I know I'm late; and this is slightly random, but am I the only person who can't get the Avianca Life Miles website to work? I've never transferred points there because I'm afraid I will never see them again...LOL.
I may go for a Citi Prestige, just for the "4th Night Free" deal. I can double up on that on a 2-week trip to Paris - stay 4 nights in one place, then switch to another hotel for the rest. It's pretty easy to spend $250/night there, and that would be $500 in value, plus the $250 travel credit, plus the 50K sign-up bonus. Hmmm.
I got the Premier this summer for the 60k and will downgrade it to the double cash sometime next year. Does anyone know how long you must wait to downgrade? I've already paid the first year AF
I have a Citi Simplicity card and Citi is giving me an option to convert to Citi Rewards+ or Citi Double Cash card which do you prefer? And which card should I upgrade too
Had the citi diamond preferred and switched to double cash no hassle. Was thinking about adding the citi premiere next, but now that they’re eliminating all purchase protection benefits I don’t know if i will.
Is now a good or bad time to ask for a product change? The product I would like is more of an upgrade from a card that I really don't use because it has no perks.
The Double Cash isn't a bad downgrade because at least now you get that cellphone insurance from a free card with those new Master Card benefit. Might as well keep that credit history rolling!
I thought you could pool your TY points within the Prestige, Premier, and Rewards + TY family?!?!! Sebby, your blog post set me straight! Even more of a reason not build a Citi setup (i've been wondering why no one talks about a Citi Trifecta)!! For TY point transfer, LifeMiles (Avianca), Singapore Krisflyer, and Etihad Guest are all great programs with great airlines and subsequent partners. I would lean toward Singapore, because their consistency is supreme. I have heard great things about Avianca from other TH-cam vloggers though. Finally, I would dump the Prestige and not product change. Your credit wouldn't even be dented if you did. It would be less complicated if you did; you would never use the Citi Double Cash anyways. Agree with your strategy of getting the Citi Premier for the Welcome TY bonus and then sock drawer it.
This is on the same subject but with the chase cards if you downgrade from a sapphire or Reserve card to a no annual fee card will you lose your points or do you have to transfer them to a partner just like the Citi Premier cards.
AMEX transfers to LM so Citi isn’t Unique. Additionally, LM sells points cheap enough at 1.35cpp where I never transfer to LM and just buy the points. You mentioned you got the premier card. Citi doesn’t let you pool TY points between your TY cards?
Etihad, because you can use Amex and Citi, and my first flight with them was amazing. Turkish Airlines: Citi is the only points transfer option, and an undervalued Star Alliance member for flights to the Middle East. United was north of 93,000 points for economy, Turkish was 34,000 points return from MIA to AMM during a recent query.
I am flying ANA business tomorrow from Honolulu to Tokyo Narita on their new A380, and although I didn't book with Virgin Atlantic (as I'm flying JAL on the return,) I think that's the best value option. Of course, you have Amex and Chase to transfer from as well, but virgin miles are really flexible for my circumstance (living in Honolulu.) You can do RT economy on delta for 40k, or RT business for 70k, without the RT requirement. That rate is actually lower for economy than VA booking ANA, at 45k for economy, and the same for business. Of course the first class on ANA's A380 for 90k VA Miles RT is insane, and I'm hoping to do that sometime next year.
Hey Sebby, does downgrading reset the 2 year clock on the 2 years for one thankyou points signup bonus rule? Does that mean you need open a new card once 2 years hits and get the bonus and then immediately downgrade your 2 year old card? How does that timing work? Does it mean you need to sign up for a new card with the bonus, earn the bonus in that month, and then downgrade the prestige within that month to get the annual fee refund and avoid paying an extra annual fee? (wondering if downgrading before actually earning the bonus will impact whether you qualify for the bonus)
I have a question I haven’t seen anyone touch on. Is the Amex or chase trifecta worth it for someone who travels but is mostly wanting to use it for hotel stays since I don’t really fly? Or is there another option I should look at?
Mumble Amex transfers to Marriott and Hilton, but Amex points are worth far more for flying then hotel points. Chase transfers to Hyatt and Marriott. Like Amex, UR should not be used on Marriott because of value. UR used for Hyatt is a great use; however, Hyatt’s are not always where you need them. Think about cash back cards if you want hotel usage.
