Update2: New rules not in place until August 28th, 2016.
Back in April Citi changed the terms on their credit cards to state that you couldn’t receive a sign up bonus on a specific card if you had opened or close that card within the previous 24 months. Before that the limit was 18 months. Unfortunately, they have added another restriction to ThankYou cards. Now you cannot get the bonus if you’ve opened or closed any ThankYou card (ThankYou Preferred, ThankYou Premier or Citi Prestige) within the past 24 months.
I don’t see the same restriction on their American Airline earning cards, so it looks like it’s just restricted to the Preferred, Premier & Prestige cards currently. Card issuers are definitely making things increasingly difficult for people trying to churn sign up bonuses. We’ve updated our list of churnable cards here. Also we don’t have confirmation if Citi is actually enforcing this new rule or not, but I suspect they are.
Hat tip to reader Tom
I received approval for this card a few days ago thinking that, since it was a different product from my other (since closed) AA cards, I would be eligible for the 25k bonus miles; but apparently not. Still, I will follow-up via chat with Citi when I receive the card to confirm.
“Additional Information – Citi® / AAdvantage® Gold MasterCard®
Card Offer
25,000 American Airlines AAdvantage®bonus miles can be earned by new Citi® / AAdvantage® Gold cardmembers approved through this offer. Earn 25,000 American Airlines AAdvantage®bonus miles after making $750 in purchases in the first 3 months of cardmembership. American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles not available if you have had any Citi / AAdvantage card (other than a CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage card) opened or closed in the past 24 months.”
This is one of the times I stopped applying for citi cards after two cards and just playing the wait and see game until the dust settles. It looks like something bad happens every month when it comes to churning.
OP: “Now you cannot get the bonus if you’ve opened or closed any ThankYou card”.
You meant to state Now, “Bonus ThankYou points are not available if you have had ThankYou Preferred, ThankYou Premier or Citi Prestige cards opened or closed in the past 24 months.” I have an old preferred; I interpret this means I do not qualify for a Prestige with this terms.
yes, if you have signed up for any TYP card in the past 24 months and you sign up now, under these terms, if they are enforcing them, then you will not get the bonus
wholly…would this apply to the pending prestige application (has been pending for almost two weeks but I never bothered to call a second time)?
did you copy the t’s and c’s when you signed up? i signed up last month before the devaluation and they don’t have this updated language…
This is a dark day.
It looks to me that all of there card groups (AA, Hilton and Expedia) have this language now. Check their card sure again.
*their
I’m assuming this won’t be applied retroactively to those who got new cards in the last couple of months right?