Does Citi Include Product Upgrades/Downgrades in the 24-Month Rule?
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Citi is a TPG advertising partner.
"Reader Questions" are answered three days a week — Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays — by TPG Senior Writer Julian Mark Kheel.
The big 75,000-point sign-up bonus on the Citi Prestige is only available for a limited time, and you're eligible to get it if you haven't opened or closed a ThankYou card in the last 24 months. But what if you've "product changed" one, as a number of TPG readers like Clem have asked us...
[pullquote source="TPG Reader Clem"]I haven't opened or closed a Citi account in the past 24 months, but I did a product change just a few weeks ago (namely, I downgraded my Prestige for a Premier). Would I be eligible for the 75,000 point offer or does a product change count as an account closing?[/pullquote]
This is an important question, and data points from others have been a bit confusing, but we've managed to get a little clarity on the matter from Citi. First though, let's review what the terms and conditions say on the Citi Prestige's 75,000-point sign-up bonus offer.
We already know that opening or closing a ThankYou card in the previous 24 months makes you ineligible for the bonus. But what exactly is a "ThankYou card"? Does it include just the three main Citi ThankYou products or does it also include previous credit cards which earned ThankYou points but are no longer offered, such as the Citi Forward?
Fortunately, that answer is pretty clear — if you dig into the terms and conditions on the Citi Prestige offer, it states:
Bonus ThankYou® Points are not available if you have had a ThankYou Preferred, Citi Premier or Citi Prestige card opened or closed in the past 24 months.
So we're only talking about the Preferred, Premier and Prestige, and not any other old Citi cards even if they earned ThankYou points.
But what if you're in a situation like Clem and you had one of these three ThankYou cards but called or emailed Citi during the last 24 months to convert it into a different type of Citi credit card, which is what we mean by the term "product change"? This could be converting your card from one type of ThankYou card to another ThankYou card, as Clem did from a Prestige to a Premier, or it could mean changing a ThankYou card to an entirely different type of Citi card, as I recently did when I converted a Citi Premier® Card to a Citi® Double Cash Card.
There have been a lot of theories on this, so we reached out to Citi to get the official answer. Here's what they told us:
If they have converted but their account number has not changed, they will still qualify for the bonus.
When will a Citi product conversion will result in a new account number? If you're converting from a Visa to a Mastercard or vice versa, then you'll undoubtedly get a new number. But other product conversions may or may not have the same effect. I recently changed from a Prestige to a Citi ThankYou Preferred Card and was issued a new account number, so even changing within the same family of cards doesn't mean you're guaranteed to keep the same account number.
However, if you've already done a product change, it's obviously easy to check if your account number has changed — even if you've destroyed the old card, you can look at an old statement and see if the last four numbers have remained the same. If they have, you're eligible for the 75,000-point bonus according to Citi.
While this might not make it possible to predict whether a future product change will lock you out of a new bonus, it should make it easy for readers to see if a past product change makes them ineligible. Thanks for the question, Clem, and if you're a TPG reader who'd like us to answer a question of your own, tweet us at @thepointsguy, message us on Facebook or email us at info@thepointsguy.com.
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.