Upgraded Citi Signature to Prestige - Free Annual Fee

phamid on 26/11/2016 - 20:43
Last edited 28/11/2016 - 20:20 by 1 other user

Hey Guys,

Long shot I attempted to try, but succeeded. Currently owned a Signature free from the promo a couple years ago, called Citibank for an upgrade, requested them to grandfather the free annual fee and process it.

Obviously, your mileage may vary, but I managed a Prestige card for free. Has anyone else tried this?

By the way, for all transparency, my spend was somewhat minimal, limit was at $29k already, but on top of my AMEX Platinum Charge, it's a good card to accompany me for when AMEX isn't accepted.

Edit: Card has been approved and on it's way. My Citi account shows as changed from Signature to Prestige now.

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Comments

  • mick123 on 26/11/2016 - 20:47

    May I ask, what is advantage of the Prestige over the Signature?

    • tio on 26/11/2016 - 23:22

      At least 2 that makes the try worthwhile:
      - One free night per year at participating hotels
      - Unlimited airport lounge entry via Priority Pass (2 passes under Signature)

      • nightelves on 24/01/2017 - 21:19

        You also get two limo transfers a year and when booking hotels you get the 4th night free. Lucky duck.

    • phamid on 27/11/2016 - 11:51

      Those two, plus points earned is 2x $AUD spend and 5x Overseas uncapped.

  • Hunter80 on 26/11/2016 - 22:57

    Interesting, so you just called Citi Customer Service and requested to be upgraded to Prestige card? And also that fees be waived off for life. Or was there any invitation or any other prompt for you to make this request?

    • phamid on 27/11/2016 - 11:53

      No invitation, just asked after having the card for a while. I requested for the card and also the fee waived at the same time.

  • tio on 26/11/2016 - 23:33

    Well done buddy. The Prestige is definitely a nice card to have. May I ask how did the upgrade process happen? Did you request the card to upgraded first, got approved. Then request for the fee waiver? Or did you have the fee waiver request put in together with the upgrade request?

    edit: just realised I won't make the min taxable income requirement, dang!

    • phamid on 27/11/2016 - 11:54
      +1

      I applied and requested for the fee waived at the same time.

      The taxable income requirement is only when applying for the card, not for the upgrade ;)

  • rgr on 26/11/2016 - 23:59

    $150k minimum income requirement wooooowwwww

    • tio on 27/11/2016 - 00:09
      +1

      yeah, bummer. I'm sure most people's income would be close to that figure. Mine is, just 1 digit missing.

  • kctt on 27/11/2016 - 02:07

    What reason did you tell when you request upgrade? Sounds too good to be true.

    • phamid on 27/11/2016 - 11:55

      They do this already:

      https://www.citibank.com.au/aus/credit_cards/pdf/Credit_Card…

      I called in because I thought there would be a better chance of having the fee waived.

      • donbot on 27/11/2016 - 12:02

        Is the prestige waived for Life or for one year only?

        I've got signature with sufficient limit already. Prestige would be perfect to hold fee free for Life!!

        • phamid on 27/11/2016 - 12:54

          I've been informed it was free for life.

        • donbot on 27/11/2016 - 12:56

          @EPICSALETIME:

          Thanks. I'll be calling to try it on for size this week (making the calls to/from work until strike success) and being persistent - will report back :)

      • Holysmoke on 27/11/2016 - 20:09

        Did you have to complete the form or did they just process over the phone?

  • adante on 27/11/2016 - 04:01

    Wowee. Will have to give this a go next time they call asking me to increase my credit limit

  • PcisT on 27/11/2016 - 13:31
    +1

    Which number did you use to call? This is a great tip, and I almost feel like it's too good to be true (e.g. mistake with only 1 year waived, but operator saying the wrong thing). If anyone else tries, please let us know know if you succeed or not.

  • BenK-Oz on 27/11/2016 - 17:24

    anyone else manage this?

  • Foxytt on 27/11/2016 - 18:02

    Gave it a go…Citibank sai NO!

  • bluedufflecoat on 27/11/2016 - 18:48

    They keep asking me to increase my credit limit… I've left it at the minimum $15k. What's the minimum credit limit for prestige?

  • kevmev12 on 28/11/2016 - 13:02

    Nice work! May I ask how long have you held your previous Signature card?

    I've had my fee-free-for-life Signature since September 2014 and it's got a 30K limit. I only use it for the BT cheque-to-self so it's a minimal use card. Just wondering if I should try the same thing when I pay off the BT balance in January.

    • phamid on 28/11/2016 - 17:56
      +1

      I held it for approximately two years. worked up the credit limit to 29k and mainly did BT-CTS and TransferWise transactions for developers overseas.

      Again, asked politely about upgrading the card and since I held a fee-free-for-life, can we carry that along to the Prestige. the approach is important, as I suspect some people either blatantly asked or expected it instead of enquiring about the upgrade, getting management to approve the fee free (expect wait time) and then process the application.

