Link: Learn more about the Citi Strata Elite Card
Continue reading: Citi Strata Elite Card Application Experience: Instant Approval!
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Uh... isn't every credit card approval an instant approval? I can't remember ever applying for an Amex or Chase card and receiving anything other than a confirmation that my card is in the mail.
Also lol at the "small talk" conversation. The United States is indeed the best country in the world, but not for any MAGA related reason. The United States is home to the world's best universities, hospitals, law firms, and travel blogs such as OMAAT! That's all the important stuff.
I admit I - with a limitless budget because of the high income I make in the USA - buy my clothes in London, my cosmetics in New Zealand, and the best food in the world is in France or Japan, the most beautiful women are in China and Taiwan (same country, really).
Did you ever get your AA miles from the DoorDash promo? I never did and its been over a month...
@ Jordan -- I had to reach out to AAdvantage eShopping customer service. They just needed me Dasher ID, and then the points were posted within days. So I'd recommend reaching out.
It seems that it's posting automatically for those who made multiple deliveries, while it's not typically posting for those who made a single delivery. At least that's the best pattern I've been able to observe.
@ Gen Yinjing Youguan -- If you're only getting instant approvals, then you're lucky! Lots of cases out there of people not getting instant card approvals.
I feel like you're doing your readers a bit of a disservice in not mentioning the whole 4506 debacle related to this card (there's a WSJ article about it).
I applied, was approved, received a letter two weeks later saying they'd close my account in two weeks if i didn't provide address verification, with no method of how to provide it.
I was actually on vacation at the time, so when i got back the account was closed. It's now been 3 weeks of purgatory where I've been shuffled to different departments to try and reopen it, never reaching anyone that has information.
@ breathesrain -- That whole situations sounds like a mess, though I believe Citi is now making good, and even refunding the annual fees for those people?
The one reason I didn't cover it is that I was under the impression that most people who had their accounts suspended may have applied through a link from a banker in a way they weren't supposed to? Or did you apply via a standard link or directly with a Citi banker? Do we know if it was truly just random whether people got that treatment, or...?
It doesn’t matter. The PR nightmare for Citi is horrific. A page 1 WSJ article that was pushed to all WSJ readers as a news alert. If you are after HNWI individuals, they all just scoffed and moved on with thinking about this card at all.
Ironically the Globe card is basically an Elite-lite with the same 4 club passes for $350, and you can double dip the credits as well. So anyone who cares about AA admirals club access can now get the Globe card and a very similar value in SUB (90k v 100k and AA vs TY points but still). I’m sure the timing of that launch was the last thing Citi wanted to do as it tried to clean up the mess with the Elite, but when you win a contract with AA over Barclays, I’m sure AA dictated that timing and did not budge on it.
@ Peter -- Oh I agree it's a massive PR disaster no doubt. But I do think the way that people applied does matter. We've seen other card issuers similarly create issues when people use links that weren't intended to be used.
Regarding the Elite vs. the Globe, I really think it comes down to how much you value the relative Splurge credits. I consider the Elite credit to basically be worth close to face value, while I'll struggle to get value with the Globe credit.
If you are Citigold Private Client the bank credits you the entire first year annual fee so the card is free.
That's a TPG-style headline; even Gary's been pumpin' those out lately. Listen, I'm a fan of churning, so 'approvals' are always preferred to 'denials.' Yet, c'mon, with online applications, yeah, most of the time it's 'instant.' That said, I got my Strata Elite in the mail yesterday; it is a beautiful, mostly black, metal 'beast' of a card. Looking forward to earning my 6x points this Friday after 6PM...
Thanks to that WSJ, it seems Citi has tried to 'save face' by refunding their AF ($595 savings) and giving those affected the 100,000 bonus points without the MSR. I still suspect many of those affected used that sketch Chinese blog link...
When Gary had posted about that... it was quite the laugh, as if he was gonna drive around Austin delivering someone's Chiptole. Wait, did you actually do it, Ben?! *gasp*
(Sorry, I couldn't resist; also, I still value my relative anonymity. Use it as an opportunity to treat your friends, or make some new friends, buy a girl a drink, for those 6x points!)
Sure, but as soon as Citi was given a chance by the WSJ to comment on the article, it didn’t matter anymore. The adults in the room at Citi are supposed to provide a comment saying something like “We are gratified by the number of applications for our new premium Strata Elite credit card which is already delivering our customers outsized value compared to our competitors. Because we vigilantly work to protect our customers from fraud, we are working to verify certain information from less than 1% of our applicants. We look forward to completing that verification process shortly so that all of our customers can enjoy using their new premium Strata Elite card.” If you can’t do that in the middle of a launch window for a credit card targeting HNWIs, that’s pretty amazing.
Putting aside the calendar year double-dip extra value, I think off of a $450 fee (Citigold price) it’s a somewhat low stakes keeper - can use the $200 splurge/AA credit and the $200 blacklane credit and call it a day. But at $595 you need to use the $300 hotel credit as well, and that’s a 2 night minimum stay. When there are already better cards out there that provide access to bank branded lounges (Amex, Chase, C1) that all have hotel credits, and this card is the #4 premium card in your wallet, it’s really hard to value that $300 at anything close to face value especially with a 2 night stay.
