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Update: Cardholders will continue to have Admirals Club access until July 23, 2017 — not June 20, as previously reported. Additionally, Citi does not plan to change the points earning structure, so you’ll continue to earn 2x on dining and entertainment in addition to 3x on air travel and hotels.
As of last night, the Citi Prestige‘s website stated that the card would soon be getting rid of one of the most valuable perks of the card: Admirals Club access. According to Citi’s website, cardholders will have access to the American Airlines Admirals Club lounges until July 23, 2017. After that date, cardholders will no longer have complimentary access.
The good news is that Citi is giving cardholders nearly 11 months of notice with this, so you’ll have plenty of time to maximize it before complimentary Admirals Club access is a thing of the past. This news also comes not long after American announced that it inked two new credit card deals — with Citi and Barclaycard US.
As of this writing, the sign-up bonus on the Citi Prestige is still the same: 50,000 ThankYou points after you spend $3,000 in the first three months. However, it’s highly possible that the sign-up bonus could severely decrease by the end of the day — especially considering that the Citi Premier pulled its sign-up bonus in April. Although we don’t know anything official as of yet, Doctor of Credit is reporting that Citi branches already have a new offer for the card that includes the following changes:
The 2x bonus category, which is currently for both dining and entertainment, may drop the dining portion. In the future, only entertainment may earn 2x points, and dining may fall to 1x.- The minimum spending for the sign-up bonus may increase from $3,000 in the first three months to $5,000 in the first three months. The good news is that the sign-up bonus may not change, just the spend requirement.
- The $450 annual fee may decrease to $350 — perhaps the only good news to come out of these changes.
None of this is confirmed yet, aside from the Admirals Club access. This change leaves the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite MasterCard as the only card that offers complimentary Admirals Club access (membership, to be exact). It’s entirely possible that these changes could be implemented by the end of the day, so stay tuned.
So far, the Admirals Club change definitely decreases the value of the Citi Prestige, but it doesn’t necessarily strip the card of all of its value — especially if the incredibly lucrative 4th Night Free benefit isn’t going anywhere. We’ll see what happens with the sign-up bonus and the other perks later today, but you still have time to apply and take advantage of its current offer as of now — so keep that in mind if you’ve been eyeing the card. Stay tuned throughout the the day for more details.
Source: thepointsguy.com