Changes to Citi Prestige Signup Bonus: Big Loss with Admirals Club Access

Now we know that Citi Prestige® Card will be lowering their sign-up bonus to 40,000 Bonus points with a spend of $4,000. With a point worth of 1.6 cent apiece, you’ll be getting a value of approximately $400. Keep in mind that you will still be able to apply for the 50,000 ThankYou Points in-branch, but I strongly urge you to apply prior to September 1, 2016 so that you can reap the Admirals Access benefit until July 23, 2017.

Editor’s Note: If you apply now through August 31, you will get the same benefits that existing cardholders receive. Again, if you apply after September 1, 2016, you will get all the same benefits minus the Admirals access. Again, changes take place July 23, 2017.

Alternative Credit Cards:

• Barclaycard Arrival Plus^TM World Elite MasterCard®
• Citi Hilton HHonors Visa Signature Card
• Hilton HHonors^TM Card from American Express

Citi Prestige® Card Current Bonus:

• Apply Now
• Maximum Bonus: 40,000 Bonus Points
• Spending Requirement: You must spend $4,000 within 3 months of account opening.
• Annual Fee: $450 ($350 in-branch)
• Bonus Worth: The 40,000 bonus points is worth an $400 flight on American Airlines or US Airways^®.

When will the “New” Citi Prestige® Come Into Effect:

Questioning has rose regarding about when the Citi Prestige changes including loss of Admiral’s Club and a lowed sign-up bonus will come into effect since the Citi Prestige public domain no longer lists the Admirals benefit, and Golf benefit in the key perks. If you’re adamant about getting this card, these changes will not go through until July 23, 2017, when the changes come into effect for everyone. So, if you open a Chase Prestige today, you’ll still receive the same benefits as existing card members; Admiral’s Club, and Golf Benefits.

• No More American Airlines Admirals Club access
• No free golf benefits
• ThankYou points will no longer be worth up to 1.6 cents each towards airfare; Airfare redemptions will be at 1.25 cents value.
• The 4th Night Free benefit will be based on the average nightly rate, not including taxes.

Citi Prestige® Admiral Lounge: 

APPLY for the Citi Prestige TOMORROW and you could still reap the Admirals Access until July, 2017. It’s safe to say that this is one of the best benefits from the Citi Prestige card being that if you’re flying on American Airlines, the Admiral’s Club Access has always been the luxurious aspect of this card. It’s unfortunate to say that this benefit may be a thing of the past. It has been confirmed that you will still be able to reap the luxuries of Admiral Lounge until July 23, 2017. In previous post, we’ve stated that the changes won’t come through until June of 2017, so it’s nice to hear that the Admirals Club received an extended month.

What I can say about this is that it’s a biggest toll on this new prestige yet. Odds are, they’ve revised the new credit card contract negotiated with Citi, Barclay and American Airlines to make the AAdvantage Executive Mastercard seem more appealing since that card will still have Admiral’s Club Access.  Given this aspect of the card, we will still lose the Admiral’s Club Access perk, but I’m quite curious as to what Citi has in store for us as a means to compensate for losing the lounge access.

Citi Prestige® Dining Category:

Now, we’ve stated in an older post what our predictions would be pertaining to the changes being held based on a in-branch picture, and it’s safe to say that the Dining Category is confirmed to remain the same; so you’ll still be able to receive 2x the points on Dining and Entertainment

Given that I reap the dining category on this card quite frequently, I’m definitely feeling a bit more eased towards this news. It’s also quite satisfying knowing that there’s no changes done towards the 3x category for Air Travel and Hotels.

Citi Prestige® Card Features:

• $250 air travel credit each year
• Complimentary access to American Airlines Admirals Club® lounges due to change July 23, 2017
• Access to hundreds of VIP lounges through Priority Pass™ Select
• Complimentary 4th night for any hotel stay, worldwide
• Earn 3x points on Air Travel and Hotels, and 1 ThankYou® Point per $1 spent on other purchases
• Transfer points to a variety of travel loyalty programs from airlines to hotels
• Citi Prestige Global Concierge
• EMV Chip Technology
• ThankYou points never expire and there’s no limit to the points you can earn.

Citi Prestige® Card Pros:

• 1.25% to 3.75% rewards rate
• Air travel credit, Global Entry or TSA Pre credit, and discounted American Airlines flight redemption
• Complimentary nights on hotel stays
• The points you earn can be used for American Airlines flights at a great rate of 1.6 cents each. So a $300 ticket costs just 18,750 points with no award date or flight restrictions. If you use regular American AAdvantage miles you’ll need at least 25,000 miles.

Citi Prestige® Card Cons:

• Hefty $450 annual fee
• ThankYou® Points aren’t as flexible as other rewards programs
• While you can use your points to book any American flight, you can’t transfer the points into your American AAdvantage account to mix and match with miles you already have.

Conclusion:

Citi Prestige Card will be further lowering the sign-up bonus from 50,000 Thank you points with a spending of $3,000 to 40,000 with a spend of $4,000 within a given 3 months. Now this is quite a disappointment but you could still compensate for the cards annual fees through just the sign-up and anniversary $250 airlines credit you receive each year.

If you’re still adamant about obtaining this card; loss of the Admirals Club Lounge Access  really change the perspective on this card due to the fact that you’re paying a hefty $450 a month; but with all the other premium airlines and hotel perks you receive, it is still potentially one of the most suitable cards in the market for big spenders. Find our complete list of Credit Card Promotions today!