Questions about Citibank vs Disney Visa

[jkmmah]

I got the Disney Visa several weeks ago in order to help save a tad for our next WDW trip. Yesterday I saw an ad in our paper about Citibank having 5% rewards for groceries and gas. I went to the website to see how rewards are redeemed b/c the ad said something about partner gift cards. I couldn't find definitive answers on the site, though.

So, how are your rewards issued? Are they in gift cards? If so, could you give me some idea what businesses are available to get a card from? Or can you get a check in the dollar amount issued?

Finally, is it possible to find out before applying for a card whether a particular store is coded or listed as grocery? I want to be sure our military commisary would be listed as grocery in order to get my 5% reward, as opposed to just the 1% which I can already get on my Disney Visa.

Thanks for your help!

 

[harleyquinn]

Hi! i'm a charter DV member who fianlly got sick of the crappy rewards and signed up for the Citibank Dividends card.

The money comes in $50 checks only. You have to get up to $50 before you get anything. Also you are limited to $300 a year.

I don't think you can check about stores ahead of time, but they are very picky about what is and is not a specific store. for example my Walmart has groceries and a pharmacy, but doesn't count for either. I would call them and see if your store qualifies.

Good luck!

Don't forget that you get 1% for everything else.

 

[DiznEeyore]

I also have the Citi Dividends card. Basically, to qualify for the 5%, a store has to be specifically groceries (it states in the terms that it can't be a discounter that sells a large quantity of other goods such as Walmart, Target, Meijer, etc.) or a pharmacy (like Walgreen's, CVS, Rite Aid, etc.), or obviously a gas station.

The nice thing is several times this past year when I've requested a check, they've upped the cash back amounts to 2% and 6% for 90 days following receipt of my check. It adds up quickly!

The checks come really quickly, too.

I think Citi has a couple of different rewards cards, though -- if you want the cash back, make sure you apply for the Dividends card.

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

I switched from my Disney card to the Citibank card because someone on here reccomended it. TY-TY-TY!!

Not sure if this is why but I have been getting a full 5% back at my local Wal Mart because I check out on the grocery side of the store and put my food items up first. Might be because it is a Super store though. I had read this tip on the Boards as well.

The rewards sure do add up faster with the Citibank than they did with the Disney card.

I have read of people who got an extension when they reached the $300 limit.

BTW, Discover card is offering 5% back at home improvement stores for a limited time. I have Spring plans and will take full advantage of that one too.

I went from a woman who hardly ever charged anything to a charging fool. I pay the bill in full each month so this is truly 'free' money for us. I am hoping to have at least enough to pay for one AP.

Slightly Goofy/Linda

 

[jekjones1558]

I have read of people who got an extension when they reached the $300 limit.

Wish I knew how to do this. I called today to try to get it extended, but no luck.

Today in the mail I received an application for a DIAMOND PREFERRED Citi Mastercard. It works just like the other one but the limit for rewards is $750/year. I hate to get another card because I think that if you do this too much it is not good for your credit rating, but I have already reached the $300 limit for this year. (I, too, used the 2%, 6% offer for 90 days after I got my first check, so it adds up fast!) Citicard would not just switch my old card to the new card. I am using my Disney Visa while I figure out what to do.
Moral: If you are applying, check on the Diamond card so you will have a higher limit.

 

[SuzyQue]

It doesn't sound like the one you are looking at is the cash-back rewards card. If you want cash back, not gift cards, you need to apply for the Citi Dividend Platinum Select card. And I just received an ad in the coupon section of the Sunday paper stating they will offer 7% cash back on purchases at supermarkets for 3 months, full 5% cash back after that (plus 5% on gas & drugstore and 1% on everything else). PM me if you'd like the phone number. I've had mine for 3 months now and not only do I get the 5% back on the groceries etc., they then include those same purchases when they are figuring your 1%, so actually I'm getting 6%. ~~

 

[thelittlemermaid]

Just a bit of a warning about Citi....don't ever pay late! Five years ago when I had to go into the hospital early to have DD, I missed a payment. Course once I got home I paid it. When the next statment came that's when I noticed they increased my interest rate. I called to explain what happened and why I was late, about 4 days, they didn't care!!!

Thankfully DD was born in August, so the next year when we got our tax refund, I paid these people {I use that term loosely} off, cut up the card, and have never used them again. I try and try to keep DH away from using anything that has to do Citi.

Just wanted to add a warning about them.

 

[calie_j]

Just a bit of a warning about Citi....don't ever pay late! Five years ago when I had to go into the hospital early to have DD, I missed a payment. Course once I got home I paid it. When the next statment came that's when I noticed they increased my interest rate. I called to explain what happened and why I was late, about 4 days, they didn't care!!!

