"Good At The Beginning . . . "
Citi® Dividend Platinum Select® Visa® Card Review
Written by: dnyc9779 on 2008-05-16
Overall Satisfaction
Customer Service
Rewards
Account Management
Delivery Time
dnyc9779's review: 
My Citi Dividend Platinum Select card WAS my go to card whenever Amex wasn't accepted by a merchant or store. Initially, it had non-tiered rewards where you earned full cash back + bonus in everyday categories. Recently, Citi has scaled its rewards back, only offering 5% in bonus categories for the first 6 months.
While the card is standard in terms of features, I find it sometimes difficult to deal with. Here are some highlights:
1) Customer service calls routinely go overseas. I always end up spending more time on the phone when this happens (and I am reluctant to ever ask questions that might be considered "off the script"). Occasionally these reps do not inspire confidence. I called one day to inquire about a replacement card I was expecting that hadn't yet arrived. Because I didn't receive it, he determined that my account needed to be suspended, voided the replacement card, and expedited me another card AT MY EXPENSE (which still took 2-3 days to arrive). In the meantime, my existing card no longer worked, even though he assured me that it would until I activated the new one. When I finally was able to get someone competent on the phone, she told me that the other rep shouldn't have suspended my account because the replacement I was waiting for had not yet even been sent out. This information, she noted, should have been clearly available to the other representative.
2) I had a problem with online access once and was a few days late on a payment. Not only did they charge me a $40 late fee, but my rewards for that cycle were voided as well. I have had experiences with other cards where payments only a few days late haven't resulted in any consequences. In general you should always pay on time, but if circumstances prevent you from doing so, Citi is less sympathetic than other credit cards.
3) The consensus among my close circle of friends and family is that Citi's credit limits tend to be less generous than some other banks. After requesting an increase, however, CitI did come close to matching my higher lines.
My Citi Dividend Platinum Select card WAS my go to card whenever Amex wasn't accepted by a merchant or store. Initially, it had non-tiered rewards where you earned full cash back + bonus in everyday categories. Recently, Citi has scaled its rewards back, only offering 5% in bonus categories for the first 6 months. While the card is standard in terms of features, I find it sometimes difficult to deal with. Here are some highlights:
1) Customer service calls routinely go overseas. I always end up spending more time on the phone when this happens (and I am reluctant to ever ask questions that might be considered "off the script"). Occasionally these reps do not inspire confidence. I called one day to inquire about a replacement card I was expecting that hadn't yet arrived. Because I didn't receive it, he determined that my account needed to be suspended, voided the replacement card, and expedited me another card AT MY EXPENSE (which still took 2-3 days to arrive). In the meantime, my existing card no longer worked, even though he assured me that it would until I activated the new one. When I finally was able to get someone competent on the phone, she told me that the other rep shouldn't have suspended my account because the replacement I was waiting for had not yet even been sent out. This information, she noted, should have been clearly available to the other representative.
2) I had a problem with online access once and was a few days late on a payment. Not only did they charge me a $40 late fee, but my rewards for that cycle were voided as well. I have had experiences with other cards where payments only a few days late haven't resulted in any consequences. In general you should always pay on time, but if circumstances prevent you from doing so, Citi is less sympathetic than other credit cards.
3) The consensus among my close circle of friends and family is that Citi's credit limits tend to be less generous than some other banks. After requesting an increase, however, CitI did come close to matching my higher lines.
6 Comments
Comment 1 by arod
SORRY 
on 2008-05-16
I DISAGREE WITH YOU... OVER 15 YEAR OR MORE WITH CITIBANK..
I LOVE CITIBANK...
on 2008-05-16 I DISAGREE WITH YOU... OVER 15 YEAR OR MORE WITH CITIBANK..I LOVE CITIBANK...
Comment 2 by rockin35
Citibank Is Indeed A Bank on 2008-05-16
Your experiences are one to be noted by Citibank whom should be informed at the highest level. I have had a few bad experiences in the past with Citibank well over 6-7 years ago with customer service providing inaccurate information or sometimes lack of "full communication". So I can attest to the fact that csr's not giving you all of your options has almost become apparent. I'm not sure if its because so many procedures change, and policies change that they are just overwhelmed with information. I say this because I have worked in a Call Center environment with bad executive leadership handing down new processes for lost accounts/suspension on a whimbs notice with all of no training except an email notificaiton.