Same dilemma here but different situation. I have just the Citi Premier and was able to get the 60 thousand ty points bonus offer but now that it Citi has cancelled all it's travel insurance benefits , I might as well cancel or downgrade it to the double cash cc because I also have the CSR card. I frequent Southeast Asia so which transfer partner should I move my points to be able to maximize it. I prefer flying coach to stretch all this miles and points that I have. Your inputs is much appreciated
I'm pretty new to the travel redemptions game, I've only used thankyou points once so far, I used them transfering to Singapore Airlines to book Hawaii for my family at 35,000 miles to Hawaii round trip... Used up all my Thankyou points to Singapore and topped off with Amex to book for a family of 4.
I have a small ebay business where I’m spending about 225K a year on inventory. I’m currently using my Citi Double Cash card. Do you have any other recommendations to maximize return for non-category spend? Thanks for taking the time to put videos together for the TH-cam community. It’s because of you my credit score is at an all time high.
I'd keep cards for 12 months to minimize adverse action -- if Citi decides to take some in the future similar to Amex: th-cam.com/video/a5OXbdDlH0Q/w-d-xo.html
Niche usage Asia Miles CX multi-city chart US/HK/Canada or vice verse under all on CX metal 85K in business 125K in First with a quick reposition flight it could be a build your own round trip award. Granted the only 2 airports they fly into is Vancouver and Toronto. Otherwise I personally like LifeMiles considering UA is moving towards dynamic pricing on their partner carriers soon.
Yes, they will graduate you to a diamond preferred card. Once there you can PC to a Double Cash. Not sure on the timing, but I think there is a 12 month minimum before they will PC you to the DC... YMMV
Are you going to wait until after you earn the bonus to downgrade? I’m in the same situation and trying to determine if downgrading will still keep me eligible for the bonus? I already applied for the card and it’s on it’s way.
Would never do business with them again. Long story short before laws were changed. Citibank came to my college to recruit college students to sign up for there cc. Put me in debt before joining the work force smh. Paid that tab off a few years ago with my career.
Brian Smith being a broke college kid, what would you expect for me to do on top of not be credit literate like I am today? Lesson learned. Years later I have a score of 800 and got an Amex gold , sapphire reserved, and Apple Card in the same month with an Amex Platinum in the works 🤷🏽♂️
Lifemiles is OK, I say that bc if everything works out for it's incredible value, however, ive heard their customer serivce is...*ahem* needing improvement, esp. for english speaking agents. Otherwise getting their credit cards and having both Chase UR and Amex UR, you could be in LH F all the time. As for other *A, United is a bit better for CS (lol) Turkish is good, but dont overlook smaller carriers like Aegean to get Gold status.
I watch your videos and I think you are doing great job helping others! May I know with all your strategies what is your current credit score ☺️ Also bofa premier rewards is good. 100 every year for airline credit. AA gift card works
Sebastian, Hi Sorry for suggesting...your intro confuses me or could to others...Do you want to be called Sebastian or Seby ? Just that, and nice video as always
You cannot download to dividend meaning that you have to select it from the onset I assume.
“2020 ends up being pretty straightforward”
That didn’t age well
I'll need some life coaching after this year.
@@AskSebby Free tip - don't wait to start! :)
*GREAT VIDEO SEBBY*
What’s the best no annual fee card of citi besides the double cash
I know I'm late; and this is slightly random, but am I the only person who can't get the Avianca Life Miles website to work? I've never transferred points there because I'm afraid I will never see them again...LOL.
Your icon makes all your videos look like ads when scrolling through the youtube feed
Please do a Sebby’s Chase Strategy for 2019 and 2020.
YES
I may go for a Citi Prestige, just for the "4th Night Free" deal. I can double up on that on a 2-week trip to Paris - stay 4 nights in one place, then switch to another hotel for the rest. It's pretty easy to spend $250/night there, and that would be $500 in value, plus the $250 travel credit, plus the 50K sign-up bonus. Hmmm.
Were you successful in downgrading the Prestige to the Dividend card?
Dividend isn't a downgrade option anymore :(
@@AskSebby 😥
I got the Premier this summer for the 60k and will downgrade it to the double cash sometime next year. Does anyone know how long you must wait to downgrade? I've already paid the first year AF
I'd wait 12 months; you already paid for the card and downgrading within first year can be seen as abuse.
I have a Citi Simplicity card and Citi is giving me an option to convert to Citi Rewards+ or Citi Double Cash card which do you prefer? And which card should I upgrade too
Turkish Airlines is definitely the best option to transfer points to if traveling within the US.
Had the citi diamond preferred and switched to double cash no hassle. Was thinking about adding the citi premiere next, but now that they’re eliminating all purchase protection benefits I don’t know if i will.
Is now a good or bad time to ask for a product change? The product I would like is more of an upgrade from a card that I really don't use because it has no perks.
