Tag Archives: Citi Bank

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Transfer Times to Virgin America from AMEX Membership Rewards and Citi Thank You Points

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Update: 9/24/2015 at 10am: summary of transfer times:

  • AMEX Membership Reward Points to Virgin America are instant.
  • Citi Thank You Points to Virgin America take 24-48 hours to post. 

Good morning everyone, I needed to book a Virgin America flight from SFO to SAN and luckily there are 2 transfer bonuses currently running for Virgin America.  Through October 8, American Express has a 25% transfer bonus when transferring Membership Reward Points to Virgin America miles (Doctor of Credit).

Unfortunately, I have 2 complaints about AMEX Membership Reward Point transfers.  To complete a transfer, you must enter the 4-digit (front) and 3-digit (back) security code on your Membership Reward earning credit/charge card (I selected my AMEX Platinum Charge Card).  If you do not have your Membership Reward earning credit/charge card available, you will not be able to go past this screen and complete your transfer.  This is incredibly annoying when you need to make a transfer and do not have the card in front of you.  I much prefer using Chase Ultimate Reward Points and Citi Thank You Points which can be transferred much faster/easier since you do not need to enter any card information to complete the transfer.

Verify AMEX Platinum Security Numbers

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Comparing US Bank’s Free Credit Score with other Free Credit Score Services

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Good morning everyone, I hope you all had a great weekend.  A few days ago, I noticed that US Bank began offering free credit scores online.  Before I review the credit score feature, I wanted to get a few credit card and credit score annoyances off my chest.

[rant on]

Whenever I talk to people about credit cards, I eventually reveal that I have 30+ credit cards.  Since most people think having 2-3 credit cards is a lot, they automatically assume I have thousands of dollars in credit card debt.  It is annoying that people assume you have a shopping addiction and have no financial responsibility – that couldn’t be further from the truth.

People also ask about my credit score, since they assume it is 1 static number (like your age or height) – that couldn’t be further from the truth either (below, I compared my credit score from 5 different services).  There is actually no single credit score since each credit bureau (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) each have their own scoring models and reports, which subsequently produce different credit scores.  When people ask me what my credit score is, I don’t tell them a number, but I do say, “I have a great credit score, good enough to be approved for 30+ credit scores.” Here are 2 other annoying misconceptions that I want to put to rest about having 30+ credit cards:

  • I do not carry all 30+ credit cards with me at all times – I only carry my Citi Forward and AMEX Old Blue Cash on a daily basis
  • I do not use all 30+ credit cards every month – aside from meeting minimum spends on new credit cards, I only use 4-6 credit cards in any given month

[rant off]

Now with that off my chest, let me show you the new US Bank credit score feature.  After you log into your US Bank online account, click Check My Credit Score for Free on the left hand side.

US Bank Check Credit Score Free

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Introduction to US Bank ScoreBoard Reporting to Analyze Spending Activity

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Good morning everyone.  Hot on the heals of Citibank’s New Online Bonus Spend Tracker, US Bank has introduced their own spend tracker called ScoreBoard Reporting (sounds like a sports app to me).  When you log into your US Bank online account, you will see ScoreBoard Reporting listed beneath every US Bank credit and debit card.  I was curious about the new service, so I spent a few minutes playing around with the reporting features.

US Bank Scoreboard Reporting

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Converting Citi AA Exec Card to Double Cash: Expedite $450 Annual Fee Refund by Calling

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Good morning everyone, the title of this post may sound obvious, but let me explain some background info first.  When my Citi American Airlines Executive Credit Card’s $450 annual fee posted, I called Citi and asked them to convert the card to a Citi Double Cash Credit Card.  Unfortunately since the $450 annual fee had already posted to my credit card, I could not convert the card until paying off the $450 annual fee.  After making a quick online payment from my Citigold Checking Account, I called back the next day to make the conversion.

Citi is strange with their conversion process.  The entire “process” of converting a credit card takes about 51 days (I think that is what the rep said).  During those 51 days, Citi will send out the new credit card, but the old credit card will still be active.  During those 51 days, if I decide to cancel the conversion request, all I would have to do is call Citi and tell them to stop the conversion.  If after 51 days, I have not called to cancel the conversion request, the old card would be closed and the new card would remain open, thus completing the conversion.

Long story short, on my new Citi Double Cash Credit Card, there is a $450 annual fee payment that I want refunded.

Citi Double Cash Showing $450 Annual Fee from Citi AA Exec Card

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