Citi Thank You Points: Can Citi IMPROVE To Challenge AMEX AND CHASE

Citi Thank You Points are solid travel reward currency and Citi has gathered some recent attention by introducing the Citi Custom Cash, and adding American Airlines as a transfer partners. But while these are great and exciting, Citi keeps making decisions that keeps them below Chase and American Express for many people. But can Citi improve enough to make their travel credit cards, some of the best travel credit cards to customers.

00:00 - start
00:17 - Citi Cycle
1:04 - Travel Protections
2:55 - American Airlines
4:34 - Business Cards
5:57 - Adjust Bonus Language
7:48 - Customer Service
9:00 - Thoughts

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[MarkReese]

Great points all the way thru man! I’d really like to see AA become a permanent transfer partner along with a new, really compelling replacement for the Citi Prestige Card 😃👊💯

[JakeBroe]

All hail the Custom Cash! Rookie card of the year!

[cjm]

Great video! Between upping the SUB of Citi Premier to 80k, and adding American Airlines as a transfer partner (temporarily), it was a no-brainer for me to get the card!

[avstars]

I think Citi is in the process of revamping their card lineup. The custom cash made it possible to do a trifecta setup with Citi. Have to see what their Prestige replacement is. I think they are just waiting to see what their competitors are revealing. The credit card landscape could be very different by next year.

[DugrozReports]

I'm really glad that you mentioned the 24-month rule includes cancellations. Was thinking about product changing or closing a Rewards + I never use. Good to know, I'm kinda stuck with it.

[sudhisira]

This holiday season, Citi ThankYou had gift card sales where you could get say, a $50 restaurant gift card for 400 points i.e. $40 worth. Do you know how often they have these sales? Is it just once a year?

[eclectic_musafir]

The President of AAdvantage explained last year in a TPG Talking Points podcast episode (8 Jan, 2020) why American Airlines does not have transfer partners, and it's partly for the reasons you mentioned. They're preventing point inflation from occurring from transfers, and want to retain brand loyalty with people who regularly interface with the airline (i.e. not promiscuous points junkies looking for a cheap ride). Having a ton of co-branded cards for all budgets, in their view, offsets the lack of transfer partners, and they're consistent with that strategy. I believe the temporary transfer is them dipping a toe into the water to see what happens, and to acquire data points for/against the argument. The pandemic may have forced AA's hand in looking for additional sources of revenue, and perhaps carrots from Citi to bolster both brands mutually may also play a role. Asking for Citi to be a transfer partner is a double-edged sword; yeah, you'll be able to earn AA miles faster and easier, but that's creating a perfect storm for a massive devaluation. Alaska Airlines is playing the same game as American, and it's hard to argue why their points are worth so much more (no transfer partners). It's currency control. I've mixed feelings, as I'd rather retain the BA Avios transfer sweet spot with my Chase/Amex cards and the value of my AA Citi cards, than have a deval across the board for the sake of transfers from Citi (I don't have TY cards yet, so there's no upside)

[namikazeminato]

Great points. I would also like to add that they don't have a referral program currently, which is insane.

[oazizpharmd]

Amazing and concise review of how Citi can become a competitive entity in the rewards space. I foresee them incorporating approximately none of these.

[ezioaltairac]

Never realized that Citi didn’t have TYP business cards until now.

[akin]

I agree with a lot of your points in the video. Even for those who take 1 trip per year, Citi Premier with the Citi Double cash is still a good combo as is.

[thejokerspeaks]

Absolutely nuts that they're not competitive with business cards. Even a "Citi Double Business Cash" would take away from their competitors, where Capital One is doing so well with it, that they're supposed to launch a Spark Plus soon.

[MarkSkrzypczak]

They make it too confusing with their rules applying for cards. It would take a while for someone to build a trifecta that pulls in the points like AMEX or Chase.

[fsauceda]

Dustin, spot on with your analysis of Citi. Citi should hire you as their consultant.

[MrKingKameleon]

Excellent video! I agree with all of it. Take care Dustin and keep moving forward!

[nycabilifeisgreat]

Thanks Man…… This the President of Citi Bank… LOL! Thanks 4 your GREAT interview 4 the job…. LOL! UR Hired !

[JacksonWelch]

I wish Amex would do some tiered system like the Bank of America. I would park cash in an Amex savings if they offered like a 10% bonus or something.

[Alvin_]

Citi is trying. I may have to apply for the Citi Preferred

[BimmerWon]

Citi is already beating Chase and Amex by a long shot. I get 1.75x more points using Citi than Chase and Amex is trash with how high their fees are for services I’ll never use. I only use points on airlines but not hotels since I can always find better hotel deals with cash, even better than Hyatt.

[JakeBroe]

I hate citi's website user experience... no reason it should be that bad.