MY BOY IS BACK! BACK TO NON RASPY SEBBBB LETS ROLLLLLLLL!! 🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙
Almost fully recovered! 😄
sebby is the citi diamond perrered card a good card to have or the citi costco visa card
If you already have a Double Cash, why don't you instead downgrade to Rewards+ since they seem ideal for
The Double Cash isn't a bad downgrade because at least now you get that cellphone insurance from a free card with those new Master Card benefit. Might as well keep that credit history rolling!
Sounds like you favor downgrading instead of cancelling. Just how many cards are in the sock-drawer?!
Quite a few. There's probably a "might as well cancel" point but I'm not there yet.
I thought you could pool your TY points within the Prestige, Premier, and Rewards + TY family?!?!! Sebby, your blog post set me straight! Even more of a reason not build a Citi setup (i've been wondering why no one talks about a Citi Trifecta)!! For TY point transfer, LifeMiles (Avianca), Singapore Krisflyer, and Etihad Guest are all great programs with great airlines and subsequent partners. I would lean toward Singapore, because their consistency is supreme. I have heard great things about Avianca from other TH-cam vloggers though. Finally, I would dump the Prestige and not product change. Your credit wouldn't even be dented if you did. It would be less complicated if you did; you would never use the Citi Double Cash anyways. Agree with your strategy of getting the Citi Premier for the Welcome TY bonus and then sock drawer it.
This is on the same subject but with the chase cards if you downgrade from a sapphire or Reserve card to a no annual fee card will you lose your points or do you have to transfer them to a partner just like the Citi Premier cards.
AMEX transfers to LM so Citi isn’t Unique. Additionally, LM sells points cheap enough at 1.35cpp where I never transfer to LM and just buy the points. You mentioned you got the premier card. Citi doesn’t let you pool TY points between your TY cards?
Lifemiles you can buy it for 1 cents-1.1 cents per mile, what’s the point of transfer to LM? You should move them to AM
Fair.
Man I did not know about that 60 day rule regarding for points and downgrading the card. Thanks for the heads up as always 🤘🏻
Is that the same situation with Chase and downgrading?
@@Jrrucker1 No, this is a Citi specific issue.
Thanks Sebby!!!!
Etihad, because you can use Amex and Citi, and my first flight with them was amazing. Turkish Airlines: Citi is the only points transfer option, and an undervalued Star Alliance member for flights to the Middle East. United was north of 93,000 points for economy, Turkish was 34,000 points return from MIA to AMM during a recent query.
I still need to fly Turkish. I've heard good things though :)
I am flying ANA business tomorrow from Honolulu to Tokyo Narita on their new A380, and although I didn't book with Virgin Atlantic (as I'm flying JAL on the return,) I think that's the best value option. Of course, you have Amex and Chase to transfer from as well, but virgin miles are really flexible for my circumstance (living in Honolulu.) You can do RT economy on delta for 40k, or RT business for 70k, without the RT requirement. That rate is actually lower for economy than VA booking ANA, at 45k for economy, and the same for business. Of course the first class on ANA's A380 for 90k VA Miles RT is insane, and I'm hoping to do that sometime next year.
Very good points :) Enjoy ANA J tomorrow!
@@AskSebby Thanks, looking forward to comparing them with JAL's Sky Suites on the 787 on the return.
Hey Sebby, does downgrading reset the 2 year clock on the 2 years for one thankyou points signup bonus rule? Does that mean you need open a new card once 2 years hits and get the bonus and then immediately downgrade your 2 year old card? How does that timing work? Does it mean you need to sign up for a new card with the bonus, earn the bonus in that month, and then downgrade the prestige within that month to get the annual fee refund and avoid paying an extra annual fee? (wondering if downgrading before actually earning the bonus will impact whether you qualify for the bonus)
I have a question I haven’t seen anyone touch on. Is the Amex or chase trifecta worth it for someone who travels but is mostly wanting to use it for hotel stays since I don’t really fly? Or is there another option I should look at?
Mumble Amex transfers to Marriott and Hilton, but Amex points are worth far more for flying then hotel points. Chase transfers to Hyatt and Marriott. Like Amex, UR should not be used on Marriott because of value. UR used for Hyatt is a great use; however, Hyatt’s are not always where you need them. Think about cash back cards if you want hotel usage.
