Why Aren't I Hearing About Citi Prestige Here?

[schalliol]

I'm booking my first stay on my own nickel (or multiple thousands of dollars) and I'm wondering why I'm not hearing of more people using the Citi Prestige Card. I'm doing two 4 night stays (one at Boardwalk and one at Polynesian). Neither are club level, but I've got a water view and a theme park view during Spring Break. This adds up to about a thousand bucks per night with tax at Poly (given discounts aren't available for my dates).

With the Citi Prestige, the 4th night is free at each place. The card has a $450 annual fee, but for that in the first 12 months you can get $500 air travel credit (since it's on a calendar basis), presently a 50k bonus points for signing up, free global entry/TSA Pre√, in addition to 3 points/$ on air travel and hotels, and 2 points/$ for dining & entertainment. You also get Priority Pass airport club access and some great price protection, etc.

So, given that you get 3X points on your stay (and they haven't yet removed the taxes for the 4th night free), for my trip, I used $250 air travel credit and basically get about $2K back after booking. I'm not an annual pass holder, but I have heard that the deal works with that discount, just as I know it does for other room only discounts. It seems like the more expensive the room, the better deal this is.

There are some conditions, but on the whole, I haven't seen a way you can do better:

• You can't use a package. You have to pay for just the room, since food isn't going to be free. This reduces some of the value here if the package offers you a deal.
• You have to have the Citi concierge make the booking. This isn't a big deal, and they don't charge anything for doing it. It's just the same as if you called in yourself to book it.
• Given that there are deposits charged, they probably won't automatically credit the 4th nights free once your charges are paid. You'll have to call in, but I haven't heard of anyone who didn't get it reimbursed. Citi sends you an attachment on their letterhead telling you what you're going to get back.
• You can't get two consecutive 4th nights free at the same property, which is one reason we're moving from one property to the other. i.e. could do it for 16 nights with 4 free by alternating between the same properties every 4 nights.

Am I missing something for a better deal? If not, I highly recommend it.

 

[tink1970]

I speak only for myself, but it seems that the 4th night free is the biggest perk for Citi. That said, in this current stage of life, my family and I prefer to cruise (Ocean and River) or do short stays with tour groups (Tauck, ABD, etc). I've considered citi but the 3x points are still better with travel and dining on CSR and I'm pretty much locked into Delta (d/t our market) so don't need the priority pass when I have SkyClub access.

Again, I'm just one datapoint.

 

[schalliol]

You make a good point, and to be clear, I meant because the 4th night free is HUGE. I have the JPMR, basically a CSR, and I use that as my regular card, but for the sheer savings of the Prestige on Deluxe resort stays, there's no comparison.

At this point I'm only using the Prestige for the flights and the [sizable] room only charges for the resort. If I didn't have the JPMR, I'd use the Prestige all the time however.

 

[supersnoop]

This is the first time I've ever heard of the fourth-night-free feature. While it's "huge" in your situation, I'm usually staying in hotels that charge $80-$250/night, and rarely for 4 nights in a row. It sounds like a great perk, but I bet it goes unused a lot of the time.

 

[Albort]

A few things to point out for the prestige card though, 4th night free will give u 1/4th of the money spent back. They recently changed this language. like what a previous poster says, its rare for me to stay at a place for 4 night straight.

I still find the CSR coming out ahead. 100k bonus, 3x on dining, $300(instead of $250). There are more ways to earn UR points for combination. Thank you points are way harder to earn than UR points. Also, Citi has thing thing where u dont know what actually qualifies as 3x, 2x, etc. it just pools it together.

 

[schalliol]

All good points, and as above, I use my JPM Reserve (CSR exactly plus United Club) for all spending except this one (meals, events, etc.). I agree that for lower cost hotels the 4th night free isn't that great of a deal, but it seems there are a ton of folks on the forums (maybe who don't hang out in the budget forum) who go for a long time.

The change doesn't go into effect until the summer for the averaging and some other deals. Since I don't plan to go back to Disney for awhile and normally wouldn't spend more than $250/night on a hotel, I'll convert to the CostCo card.

Anyway, I just wanted to throw it out there since I'm getting $2k off for an 8 night stay in case it helps others. It just seems to be too good to be true, but it isn't.

 

[wendow]

We do tend to stay for about 8-10 nights when we go to WDW. If we go through a 'magical' travel agency for our room rate and end up averaging $200 per night (x2 rooms as we are a family of 6), what would this mean for us? Would we get each 4th night free? On both rooms? I am completely interested in this card if it is indeed a better way to go.