Thankfully DD was born in August, so the next year when we got our tax refund, I paid these people {I use that term loosely} off, cut up the card, and have never used them again. I try and try to keep DH away from using anything that has to do Citi.

Just wanted to add a warning about them.

Providian not only did this to me but lowered my credit limit too. I cut up that card too and throw away any offers from them. Someday these companies will learn that consumers have choices and if they don't treat their customers right they will lose business to one that does.

Calie

 

[poohfriend]

I'm fairly new to this board, so I hesitated about replying to this post because I probably don't have enough information. But here goes anyway. No need to flame. I understand that all of us approach this differently.

Please be careful about choosing a credit card around its rewards IF you are not paying the balance off in full each month. If you are not paying it off, in all likely hood you are negating the "reward." I know all of us are anxious to get to Disney, but don't get a few reward dollars (even hundreds) at the expense of the credit cycle. Work on paying off those credit cards and then open one with a great rewards program that you always pay off. Then your reward are truly rewards..and you can enjoy them without a 19% overhead!

Example: We have a couple of cards with rewards and we have always paid them off...until this year and some unforseen expenses before settling grandmother's estate have put us in the hole. I looked today and I have $29 REWARD dollars and $32 finance charges...ughhh! Please court date get here so we can get reimbursed for paying her utilities in addition to ours!!!

Good luck to all of us trying to pay off those balances so we can enjoy our vacation DEBT FREE (except the mortgage in our case!)

 

[thelittlemermaid]

Good luck to all of us trying to pay off those balances so we can enjoy our vacation DEBT FREE (except the mortgage in our case!)

I second that!!! When we take our next trip in 2006, I won't have any CC bills to worry about. Only bills will now be utilities, house, and car payment. YEA!!!

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

I think the extensions that I read about were ones offered by the company when you got close to or over the $300 limit. I have no personal experience with that as yet.

The cash backs are only truly free if you pay your bill in full, not just the minimum payment, but if you are not tempted to charge more than you usually would they MIGHT have some value. Not sure about that though as it seems that the cash back cards have a much higher interest rate. Interest rates mean nothing to us as we do pay in full each and every month.

The small print on the cards scare me to death. One time, somehow, we were a few days late in paying a cc bill and it meant we had an interest charge the next month. I called and because we were long standing clients and never had such happen before they took the charge off. There are too many offers out there to deal with the companies that are looking to rip us off. If you get involved with such might you not be able to transfer your balance to another, better card? Our finances are incredibly simple so I do not know much about such.

Hooray for your Mermaid! Now for the next step, start paying the car (higher interest rate?) off quickly and then when you get it paid off keep putting the payment amount in an account. When you go to buy your next car you will have much more of a down payment. After a couple of these you should be able to pay cash for a car soon. After that start paying off that house. It is amazing how little you have to pay extra each month to cut your length of payment in half and save tens of thousands of dollars.

The day we reached complete freedom from debt was the most fantastic day of our lives. All the money that used to go to interest rates now goes to buying thngs for the grandkids and DW!!

Slightly Goofy

 

[thelittlemermaid]

Hooray for your Mermaid! Now for the next step, start paying the car (higher interest rate?) off quickly and then when you get it paid off keep putting the payment amount in an account. When you go to buy your next car you will have much more of a down payment. After a couple of these you should be able to pay cash for a car soon. After that start paying off that house. It is amazing how little you have to pay extra each month to cut your length of payment in half and save tens of thousands of dollars.

The day we reached complete freedom from debt was the most fantastic day of our lives. All the money that used to go to interest rates now goes to buying thngs for the grandkids and DW!!

Slightly Goofy

Thank you Slightly Goofy!!! It is a good feeling not having those CC bills in the mailbox staring back at me when I pulled them out. LOL!!! I am going to follow your advice about the car. Hope to have that paid off in the next two years. After it is, I think I will split the payment in half, put half of it in my ING account and the other half toward the house payment. The more that is paid on the house the sooner, hopefully, we can have it paid off.

Thanks again!!!

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

TY for the kind words Mermaid. I always do my best for a fellow Buckeye. I am from Southern Ohio.

You are wise for one so young. BTW, it never ends, after you get all that taken care of you have to make sure you are putting away enough for retirement. I cannot see how anyone can afford to retire with bills hanging over their heads. The younger you are when you start the less you have to save due to compound interest etc. I sure wish someone had taught me this stuff when I was younger and that I would have had the brains to listen and I would be in a whole lot better shape than we are. Had to learn it all the hard way and do a lot of making up for a hubby who had to learn not to spend to the end, and over.


SG/Linda