it is still a developing story. We don't yet know how this new language will actually play out if you're submitting an application. We are glad to see that this does NOT appear to be an across-the-board Citi policy. For now, the new language appears limited to the Strata family. Citi's American Airlines co-branded cards are still showing the usual 48-month restrictions. But anyone applying for a Citi card should still check the welcome offer eligibility terms before hitting “submit.” What do you think about this change? Would new Citi lifetime language impact how you earn ThankYou Points? Let us know your thoughts in the ToP Facebook group.