 

[QueenIsabella]

So, you're paying $450 a year to get a non-discounted 4th night free? I guess I don't see it as being such a bargain. You. personally, save by doing a split stay between 2 deluxe resorts. That's fine if you would normally vacation that way, but a lot of people won't. There are restriction son how you can book (room only, through their agents). Again, if it works for you, great, but a lot of people work through Disney direct, booking packages, take advantage of free dining, and so forth. Personally, I prefer a free card with cash rewards, but my life doesn't center around trips to WDW these days.

 

[schalliol]

We do tend to stay for about 8-10 nights when we go to WDW. If we go through a 'magical' travel agency for our room rate and end up averaging $200 per night (x2 rooms as we are a family of 6), what would this mean for us? Would we get each 4th night free? On both rooms? I am completely interested in this card if it is indeed a better way to go.

The 4th night free is for the primary account holder, but you could get a card for your spouse two to double it up. I prefer mixing it up with a second resort since Disney moves your stuff, and you could get 4 nights free this way. Given what's below, in the first year in addition to the 40k bonus each, you could get two air travel credits on each card to come out with a -$50 annual fee on each card. Save even more with Global Entry or TSA Pre on each person. If you don't like two cards, how about a suite?

So, you're paying $450 a year to get a non-discounted 4th night free? I guess I don't see it as being such a bargain. You. personally, save by doing a split stay between 2 deluxe resorts. That's fine if you would normally vacation that way, but a lot of people won't. There are restriction son how you can book (room only, through their agents). Again, if it works for you, great, but a lot of people work through Disney direct, booking packages, take advantage of free dining, and so forth. Personally, I prefer a free card with cash rewards, but my life doesn't center around trips to WDW these days.

You can get discounts, but not packages, and having them call Disney isn't really any different than calling directly. Given I'm staying in a very expensive set of rooms (Boardwalk is discounted, but no availability for other discounts at Poly TPV), and as above I have an effective -$50 AF I can't see any way I could get more than $2k off any other way. I've also gotten a lot back using the price protection. So, I agree, if the rooms are cheap, a package is probably better. I can only imagine with a Poly 2 bedroom suite...

 

[hsmamato2]

OP I can see how in your circumstance that's a great deal..... at 1k per night, it's an awesome deal! I like the citi card, but I've never,and probably will never be able to get gains like that back.... so I utilize other deals that cut hotel prices for my situation (I prefer getting points I can use to book cheaper rooms)

 

[QueenIsabella]

The 4th night free is for the primary account holder, but you could get a card for your spouse two to double it up. I prefer mixing it up with a second resort since Disney moves your stuff, and you could get 4 nights free this way. Given what's below, in the first year in addition to the 40k bonus each, you could get two air travel credits on each card to come out with a -$50 annual fee on each card. Save even more with Global Entry or TSA Pre on each person. If you don't like two cards, how about a suite?


You can get discounts, but not packages, and having them call Disney isn't really any different than calling directly. Given I'm staying in a very expensive set of rooms (Boardwalk is discounted, but no availability for other discounts at Poly TPV), and as above I have an effective -$50 AF I can't see any way I could get more than $2k off any other way. I've also gotten a lot back using the price protection. So, I agree, if the rooms are cheap, a package is probably better. I can only imagine with a Poly 2 bedroom suite...

Yeah, I won't even look--why torture myself? Maybe when I hit Lotto, I can have my man-servant look it up and book it for me.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

I think you financial situation is much different from most on these forums. This is evidenced by you having the JPM Chase Reserve card, which is only offered to private banking clients that have over $10 million of investable assets. I could not afford a hotel at $1000 per night and most here would not do that either, so the Citi card seems very situational.

I do have the CSR card and find it to be an amazing card given my personal situation. I travel for work and have been able to gain an additional 75,000 points since opening the card in October. It works for me and that is really what matters with a credit card.

 

[schalliol]

Well, I don't have $10 MM, but I did get that account some time ago when that wasn't a requirement. This is a big splurge for us and we go to $1XX hotel rooms most of the time, sometimes they might be over $200 if we get a larger room (3 kids). We also usually hop in the minivan for a family vacation. I wouldn't pay for a 2BR Poly suite either.

I guess I've seen on here a LOT of people (maybe not on this particular part of the forum) that go every year and stay on property for a long time, and someone fills out those more expensive spots than where we stay.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

Well, I don't have $10 MM, but I did get that account some time ago when that wasn't a requirement. This is a big splurge for us and we go to $1XX hotel rooms most of the time, sometimes they might be over $200 if we get a larger room (3 kids). We also usually hop in the minivan for a family vacation. I wouldn't pay for a 2BR Poly suite either.

