SIGNING UP

The process for signing up to receive this card is very easy. I was also quickly able to add my wife to the account although it took almost two weeks to get her card after the request.

ONLINE ACCESS

One of the best features of modern credit cards is the ability to check your balance online, make a payment, or request credit increases. The Citi website is very easy to navigate. One thing missing from the website is the ability to dispute charges online; this will require a call into customer service (more later)

BILLING

Overall, my experience has been very positive with credit card billing, with the ability to get electronic and/or paper statements which are concise, and easy to understand.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

One of the best ways to assess how good a company's customer service is can be learned by seeing how much power a representative can wield for the customer. Can they quickly increase your credit, can they reverse a banking error, etc. Here, as far as I'm concerned, is where Citibank falls flat. The few occasions I've had to contact customer service, I've found the representatives to be nearly powerless. On several occasions, I called to dispute a charge (which is not possible to do online) and was told that I would need to fill out an affidavit confirming my dispute and mail it back. In the mean time, disputed charges are left on your account to accrue interest until a situation is resolved (usually taking about 3 months). This level of service contrasts starkly with my experience with American Express which has the mentality that the customer is always right, and then follows up with a proper investigation.

CASH REWARDS

The main reason I got the card in the first place was because it offered cash rewards for everyday purchases. Specifically, the card pays 2% cash back for supermarkets, drugstores, gas stations, convenience stores, and utilities, and 1% on all other purchases. Unlike other cards which send you a check once a year (AMEX/Discover), here you can request a check anytime you've accrued $50 in rewards. This is a very nice benefit, especially if you don't carry a balance (though balance transfers also earn more rewards). Checks can be requested online or through customer service and arrive within days of the request.

OVERALL

In general, this card has many nice features including good online account access and cash rewards, but Citibank customer service is problematic enough to make the card a difficult sell, especially in a competitive environment where many different companies are vying for your business by providing exceptional service and support.

Recommended:
No