But overrall, Citibank is a Bank!! They are here to maximize profits, decrease churn, and minimize any direct blows to their quarterly profit margins. So the they charge us late fees & other fees where ever applicable.
I have mixed feelings about Citibank, yes when I was in college, I was late twice and got hit with the late fees, but on the flip side, when I graduated, they zoomed my credit line from $500 up to $2500 within a years time of paying on time. During that time I really needed the increase.
I say keep the card, don't use it though... Rockin35!
on 2008-05-16 Your experiences are one to be noted by Citibank whom should be informed at the highest level. I have had a few bad experiences in the past with Citibank well over 6-7 years ago with customer service providing inaccurate information or sometimes lack of "full communication". So I can attest to the fact that csr's not giving you all of your options has almost become apparent. I'm not sure if its because so many procedures change, and policies change that they are just overwhelmed with information. I say this because I have worked in a Call Center environment with bad executive leadership handing down new processes for lost accounts/suspension on a whimbs notice with all of no training except an email notificaiton. But overrall, Citibank is a Bank!! They are here to maximize profits, decrease churn, and minimize any direct blows to their quarterly profit margins. So the they charge us late fees & other fees where ever applicable.
I have mixed feelings about Citibank, yes when I was in college, I was late twice and got hit with the late fees, but on the flip side, when I graduated, they zoomed my credit line from $500 up to $2500 within a years time of paying on time. During that time I really needed the increase.
I say keep the card, don't use it though... Rockin35!
Comment 3 by bramford
You Are Wrong! on 2008-05-19
I totally agree with ARod, and Totally disagree with you dnyc9779. I have 3 of CitiBanks Cards, and I must say that in comparison to other banks that are in the market today, CitiBanks interest rates and terms and conditions are the best that you can find in the market today, and the quality of their customer service is next to none.
on 2008-05-19 I totally agree with ARod, and Totally disagree with you dnyc9779. I have 3 of CitiBanks Cards, and I must say that in comparison to other banks that are in the market today, CitiBanks interest rates and terms and conditions are the best that you can find in the market today, and the quality of their customer service is next to none.
Comment 4 by kmoney
I Disagree With ARod And Bramford on 2008-06-13
If this poster is talking about their bad experience with Citi then they are definitely entitled to do so. Citi at one time was the premier card to have but over time they have definitely diminished. I got rid of them a long time ago because it was just a hot mess. So yes Citi is craptacular big time and I totally agree with the poster.
on 2008-06-13 If this poster is talking about their bad experience with Citi then they are definitely entitled to do so. Citi at one time was the premier card to have but over time they have definitely diminished. I got rid of them a long time ago because it was just a hot mess. So yes Citi is craptacular big time and I totally agree with the poster.
Comment 5 by hjm331
Settle Down on 2008-06-13
Don't disagree each other. Every consumer will have their own point of view and different experiences with the same lender. There's no need to argue because if everyone posts their experiences, other users will benefit from the posts and will get an idea of how the lender works.
As I said before, there will be mixed reviews so just keep it clean and posts your experiences to provide readers information about the card they are looking for.
Thanks
Good Luck To Everyone
on 2008-06-13 Don't disagree each other. Every consumer will have their own point of view and different experiences with the same lender. There's no need to argue because if everyone posts their experiences, other users will benefit from the posts and will get an idea of how the lender works. As I said before, there will be mixed reviews so just keep it clean and posts your experiences to provide readers information about the card they are looking for.
Thanks
Good Luck To Everyone
Comment 6 by thomas1
Re: Good At The Beginning . . . on 2010-08-21
Amen to that! Everyone's point of views should be taken as just that. The more individual info reported from experiences helps the next visitor make decisions based upon these posts as Hjm said.
on 2010-08-21 Amen to that! Everyone's point of views should be taken as just that. The more individual info reported from experiences helps the next visitor make decisions based upon these posts as Hjm said.
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Disclaimer: This content is not provided by Citibank. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by Citibank. Review content is powered by Finance Globe.
