[Expired] Citi Checking Bonus – 30,000 American Airline Miles

Looks like this might have expired early, view more bank account bonuses by clicking here.

Update 3/13/19: Deal is back and valid until April 14th, 2019. Hat tip to VDESH

Offer at a glance

  • Maximum bonus amount: 30,000 miles
  • Availability: Nationwide
  • Direct deposit required: No
  • Additional requirements: See below
  • Hard/soft pull: Soft pull
  • ChexSystems: Yes
  • Credit card funding: None
  • Monthly fees: $25, avoidable
  • Early account termination fee: None
  • Household limit: None
  • Expiration date: November 30th, 2018 April 14th, 2019

The Offer

Direct link to offer

  • Citi is offering 30,000 American Airline miles when you open a new Citibank Account Package between 2/15/2019 – 4/14/2019 and complete the following requirements:
    • Spend at least $400 on your Citibank debit or ATM card within 60 days of account opening
    • Download the Citi Mobile app and log into your new account

The Fine Print

  • Customer must have a new Eligible Checking account and log into the Eligible Checking account using the Citi Mobile® App within sixty (60) days of opening the Eligible Checking Account.
  • All bank account bonuses are treated as income/interest and as such you have to pay taxes on them

Avoiding Fees

Citi Account Package $25 Monthly Fee (30,000 mile Bonus)

  • The Citibank Account Package needs $10,000 in combined average monthly balances to remain fee free. Otherwise, there is a $25 monthly fee.

Early Termination Fee

In the past, Citi has not charged any ETF, and none is mentioned for this offer.

Our Verdict

We often see this deal, but usually it’s up to 60,000 miles and it’s targeted. The bonus for 60,000 miles is harder to meet though. Citi also has a public bonus for up to $600, this is in line with the $400 bonus and you can bump that up to $500 with a direct deposit. I personally think that $500 deal is better value but it will depend on how you value American Airlines. I won’t be adding this to our best bank bonus page.

Hat tip lumipz who let us know. Learn how to find bonuses and contribute to the site here.

Useful posts regarding bank bonuses:
    William Charles
  • On March 13, 2019, 18:36

View Comments (120)

  • Mine was issued after I filed a complaint with CFPB.

    I tried everything. For those worried about the fees that accumulate, call the customer service number and complain about the fee. They will gladly waive ONE $25 fee and it is done over the phone if the agents computer allows it (it allows it one time).

    Citi stated to me in a letter that I did not meet the spend in the required time frame. Well - I did. But they said that I didn't. It took a CFPB complaint to promptly get my miles. I also went into a branch and tried to resolve this before I did the CFPB complaint. I brought all the paperwork and showed them EXACTLY how I complied and met my spend yada yada yada. They said that they would "investigate" but they were nice enough to waive 2 more $25 fees.

    This was a pain in the you-know-what. But I feel fortunate that I was able to get three months of fees waived. Don't be bashful. ASK. Be nice if you go into a branch. Remember - it's not that person's fault that Citi is incompetent.

    I will be closing this account.

  • Another DP. Bonus miles were credited to my AA account exactly 90 days after I opened my Citi account and meeting the requirements. Initially told that bonus miles would be credited 90 days after meeting the requirements, but in my case it was 90 days after opening the Citi account.

  • Just wanted to provide another DP. My spouse had no problem getting their miles. Me? I had to jump through hoops. I called and was on the phone with the CSR for over 30 minutes. She said a promotion wasn't tied to my account. I had a screen shot of my whole enrollment process, so I wasn't too worried. She put me on hold for a while and said she finally found the promotion I was referencing, but I had not enrolled in it. Said it would take 20 days for the dispute resolution. A few days later, I received a letter in the mail stating they were denying my 30,000 miles since I hadn't downloaded the Citi app, as was required. This was incorrect since I had indeed downloaded the app and logged into my account from it. The weird thing was that I checked my AA account the day I received my letter, and the miles were there. They had back-dated the date of the miles to a month earlier, the same day my spouse's were credited to their account. Shrug. Citi...

  • So I finally got my miles yesterday. I did an online chat a few days ago and the representative was very nice and helpful. She verified everything and said she submitted it for approval and even asked for my AA number. She also said that it could take up to 20 business days, but usually happened much sooner than that. Sure, enough I already got the miles just about 3 days later.

  • I met the requirements on April 3, 2019. The Citi rep said she could not see a promotion tied to my account. (I have screen shots of the entire process.) She said she is filing a dispute, but it will take 20 business days for resolution and for me to hear something back from Citi. My spouse signed up for their own account and met requirements on same day as me. They received their miles a month ago. Not happy about having to jump through hoops! Why can't Citi just follow through with their end of the bargain...

  • I haven't received my miles yet, does anyone know how long it takes? or if anyone has received them? It's for the aa 30,000 miles after opening Citi checking account.
    Thank you!

  • DP: Signed up around March 27 for the 30K offer. Received debit card roughly one week later. Completed transactions within a week of receiving debit card. Miles were credited to my AA account on June 17 or 18.

    • I signed up on March 20 and completed the transactions about three weeks after. Still haven’t received my miles. I guess I’m going to have to call them...

  • That link is now pointing to a 40K offer for having $15k in the account for 60 days with no activity requirement. It says 1099 will be sent in the fine print

  • Hey Will, it looks like there's a new non-targeted offer for 40K AA miles when opening a Citi checking account. Not as good as the previous offer (now requires $15K for 60 days instead of just $400 in spend) but the offer is higher (40K AA miles versus 30K on the old offer).

    https://banking.citi.com/cbol/18/q4/checking/aadvantage/default.htm?promo_id=4DZL77H9FWAABH&cmp=BAC~02~190601~BANKACQS~Q2Campaign2019~AA~OnSite~1&BT_TX=1&ProspectID=D376EBA422954C8AAA6B6E221B4A36A9

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