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My credit card re-shuffle. 2 cards bite the dust, one converted to Citi Double Cash

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You’re in a relationship. Remember that when it comes time to paying your annual fee. You must, as I do, sit down and assess the fees you’re paying and if you’re truly worth the price year after year. To me, and most of the bloggers advising you, we view credit cards as memberships to a club. If that club doesn’t continue to provide the goods, we cancel our membership, and look elsewhere. This ideology lead my decision to make 3 phone calls this morning. 2 cancellations and 1 card conversion.

The two cards I canceled: Barclay Aviator and Barclay Aviator Business

Both cards enticed be with generous welcome offers, but after recent devaluations…it wasn’t worth the wallet real estate. Let’s dig in.

Barclay Aviator

I’ve kept a Barclay Aviator in my wallet for a few years now. I happily paid the annual because the card offered benefits that created more value than what I was paying. Namely…10% back on all redeemed purchases, up to 100k a year, and access to reduced mileage awards with AA. You could also earn EQMs via spend, but I had pivoted away from AA as my carrier of choice, and so that specific benefit was moot. The latter benefit can be accessed via the Citi branded cards, which I’m now eligible to get a welcome offer on again, but the first benny was where the juice lived in my wallet. 10% back meant I was getting 10k points a year for $99. Absolutely no brainer.

Also…I recently got AA Gold status off of the Hyatt/AA partnership challenge, so the waived bag fee and priority boarding are redundant.

Barclay Aviator Business

I’m not really sure what I would continue to pay $95 to receive? The card offers an amazing welcome offer, but what’s keeping me around? I’d need to spend $25k on the card to get $3k EQD which I don’t need, nor do I need the free bag or priority boarding. If you’re a high spending business that falls short of EQD…you could argue it out, but for me, especially when I’m aligned with Alaska…not worth it.

Would I get them again?

Sure. If the benefits changed, earn structure was better, my elite status falls off, am eligible for welcome offers again. Sure, why not? But right now Chase, Amex, and Citi are killing the game. Citi, you say, let’s move on to my card conversion.

The credit card I converted. My Citi Thank You Preferred just became a Citi Double Cash.

If you missed the news…Citi Double Cash is no longer just a cash back card. It’s the Citi equivalent, in conversion ability, to Chase Freedom cards. Sure, you technically earn cash back, but there is a new function whereby you can convert $1 into 100 Thank you points if you maintain a premium Thank You card suddenly you can make use of that Citi Double Cash to earn 2x points. Here’s a look at the earning structure of the card.

  • Earn 1% cash back when you make a purchase
  • Earn 1% cash back when you pay that purchase off

This means you can earn 2% cash back on all purchases, which is effectively earning 2 Citi Thank You points on every single dollar you spend, without limit. That’s amazing.

I phoned in to inquire. I’ve held onto my Citi Thank You Preferred for several years now ( it was once a Citi Thank You Premier, downgrade to avoid the Citi clock.) It sat in my wallet and collected dust. I asked the rep if I could do it. She said yes. I asked could they be converted to Thank You points, she said no. I asked again and she said no. Instead of pushing, I said, you know what? I’m going to do it anyways. Thank You, no pun intended. Now my Citi Thank You Preferred is a Citi Double Cash.

Final thoughts

I keep a lot of credit cards, but they all serve a purpose. I’m looking to add to my portfolio, but first I wanted to thin out the weak.

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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4.8
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Welcome Offer

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Points Earned

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Main Cast: 

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Supporting Cast:

Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on. 

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The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

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