# Citi Card 20,000 points offer



## dlagrua (Apr 4, 2012)

Saw an ad banner here that was advertising 20,000 points for signing up for a Citi Card /Master card and spending $700 for three consecutive months. Does anyone know if these points are valid or transferable to the AGR points program? Couldn't find anything about it in the T's and C's.

UPDATE: Found more info. Looks like points for airline travel only.


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## RampWidget (Apr 4, 2012)

dlagrua said:


> Saw an ad banner here that was advertising 20,000 points for signing up for a Citi Card /Master card and spending $700 for three consecutive months. Does anyone know if these points are valid or transferable to the AGR points program? Couldn't find anything about it in the T's and C's.
> 
> UPDATE: Found more info. Looks like points for airline travel only.


One of the several really good blogs that goes in-depth with details of credit card offers, reward programs, point transfers, etc. is 'ThePointsGuy.com'.

(I have no connection to the blog whatsoever other than being a subscriber, BTW).


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## Devil's Advocate (Apr 4, 2012)

Brian Kelly (*The Points Guy*) is a Delta fanatic but he does cover general earning and spending trends as well. I wish him luck trying to defend SkyPesos against Gary Leff (*View From The Wing*) on April 28. I'm not aware of a points blog that devotes more than a brief passing glance toward Amtrak. It's just not seen as a viable earning tool or a valuable spending target.


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## sechs (Apr 4, 2012)

The only issuer of which I know that can directly convert to AGR points is Chase. Of course, they have the AGR Mastercard, but, also, some UltimateRewards earning cards can convert points 1:1 into AGR.

There are several programs which can transfer to AGR and have their own credit cards, such as Starwood Preferred Guest.


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## PRR 60 (Apr 5, 2012)

sechs said:


> The only issuer of which I know that can directly convert to AGR points is Chase. Of course, they have the AGR Mastercard, but, also, some UltimateRewards earning cards can convert points 1:1 into AGR.
> 
> There are several programs which can transfer to AGR and have their own credit cards, such as Starwood Preferred Guest.


The Diners Club MasterCard, issued by BMO Financial Group, also has direct transfer to AGR.


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## Ispolkom (Apr 5, 2012)

PRR 60 said:


> The Diners Club MasterCard, issued by BMO Financial Group, also has direct transfer to AGR.


True, but do they accept new customers? I was under the impression that Diners Club, at least in the US, is moribund.


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## PRR 60 (Apr 5, 2012)

Ispolkom said:


> PRR 60 said:
> 
> 
> > The Diners Club MasterCard, issued by BMO Financial Group, also has direct transfer to AGR.
> ...


It appears you are right. I knew that DC had stopped accepting new customers while the prior owner - Citi - was shopping the line. BMO bought DC from Citi, and I just assumed that the door for new members had reopened with BMO's takeover. It does not appear it has, at least not yet. The funny thing is that BMO over the last couple of months reissued cards to all DC members. The new cards include both USA contactless technology (PayPass), and European Chip and Pin technology. In that regard, the DC card is the most advanced card I have. With all that effort, it seems like BMO intends to keep DC alive and well. However, as it stands right now, BMO does not appear to be accepting new DC members.


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## sechs (Apr 5, 2012)

Diner's Club has issues. Cards issued in North America are all MasterCards; while, cards issued internationally are ostensibly Discover Cards.


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## PRR 60 (Apr 5, 2012)

sechs said:


> Diner's Club has issues. Cards issued in North America are all MasterCards; while, cards issued internationally are ostensibly Discover Cards.


It is not really an "issue." It is the way Diners Club International is organized.

Diners Club International, the owner of the brand "Diners Club", is owned by Discover. However, Discover franchises the actual card issuing rights. In the USA and Canada, the franchise holder is now BMO (Bank of Montreal). In 2004, the North American franchise, then Citi, joined MasterCard as a way of increasing acceptance of the card. BMO has continued the MasterCard relationship. International franchisees retained independent status. Recently, some of the international cards starting adding the Discover logo to facilitate acceptance by certain payment processors. Discover provides the payment processing, but does not issue Diners Club cards on their own.

