Guidelines for Citi Card Applications

It isn’t quite time for my next round of card applications, but I’ve been doing my homework to make sure I have the best chance of a 100% approval rate. My biggest concern is how to maximize my applications with Citi. They are a bit stingier than Chase or Amex when it comes to how frequently you can be approved for a new card. Since I’m thinking about applying for two Citi cards, I thought I’d put together some key points for successful approvals.

1. Citi will approve no more than 2 credit cards in the same day: two personal or one personal and one business.
2. You can re-apply for 2 more cards 60 days after your last application date.
3. Citi allows cardholders to have more than 2 cards at a time, but the total amount of available credit may limit your likelihood of approval.
4. You do not need to own a business to apply for a business card.
5. You should expect a four to six point impact to your credit score for each application, however, if you apply for two personal cards on the same day, the credit agencies will likely combine them into a single inquiry. (Reminder: Inquires have the greatest impact on your score in the first 3 months, then less so for the 3-6 month period, then hardly at all from 6-12 months, then not at all after that.)
6. The points will typically be applied to your account approximately 7 days after the billing cycle in which you reach the minimum spend target.

Be aware, there are reports that Citi’s website is having trouble processing applications for the Premier Thank You card.  People are reporting better success applying over the phone.

Let me know if your experience varies from the above or if you have other tips

A bit off topic, but still relevant, Gary at View From the Wing discussed an upsetting development in the Hilton rewards program. I was planning to apply for the Hawaiian Airlines cards (Bank of Hawaii and Bank of America) and convert the miles into Hilton points.  Now I’m not so sure…