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New Citi Prestige Benefits are being emailed out

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New Citi Prestige Benefits are being emailed out

The rumor mill has been buzzing for quite some time that New Citi Prestige benefits would be rolled out before the card loses Admirals Club membership, Free International Golf, and AA flight redemptions will drop from 1.6¢ to 1.25¢ on July 23rd.  I first saw the leak on reddit, and just yesterday the Points Guy confirmed the changes.  I woke up today to an official announcement from Citi explaining the benefit changes. Here’s the text of the email I received with the new Citi Prestige Benefits explained, as well as another notification of the benefits that are lost.

In Short: 

  • Metal Card
  • 4th Night free will be bookable online – FrequentMiler has a good analysis
    • Will be deducted at Check Out
    • Taxes won’t be included.
    • Citi Concierge can still book it – see FrequentMiler post
  • Thank You cash back increases from $0.005 to $0.01

The Email:

We’re writing to inform you of changes to your Citi Prestige® Card as of July 23, 2017.

 

As a valued cardmember, we want to introduce you to the exciting new benefits of your Citi Prestige® card.

A new card

You’ll be receiving a first release Citi Prestige® metal card in the coming months. Please activate your new card immediately upon receipt. Your account number will be identical; however, your CVV and expiration date will change.

           

Your complimentary 4th night benefit has been updated

You can now take advantage of your complimentary 4th night benefit through thankyou.com!You can also redeem ThankYou® Points for all or part of your stay and get a complimentary 4th night. The complimentary 4th night savings will be applied at checkout; you’ll no longer have to wait to receive a statement credit when you book at thankyou.com.

The complimentary 4th night benefit will be calculated based on the average nightly rate of your complete stay. Taxes will no longer be included within the statement credit. You’ll still be able to enjoy your benefit at any hotel with no restrictions on the number of times you can use this benefit.

           

Redeeming ThankYou Points for cash rewards

You’ll receive greater value for cash reward redemptions with ThankYou Points. For example, previously you could redeem 50,000 ThankYou Points for $250. As of July 23rd, 50,000 points will be redeemable for $500. There’s no annual dollar cap or limit to the number of cash redemptions you make. All cash redemptions are final.

           

We also want to remind you of the following changes, going into effect on July 23, 2017:

 

Lounge access

Access to American Airlines Admirals Club® lounges will no longer be available with your Citi Prestige® card. You’ll continue to have complimentary and unlimited access to Priority PassTM Select lounges. You, your authorized users, immediate family or up to two guests traveling with you will continue to enjoy access to more than 1,000 airport lounges worldwide.

           

Redeeming ThankYou Points for flights

You’ll only receive 25% greater value versus gift cards on all airfare redemptions at thankyou.com. You’ll no longer receive 60% greater value on American Airlines flight redemptions and/or 33% greater value on all other airfare redemptions. For example, 50,000 ThankYou Points will now be redeemable for $625 in airfare on all airlines available at thankyou.com.

           

Complimentary international golf

The three complimentary rounds of golf will no longer be offered with your card. You’ll continue to have access to more than 2,000 celebrated and legendary golf properties around the world with access to select TPC properties provided by Mastercard.

           

The following benefits of your Citi Prestige® card will remain unchanged:

 

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Annual $250 Air Travel Credit

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$100 statement credit for your Global Entry or TSA Precheck application fee

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No foreign transaction fees on purchases

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24/7 access to Citi Prestige Concierge

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3X points on air travel and hotels, 2X points on dining and entertainment and 1 ThankYou Point per $1 spent on all other purchases

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Travel & Emergency Assistance, Trip Cancellation & Interruption Protection and Trip Delay Protection

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If you have an eligible banking relationship, you’ll continue to receive your Relationship Bonus

The two most valuable perks are staying in tact

  • $250 annual air travel credit
    • They aren’t making it more difficult to earn
  • 4th night free benefit stays in tact
    • You can still use the Citi Concierge to make the booking and have post as a statement credit
    • Book online and have it deducted at check out
    • Available at any hotel, no restrictions

Because of my CitiPriority status, I’m fortunate to get a $350 annual fee. This means I’ll pay an effective $100 annual fee. I’ll certainly be able to recoup this cost with 4th night free benefits.

Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

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