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While nearly a year ago we reported that some changes would be coming to the Citi Prestige® Card, it seems they are finally here, and Citi has announced changes that will be coming into effect July 23, 2017.
Like all changes some are good, and some are not so good, and some things have not changed at all, so here is what is going to happen to the Prestige Card.
What Won’t Change
Quite a few benefits will not change; you will still receive the following:
- Annual $250 Air Travel Credit
- $100 Statement Credit towards TSA Precheck or Global Entry application fees
- Citi Prestige Concierge still available 24/7
- 3X points on airfares, 2X points for dining and entertainment, and 1 ThankYou® Point for all other card purchases
- Still no foreign transaction fees when making purchases abroad
- The banking relationship bonus will remain in place for eligible customers
Coming Changes
There are several changes coming in; the key changes are as follows:
- The new card will be a metal card, which seems to be Citi keeping in line with most other premium card issuers who are moving over to metal cards.
- Lounge Access: you and authorized users will still benefit from access to Priority Pass lounges with up to 2 guests. However, access will no longer be available to American Airlines Admirals Club® lounges
- Increased value for cash reward redemptions of Citi ThankYou® Points, with no annual limit or cap on the number of points that can be redeemed. Starting July 23, 2017, 50,000 ThankYou® points can be redeemed for $500 as opposed to $250 prior to that
- You will no longer receive the annual 3 complimentary rounds of golf
- You will receive 25% greater value than gift cards (Instead of the previous 33%) when redeeming points for airfares on ThankYou.com. 50,000 points will be worth $625 in airfare. The 1.6 cent per point value for AA flight redemptions will no longer be valid.
- Complimentary 4th Night free benefit can be accessed through ThankYou.com. The benefit will be processed at checkout; you will no longer need to wait for a statement credit for your fourth-night free perk.
- The fourth-night free benefit will now exclude taxes from the calculation and will be a credit for the average cost per night, not specifically the fourth night
The fourth-night free perk can still be booked by phone, and members of specific programs who are entitled to a discount when booking with a specific hotel, can still use the Citi Prestige Concierge when making a phone booking and receive their discount. However, it remains unclear what points you will earn when making bookings this way.
Overall
Overall we look at this as a significant cut in benefits — it is clear that the card benefits were too generous to sustain. Only time will tell how everyone takes the new changes, and for sure some will be disappointed, and some will be happy, those who used the 1.6 cent per point redemption for AA flights will not be happy they are gone. On the other hand, those who used the 4th-night free perk will be delighted it can now be done online, and you don’t have to call up anymore, although everyone should be happy with a new premium metal card.
Source: Frequent Miler
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