So for many, I think you can value the $200 splurge at $200, the blacklane at say $150, the $300 at… $100 maybe? So that covers the Citigold $450 I guess, but otherwise for $595, you have to value the AA passes at something as well to come close to getting back to even. If this is the only premium credit card you have - sure, but it’s clearly not the only premium credit card that most people getting this card have. I’m sure that makes it very hard for Citi to actually attract HWNIs, and the massive PR bungling that just happened puts a nail in a coffin.
The Globe is $350 and if you are an occasional AA flier with the family, you can value the $100 in splurge by buying a Ticketmaster.com ticket, the $100 in food onboard as… food, and the remaining $150 as lounge passes for the family of 4 for one roundtrip. That doesn’t work for those of us who have the AA Executive Card already, but I could see how it appeals to more people generally than the Elite would.
I no longer drink alcohol, and I steer clear of mocktails as they are often just as expensive and they are really just sugary beverages which are deeply unhealthy. I prefer tap and sparkling water. If you see me at a restaurant with both a carafe of tap and a bottle of Pellegrino on the table, that's definitely me. Please come and say hi.
Enjoy your "anonymity" but realize it cannot be sustained. I have uncovered the identities of numerous individuals on discussion forums- not just travel blogs. Think of me as a white hat, though. I'm just about to send a message to a Paul, Weiss counsel urging him to delete the portions of his reddit comment history that describe lascivious group sex. (He most recently posted on r/biglaw asking why he isn't being considered for equity partner.. well, my friend, the firm cannot have equity partners who are publicly revealed to be "bb" fetishists.)
That’s the kind of dedication that really puts the Pro in Platinum Pro! Way to battle the eshopping Cartera gremlins for your miles/LP!
I'll admit, I rarely do these days (unless it's 'included' with the lounge or in 'first' or 'business' class on-board). Makes me sleepy, and have to pee a lot. Ahh, aging. However, for those who are inclined, you can be their 'best friend' if you want to pay their tab, I suppose. You are onto to something with sparking water (yes, by the carafe!) Just ask for a lime to be added, and it'll appear as though you're downing 'gin and tonics' with precision!
As for your talents as a private investigator, how 'delightfully absurd,' as the Hedonismbot would say. Such is the problem with 'groups'... there's always a leaker, and in that case, perhaps, both figuratively and literally. *snort*
I applied in a Citi branch and after going through the steps twice (don't ask) was denied. The banker couldn't give me a reason, just said I would get a letter within a couple of weeks with the reason that I was denied.
Then a couple of days later, I got a message that 4 Admiral's Club passes had been deposited to my account. I checked and sure enough, there they were in my AA account. Hmmm...maybe some kind of glitch?
A few days later I got a call from one of the bankers at the branch telling me that I was approved after all. Meanwhile, there was a package for me in the package room that turned out to be the card, in a nice presentation box.
So the communications around the card approval process sucked but the end result was favorable!
Just applied, denied (over 800 credit score), and called the reconsideration line. She wouldn't tell me why, just that my letter would come in 7-10 days. First time applying for a Citi product, so not sure the issue.
I don't pay other people's tabs, at least not on purpose. One restaurant in Tribeca asked me to pay on the Bilt app, which I did, and then when I walked out the door, they grabbed me back inside because they said I paid the wrong tab. (They screwed up.) Silver lining: I earned Bilt points from both the incorrect and the correct tabs!
Peeing a lot is good assuming that means you are well hydrated. I generally pee once an hour and ensure it is a very light, pale yellow color. I've reviewed my peeing with the top urologist in Manhattan. I can send you his name if you like.
No offense, but it's pretty 430 behavior to go to a bank to apply. You couldn't afford a computer?
As the bank does if it suspended your account for a month, asking for an IRS form!
Jeanne Moss, oh miss richy rich with the PC over here... you do realize that before Citi had the negative press in the WSJ, there were just two ways to get the 100K offer... a sketchy link on a Chinese blog... or going in-branch. Otherwise, it was just 80K. Now, thankfully, everything is 100K.
Just want to say I applied through the OMAAT link, and the same thing happened to me. After the card was delivered, it was immediately suspended. Customer service at citi was useless, they couldn't even really explain what was happening. Then two days ago a vaguely apologetic letter offering no first year fee and 100,000 points with no minimum spend.
LOL. Now if the Stream Team could combine their services with the Dream Team, you'd be all set for those overnight flights...
That's a helpful data point, Daniel. Glad they are "making it right" but I'll wager that you'll be thinking twice about your continuing relationship with Citi. Lots of cards that folks can put spend on. Enjoy the 2025 and 2026 coupons.
Citi denied me for "too many recent accounts" i've only applied for one card in the last year, about 2 months ago. called reconsideration, no use. there is some other rule in play here other than the ones mentioned