[See UPDATE below] We reported yesterday that Citizen’s Bank changed their credit card lineup. They removed the interesting ones and replaced them with uninteresting ones, see Citizen’s Bank & Charter One Eliminate Their 5% Cash Back & 25¢ Transaction Cards And Replace With Two New Cards.
Reader Bob pointed out that the cards are still apparently available. Using Google search, I easily pulled up both the 5% card and the 25¢ card.
Direct Link Citizen’s
Direct Link Charter One
As far as I can tell the links still work. Most likely, they’re in the process of pulling the card but some links are still around. If that’s the case, then this would be the last chance to get these cards. Remember, the noose is tightening on 5% cards and there aren’t a lot of options available.
[UPDATE: Reader Ted pointed out that this information is incorrect, since when you click “apply now” it takes you to the new version of the card. In the terms it’s clear that this is the new version and won’t earn 5%. Interestingly, the GreenSense card does appear to still be available, since that link is working properly.
UPDATE #2: Readers pointed out that Charter One 5% card seems to still be available, while the Citizens seems to redirect you to a different card. So it appears that you still can get the Charter One 5% but not the Citizens one. Of course there’s a risk that something could go wrong with the Charter One card as well. Personally, I’m optimistic that it will work out.]
I’m holding off on this for now since I’m in middle of my TD 5%. I also haven’t had a chance to research how useful the card is in terms of credit limit and how easy they are to deal with in general. I’m actually optimistic that if they’re scratching the card they won’t make such trouble for those manufacturing high amounts of spend in those initial 90 days. Since the cards on its way out, they may not bother with restricting such accounts. But of course there’s always some risk involved.
If anyone’s an expert on the 5% Citizen’s card, let us know in the comments if it’s worthwhile from a manufacturing spend perspective.
applied ans got the card but not with 10% or 5% tried calling customer service they said the promo was gone 2/28
After all this time they now called me that they will honor 10 percent gas and 5 percent grocery and drug stores till aug 20
I think Charter One one is gone too. If not, can anybody post a direct link? Link in the post doesn’t work anymore.
Yup, seems like it’s completely dead now. Not even a link to use that I know of.
Charter one/Citizen tries to throttle you after they realize you’ve been MS-ing (I think) so make sure to make multiple smaller payment amounts (I was told payments over $1K are held up for up to 10 days, but previous poster was told over $500). Credit limit is also on the lower side.
Chuck, care to share your experience with the TD one?
I wrote most of my experiences in this post
https://www.doctorofcredit.com/the-noose-is-tightening-on-5-everywhere-2/
and the comments there.
I was lucky to get a high credit limit ($9800), my main problem is I’m getting freezes on my account for payments. I should have opened a TD checking and made all payments from there since they’re willing to unfreeze for TD checking account holders (and they may not even freeze to start with).
Other than that, I’ve also had some dollar-limits placed on my transactions, as I mentioned there.
I applied……decision pending. …..actually I don’t think they even pulled my credit yet.
Yeah, some banks don’t pull right away. Let us know how it goes.
Did anyone apply? Which card were you approved or declined?
Just had my TD5 card declined while buying $500 GC at supermarket
Rep said card still valid but they are putting a hold on “large” supermarket purchases
Interesting…
Does it say “caution account” or “real time score” in your online TD login?
the card is churn able, I ended my 3 months about 4 months ago. The beginning you get a few fraud alerts and I told them I will be using it for over 500.00 spend at Drugstores and made up some story. They removed the limits and I was good to go after week 3. had 9k CL, did about 14K/monthly. But the trick is to pay them back via DD from their CC site. AND, very important, a CSR at Citizen told me they don’t credit payments over 500.00 for 5-6 business days. A bunch of BS reasons. So you have to set up maybe 3-4 CA on their site and pay back 499.50/498/.5 etc. Those are credited within 24 hours and CL is adjusted. But other posters here are correct. You only get a 300.00 check monthly. Sort of like a small pension. They owe me about 5 more months.
Wish I knew about this card earlier…I hate my life
Interesting to know that you have to pay in small increments. Makes it a bigger hassle.
Although this deal if apparently churnable, I’m still hesitant to do it again, since I did it in the spring of 2013 (as a 10%er), and they still owe me more than half of my money (they only pay $300 per month). I’d hate for anybody to notice that they still owe me quintuple digits.
They give you a bit of a low credit limit, but overall it went pretty well. Helps to have a checking account setup with them.
Thanks for that. So you can just slowly take out your $300 over a few years?
There was some debate at the time how long they will continue to give you the $300 (it is a check that is automatically sent to you). Some verbage said that unused points expire after 36 months, but surely they weren’t considering the scenario where somebody banks 36×300. Personally I gambled, and banked enough money to go well beyond 36 months. It will still be over a year until I/we get the answer.
Wow, you really hit this hard. I’m doing a somewhat smaller scale with TD, but only because the rewards are immediately available. I’d never do it with such long wait time. You have guts!
After you click Apply Now, it takes you to http://citizensbank.rbsnb.com/card_offers/disclosures/applynow_cashback.html, which indicates you are applying for the new Cash Back Plus™ World MasterCard®. I noticed this after I applied, not hopeful, but we’ll see.
You are absolutely right in regard to the 5% card. It does not seem that the 5% is still available. Thanks for pointing out. I’ll update the post.
Interestingly, the Greensense card seems to still be available.
Although…the Charter One Apply Now takes you to the Cashback Platinum (old version), I submitted another app through that for good measure.
I noticed that too and submitted another application…keeping my fingers crossed…
Awesome guys! You too are correct. I was in a rush and didn’t check them both. Seems Charter One is still a possibility and Citizens is dead.
Thanks! I’ll update.
Charter One application never pulled credit report and I received letter saying product has been discontinued.
Citizen’s application was denied due to “too high of cumulative revolving credit limit on report”. Haven’t heard of that one before. Rep supervisor said app did indeed go through for the new Cash Back Plus, but had I been approved, they *may* have been able to honor the old product. I call bollocks. For all I know, they didn’t want to give me old product so they denied me. After all, they didn’t know what the decision was until after I inquired about the product type. The old cashback card was supposedly discontinued on 2/28
Also tempted to try Citizen’s again using wife, she should not have my denial problem. Weighing risk vs reward… Not only would we have to convince them to give us old product, also many days has passed since discontinued date. Also, if we get small credit line, hard to maximize reward. But then, if all the above line up, reward is $$$$.
I wonder if having banking relationship with them matters…?
Seems the link isn’t around at all anymore, from what I can see.
https://www.citizensbank.com/cards-and-rewards/credit-cards/cashback-platinum.aspx This one still up
I see, I guess there’s a chance they’d give you the old product, as you mentioned before.