I guess I've seen on here a LOT of people (maybe not on this particular part of the forum) that go every year and stay on property for a long time, and someone fills out those more expensive spots than where we stay.

Understandable. The requirements for private banking seem very high now so I apologize for making any assumptions. Didn't mean to offend or anything, just wanted to point out the situational nature of credit card rewards. And I agree that in general, there are people on Disboards that go every year, stay in expensive rooms, etc. But on the budget board, I think the audience is a bit different. Many people here save years to take a single family trip to Disney.

We went and stayed at Poly last year, but it was our first DVC member trip, so our situation is different from those renting rooms. We spent about 10k for our DVC contract, paid for with wedding gift money. It was a big purchase for us, but it will make our future stays at a deluxe resort only cost a few hundred dollars each year going forward (in member dues), so it works for us.

 

[schalliol]

All sounds good and no worries. Yeah, we won't be going back anytime soon to Disney unfortunately. Very cool on the DVC for those who want to do it non-stop. We like it if we can take our vacation at a house we rent for maybe $175-$200/night with 3 bedrooms like we did last year in North Carolina. It was in a tiny city in the middle of nowhere, but the house was literally on the beach.

 

[calypso726]

I'm booking my first stay on my own nickel (or multiple thousands of dollars) and I'm wondering why I'm not hearing of more people using the Citi Prestige Card. I'm doing two 4 night stays (one at Boardwalk and one at Polynesian). Neither are club level, but I've got a water view and a theme park view during Spring Break. This adds up to about a thousand bucks per night with tax at Poly (given discounts aren't available for my dates).

With the Citi Prestige, the 4th night is free at each place. The card has a $450 annual fee, but for that in the first 12 months you can get $500 air travel credit (since it's on a calendar basis), presently a 50k bonus points for signing up, free global entry/TSA Pre√, in addition to 3 points/$ on air travel and hotels, and 2 points/$ for dining & entertainment. You also get Priority Pass airport club access and some great price protection, etc.

So, given that you get 3X points on your stay (and they haven't yet removed the taxes for the 4th night free), for my trip, I used $250 air travel credit and basically get about $2K back after booking. I'm not an annual pass holder, but I have heard that the deal works with that discount, just as I know it does for other room only discounts. It seems like the more expensive the room, the better deal this is.

There are some conditions, but on the whole, I haven't seen a way you can do better:

• You can't use a package. You have to pay for just the room, since food isn't going to be free. This reduces some of the value here if the package offers you a deal.
• You have to have the Citi concierge make the booking. This isn't a big deal, and they don't charge anything for doing it. It's just the same as if you called in yourself to book it.
• Given that there are deposits charged, they probably won't automatically credit the 4th nights free once your charges are paid. You'll have to call in, but I haven't heard of anyone who didn't get it reimbursed. Citi sends you an attachment on their letterhead telling you what you're going to get back.
• You can't get two consecutive 4th nights free at the same property, which is one reason we're moving from one property to the other. i.e. could do it for 16 nights with 4 free by alternating between the same properties every 4 nights.

Am I missing something for a better deal? If not, I highly recommend it.

It's a great card if your travel habits allow you to maximize the benefits. I picked it up as a back up plan for our trip to Hawaii next month and was able to purchase a couple of our flights using the TY points. I may be able to use the 4th night free this year depending on what we decide with regards to accommodations for a trip to Iceland this Thanksgiving. If not for that I likely would have cancelled the card. Our travel habits don't often involve staying in a hotel for 4 consecutive nights. We usually book Adventures by Disney trips for our big vacations or Disney Cruise Line. When we go on our own we tend to hotel hop or do long weekend getaways. Our WDW vacations are also mostly weekend trips and we have DVC for that.

The one high end card we have that has given us very useful hotel benefits for our travel style is the Amex Platinum. It's a $450 AF with a $200 airline credit annually on your chosen airline.The business version also comes with 10 GoGo in flight wifi passes each year and 50% of your MR points back when you pay with points. Both give you gold status with Hilton and SPG which then gives you gold with Marriott. Both have the fine resorts and hotels benefit. Both give you Global entry, Priority Pass, Centurion and Delta lounge access and a concierge service for members. We have used all of these benefits except pay with points but will use that at some point too. The fine resort and hotels benefit gives you breakfast for 2 each morning. At the Wynn in Vegas last year this wound up being worth $400 alone. Fine Resorts and hotels benefit also give you early and late checkout and a complimentary room upgrade, plus a $100 spa credit so I was able to enjoy a discounted massage. The concierge service was able to get me 4 tickets to see Hamilton at face value! So not every card is right for every person. It really depends on your travel habits.