Disclosure: I receive a commission if you apply & get approved for the credit card mentioned at the bottom of this post. Thank you for supporting Michael W Travels.
I’ve been putting off applying for a Citi Executive AAdvantage card for Kim for way too long and decided to finally get it taken care of last week.
(I’ve already received two Citi Executive AAdvantage cards which come with an amazing 100,000 bonus miles each. If you haven’t already taken advantage of this offer, you can still do so by applying here (not an affiliate link). The card comes with a pricey $450 annual fee but after a $200 statement credit you are really only paying $250.)
Besides finishing the spends on my Citi Exec cards, there was another reason why I put off applying for the card for Kim. Odds were extremely high that she would have to call in to get the approval. This was the case for both of my cards and from what I understand for everyone else. Kim always has to call in for new cards due to a fraud issue she had a few years back.
After I filled in the application, I dialed up Citi and passed the phone off to Kim so she could (hopefully) get an approval on the spot.
Kim went through the usual pleasantries and confirmed various bits of info before being placed on a 3 minute hold. When the rep came back on Kim was informed that she would have to call back to confirm the phone number from the application due to the security block.
After getting the call back a moment later, Lucas was chatting away. Prior to letting Kim know about her card approval, she shared some other exciting news.
According to the rep, they are never allowed to have their cell phones out while at work. However today was a little different for her. She was allowed to keep her phone out since she was waiting to hear the great news that her first great-grandchild was born!
I only heard this story due to hearing Kim say to the rep “you don’t sound old enough to be a great-grandmother!”
So during this phone call, Kim heard two bits of good news- approval for an awesome credit card offer and some great news for the Citi rep!
I always find it nice when you get into a somewhat personal conversations with the card company representatives while on a routine call.
Have you ever had an unrelated conversation while calling in for a credit card?
You can add up to 40,000 miles to your American Airlines account by getting a U.S. Airways Premier World Mastercard. Once AA & US Air are fully merged, your Dividend Miles will merge with your AAdvantage account.
How do you apply for two of the same card? I’ve singed up for most of the miles cards at this point, but I assumed I needed to cancel, wait 18 months, and the apply for a new card. Can I be getting new cards w/out canceling current ones? Thanks!
James- It all depends on the bank. With Citi the rule is supposedly waiting 60 days.
I’ve never followed the 18 month rule & have had great success with Citi AA cards over the years. (Things have changed though.)
With the Citi Exec AAdvantage some people have supposedly got 3 cards. After Kim gets her card & finishes the spend, I might try for another if the offer is still available!
Amazing! Thank you.
But now I’m thinking about the topic of this post. The conversation. What do you say to the card rep if they ask why you are applying for the same exact card??
Thank you so much for your help. Your advice now (and in the past) has significantly improved my ability to travel the world.
No problem! I usually say that I like to use different cards for different kinds of expenses. You could also say that you have two businesses etc… When I called in for my 2nd Citi Exec, they didn’t mention my first one but did bring up a different Citi AA product that I have.
Michael, that was a really neat story and brought a smile to my face. Thanks for sharing!
MilesforFamily- glad that you liked it! 🙂
Bexho2000- Exactly! I always try to greet the reps by their name, ask how they are doing and so on. It definitely doesn’t hurt to be nice! Thanks for stopping by, hopefully you’ll come back more in the future!
glbetrkkr- Funny! The weather does seem to be a popular topic! It sounds like you start your calls off in a similar way as to how I do! 🙂
I love conversing w/ reps over the phone. I make small talk such as the weather or asking how their day is going. I always start conversations with, “How are you today?” Reps deal with customers all day long and I like to think I bring a little smile to their faces.
Michael – I don’ read your blog that often but I am glad I clicked this time and read the story. Thanks for Sharing. My takeaway….We should always remember that credit card co Reps are people with feelings and a life as well. While to us is more of a fun game, it’s a job for them and it never hurts to be nice and courteous to them…in fact it does help most of the time in improving your chances for an approval. Remember – we are calling a reconsideration line…after being initially in limbo or quasi rejected…Thanks again!
I guess I am struggling trying to figure out the point of that post/incremental piece of info.
I always find it interesting when the reps bring up personal info. When told about the conversation, I found it be very cool that she was sharing info about this (soon to be) happy occasion while approving a credit card offer. Sorry that it didn’t help to add to your miles & points balance! 🙂