Ouch: Citi Drops Car Rental Coverage, Travel Protection, And More

Earlier I wrote approximately how Citi is losing their Price Rewind gain as of September 22, 2019. As it seems, that’s now not the only aspect converting approximately Citi playing cards as of that date. Looking at the Citi card benefits internet site, a piece is converting on Citi playing cards as of that date.

Citi blessings cut coming as of September 22, 2019

For purchases as of September 22, 2019, Citi might be discontinuing the following on cards that presently provide these perks:

• Worldwide Car Rental Insurance
• Trip Cancellation & Interruption Protection
• Worldwide Travel Accident Insurance
• Trip Delay Protection
• Baggage Delay Protection
• Lost Baggage Protection
• Citi Price Rewind
• ninety Day Return Protection
• Roadside Assistance Dispatch Service
• Travel & Emergency Assistance

The coverage will stay for purchases made before that date, except roadside help and travel & emergency assistance. Those advantages will quit as of that date, regardless of while you made your purchase My take on those modifications.

These modifications sting, and frankly, I’m amazed at how sizeable those changes are. To me, the most precious blessings here are car rental insurance and journey protection. For instance, I use the Citi Prestige for airfare purchases, given that it offers 5x factors, and it additionally offers brilliant journey protection. That will trade going ahead.

The problem for Citi is that some of the blessings they’re taking away have grown to be standard with other issuers, especially amongst premium cards.

While I remember the fact that those perks are regularly tied to the sort of card (World Elite Mastercard, Visa Signature, and so on.), it doesn’t make feel to me that they’d reduce blessings in the same manner for a high annual charge card as they might for miles decrease annual fee card.

It looks as if Citi has been suffering from method ever seeing that their Costco acquisition. They spent quite a few cash buying the Costco portfolio, and that has reputedly taken far away from their capacity to put money into different playing cards.

The Prestige Card is the precise example — it was exquisite, then they stopped accepting programs. Next, they relaunched it with some new advantages that were more or much less a wash, then they stopped accepting applications once more, after which they introduced extra changes. Still, additionally, they don’t really seem to be marketing the card.

Part of creating an outstanding portfolio of cards is giving users regular enjoyment. The problem is that such a lot of adjustments are being made to those cards that could be difficult to keep the song. For instance, the Prestige has presented process modifications at some point of the year, and it could be difficult to hold track of while numerous things are changing… and I follow these items for a residing!