Same dilemma here but different situation. I have just the Citi Premier and was able to get the 60 thousand ty points bonus offer but now that it Citi has cancelled all it's travel insurance benefits , I might as well cancel or downgrade it to the double cash cc because I also have the CSR card. I frequent Southeast Asia so which transfer partner should I move my points to be able to maximize it. I prefer flying coach to stretch all this miles and points that I have. Your inputs is much appreciated
I'm pretty new to the travel redemptions game, I've only used thankyou points once so far, I used them transfering to Singapore Airlines to book Hawaii for my family at 35,000 miles to Hawaii round trip... Used up all my Thankyou points to Singapore and topped off with Amex to book for a family of 4.
With all the changes with Citi would you recommend a Citi Trifecta?
If you cancel the AA Platinum after the first year, do you lose your AA points or they are incorporated to your AA account?
I have a small ebay business where I’m spending about 225K a year on inventory. I’m currently using my Citi Double Cash card. Do you have any other recommendations to maximize return for non-category spend? Thanks for taking the time to put videos together for the TH-cam community. It’s because of you my credit score is at an all time high.
So . . . if you transfer points from one card to another, it's still on the clock? Even if *both* cards are yours?
Citi is weird where you can't transfer points from one card to another. More on the blog: www.asksebby.com/blog/how-to-downgrade-the-citi-prestige
@@AskSebby wow that's a huge bummer!! had no idea :'( glad I know that now though!
I’d say Turkish or Avianca
Unbox of the Premier Card?
If it's something interesting :)
How long do you have to wait ideally before requesting a downgrade? I've had the Premier for 3 months now and already paid the first AF.
I'd keep cards for 12 months to minimize adverse action -- if Citi decides to take some in the future similar to Amex: th-cam.com/video/a5OXbdDlH0Q/w-d-xo.html
@@AskSebby Thanks! I'm guessing it's the same with Chase? I'm in a similar situation with the CSP and I'd probably have to wait before downgrading.
Can you use the point to get gift cards?
Gift cards don't generally offer outsized value.
Niche usage Asia Miles CX multi-city chart US/HK/Canada or vice verse under all on CX metal 85K in business 125K in First with a quick reposition flight it could be a build your own round trip award. Granted the only 2 airports they fly into is Vancouver and Toronto. Otherwise I personally like LifeMiles considering UA is moving towards dynamic pricing on their partner carriers soon.
They refused a PC from the Premier to the Dividend in August. After the 3rd try, I was able to waive the annual fee though.
Interesting. Thanks for the data point!
Me personally would be Virgin Atlantic, then to ANA
I have a secured cc with Citi, can I upgrade it to double cash after getting the deposit back? Or I can't
Yes, they will graduate you to a diamond preferred card. Once there you can PC to a Double Cash. Not sure on the timing, but I think there is a 12 month minimum before they will PC you to the DC... YMMV
Are you going to wait until after you earn the bonus to downgrade? I’m in the same situation and trying to determine if downgrading will still keep me eligible for the bonus? I already applied for the card and it’s on it’s way.
Product change
I agree with Waller's Wallet. Lufthansa First Class is an awesome one!! Life miles it is!!
Would never do business with them again. Long story short before laws were changed. Citibank came to my college to recruit college students to sign up for there cc. Put me in debt before joining the work force smh. Paid that tab off a few years ago with my career.
I think most banks did this. "Here's a free sandwich... have a credit card!"
Did they put a gun to your head and make you sign up? Citi didnt put you in debt, you put yourself in debt snowflake.
Brian Smith being a broke college kid, what would you expect for me to do on top of not be credit literate like I am today? Lesson learned. Years later I have a score of 800 and got an Amex gold , sapphire reserved, and Apple Card in the same month with an Amex Platinum in the works 🤷🏽♂️
Only citi card I have is my HomeDepot card
Lifemiles is OK, I say that bc if everything works out for it's incredible value, however, ive heard their customer serivce is...*ahem* needing improvement, esp. for english speaking agents. Otherwise getting their credit cards and having both Chase UR and Amex UR, you could be in LH F all the time. As for other *A, United is a bit better for CS (lol) Turkish is good, but dont overlook smaller carriers like Aegean to get Gold status.
Good tips :)
Best card reviewer on ewetube
Turkish, no brainer
I watch your videos and I think you are doing great job helping others!
May I know with all your strategies what is your current credit score ☺️
Also bofa premier rewards is good. 100 every year for airline credit. AA gift card works
Sebastian, Hi Sorry for suggesting...your intro confuses me or could to others...Do you want to be called Sebastian or Seby ? Just that, and nice video as always
Call me whatever makes you happy :)
The best Citi strategy is to buy some puts on the stock right now and cash in your profits when the stock gets down to around $60. Easy money !
This is hilarious 😂😂😂
This is actually a really good idea lol
Virgin Atlantic! That's what I'm saving up mine for. :) Combine with Amex MR