      • ontoastrye on 28/08/2017 - 14:02

        EPIC, this is epic! nice one.

        I know this is an old thread, I am curious though
        - you've had this for 2 years, how many years/ months did you have the 29k limit before you requested?
        - how many years have you been with Citibank?

        reason why I asked?
        - I've been with them for almost 15 years however kept limit below the 29 mark, now looks like I have to increase and see what happens.

        • gezza90 on 01/09/2017 - 20:50

          I would like to know as well. Tried a few times politely but no success.

        • starburstyellow on 02/09/2017 - 00:38
          +1

          @gezza90: Should try rudely, might work.

        • ontoastrye on 01/04/2018 - 20:35

          @gezza90:

          I hiked up my credit limit and after 2 months, asked fo the card.

          After 15 years with Citibank and on the Signature Card (free for life), the consultants on the phone wouldn't budge, said all they can do is put in an application. Application declined.
          Asked to have that reviewed - application declined.

          I said I would cancelled the card, they called my bluff.
          I cancelled the card.

          Got me an Amex - works on Apple Pay, gives me 450 travel credits, better QFF points….
          Would of loved prestige but, oh well…

  • tsunamisurfer on 28/11/2016 - 19:29

    This sounds great if you can get it.

    I might ask Citibank if this is possible, I've channelled almost all my spend through the Signature since 2013 and I qualify for their requirements.

    The 1 hotel night a year sounds awesome…..Poker Night.

    • phamid on 28/11/2016 - 20:18
      +1

      My Signature card has been deactivated in replacement for the Prestige, shown up on my account today, carried my balance and points without any additional charges.

  • kiwiinoz on 01/12/2016 - 15:39

    Has anyone tried upgrading from Platinum to Signature? I have $15000 limit on my current Platinum with no annual fee but the lady from Citibank, over the phone, refused to take off the Annual fee if I upgrade to Signature…Any experiences with this?

  • wuddie on 03/01/2017 - 23:38

    Going to try it out tomorrow, wish me luck!

    • Hunter80 on 04/01/2017 - 09:43

      Good luck

      • basl on 04/01/2017 - 10:23

        Good luck! I might try this as well !

    • wuddie on 04/01/2017 - 16:05

      So I rang, they have lodged a request for me to be reviewed by their customer relations team. Waiting for the call back.

      Any trick you guys normally use? Threaten to cancel?

      • kiwiinoz on 05/01/2017 - 17:01

        I have threatened to cancel and they didn't give a s***….So I am still on same Platinum….
        let us know how you go though…All the best!!!

      • Hitster on 15/01/2017 - 07:13

        Did you have any luck?

        • kiwiinoz on 28/09/2017 - 11:32

          No luck for me….Has anyone else had luck lately?

        • starburstyellow on 28/09/2017 - 11:56

          @kiwiinoz: I haven't seen anyone, including OP, confirm that he got it Fee free for life.

  • coolsteps on 24/01/2017 - 04:34

    called up and asked if i consolidate two of my citibank cards that dont have a no annual fee for life to meet the 30k credit limit rule asked would they upgrade it to Prestige they said yes but i would loose my no annual fee for life status and have to pay a $350 citigold client fee or $700 annual fee so i declined. does anyone know if they still have citigold client short forms for credit card applications that dont require the full details of employment income if you have 250k+ investments with citibank? thus bypassing the 150k income rule for the Prestige card. i think they may have stopped that loophole at the end of last year, i should have applied earlier on. might just sign up for another citibank card that has huge points on offer and low or no annual fee then do a closure by consolidation of the credit limits to my existing no annual fee for life cards to meet the 30k credit limit rule and hope that one day i might get a free upgrade offer to Prestige. what are the chances of that happening in the near future?

  • kev98 on 24/01/2017 - 17:17

    Seems too good to be true. Anyone besides op have success?

  • marka on 24/01/2017 - 19:17

    That's amazing.

    However, i would err on the side of caution and check the fact sheet sent out to you.

    EDIT: just tried and couldn't do it. Escalated to customer relationship officer but she said the deal is unheard of.

  • starburstyellow on 25/01/2017 - 16:06

    Keen to know as well but I would err on the side of caution too. Don't want to lose my grandfather free for life signature, on what could potentially be "Free for first year" Prestige.

  • marka on 31/01/2017 - 07:45

    Have you received the fact sheet yet? Wanted to know what your credit card fact sheet said

  • coolsteps on 21/03/2017 - 12:42

    yes dont risk losing your grandfather free for life signature, i asked them they said no you would have to pay the annual fee for the prestigate and that i had the best deal and they didnt recommend i upgrade as i would loose the free for life signature cards.

