Great Deal - have used them for 20 years!
Written: Dec 23 '05
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Pros: CUSTOMER SERVICE! Protection of credit from fraud.
Cons: Rather high interest rate, if you carry a balance.
The Bottom Line: AA Advantage Citicard is THE one card to have.
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| sophiesdad's Full Review: American Airlines AAdvantage (Citibank) |
I don't fall into the category of many Americans who have a pocket full of credit cards. When I first married, we had about 10 different cards from varying department stores and we also had a Citibank VISA. AFter reading Personal Finance for Dummies, we had a party and cut up all credit cards but one- the Citibank card. It was truly a liberating experience!
We found out about the AA ADvantage Miles card from a brochure that came in our monthly statement. We transferred our account over to that card and started making EVERY purchase by the Citibank card. We treated the purchases the same as if we were using a checkbook and the balance is paid every month. So, we don't really have to concern ourselves even if the interest rate were to skyrocket to 22% - it's not an issue with us.
Our Airline miles have accumulated very quickly over the years. It's amazing how much one realizes that he/she spends when everything is there in black and white on the statement!
There are three very important reasons that we stay with Citibank - aside from the miles:
1) Their customer service is unparalleled. EVERY time there has been a suspicious combination of purchases, we receive an immediate call by cellular, home phone, and email. If, for some reason, they cannot reach us to confirm the charges, they immediately put a hold on the credit card and I have to call them to check if everything is OK.
This became quite apparent when I made an Ebay purchase one time for a postal scale. I used the Billpoint service which is supposed to be secure (I am a computer geek, so there is NO way that anything leaked from my end). Evidently, there was an employee inside who nabbed my credit card number. I went the next day to purchase my prescription glasses and the $700.00 charge was declined.
I asked the eye doctor if I could use the phone to call Citibank. When I called, they were ever so apologetic at the inconvenience, but wanted to see if I had made a purchase at a Home Depot in Denver (I live in Florida). The charge was for $3.99. They explained to me that the thieves will make a small purchase. If it is not declined, then they go to town ordering everything under the sun.
They allowed me to make the purchase for the glasses so that I was not delayed in getting them, and them promptly closed that account and overnighted a new set of cards to me.
Time and time again, I have thanked them for their diligence. Most times, I had done an unusual amount of shopping (more so than usual) which set the red flags up. I told them never to apologize for calling me - I would rather have that than the nightmare of having to fill out a police report, affidavit, and then sort through the charges to see which were fraudulently made.
2) They offer "virtual account numbers". These are one-time numbers which are attached to your account, but are useless after they have been utilized to make a purchase. I use these VANs with every online and phone purchase to protect myself.
3) They never bother me with tons of SPAM email or postal mail. There is always a small brochure that comes with the statement with different offers and deals, but that's about it.
In the end, I would rather stay with a company that is diligent in protecting my credit and identity. They have never raised my credit limit automatically, have come to bat for me with credit disputes and offer a good deal with the American Airline Miles (hopefully AA will never go belly-up!)
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
sophiesdad
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 - Top 1000 |
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Location: Florida
Reviews written: 97
Trusted by: 4 members
About Me:
Public school Media Specialist, Musician, Technogeek
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