The commonality between the North American and International cards is the Diners logo and the perks offered by Diners, such as airport lounge access and the rewards program. The fact that cards here are branded MasterCard and overseas the cards have a Discover logo is not a big deal.


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## Linda T (Apr 6, 2012)

sechs said:


> The only issuer of which I know that can directly convert to AGR points is Chase. Of course, they have the AGR Mastercard, but, also, some UltimateRewards earning cards can convert points 1:1 into AGR.


True, Chase Sapphire is now offering 40,000 points after spending $3,000 in first three months, the points are transferrable to AGR 1:1.

https://creditcards.chase.com/sapphire/credit-cards/sapphire-preferred-card/


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## the_traveler (Apr 6, 2012)

When a credit card offers "... flights for 25,000 miles or points ...." , those points or miles are their own "currency"! You can not call up American Airlines, United Airlines or AGR to redeem those "miles or points" - you must call that credit card company only to book your ticket!

If I could, I could start a new credit card company that offers a free sleeper on Amtrak for 20,000 "wing-dings". Those "wing-dings" are my currency, and can only be redeemed thru me, not AGR!






I feel that a credit card calling their offering "points" or "miles" is deceptive! On an airline, it is only good for a coach seat, and can not be combined with your "real" airline miles to upgrade to like BC of First Class at all!


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## Devil's Advocate (Apr 6, 2012)

Linda T said:


> Chase Sapphire is now offering 40,000 points after spending $3,000 in first three months, the points are transferrable to AGR 1:1.


Chase has already shown that they're willing to offer 50,000 points for the same spend, so you might want to wait and see if they up it again in the future. Ink Bold is still offering the full 50,000 points if you're willing to meet the 66% additional spending requirement within five months. Chase generally allows one personal and one business application during the same cycle, so that could be a full 90,000 points if you went for both.



the_traveler said:


> When a credit card offers "... flights for 25,000 miles or points ...." , those points or miles are their own "currency" *!*
> 
> You can not call up American Airlines, United Airlines or AGR to redeem those "miles or points" - you must call that credit card company only to book your ticket *!*
> 
> ...


If you have a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Ink Bold card then you can use Chase's Ultimate Rewards points as cash directly through Chase. *OR* you can move them 1:1 to United Airlines, British Airways, Korean Airways, Hyatt, Priority Club, Marriott, or Amtrak. At which point they are no different than any other point you would have earned in those programs for purposes of redemption. You're free to call up the airline or hotel or Amtrak and use your points however you please. Chase allows you to distribute your points to any active account target, so you can combine or divide UM points however you please. You're free to spread your points around or combine points from multiple Chase cards into a single airline, hotel, or Amtrak account if you so choose. You're also free to simply bank the points until they're needed. Once you decide where you want to go all you need to do is find which partner offers the best terms and move your points over to them before booking.

Now, as for Citibank, you may indeed be forced to buy through City's reservation desk for purposes of redemption. I don't know if that's a good deal or not. All I remember was that it seemed like a pain when my family tried to redeem tickets for each other on those types of cards. I'm assuming that if you redeem for yourself it's easier.


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## the_traveler (Apr 6, 2012)

What I was referring to were cards like Capital One or such, where you can fly "... on any airline at any time for only 25,000 miles!" You must book directly with them, and they place a maximum limit on the value of the ticket they purchase! (Say $450) If they can buy a ticket for $378. they will. However, if the lowest available seat (using this example) is $452, they will say "... there are no seats available!" - even if the plane is 3/4 empty!


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## sechs (Apr 6, 2012)

PRR 60 said:


> sechs said:
> 
> 
> > Diner's Club has issues. Cards issued in North America are all MasterCards; while, cards issued internationally are ostensibly Discover Cards.
> ...


That's your opinion. The problem *is* the way that it's organized.
Diner's Club already has a low profile these days in North America, but turning them into Mastercards just turned them into another card with perks; you don't need to join Diner's Club to get those perks with a card. And, then, it's confusing that Diner's Club is a system, like Visa or Mastercard, elsewhere in the world.


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## sechs (Apr 6, 2012)

the_traveler said:


> What I was referring to were cards like Capital One or such


We're not. That's why the comment doesn't make a lot of sense.
I agree with your sentiment, but these cards also don't appear to have a path for those points or miles into AGR.


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