  • gezza90 on 23/03/2017 - 15:07
    +1

    I sent the following message through my citibank account:
    Hi,
    I have held a Signature credit card with Citibank for almost 3 years and
    have been using it as my everyday Visa card. I decided to browse the
    Citibank website and noticed that Citibank offers a similar yet more
    rewarding card called the Prestige CC. Since I am currently on the
    existing grandfather plan where I get No annual fee for life, is it
    possible for Citibank to upgrade my Signature card to the Prestige card
    and keep the no annual fee for life? Happy to discuss in more detail.

    The response I got:
    Thank you for your email and for your interest in Citi Prestige Card.

    We advise that the 'No Annual Fee for Life' offer is applicable only to
    your current Signature Card. Once you upgrade to Prestige Card, we
    cannot guarantee that the 'No Annual Fee for Life' will be applied.

    Generally, Citibank Prestige Card has an annual fee of $700 where you
    can enjoy more benefits that your current card.

    Should you wish to proceed with the upgrade, please confirm via return
    email or you can contact us on 13 24 84 (13 CITI), or if overseas via
    +61 2 8225 0615. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

    If there is anything else we can do to assist you, please let us know
    and we will be happy to help.

    Thank you for using the Citibank Australia Website.

  • t0087669 on 05/04/2017 - 10:54

    just called and tried to upgrade my platinum to signature while retaining the free for life status. He told me that if I applied for credit limit increase to 17K, then he will send the upgrade request to the higher office. I wonder what is the implication to me having a higher credit limit, he seemed to be pushing it a lot.

    • bluedufflecoat on 05/04/2017 - 14:52

      Not sure about $17k but minimum credit limit for signature is $15k.

    • kylebb on 05/04/2017 - 18:22

      Have done something similar because they keep harassing me about raising the credit limit. See what happens, curious to know what result you get.

      • t0087669 on 06/04/2017 - 15:24

        declined! pretty much just said they do not have that kind of promotion going on right now.

  • aec on 02/06/2017 - 20:47

    i have just 29k credit on my signature. should i try…..

    • kev98 on 02/09/2017 - 10:01

      Yes

  • macr0hard on 16/01/2018 - 16:31

    Called Citi and they said they never had offers where they would waive the Prestige annual fees especially on a granfather offer from Signature

    • kiwiinoz on 16/01/2018 - 16:48

      They have done in the past when they launched in Australia….not anymore….I have been trying for last year or so no luck…

  • Eeples on 02/04/2018 - 23:05

    I guess to be even considered you would need 150k income.

  • LemonShapedRock on 05/04/2018 - 17:22

    How lenient are Citi bank with the $150,000 income requirement?

  • coolsteps on 08/04/2018 - 16:51

    if you already have a 30k limit the $150,000 income requirement is not required for upgrades you can be unemployed for all we care but don't tell them that.

  • cisco on 01/08/2018 - 19:09
    -1

    @TA can you negotiate a deal for us? Signature to Prestige upgrade? Free for life?

  • kerryww on 14/10/2018 - 23:03

    I'm a CBA Diamond MC/Amex combo refugee, looking for another combo deal.

    I tried to upgrade my Simplicity to the Platinum/Diners Club combo. I called Citibank, they want $249.00/yr fee plus $90.00 for an extra card member. Yikes, I just want to upgrade my card, not buy the bank. I offered to pay the $74.50/yr fee if I spent over $24,000. NO! they said. I also tried emailing them, but they still said NO! NO! NO!

  • CyberMurning on 30/09/2019 - 10:33

    hi OP did citi ask your to provide new paperworks ie income proof etc etc?

  • abc on 09/11/2019 - 15:19

    Citi Prestige has been withdrawn (for now)

    https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/citi-prestige-wit…

    • kiwiinoz on 11/11/2019 - 09:16

      Hopefully they come up with a similar card and give Signature holders free upgrade….lol….

      • abc on 12/11/2019 - 14:21

        Got this by email this morning. I think Citi are getting rid of a lot of benefits with their high end cards (. Eg. no more free hotel nights for Prestige, No more travel insurance for Signature/Premier).

        We would like to inform you that effective 19 January 2020, your Citi Rewards Signature Card will be known as the Citi Premier Card to align with Citi credit cards globally.

        Accordingly, all references to "Citi Rewards Signature" are replaced with "Citi Premier" in your Credit Card Terms and Conditions and Other Important Information booklet (including your Financial Table). In addition, this change will also apply to all related disclosure documents and communications, including:

        • Complimentary Insurance Terms and Conditions

        ○ Description of Insurance Cover booklet terms and conditions

        • Rewards Terms and Conditions

        ○ Citibank Rewards and Citibank Qantas Rewards Program Terms and Conditions - Citibank Rewards Credit Card - Signature & Citi Prestige Credit Card

        • Your statements, Citi Online and the Citi Mobile® App

        If you have further questions, please contact us at citibank.com.au/contactus

        https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/community/threads…

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