In case you missed it Citi is making some negative changes:
- Citi Makes Yet Another Negative Change To Trip Delay Policy For Prestige Cardholders (Now 6 Hours Instead Of 3) From 7/29/18
- Citi Makes Significant Negative Changes To Citi Price Rewind Benefit (Price Protection) [Confirmed]
I wondered what other changes they are making and thought I should probably answer that for myself. Note these changes are confirmed for the Citi Prestige, I’m not sure about other cards. All changes will go into effect on July 29th, 2018.
- Worldwide Car Rental Insurance: Maximum coverage decreased to $75,000 from $100,000
- Trip Cancellation & Interruption Protection: No longer covers travelling companions. They MUST be family in order to qualify.
- Damage & Theft Purchase Protection: Coverage is now secondary, previously it was primary for everybody apart from those in New York. Excluded items will also include:Â lost items, firearms, ammunition, jewelry, watches, tires or items that are under the care and control of a third party including, but not limited to, the U.S. Postal Service, airlines, or delivery services.
- Trip Delay Policy:Â No longer covers travelling companions. They MUST be family in order to qualify.
- Lost Baggage Protection and Travel & Emergency Assistance:Â No longer covers travelling companions. They MUST be family in order to qualify.
- Citi Price Rewind: See those changes here. In addition the following items are excluded: won’t include consumables, tires, watches, firearms, or ammunition. You won’t be reimbursed if the lower priced item is found at a warehouse club where the merchant requires a customer to pay a membership fee.
- 90 Day Return Protection: Maximum reimbursable per year is going from $2,500 to $1,500. No only covers 90 days, previously it was 120. Will also no longer apply to the following:Â include firearms, ammunition, tires, jewelry, furniture or appliances.
I suspect cardholders will receive letters outlining these changes soon.
The $5000/trip Trip Cancellation & Interruption Protection is a reduction of 50%. It used to be $5000/pp with a maximum of $10,000/trip.
Chase CSR still has $10,000/pp, $20,000 per trip, The Chase Ink Preffered has $10,000/trip. You can split your purchases between multiple cards to get maximum benefits.
The other gotcha you aren’t mentioning here, is these changes are different for different cards.
For example my Citi Advantage card Return protection went down to $300 per item and $1000 per year. My Citi Preferred and Dividend cards are already at only $300/$1000, so no change with them.
My Advantage and Prestige are currently $500/$2500.
Just saw a notice that my Citi Premier is also only $300/$1000 per year. It looks like only Prestige is $1500/year. Also no mention on my Prestige if it is $300 or $500 per item. I assume it is still $500 since they don’t mention an amount.
Where are you getting that return protection used to be 120 days? I think you are confusing return with purchase protection. It has always been 90 days that I have known of. I used this extensively last year.
I do manage to stretch it out for nearly another 90 days by filing around 90 days, then you have 60 days to turn in paperwork, etc. This gives me more time to decide to return item and extra use of it. Worked out to my advantage when graphics cards actually went up in price and I sold it on Ebay instead of returning after 6 months.
Cancelled mine, and got back my prorated annual fee. I won’t bend over for ripping card benefits out from under me on a premium card like this.
If they come up with something else worthwhile, I may go for it again.. As it stands I don’t get enough out of JUST the 4th night free.
I have Citi Thankyou Rewards basic card (my first card), with no annual fee. I got the similar email about benefits. I got this card decades ago, when I was still in school (The gap between my Citi card and second one is more than a decade). So I am stuck with this card.
Would the changes to this card take effect for claims made after that date or for reservations paid for after that date? So if I booked a trip in August three months ago, would I get the old benefits or the new ones?
It almost sounds like the “Tour Group & PP Lounge access” with CSR. I could see how someone if they had the credit line using it to book tours, otherwise I wonder why they would change it, kinda seems hard to exploit just with “traveling companions” unless you booked a tour.
It seems likes the other negative changes are just another de-valuation that is starting to be the norm lately.
Many business travelers travel in groups of 3, 4, 5, or even 6 people. I’ve watched them arrive at a lounge and all be admitted because one member of the group had a credit card.
Purchase Protection is now 90 vs 120 days too…
Thanks, let me add.
after they announced all the changed to this card maybe they will have a signup bonus so they want people to get it. this card was in my wish list just for the 3hr trip delay and 4th night free but it doesn’t make sense to get this card just for that since i don’t pay the full price on the hotels.hotels.com 10 night free is still much better lol
Just a side note: Citi defines “Family” as:
“Family Members means your children, spouse, fiancée, Domestic Partner and their children, including adopted children or step-children; legal guardians or wards; siblings or siblings-in-law; son-in-law or daughter-in-law; parents or parents-in-law; grandparents or grandchildren; aunts or uncles; nieces or nephews.”
So, for Trip Delay. it still covers more than CSR -which only covers you, your spouse and your kids.
So how would Citi be able to differentiate between a girlfriend/boyfriend and a fiancee?
Well, the fiancée would be the one that has billion of “ring on her finger” pictures posted all over her Facebook and Instagram. While the girlfriend is the one that has been passive aggressively playing Beyonce’s song Single Ladies in the background on a loop.
“If you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it
Oh, oh, oh.
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh”
Hahaha, nailed it
Thanks. This’s exactly what I’m looking for.