Boring credit card ramblings
Here's a little bit on my credit card history:
I've been a Citibank Mastercard owner for most of my adult life. I got my first card in 1999, freshly into university. It was a Sony Citibank Mastercard, obtained more or less on a whim based on the fact that I wanted to buy a PlayStation 2 and needed some way to pay for it that didn't involve cash or debit.
Seven years later I got a letter saying that the Sony card was now owned by MBNA, and received a new MBNA card.
After about two months with that card, I realized two things: getting 1% cash back that could only be used for Sony purchases was ultimately a terrible benefit, and that I far preferred Citi's online banking to MBNA's.
So I bought a bookshelf stereo system with my remaining points and switched back to Citi, opting for their CitiEnrich card.
The card's great: no annual fee, and 1% cash back, paid out every year, to a maximum of $250 a year.
I used it quite happily until I started reliably hitting the $250 a year maximum, at which point I upgraded to the platinum-level Enrich card.
It was even better: the maximum cash back went up to $500 a year, and I got free extended warranties and price protection on everything I buy with the card, and rental car insurance, still for no annual fee.
Everything was copacetic.
Until last week, when I received The Letter.
The Letter stated that, as a result of Citi selling its credit card arm to CIBC, my account was being cancelled.
Well, how about that? I guess there are disadvantages to paying your card off every month!
So here I am, back in that uncomfortable situation where I'm strongly inclined to head back to MBNA. See, they have the closest thing to the CitiEnrich Platinum, called the Smart Cash Platinum Plus.
No annual fee, 1% cash back (3% back on gas and groceries), rental car insurance, and I think it's got price protection and extended warranty provisions as well.
The cash back is also boosted to 5% for the first six months (PROTIP: buy gift cards at the gas station for the extra cash back!)
All this to say that I'm cheesed that I have to apply for another credit card, mostly because I don't want to take the credit score hit, but more mostly because I'm uncomfortable with being forced into the greasy bosom of MBNA again.
I've been a Citibank Mastercard owner for most of my adult life. I got my first card in 1999, freshly into university. It was a Sony Citibank Mastercard, obtained more or less on a whim based on the fact that I wanted to buy a PlayStation 2 and needed some way to pay for it that didn't involve cash or debit.
Seven years later I got a letter saying that the Sony card was now owned by MBNA, and received a new MBNA card.
After about two months with that card, I realized two things: getting 1% cash back that could only be used for Sony purchases was ultimately a terrible benefit, and that I far preferred Citi's online banking to MBNA's.
So I bought a bookshelf stereo system with my remaining points and switched back to Citi, opting for their CitiEnrich card.
The card's great: no annual fee, and 1% cash back, paid out every year, to a maximum of $250 a year.
I used it quite happily until I started reliably hitting the $250 a year maximum, at which point I upgraded to the platinum-level Enrich card.
It was even better: the maximum cash back went up to $500 a year, and I got free extended warranties and price protection on everything I buy with the card, and rental car insurance, still for no annual fee.
Everything was copacetic.
Until last week, when I received The Letter.
The Letter stated that, as a result of Citi selling its credit card arm to CIBC, my account was being cancelled.
Well, how about that? I guess there are disadvantages to paying your card off every month!
So here I am, back in that uncomfortable situation where I'm strongly inclined to head back to MBNA. See, they have the closest thing to the CitiEnrich Platinum, called the Smart Cash Platinum Plus.
No annual fee, 1% cash back (3% back on gas and groceries), rental car insurance, and I think it's got price protection and extended warranty provisions as well.
The cash back is also boosted to 5% for the first six months (PROTIP: buy gift cards at the gas station for the extra cash back!)
All this to say that I'm cheesed that I have to apply for another credit card, mostly because I don't want to take the credit score hit, but more mostly because I'm uncomfortable with being forced into the greasy bosom of MBNA again.